I Will Not Resign: Thaksin

[hammered]

Thaksin to be granted audience with HM the King

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be granted an audience with HM the King this afternoon, a government source said on Tuesday.

Thaksin will travel to Klaikangwon Palace at Hua Hin, Prachuab Khiri Khan province.

"Thaksin is scheduled to be granted an audience with HM at 2pm," the source said.

The source declined to reveal the objective of the meeting.

The Nation

[bulmercke]

ColPyat - good post - but can you give any examples of these no-go zones?

The area i have been studying most closely over the last years is is Samut Prakan, especially Samlong Dai. Some Sois there have almost nightly shoot outs and knife fights between the youth gangs.

The Rama 2 area in Thonburi is very bad too, so are some areas in Rangsit.

Expanding in size, and quality of violence.

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, I had a feeling you were goin' to mention Samut Prakarn - it's got a bad reputation - a sort of mafia - gang heartland.

In a soi quite near to where I live - two teenage girls were gang raped at knife point by a group of thirty youths. Others were threatened with violence. Thaksin's Thailand. Thailand or Dieland?

[hammered]

We are ready to cease rally if Thaksin steps down

Leading anti-Thaksin campaigners have announced on Tuesday that they will cease their rallies if caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced in public that he will not take premiership in the new government.

The announcement came after Thaksin said in a television programme on Monday night that he will step down if the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) stopped the demonstration against his government.

"We are more than ready to stop our rallies if Thaksin did what he said on Monday," PAD's spokesman Suriyasai Katasila said in a press briefing.

Representing in the briefing included other PAD's leaders, Chamlong Srimuang and Pipop Thongchai.

In his first interview after Sunday election, Thaksin proposed a setting up of a reconciliation committee to unlock the current political deadlock caused after his House dissolution that led to April 2 snap election.

He also said that the core of the committee will be a neutral figure and it should comprise representatives of political parties and other public sectors.

The Nation

[Roger_JG]

One more thing: as Mark Twain once said "There are lies, there are ###### lies and then there are statistics!"

More than 50% of the vote? No problem. It just depends on how you count them.

That was Benjamin Disraeli.

But it is commonly misattributed to Mark Twain who quote himin his autobiography.

~R

[ColPyat]

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, I had a feeling you were goin' to mention Samut Prakarn - it's got a bad reputation - a sort of mafia - gang heartland.

In a soi quite near to where I live - two teenage girls were gang raped at knife point by a group of thirty youths. Others were threatened with violence. Thaksin's Thailand. Thailand or Dieland?

Yeps, very bad gangland. Though unfortunately not what you could call mafia. I live in an old syle mafia bastion - and it is very safe. We have the youth gangs as well, but they do not go out of hand as the old style mafia establishment will not tolerate this. In Samut Prakan you have very little old style mafia controlling the streets, they simply are outnumbered by the youth gangs.

Don't think though that this will go away with Thaksin's possible eventual disappearance - it is a result of decades of mismanaging the country. Thaksin there is just another part of the problem.

As long as the social classes, and especially the sort of educated urban middle classes, which should know better, which now are somewhat represented by the PAD, still only think and act within the confines of their own class, this will only get worse.

The present struggle is IMHO only a sign of the social and regional divisions of Thailand, of it's along those lines fractionalised population, and not in any way a substantial attempt to improve the real problems this society is facing.

Therefore, if Thaksin should disapear, the power vacuum created through this event, might very easily cause through the resulting traditional power struggles a long term decrease of social stability.

[olaus]

I am living since several years in the centre of Isaan in a village-area. People here seem to be rather happy with Thaksin. The last years many have built new houses and bought new cars or motorcycles and sent their children to high education. It has been a rising of standard in a rather short time.

For me the 30 -baht reform seems to work good. I have visited the district -hospital for illnes or to see the dentist many times, and what I can understand, people are treated well.

Many years we have had problems to get enough water in the end of the dry season. But Thaksin gave money to build a rather large and deep dam two years ago. Ever since then many workers got work to build this construction, which is finished in a couple of months. Next year some farmers hopefully will be able to get two crops of rice instead of one due to plenty of water.

Since three years the roads have been covered with concrete even in the small villages.

