Eleven more Future Forward ‘MPs’ face disqualification

[webfact]

Eleven more Future Forward ‘MPs’ face disqualification

By THE NATION

 

 

ACTIVIST SRISUWAN TO FILE COMPLAINT WITH EC OVER ALLEGED MEDIA SHAREHOLDINGS

 

FUTURE FORWARD is staring at the possibility of its strength in Parliament further eroding as 11 of its MPs-to-be are targets for disqualification after social activist Srisuwan Janya said he planned to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) today over their alleged shareholdings in media companies.

 

Srisuwan said yesterday he had been tipped off by many people about their shareholdings in media companies, which is prohibited for MP candidates. He said he found that at least 11 MP candidates from Future Forward may have breached the law.

 

If found guilty, they face one to 10 years in jail and a fine of between Bt20,000 to Bt200,000. Their suffrage rights would also be revoked for 20 years.

 

In response to criticism that he was targeting only anti-junta politicians for disqualification, the social activist said he was gathering information about pro-junta politicians too for violating the same law. He would be lodging complaints soon, he added.

 

Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has already been hit with the same allegation. He is scheduled to meet the poll agency tomorrow to clarify the matter.

 

Thanathorn, however, said yesterday he was ready to provide any information to the EC. All the current allegations about his shareholdings in a media company were based on media speculation and lacked any evidence, he added.

 

The politician insisted he had transferred his shares to his mother on January 8, well before the EC allowed MP candidates to register the following month. 

 

Reacting to news that he was not in Bangkok on that day for the transaction, Thanathorn challenged Srisuwan or anyone else to seek information about his whereabouts from his cellphone network provider and put them out before the public.

 

EC accused of double standards

 

While Thanathorn claimed he had travelled by car from Buri Ram to the capital to complete the business transaction on that day, his opponents and media questioned if it were possible to drive a distance of 400 kilometres within a few hours. 

 

In a related development, another anti-junta politician Ruangkrai Leekitwattana would today petition the Ombudsman to investigate if the EC was discriminating against Thanathorn.

 

Previously, the agency had turned down a complaint against junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha owning online media channels such as Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram accounts, which could be monetised, he said. This suggested that the EC had double standards in how it treated Prayut and Thanathorn, he said.

 

Though Future Forward Party MP candidates were being targeted for disqualification, the party might also gain another MP winner after recounting yesterday in one constituency in Nakhon Pathom province.

 

The candidate, Savika Limmasuwanna, was expected to win after the recount. She was trailing by some 140 votes behind the Democrat Party winner when the miscounting was reported.

 

As of press time, the final result remained unknown with 29 polling units yet to begin counting. The constituency has more than 240 units with 60 sets of referees counting the ballots. The recounting was observed by the people as well as party representatives, including Thanathorn.

 

In Chumphon province, an election rerun was held yesterday. The result remained unknown as of press time.

 

Another election rerun is due to be held in Chiang Mai province next month after a candidate from Pheu Thai Party was disqualified for allegedly giving a cash gift to a temple.

 

With the post-election politics engulfed in lawsuits, constitutional complications and a power struggle between the pro- and anti-junta groups, a survey released yesterday showed nearly half of the people (47.33 per cent) believed politics now to be as confusing as before the election.

 

The poll, conducted by Suan Dusit Poll based on responses from 1,107 people in the past week, also showed one-third of the people viewed the post-election politics as confusing. Around 40 per cent said they looked forward to a new government taking office and a new prime minister while 32.03 and 25.96 per cent respectively said they cared for the handling of economic issues and improvement of quality of life.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30368509

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-29

[Donutz]

The EC truely is pathetic.  Seems like FFP needs to be shrunk to size or destroyed. And how many Phalang Pracharat members have faced the threat of disqualification for these same reasons? Oh... I see.

 

[Reigntax]

The junta and their pasties are so predictable. I suppose the Thai translation would be "you can't teach old buffalos to vacate the trough "

[sammieuk1]

The poll, conducted by Suan Dusit Poll based on responses from 1,107 people in the past week, also showed one-third of the people viewed the post-election politics as confusing.

 

No confusion just plain and simple racketeering with a thin veneer of politics ????   

[leeneeds]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Srisuwan said yesterday he had been tipped off by many people about their shareholdings in media companies, which is prohibited for MP candidates. He said he found that at least 11 MP candidates from Future Forward may have breached the law.

This guy is the sheriff of elections, but one and all know 

he has only one eye,

 

[Creasy]

Thailand. 

One step above the 3rd world banana republic of Cambodia

[MRToMRT]

"The politician insisted he had transferred his shares to his mother on January 8"

 

Obviously this is an EC law that needs to be looked into more as this just seems a way of getting around the rule BUT what if he had not won any seats and given up his shares, that seems a little unfair - interesting quandary.

[harada]

It looks like Uncle may have picked up a few tips on winning an election on his recent trip to Cambodia, although, just going by my association with Thais and Cambodians over the last 40years I don't think Thais will sit back and take the b.s as long as the Cambodians have, they seem to have a bit more fire in their bellies.

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

This suggested that the EC had double standards in how it treated Prayut and Thanathorn, he said.

course they do, they were appointed by the junta; surprising they didnt find some third world way to dissolve Future Forward

[Puchaiyank]

FFP's energy and enthusiasm for change from military control to a civilian government are being met by strong opposition from the present task masters...

