Thailand's Election Commission Probes Pitha's ITV Shares

[webfact]

 

 

BANGKOK (29 May 2023) -- In response to received complaints, the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) has launched a probe into Pitha Limcharoenrat (พิธา ลิ้มเจริญรัตน์), the Move Forward Party's prime ministerial nominee. Allegations suggest that Pitha possesses 42,000 shares in ITV Public Company Limited, prompting this scrutiny, reported Siam Rath.

 

The latest progress report indicates that on Monday, May 29th, the ECT invited Rueangkrai Leekitwattana, a member of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), to verify the submission of the complaint to the ECT and to provide further statements.

 

Furthermore, Naparuj Worachitwuthikul, a former leader of the 2006 white shirts movement, who had previously lodged a similar complaint against Pitha, was also summoned.

 

Later in the afternoon, Santhiya Sawasdee, a former adviser and Chairman of the Legal, Justice and Human Rights Committee, was also asked to give a statement regarding the same complaint.

 

It is expected that Srisuwan Janya, the Secretary-General of the Thai Constitution Protection Association, will be invited to provide a statement next week.

 

Rueangkrai Leekitwattana, during his visit to the ECT, confirmed that he was indeed asked to testify about ITV's shares. He revealed that he will utilize this opportunity to submit evidence drawn from the Constitutional Court's ruling in 2020 and the ECT's decision in 2021, including four different matters.

 

He will request a retrospective ruling on whether Pitha ceased to be a member since 2019, and whether criminal proceedings should be undertaken based on the ECT's ruling.

 

The documents submitted to the ECT will be used to compare Pitha's case with that of Thanyawarin Sukhapisit, who was adjudged by the Constitutional Court in 2020 to lose membership of the Forward Party's MP list.

 

Simultaneously, the ECT's 2021 rulings on candidates from the Democrat Party, Thai Liberal Party, Palang Pracharath Party, and Future Forward Party, that were referred to the Constitutional Court, will be considered as well.

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

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[Will B Good]

Interesting to see what happens......if proven, then the EC, presumably, have no discretion in the matter.?........and Pita (and possibly the MFP) are doomed.......!!! 

 

Bring it on.

[proton]

While the army own Tv and radio stations and the government also runs many radio stations from Mcot in Rachada, including FM95. How is owning a few declared defunct shares a problem?

[Emster23]

I want to know if he also had a cooking show... did in one PM before, why not again?

[redwood1]

Its all perfect......

Make sure Pitha has media shares before he runs....

Be just fine with him winning because he will have to step down because of the media shares....

Things will then be a mess in goverment and the dinosaurs will be there to save the day......

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

Its all perfect......

Make sure Pitha has media shares before he runs....

Be just fine with him winning because he will have to step down because of the media shares....

Things will then be a mess in goverment and the dinosaurs will be there to save the day......

As I have posted previously.......the best outcome for the senators et al, is street riots which have to be crushed by the military.......and a new general strolls into power.

[h90]

16 minutes ago, proton said:

While the army own Tv and radio stations and the government also runs many radio stations from Mcot in Rachada, including FM95. How is owning a few declared defunct shares a problem?

iTV is not defunct, they are still active and posting their revenue if you google it for 2021 and 2022.
Yes Army and Government runs TV+Radio station. Many of not most government run radio and TV stations. Also some military...nothing wrong with it and not banned in the constitution.

[h90]

18 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

I want to know if he also had a cooking show... did in one PM before, why not again?

Maybe he can't cook?

[h90]

13 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

Its all perfect......

Make sure Pitha has media shares before he runs....

Be just fine with him winning because he will have to step down because of the media shares....

Things will then be a mess in goverment and the dinosaurs will be there to save the day......

Pita made sure...and he knew it. Why didn't he sell it? They are low value.

[Will B Good]

5 minutes ago, h90 said:

iTV is not defunct, they are still active and posting their revenue if you google it for 2021 and 2022.
Yes Army and Government runs TV+Radio station. Many of not most government run radio and TV stations. Also some military...nothing wrong with it and not banned in the constitution.

Nothing wrong with it under the current constitution.......written by....??

[h90]

35 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Nothing wrong with it under the current constitution.......written by....??

right and common in many countries....

[edwinchester]

49 minutes ago, h90 said:

iTV is not defunct, they are still active and posting their revenue if you google it for 2021 and 2022.
Yes Army and Government runs TV+Radio station. Many of not most government run radio and TV stations. Also some military...nothing wrong with it and not banned in the constitution.

iTV ceased broadcasting in 2007 so a media company in nothing but name.

[h90]

10 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

iTV ceased broadcasting in 2007 so a media company in nothing but name.

http://www.itv.co.th/

Than click on the financial highlights....they are active and registered as media company. Someone told they just rent out equipment

[Trevor Collins]

Thai politics, always there to surprise you...???? 

[4MyEgo]

Can't say we didn't expect this, let's see how this pans out.

 

If he gets to move forward, then let's see what they in store for him next.

