Officials Call For Delay In Thailand Election Following Violence

Thailand’s election commission is calling for upcoming elections to be delayed after street battles between security forces and protesters resulted in the death of a police officer and injured nearly 100 people.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra wants the Feb. 2 elections to take place as scheduled, believing she can win and renew her mandate. The street violence adds pressure to take a tougher line against the protesters, risking more chaos and possible intervention by the army.

BBC reporter Jonathan Head joins Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson to discuss the anti-government demonstrations in Thailand.

• BBC: Thailand protests: Yingluck government rejects election delay

Associated Press contributed to reporting for this article.

Guest

• Jonathan Head, Southeast Asia correspondent for the BBC. He tweets @pakhead.

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