 

Implications are clear...get in line...or be removed...

[Orton Rd]

I despair, I thought FFP were a ray of hope for this backward corrupt country, sadly those in control have proved again they are not interested in the will of the people and will resort to any means to stay in power, guns being the last resort as usual.

[ratcatcher]

1 hour ago, Creasy said:

Thailand. 

One step above the 3rd world banana republic of Cambodia

One step above the 3rd world banana republic  Kingdom of Cambodia

[Sir Dude]

Activist my backside ... more like regime stooge doing the junta's bidding whilst trying to look good in the press. Maybe someone should look into his life and background to see if he's whiter than white, bet there are skeletons somewhere. 

 

[BobbyL]

I noticed Indonesia, a country with 4 or more times the population of Thailand, managed to easily hold an election recently with the results being known within a day. 

 

Thailand may love to think of themselves as a real major player, but they're quickly becoming even more of a joke recently with this election. They are firmly cementing themselves alongside 3rd world nations with this fiasco. 

[Lupatria]

13 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

I noticed Indonesia, a country with 4 or more times the population of Thailand, managed to easily hold an election recently with the results being known within a day. 

Btw the vote counting in Indonesia was done by hand...

On April 17, Indonesia held the biggest election ever held in one day. Now the electoral commission reported that 270 of the election workers died as a result of their efforts, most of them due to illnesses related to their overhaul. More than 1800 other helpers were ill.
An official result is not expected before May. The former General Prabowo Subianto spoke of irregularities in the election.

It seems quite common here as well as in the neighbor states: 

Election is, when two wolves and one sheep decide over what to eat... 

[allanpatty]

EC is a puppet of Prayut and his cohorts ! This was made clear at the Foreign Correspondents Club post “election “ meeting ! A pathetic joke of an election ! Need other countries not to recognise what will be an illegitimate Gov and parliament

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[schlog]

Only reading

social activist Srisuwan i feel like vomiting.

[yellowboat]

No surprise here.  It is just sad.  If Thais see military strongmen and a sham of participatory government in their future, it will not be much of a Thailand.

[Runamile]

2 hours ago, YetAnother said:

course they do, they were appointed by the junta; surprising they didnt find some third world way to dissolve Future Forward

Be fair ............. Give them time.

[Bob12345]

Does this all really matter?

 

We all knew upfront that the junta would stay in power through their 20-year plan and non-elected senate members.

 

The only reason there was an election was to give the junta some credibility, at which they failed given they could not get an easy majority with their rigged elections.

[smedly]

so to sum up

 

The Junta lost the democratic election but the results have been delayed so they can ART44 all the other parties (that won) out of contention 

 

Was there an Election - yes 

[grego49]

2 hours ago, YetAnother said:

course they do, they were appointed by the junta; surprising they didnt find some third world way to dissolve Future Forward

they are proberly working on it right now,

[1duckyboy]

If you can't beat 'em, disqualify 'em.

Edited April 29, 2019 by 1duckyboy

[Cadbury]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Eleven more Future Forward ‘MPs’ face disqualification

I think Future Forward leader Thanathorn made the mistake of declaring his policy to reduce the size and budget of the military. That was like poking a stick in a hornet's nest. An admiral intention but he might have left that one rest until after his primary mission was accomplished. 

The leader of the military General Apirat Kongsompong became very animated and spat venom when they made that announcement. No doubt he has used his power and influence with his fellow generals to get rid of the FFP by whatever means, which includes the friendly cooperation of the junta controlled Electoral Commission. 

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/03/article/the-future-thailands-junta-fears-the-most/

 

 

[Mainhattencitizen]

2 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

I despair, I thought FFP were a ray of hope for this backward corrupt country, sadly those in control have proved again they are not interested in the will of the people and will resort to any means to stay in power, guns being the last resort as usual.

They may be able to hurt the FFP but it will not fool the people who voted for them and with all this bullshit that Prayuth is doing to remain in power he is only making the FFP more popular. This could easily end up in a bloody mess.

[spidermike007]

No doubt this corrosive, toxic, heinous army is working behind the scenes to do whatever they can to steal an election that they have lost. It is obvious to most, based on the actions of the EC, that the Thai people made their hatred and severe distaste of Prayuth and the army known. And those guys are engaging in thievery at this moment. They appear willing to do whatever they can, to maintain power and deprive the Thai nation of any semblance of democracy. 

[shaemus]

2 hours ago, BobbyL said:

I noticed Indonesia, a country with 4 or more times the population of Thailand, managed to easily hold an election recently with the results being known within a day. 

 

Thailand may love to think of themselves as a real major player, but they're quickly becoming even more of a joke recently with this election. They are firmly cementing themselves alongside 3rd world nations with this fiasco. 

i read this morning that 270 officials had died from overwork

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-election/more-than-270-died-from-overwork-related-illnesses-in-indonesia-elections-idUSKCN1S403N

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

his opponents and media questioned if it were possible to drive a distance of 400 kilometres within a few hours. 

Thai mini-van drivers do it every day of the year... even with their eyes closed!!

[manhood]

That's the way how the junta stay in power and demolish any opposition!

Thailand will never step forward to democracy as long junta members ruling the country and will ever find a way (constructed laws) to discredit opposition party members!

[newcomer71]

Black days ahead for Thailand.

We will knows if Thai people will accept to be buffaloes feed and used by the elite and military, or if they will have the guts and the power to break the chains once for all.