EC 'petitions charter court' to dissolve Future Forward over Thanathorn loan

[webfact]

EC 'petitions charter court' to dissolve Future Forward over Thanathorn loan

By THE NATION

 

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit

 

The Election Commission (EC) has petitioned the Constitutional Court to dissolve Future Forward Party (FFP) over its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit's Bt191-million loan.

 

On Wednesday (December 11), a source from the Office of the Election Commission of Thailand revealed that the EC has filed a petition with the Constitutional Court to consider dissolving FFP over its leader Thanathorn lending the party Bt191 million, which may be a violation of the election and political party law according to Article 72 of the Political Party Act BE 2560.

 

Article 72 prohibits political parties from receiving donation of money or assets from any sources which it knows are unlawful or have reasonable doubts of it being unlawful. Article 92(3) of the same act allows the Constitutional Court to consider dissolving any political party that violates Article 72.

 

Thanathorn had loaned Bt161.2 million to his own party in January at 7.5 per cent interest and another Bt30 million in April at 2 per cent interest. The borrower listed in both contracts is Nitipat Taempairot, acting FFP leader at that time.

 

Earlier on November 20, the Constitutional Court had ruled that Thanathorn lost his status as a member of Parliament on May 23, having registered to run in the March election while still holding shares in V Luck Media, in violation of the law.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30379301

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-12-11

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[Thaiwrath]

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

EC 'petitions charter court' to dissolve Future Forward over Thanathorn loan

Wow, I am surprised ! (NOT).

The sooner this fake government gets dissolved, the better for all.

[rkidlad]

Hun Sen would be proud. Dissolve FFP and then hopefully some sanctions will follow. At the very least, it's time to stop negotiating any trade deals with this horrible little excuse for a government. 

[canuckamuck]

They are definitely trying to get the message out that opposition parties will not be tolerated unless they are just pretending to oppose.

Thai democracy.

[bannork]

No doubt FFP already has a reserve party where their MPs can jump to but the executive board will probably be banned for 5 years. Can the party survive without the likes of Thanathon, Piyabutr or Chor? Hopefully some new charismatic figures are ready to step forward.

[Just1Voice]

They are so scared of this man and his party, they will stop at nothing to get rid of them 

[darksidedog]

Every time I ask myself is there no low to which this government will stoop to stay in power, I keep finding myself answering that No, there isn't. Utterly disgraceful, yet also a daily occurrence here.

[NCC1701A]

i have the same problems running for POTY. ????

[Creasy]

Thailand is a lost cause

[ThreeEyedRaven]

30 minutes ago, webfact said:

Article 72 prohibits political parties from receiving donation of money or assets from any sources which it knows are unlawful or have reasonable doubts of it being unlawful.

That probably describes pretty much every single Baht used by the whole damn lot of them, so it has to be considered unusual for only one party, who just happen to be the main opposition voice to keep getting singled out. Honesty and integrity are not two of the traits often associated with Thai politicians, especially our military orientated ones.

[Donutz]

What a surprise!! If you are part of the Khon Dee it is fine to borrow watches (thus not a gift and loans are not explicitly forbidden thus okay ) and have your party host a fundraiser where government agencies rent a table (and have the EC explain it's not foreign money..). Oppose the powers that be and have the law explained in such creative ways against you,  sure it doesn't explicitly ban a loan but it isn't explicitly written as a legal option either thus not allowed. If it was Phalang Pracharat I think they would have gone with 'It aint explicitly banned so it's okay'

 

The EC, supreme courts, constitutional court and this administration are all a bunch of ***** . double standards to stay in power.

[Eligius]

So that's it. It's all finished for Thanathorn and the Future Forward Party - as many of us have been predicting for months. So, so obvious. The regime spits daily in everyone's face and laughs at the power they wield over all the peasants (ourselves included, in their eyes) ...

[bannork]

5 minutes ago, Eligius said:

So that's it. It's all finished for Thanathorn and the Future Forward Party - as many of us have been predicting for months. So, so obvious. The regime spits daily in everyone's face and laughs at the power they wield over all the peasants (ourselves included, in their eyes) ...

No, they should start a new party called 'Back into the Future'. I'm sure they won't give up. They won over 6 million votes and they're very popular with the young.

[kotsak]

It's a matter of time..

 

[Creasy]

The Junta know they’re untouchable and do and say whatever they want and there isn’t a person who can do anything about it.

 

Game over.

[SmartyMarty]

Justice will be served, but not until after the next election.

[Eligius]

23 minutes ago, bannork said:

No, they should start a new party called 'Back into the Future'. I'm sure they won't give up. They won over 6 million votes and they're very popular with the young.

I agree with you, Bannork - but the junta will find means and ways and methods (they can concoct anything) to block ANY 'new' Thanathorn-inspired party. Genuine progressives, modernists and democrats simply cannot win here - under rules that are made, invented, interpreted SOLELY to benefit the junta.