It is a mistake to believe poor people in Isaan are not understanding what is going on. Many of them are clever and intelligent.

But now I have a feeling, that people here are starting to get irritated. For instance I have heard a couple of times they wonder, why Gen Chamlong and newspaper man Sondhi still are not arrested.

Poor people have the opinion, that Thaksin is the best man, Thailand can give them just now. At least he is less bad than the others.

I can not really imagine what would happen, if Thaksin for some reason had to resign. But I think people here around would be very frustrated and disappointed. A backlash would maybe create social unrest, at least for a short time.

[bulmercke]

Thaksin to be granted audience with HM the King

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be granted an audience with HM the King this afternoon, a government source said on Tuesday.

Thaksin will travel to Klaikangwon Palace at Hua Hin, Prachuab Khiri Khan province.

"Thaksin is scheduled to be granted an audience with HM at 2pm," the source said.

The source declined to reveal the objective of the meeting.

The Nation

Is it standard protocol for the newly elected prime-minister to have an audience with His Majesty after being elected - or does His Majesty have something to say to Thaksin?

Let's hope so!

[hammered]

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, I had a feeling you were goin' to mention Samut Prakarn - it's got a bad reputation - a sort of mafia - gang heartland.

In a soi quite near to where I live - two teenage girls were gang raped at knife point by a group of thirty youths. Others were threatened with violence. Thaksin's Thailand. Thailand or Dieland?

Yeps, very bad gangland. Though unfortunately not what you could call mafia. I live in an old syle mafia bastion - and it is very safe. We have the youth gangs as well, but they do not go out of hand as the old style mafia establishment will not tolerate this. In Samut Prakan you have very little old style mafia controlling the streets, they simply are outnumbered by the youth gangs.

Don't think though that this will go away with Thaksin's possible eventual disappearance - it is a result of decades of mismanaging the country. Thaksin there is just another part of the problem.

As long as the social classes, and especially the sort of educated urban middle classes, which should know better, which now are somewhat represented by the PAD, still only think and act within the confines of their own class, this will only get worse.

The present struggle is IMHO only a sign of the social and regional divisions of Thailand, of it's along those lines fractionalised population, and not in any way a substantial attempt to improve the real problems this society is facing.

Therefore, if Thaksin should disapear, the power vacuum created through this event, might very easily cause through the resulting traditional power struggles a long term decrease of social stability.

For the people you refer to to really be represented and have a stake they need leaders to come from within. That really is difficult, and will need both political reform and education and probably a complete change in mindset. At the moment just some of the barriers to election rule out most people in the country leaving them to rely on their "betters" to represent them and hopefully be somewhat philantropic. Maybe one day farmers leaders will be elected to parliament! However, those discusions remain up to the Thai peole in the coming years. Having seen the recent divisions, which could of course still get worse, maybe something god will come of it all to bring the country together again.

[sriracha john]

Promin says Govt in talk with neutral people on reconciliation committee

PM's Secretary-General Promin Lertsuridej said on Tuesday that some neutral people were mediating between the government and its opponents to try to reach reconciliation.

But Promin said the details of talk could not be made public yet.

He said there need to be a reconciliation committee whose members have to be accepted by all sides in the conflicts so the neutral persons were in the process of negotiating between the government and its opponents.

He said the government could not set up the reconciliation committee on its own as its opponents might not accept the panel members.

Source: The Nation - Breaking News - 4 April 2006

Sorry to say, but all this talk of reconciliation and the setting up of a reconciliation committee is just 'pie-in-the-sky'.

It will never work. Thaksin threw this idea into the political arena yesterday - it was nothing but a sop - i.e. to quieten and pacify all those who were obviously dissatisfied with the government - as shown by those who either voted for opposition parties or voted 'no'.

Even if this committee does come to fruition and is truly impartial - who is to say he has to abide by it's recomendations - i.e. step-down.

Thaksin does what Thaksin wants.

One needs to look no further than to know of the government's deaf ear to the reconciliation committee they ALREADY have in Thailand.

The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), which is chaired by the highly respected ex-PM Anand, has been trying valiantly to help solve the turmoil of the South, but they've not been listened to by and large by the government.

