EC finds TV channel guilty for showing TRT spot

BANGKOK: -- In what will come as a major embarrassment for the ruling Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party, the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) today found the cable television channel UBC guilty of violating the electoral law by broadcasting a TRT party political broadcast during the election campaign.

Under election regulations, party political broadcasts can only be made once an election has been officially announced if regulated by the EC in order to ensure that all parties receive their correct quota of airtime.

However, the TRT spot on the 'Police Talk' show, paid for by the party itself, had not received EC authorization prior to broadcast.

Announcing the ruling today, EC commissioner Mr. Krit Ueawong said that the party political broadcast violated article 50 of the Constitution.

UBC now faces a fine of up to Bt10,000, and a possible custodial sentence of up to six months.

Although the ruling has yet to be made official, EC chairman Vasana Purmlap hinted today that UBC would be found guilty.

The EC will meet today to determine radio and television airtime for each party in the run-up to the general election.

Radio broadcasts are likely to be set at no more than a minute for each party, with each party receiving equal airtime.

Television broadcasts may be as long as 30 minutes each, with the first broadcasts scheduled for 24 January-28 January after the evening news.

--TNA 2005-01-21

UBC now faces a fine of up to Bt10,000, and a possible custodial sentence of up to six months.

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Oh dear! That'll hurt them!

exactly.... shut them down for 6 months, then they'll learn. Criminy, TRT already has things so stacked in it's favor, they don't need to break EC regulations.

I've been listening to the Pak Chat Thai song on TV TGN for the last week...

Broadcast over UBC, too. TiT.

UBC now faces a fine of up to Bt10,000, and a possible custodial sentence of up to six months.

This feeble slap on the rest is no doubt preferable to what Mr. Big could have cooked up for UBC had they not aired this TRT puff-piece.

i wonder wot would have happened if it was another political party being aired?? they would probably been banned from standing as mps...

10k, just 1000 votes, I'm sure it's not even worth a shrug

10k, just 1000 votes, I'm sure it's not even worth a shrug

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madsere, I guess you've got some old figures. Inflation has pushed the price to a min. of 100 baht.

In the politicians eyes, it's not the money that gets a shrug, in fact it gets a wai most everywhere, most everytime...

It's the voters that aren't worth even a shrug- unless it's to shrug them off the politician's back...

10k, just 1000 votes, I'm sure it's not even worth a shrug

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madsere, I guess you've got some old figures. Inflation has pushed the price to a min. of 100 baht.

In the politicians eyes, it's not the money that gets a shrug, in fact it gets a wai most everywhere, most everytime...

It's the voters that aren't worth even a shrug- unless it's to shrug them off the politician's back...

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100 baht? Where have you got that from? Latest figure from Issan I heard was 10 bt per vote. Quote openly discussed and known in spite of the law and everything. TIT.

UBC now faces a fine of up to Bt10,000, and a possible custodial sentence of up to six months.

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Oh dear! That'll hurt them!

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10k, just 1000 votes, I'm sure it's not even worth a shrug

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madsere, I guess you've got some old figures. Inflation has pushed the price to a min. of 100 baht.

In the politicians eyes, it's not the money that gets a shrug, in fact it gets a wai most everywhere, most everytime...

It's the voters that aren't worth even a shrug- unless it's to shrug them off the politician's back...

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100 baht? Where have you got that from? Latest figure from Issan I heard was 10 bt per vote. Quote openly discussed and known in spite of the law and everything. TIT.

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In my experience. either it's free (because of choice/pressure) or, a small downpayment is made using, like, a twenty-baht bill (or maybe 10 baht in some cases?).... If the candidate is elected (or even sometimes when they simply show up at the polling station), that 20 can be redeemed for more... Like you said, it's discussed every year, like how the banks have a run of 20,50, and 100 baht notes. But not 10 baht notes on that list. ... Newin Chichob's sister and a couple of others in Surin were caught redhanded a few years ago with stacks of 20 and 100 baht notes with his candidate number attached...More than a million baht in total, yet they were never tried.... If Newin could have gotten away with 10 baht per head, I'm sure he would have...

Of course, cash is not the only way to bribe people to vote, and likely not even the most popular. Bus trips, food, consumer items, and politicians' promises are all currencies in use around here, and Thaksin's promise have, to many people, a pretty high value now, after people saw that he made good on most of his stated promises last time around...

Like you said, TiT.

Just asked my wife for the latest figures, I was wrong ... "more than 100 bt per vote" was reported. She didn't know how it was enforced though. I mean, where I come from you have to go into the voting booth alone. If it's the same here how do they every know those paid actually vote for them? Don't tell me about honor, I don't buy that. And if it's not the same, then wouldn't enforcing that be a very easy way of stopping the voting fraud. Rhetoric question, I know... nobody WANTS to stop it... TI (still) T

Just asked my wife for the latest figures, I was wrong ... "more than 100 bt per vote" was reported.  She didn't know how it was enforced though. I mean, where I come from you have to go into the voting booth alone. If it's the same here how do they every know those paid actually vote for them? Don't tell me about honor, I don't buy that. And if it's not the same, then wouldn't enforcing that be a very easy way of stopping the voting fraud. Rhetoric question, I know... nobody WANTS to stop it... TI (still) T

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I've often wondered about that question, too. How could they enforce it? It's not like they can usually (I'm thinking of Samut Prakan as one historical exception) make a public showing of their nefarious business at the polling station, right?

I guess trust, as in 'honour among thieves' must play a necessary role here.

A few nights ago, as I was coming back through Mae Suay in Chiang Rai, I happened on an accident that had just occured maybe a few minutes earlier... I immediately noticed the many holes in the driver's door.... I saw on the news the next day that a PAO official had been gunned down in that car....

These guys play serious political hardball here...