Watchdog condemns Thai election fraud

Election monitors say 84 Thai election winners should be disqualified.

Monitors say vote-buying and ballot-box tampering was rampant during the January 6 poll.

Around 1,000 demonstrators burned coffins outside the Election Commission building in Bangkok in protest at the alleged corruption.

Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai party won the election, it is reported.

Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, secretary-general of the PollWatch Foundation, said: "In 84 constituencies there have been many problems with fraud. We've got some information that local officials used the government budget to get votes from the people."