 

You got to hate politics of any sort, they are all corrupt to the core. We hope this bright light isn't.

[TheFishman1]

Thai politics I like a roller coaster they go up and down very quickly. TIT.

[khunjeff]

3 hours ago, h90 said:

Many of not most government run radio and TV stations. Also some military...nothing wrong with it and not banned in the constitution.

1) "not banned by the constitution" is certainly not equivalent to "nothing wrong with it"

 

2) I think the point people are making is that military-connected politicians effectively have a media machine at their disposal, but reformist politicians can't even own a few shares of any media company. It's a stacked deck.

[PMinThailand]

In a democracy, the winner of elections becomes Prime Minister. In Thailand, the winner of elections, unless he is a general, is investigated to make sure he does not get the job.

[edwinchester]

2 hours ago, h90 said:

http://www.itv.co.th/

Than click on the financial highlights....they are active and registered as media company. Someone told they just rent out equipment

I don't dispute that they are active but a media company? Not without media content and if they're no longer broadcasting that ain't happening.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, proton said:

While the army own Tv and radio stations and the government also runs many radio stations from Mcot in Rachada, including FM95. How is owning a few declared defunct shares a problem?

When they beat you at the polls?

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, h90 said:

Also some military...nothing wrong with it and not banned in the constitution.

Prayut re-wrote the constitution...

[AustinRacing]

13 minutes ago, PMinThailand said:

In a democracy, the winner of elections becomes Prime Minister. In Thailand, the winner of elections, unless he is a general, is investigated to make sure he does not get the job.

Fair enough. The flip side of democracy is when a candidate breaks EC rules he’s held accountable. 

[Dogmatix]

I don't understand why Pita retained these ITV shares when he ran for parliament in 2019. It is clearly in the constitution that media shares are not allowed.  He claims they are not his because he was holding them as an executor. If that were the case they should have been in the name of the estate of the deceased.  If that was not possible he should have transferred them into the name of a co-executor or another nominee before he ran for parliament.  If they are in his name they are legally his property and he is in breach of the constitution and have to to accepting a 5 or 10 ban from politics and possible criminal charges. It is incredible that he didn't learn from Thanathorn's banning for the same thing.  

 

The second fatal mistake he and MFP have made is only nominated one candidate for PM. A party is allowed to nominate three people.  So why on earth not use all three nominations?

Edited May 29, 2023 by Dogmatix

[spidermike007]

We have received alot of complaints. I think most of them were from soldiers in the army, directed by the guy who said "he would honor the elections results". Yes, this is his version of honor. No doubt there is alot of chicanery going on, with parties who have been told by the people they are not wanted, they are not needed anymore, they are not liked, and they are not trusted. Sour grapes. 

[Dogmatix]

10 minutes ago, AustinRacing said:

Fair enough. The flip side of democracy is when a candidate breaks EC rules he’s held accountable. 

This is not an EC rule, It is in the constitution plain for all to see.  Candidates for election to the House of Representatives may not hold media shares.  Can't be much clearer than that.

[Dogmatix]

3 hours ago, edwinchester said:

iTV ceased broadcasting in 2007 so a media company in nothing but name.

The media company Thanathorn was banned for having shares in had no business at all but doing media was in its articles and memorandum of association.  That was good enough to ban someone who was a threat to many heads deep in the trough.  How come Pita didn't learn from that.

[h90]

20 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Prayut re-wrote the constitution...

yes and? people confirmed it in a referendum, but that is not the point here...Prayuth can't have a media company, the same as Pita.

[h90]

10 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

We have received alot of complaints. I think most of them were from soldiers in the army, directed by the guy who said "he would honor the elections results". Yes, this is his version of honor. No doubt there is alot of chicanery going on, with parties who have been told by the people they are not wanted, they are not needed anymore, they are not liked, and they are not trusted. Sour grapes. 

yes they should check every complain...if they are baseless it is no problem.

[h90]

12 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

I don't understand why Pita retained these ITV shares when he ran for parliament in 2019. It is clearly in the constitution that media shares are not allowed.  He claims they are not his because he was holding them as an executor. If that were the case they should have been in the name of the estate of the deceased.  If that was not possible he should have transferred them into the name of a co-executor or another nominee before he ran for parliament.  If they are in his name they are legally his property and he is in breach of the constitution and have to to accepting a 5 or 10 ban from politics and possible criminal charges. It is incredible that he didn't learn from Thanathorn's banning for the same thing.  

 

The second fatal mistake he and MFP have made is only nominated one candidate for PM. A party is allowed to nominate three people.  So why on earth not use all three nominations?

Selling them in 2019....case finished

[h90]

38 minutes ago, PMinThailand said:

In a democracy, the winner of elections becomes Prime Minister. In Thailand, the winner of elections, unless he is a general, is investigated to make sure he does not get the job.

No in a usual democracy the parliament elect the Prime Minister who does not need to be from the party that was strongest. Can be from a small one can be an outsider.
That is complete OK. Only the Senators are an abnormality.