Special report: Snap general election in Thailand

    BANGKOK, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Thais went to the polls Sunday to decide the fate of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has said to refuse the premiership if his Thai Rak Thai Party wins less than half the ballots.

    The Election Commission, responsible for organizing the snap election, predicted that 72 percent of Thailand's 45 million eligible voters would cast ballots. Turnout appeared brisk throughout the country. Preliminary results will be known Monday morning (around 0000 GMT Sunday).

    Many constituencies had just one ballot choice as Thai Rak Thai candidates have no rivals, and in a Bangkok suburb voters have no choice because the only Thai Rak Thai party candidate was disqualified at the last minute.

    "Let the people decide," said Thaksin, after casting his ballot at a school compound in Bang Plad district in Bangkok suburb. Thaksin encouraged people to exercise their right to vote. "This is democracy," he said, making a claim that his opponents would contest.

    Thailand's three former opposition parties -- the Democrats, Chat Thai and Mahachon -- have boycotted the election to protest Thaksin's "new form of dictatorship and authoritarianism," according to Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

    Thaksin, who started his career as a police officer, hinted Sunday that he would not tolerate more civil disobedience in the post-election period.

    "It's time to bring law and order," Thaksin said before speeding away from the Bang Plad polling station in his chauffeur-driven car.

    At one polling station, Chulalongkorn lecturer Chaiyun Chaiyaporn tore up his ballot while voting, saying that he "disapproves of Thaksin's ways." He was immediately arrested and charged with destroying an election ballot.

    TV stations reported that a second lecturer from private Kasem Buntit University cut his finger and marked his ballot with blood at a Lad Prao polling station. Police arrested him on the same charge.

    Thaksin is a billionaire telecommunications tycoon whose populist Thai Rak Thai Party won the 2001 and 2005 elections by wide margins.

    The opposition accuse him of using his popularity "as a license for corruption and violation of rights." They have called on their supporters to tick the "no vote" box as a protest against Thaksin's rule.

    Although there are 18 parties contesting Sunday's election, Thai Rak Thai is the only real contender. Of the 941 candidates who registered to contest the polls, only 589 met EC qualifications. Most of those rejected were from the 17 small, largely unknown parties. Enditem