The Latest on Thailand's general election (all times local):9:10 a.m.Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has issued a statement as Thais vote in their first election since a 2014 coup that says the role of leaders is to stop "bad people" from gaining power and causing chaos. He urged government officials, soldiers and civil servants to look after national security. Prime Minister Prayuth Cha-cha, the army chief who led the coup, is hoping to extend his time in power after engineering a new political system that aims to stifle the influence of big political parties not aligned with the military. Leaders of civilian political parties have urged a high turnout as the only way to derail Prayuth's plans. The election is the latest chapter in a nearly two-decade struggle between conservative forces including the military and the political machine of Thaksin Shinawatra, a tycoon who upended tradition-bound Thailand's politics with a populist political revolution.

Source: Fox News March 24, 2019 02:15 UTC