They were instrumental in forcing the hand of the government to reveal the truths regarding the 2 Southern massacres and for that, many people are grateful. They have generally a good reputation themselves, but their learned conclusions and well-thought-out recommendations tend to run counter to how Thaksin wants things done there and so are often ignored. The result?

Worsening violence.....with 1,300 fatalities in the past 2 years....and the declaration of martial law...

They've been hamstrung and ignored by Thaksin.

That is how lowly he considers the whole concept of reconciliation on any front from anyone.

It's Thaksin's way or it's the high-way...

[otherstuff1957]

One more thing: as Mark Twain once said "There are lies, there are ###### lies and then there are statistics!"

More than 50% of the vote? No problem. It just depends on how you count them.

That was Benjamin Disraeli.

But it is commonly misattributed to Mark Twain who quote himin his autobiography.

~R

Thanks! I didn't check my source, just quoted from memory.

[ColPyat]

Having seen the recent divisions, which could of course still get worse, maybe something god will come of it all to bring the country together again.

Not as long as both sides refuse substantial negotiations resulting in a compromise.

[jezchesters]

I would think that EC officials would be concerned about the unprecendented numbers of invalidated ballots...numbers that are astronomically high.... but then that presumes the EC is actually concerned about holding a valid election and obviously that's too much to presume. Who determines exactly what constitutes an invalid ballot? Local EC officials. Still troubling is the thus-far unaddressed rationale for using these rubber stamps. As it's the first time in history they were used, I presume the EC would be interested in monitoring specifically how many ballots were invalidated by their misuse...but again, that's presuming the EC gives a darn. With the historically significant numbers involved, I would have hoped that the EC would want to investigate this phenomenon extensively.... on every possible level ... and evaluate every possible variable as best they could... such as which provinces had higher/lower rates.. for example, why were the percentage of invalidated ballots so astoundingly high in Chiang Mai districts?

John..... Time to face the facts.... Your anti-Thaksin side had a good kick at the can but they did not prevail. The TRT has won the election. TRT have the majority vote. You can whine about the EC and spoiled ballots and valid elections but it will not change the outcome. The majority of the Thai voters voted the opposite to what you would have liked and elected the TRT to be their government.

Lukamar - time to face facts:

The majority of Thai voters DID NOT VOTE FOR TRT

Thailand has 45 million eligible voters.

TRT gained 16 million votes.

That is not the majority. In fact it is not even 36%

[hammered]

Having seen the recent divisions, which could of course still get worse, maybe something god will come of it all to bring the country together again.

Not as long as both sides refuse substantial negotiations resulting in a compromise.

I would guess that there are behind the scenes talks ongoing now, and that compromise will come. The reality is neither side can totally defeat the other, so now a deal must be done where nobody loses but nobody wins. That will be dificult. However, today the PAD sai they will stop rallies if the cartaker PM announces he will not accept the premiership and the Democrats have said that opposition parties will participate in elections as soon as Thaksin is gone. In the Thaksin broadcast these were his conditions for resigning. Ostensibly it looks like people are close, but the devil is in the detail not to mention Mr. Thaksin have a habit of saying what he doesnt really mean!

[ColPyat]

Lukamar - time to face facts:

The majority of Thai voters DID NOT VOTE FOR TRT

Thailand has 45 million eligible voters.

TRT gained 16 million votes.

That is not the majority. In fact it is not even 36%

I don't think that there is any country on earth that calculates the percentage of an election result along your maths.

TRT is still the single largest political party in Thailand, and therfore under any circumstances would get anywhere in the world the mandate to form a government.

[ColPyat]

I would guess that there are behind the scenes talks ongoing now, and that compromise will come. The reality is neither side can totally defeat the other, so now a deal must be done where nobody loses but nobody wins. That will be dificult. However, today the PAD sai they will stop rallies if the cartaker PM announces he will not accept the premiership and the Democrats have said that opposition parties will participate in elections as soon as Thaksin is gone. In the Thaksin broadcast these were his conditions for resigning. Ostensibly it looks like people are close, but the devil is in the detail not to mention Mr. Thaksin have a habit of saying what he doesnt really mean!

Yes, i agree with your post.

Seems that at the present time we can only wait and see, and hope for the best. Maybe keeping the respective mobs off the streets for the time being might be a wise decision?