It's game, set and match - for the junta (the Constitutional Court will of course support them and their wishes). And most of us have seen this in advance months back. So sad ....

 

[poohy]

Time to elicit a fine Dudley idiom referring to ones you find abhorrent

 

Bunch of ****s

[webfact]

Thai election panel wants opposition party dissolved over loans from leader

 

FILE PHOTO: Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Future Forward Party, speaks during a news conference at the parliament in Bangkok, Thailand June 5, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's election panel asked the Constitutional Court on Wednesday to dissolve the opposition Future Forward Party, accusing it of infringing laws governing political parties by accepting multimillion-dollar loans from its leader.

 

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, 41, has emerged as the most outspoken opponent of the government headed by former junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha after the party he helped found came a surprise third in an election in March and has since emerged as the most vocal challenge to the government.

 

"The loan to the Future Forward Party from Mr. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit... violates article 72 of political party legislation," the Election Commission said in a statement.

 

It was referring to a clause that forbids acceptance of money, assets, or interests from questionable sources.

 

The party borrowed 191.2 million baht ($6.3 million) in two sums, one of 161.2 million baht ($5.3 million) in January, and a second of 30 million ($994,000) in April, Thanathorn said in an official declaration of assets to an anti-graft panel.

 

A dissolution of the party could also lead to a bar from politics for party officials, although the legislation sets no timeframe.

 

"Why is the money we got through loans from Thanathorn, the party leader, questionable? The Election Commission did not explain this," Future Forward Party Secretary-General Piyabutr Saengkanokkul said, accusing the election panel of not providing enough reasons for the case.

 

Thai political party law does not bar parties from taking loans. Future Forward Party has previously made its loans public and said that they will be paid back with interest.

 

"The decision by the election commission will not stop Future Forward's journey," Piyabutr said.

 

"Let it be known that the party created for the search of a new future for the country doesn't have a place to stand," he said.

 

Last week, Thanathorn accused the government of unfairly targeting him and the party with a string of legal tactics that undermined democracy in Thailand, which had been under military rule until the March election, following a 2014 coup.

 

Analyst warn that the move by the Election Commission to dissolve the Future Forward party could backfire on the government.

 

"This could escalate the popularity of the Future Forward Party and if it gets dissolved the party's popularity won't die but will become stronger," Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the faculty of political science at Ubon Ratchathani University told Reuters.

 

"But it is bad for democracy," he said.

 

Since the election, Thanathorn was suspended from parliament and was found guilty last month of breaching election law by holding shares in a media company on the date his candidacy was registered for the election.

 

"They use the law to destroy political opposition, something that has been going on since the 2014 coup," Titipol said.

 

"This shows that the election didn't back democracy but it has empowered the military to do whatever they want," he said.

 

($1=30.1900 baht)

 

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Hugh Lawson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-12

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[scorecard]

They should insist that the EC explain in specific detail why the source, Khun thanathorn, is considered 'questionable'. 

 

Go FF, change Thailand for the better, your manifesto already explained, shows that you have the right factors and polices sorely needed to build Thailand as a fair democracy. Go for it,

 

 

[colinneil]

Running scared, little Ps mob will stop at nothing to destroy Future Forward by any means possible.

Legal means, illegal means, it makes no difference, they must be stopped trying to move this country forward.

[Jessi]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Last week, Thanathorn accused the government of unfairly targeting him and the party with a string of legal tactics that undermined democracy in Thailand, which had been under military rule until the March election, following a 2014 coup.

 

There is NO DEMOCRACY in Thailand...

No matter what Prayut and his cronies spew out.

[canuckamuck]

I think someone has some watches loaned from a questionable source.

[ChrisY1]

Prayuths aim is to rid the country of any opposition....he's just doing a Hun Sen.

Sanctions, people and goods, are the only tool that could change the course of what is happening to Thailand..

[newnative]

'Questionable source'?  Well, that's about as vague and broad as you can possibly get.  Pathetic.  And, desperate.

[rkidlad]

12 minutes ago, newnative said:

'Questionable source'?  Well, that's about as vague and broad as you can possibly get.  Pathetic.  And, desperate.

Should have just said they borrowed the money from a friend who recently died. Seems this reasoning isn't questionable at all. 

[Prairieboy]

Politics, worldwide is a dirty business, full of liars, cheats and thieves but nowhere more-so than here in the LOS. Dissolving one of the main opposition parties, the countries main hope for a democratic government, is tantamount to a kick in the teeth to all those who hoped for a better future.

[Barry343]

Prayut Chan-o-cha is trying to run Thailand as Xi Jinping is running China,  The Communist Party approves what political parties can run, which is not how a democratic countryt is run.

[robblok]

17 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Every time I ask myself is there no low to which this government will stoop to stay in power, I keep finding myself answering that No, there isn't. Utterly disgraceful, yet also a daily occurrence here.

They stoop really low, i still dont think that they can make the charges stick. Having said that the Thai justice system is often a sham.

[Creasy]

I hope the Junta fan boys are satisfied.