soldiers from the anti-aircraft regiment wait in line to cast their votes at a polling booth on Nakhon Chaisi road in Dusit district. — SAROT MEKSOPHAWANNAKUL

WASSANA NANUAM

Despite reports that soldiers were told how to vote, Defence Minister Chettha Thanajaro insists there is no way of ensuring they follow the instructions.

He said soldiers are free to vote as they please, and canvassers and vote buying make it hard to predict election results.

However, two army unit commanders admitted being asked by higher-ups to tell their subordinates and families to vote for Pavena Hongsakula, who was favoured by the prime minister's Thai Rak Thai party. But they were not sure their men followed their suggestions.

A cabinet member was reported to have asked military top brass on Tuesday to cooperate in helping elect Ms Pavena.

The executive member of the Thai Rak Thai party reportedly called a secret meeting at the 2nd Cavalry Division of army division commanders, navy and air force representatives and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's prominent pre-cadet school classmates to seek their support for Mrs Pavena. After casting his ballot at polling unit 41 in Bang Sue district yesterday, Gen Chettha said it was not easy these days for anyone to order soldiers to vote for a particular candidate.

``We may tell each other to help some election candidates. But when the time comes, things will not be as expected because of the canvasser system and vote buying.

``Soldiers and families usually follow canvassers and money rather than orders,'' he said. ``In the past, we learned that candidates supported by soldiers following orders did not always win.

``Nowadays soldiers cannot be ordered how to vote. They are free to vote as they please. It is not easy to manipulate them.''

An infantry battalion commander, who asked not to be named, said his superiors had told him to ask people under him and their families to vote for No. 7

``I can tell them, but I don't know if my subordinates will do it as things now are not like they were. Now, everything is democratic and soldiers are smarter,'' he said. ``More importantly, vote counting is done at election centres, not polling units like before, so it's impossible to know who soldiers voted for.''

A colonel who heads an artillery unit said higher-ups had asked soldiers to help by voting for No. 7. They claimed the poll was a showdown between Democrat candidate Apirak Kosayodhin and Mrs Pavena and the outcome would affect the next general election as Thai Rak Thai wanted to win more seats in the capital.

``I can just tell my men to vote for No. 7, but non-commissioned officers and their families have a free vote and sometimes are influenced by canvassers who come to buy votes in military units.

``Orders cannot win against money. Perhaps only conscripts can be ordered what to do, but most are controlled by corporals and sergeants who are also canvassers for political parties,'' he said.

It was no longer common to see soldiers carrying pieces of paper with numbers of certain election candidates on them as they lined up to cast their ballots.

Yesterday, many air force officers in Don Muang and Sai Mai districts admitted to having voted for Mrs Pavena but said the reason for this was that she had a long-standing support base there.

They said that she always assisted with air force activities and, in addition, was backed by Thai Rak Thai whose leader Mr Thaksin and his wife Khunying Pojamarn had close ties with air force chief Kongsak Wanthana and his wife Mrs Lawan.