[hammered]

Lukamar - time to face facts:

The majority of Thai voters DID NOT VOTE FOR TRT

Thailand has 45 million eligible voters.

TRT gained 16 million votes.

That is not the majority. In fact it is not even 36%

I don't think that there is any country on earth that calculates the percentage of an election result along your maths.

TRT is still the single largest political party in Thailand, and therfore under any circumstances would get anywhere in the world the mandate to form a government.

I dont think anyone is going to dispute TRT will form the government. That was known as soon as the boycott was announced or even before then. They have 360 seats out of 400 or something. They still however have to get through a number of legal hoops and pick a PM. By deciding on a change in the latter(PM) the former will become a lot easier. The country is probably now in need of some decision and policy making, and that will put a lot of pressure on all involved to find the quickest way out of the impase without violence.

[Smithson]

Thaksin resigning, with TRT staying in power and an end to the demonstrations would seem to be a compromise, especailly since Thaksin has already said he would do it.

[sriracha john]

Time to find a compromise.

Agreed. Now that everyone has shown their cards, it`s time to stop shouting and start talking.

Looking at the election results, it looks like the biggest losers were the old political barons who were in opposition - namely, Banharn in Suphan Buri, Sanoh in Sa Kaew, and Sanan in Phichit. Even though these guys threw their support behind the "no vote" campaign, TRT support in their respective backyards far outstripped abstentions. It`s no surpise that there are already rumours that Banharn is seeking talks with TRT.

Those political barons being dumped reach far into the TRT Party as well with the embarrassing loss of control over the votes by the likes of the murderous Khunplome gang of Chonburi and the Chaisaeng family of Chachoengsao, who had previously controlled their respective political areas for years... and who were all stunned by how the voting went against them.

The TRT Party loss of central and eastern provinces to the "No Vote" is one of the most stunning aspects of the election.

Is this the same Barnharn who was in the ICU last week?... and has turned down any role in talks on several occasions already?

[jdinasia]

Thaksin to be granted audience with HM the King

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be granted an audience with HM the King this afternoon, a government source said on Tuesday.

Thaksin will travel to Klaikangwon Palace at Hua Hin, Prachuab Khiri Khan province.

"Thaksin is scheduled to be granted an audience with HM at 2pm," the source said.

The source declined to reveal the objective of the meeting.

The Nation

Is it standard protocol for the newly elected prime-minister to have an audience with His Majesty after being elected - or does His Majesty have something to say to Thaksin?

Let's hope so!

Has one been elected yet?

[Hermano Lobo]

On his election victory Thai Prime Minister Toxin Shinytwatra was immediately sent congratulations by the newly elected President of the Belarus, the great Democrat , Alexander Lukashenko. President Lukashenko's message read,"Congratulations on your famous Democratic Victory. Perhaps your vote will one day reach 80+% like mine has. If you get protests in the streets from riff-raff make sure they receive their due correction. Send in your Special Forces as I have and show no quarter. Breaking a few skulls will teach this rabble a lesson. I speak from experience. Also insure that you rush through laws to outlaw their protests and assembly. You have to make the country more Democratic. Declare a State of Emergency if you have to. Then, announce you are President for life ! Go for it and good luck!" Put them all in prison and strengthen your Democracy !

Forward with Democracy !" - President Alexander Lukashenko.

The World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum have protested to the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, against the closure of five independent publications in the run-up to elections later this month.

1)Thaksin will consolidate his position with a lot of PR friendly phrases.

2) At the next protest or possibly the one after he will declare a 'State of Emergency'

to deal with the 'enemies' of Democracy.

3) During this 'Emergency Period' he will rush through laws that forbid assembly and mass protest.

4) He will drag through the courts all those who oppose him.

5) A number of prominent people will end up in prison to discourage the others(pour décourager les autres).

6) He will be in 'power' for a long time !

Edited April 4, 2006 by Hermano Lobo

[hammered]

Time to find a compromise.

Agreed. Now that everyone has shown their cards, it`s time to stop shouting and start talking.

Looking at the election results, it looks like the biggest losers were the old political barons who were in opposition - namely, Banharn in Suphan Buri, Sanoh in Sa Kaew, and Sanan in Phichit. Even though these guys threw their support behind the "no vote" campaign, TRT support in their respective backyards far outstripped abstentions. It`s no surpise that there are already rumours that Banharn is seeking talks with TRT.

