By Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Thailand was set for an earlier than expected election after its king endorsed Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s bid to dissolve parliament on Friday, as a border conflict with Cambodia raged and the government moved to ‍head off a no-confidence vote.

Anutin late on Thursday announced he was “returning power to the people”, and King Maha Vajiralongkorn approved his petition to dissolve the house, according a royal gazette posting overnight, paving the way for an election as early as February.

Anutin’s play comes as an armed border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia entered into a fifth day, with at least 20 people killed, close to 200 wounded and hundreds ‌of thousands of people displaced.

Late on Thursday, U.S. President Donal

See Full Page