Those political barons being dumped reach far into the TRT Party as well with the embarrassing loss of control over the votes by the likes of the murderous Khunplome gang of Chonburi and the Chaisaeng family of Chachoengsao, who had previously controlled their respective political areas for years... and who were all stunned by how the voting went against them.

The TRT Party loss of central and eastern provinces to the "No Vote" is one of the most stunning aspects of the election.

Is this the same Barnharn who was in the ICU last week?... and has turned down any role in talks on several occasions already?

It seems no/spoilt vote won not only in Chonburi but also in Rayong and in Chantaburi the no/spoilt vote was winning early on although I havent seen numbers from there for a while. The whole issue of the no vote and spoilt vote seems to be that it was a lot of individual decisions. Outside of the South there were not canvassers or influential ones campaigning for it where it was succesful. Indeed where old style politicians tried they seem to have had a negative effect! This could be an interesting development in Thai politics.

[h90]

yeah anyhow these stupid elections only cost money. As it is anyhow clear what the people want we could save that money

On his election victory Thai Prime Minister Toxin Shinytwatra was immediately sent congratulations by the newly elected President of the Belarus, the great Democrat , Alexander Lukashenko. President Lukashenko's message read,"Congratulations on your famous Democratic Victory. Perhaps your vote will one day reach 80+% like mine has. If you get protests in the streets from riff-raff make sure they receive their due correction. Send in your Special Forces as I have and show no quarter. Breaking a few skulls will teach this rabble a lesson. I speak from experience. Also insure that you rush through laws to outlaw their protests and assembly. You have to make the country more Democratic. Declare a State of Emergency if you have to. Then, announce you are President for life ! Go for it and good luck!" Put them all in prison and strengthen your Democracy !

Forward with Democracy !" - President Alexander Lukashenko.

The World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum have protested to the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, against the closure of five independent publications in the run-up to elections later this month.

1)Thaksin will consolidate his position with a lot of PR friendly phrases.

2) At the next protest or possibly the one after he will declare a 'State of Emergency'

to deal with the 'enemies' of Democracy.

3) During this 'Emergency Period' he will rush through laws that forbid assembly and mass protest.

4) He will drag through the courts all those who oppose him.

5) A number of prominent people will end up in prison to discourage the others(pour décourager les autres).

6) He will be in 'power' for a long time !

[ColPyat]

By deciding on a change in the latter(PM) the former will become a lot easier.

True.

But what if Thaksin refuses in the end to step down?

From a purely pragmatic viewpoint - he is in a position of strength. Because of the numbers backing him, and because technically he has not been convicted of any wrong doings.

Is it worth throwing the country into further conflict, or are there some compromises that could include him?

[jezchesters]

Lukamar - time to face facts:

The majority of Thai voters DID NOT VOTE FOR TRT

Thailand has 45 million eligible voters.

TRT gained 16 million votes.

That is not the majority. In fact it is not even 36%

I don't think that there is any country on earth that calculates the percentage of an election result along your maths.

TRT is still the single largest political party in Thailand, and therfore under any circumstances would get anywhere in the world the mandate to form a government.

I am not saying that this is how election results are calculated. I am merely refuting sensationalist claims that 'the majority of Thais voted for TRT'. Clearly they didn't.

[hammered]

By deciding on a change in the latter(PM) the former will become a lot easier.

True.

But what if Thaksin refuses in the end to step down?

From a purely pragmatic viewpoint - he is in a position of strength. Because of the numbers backing him, and because technically he has not been convicted of any wrong doings.

Is it worth throwing the country into further conflict, or are there some compromises that could include him?

I dont honestly know as I'm not invloved, but at this stage I would be surprised if there were a compromise that didnt involve him at least temporarily standing aside. Interestingly I was talking to a TRT organizer today and she said they were surprised at how they had underperformed in the election. She thought they were going to get 20 million plus votes and 2/3. I didnt ask the obvious question but I got the impression that Thaksins postion is now weaker than before the election bizarrely enough, so I guess his moving aside is an option for TRT.

[bulmercke]

FEATURE: Cheat sheet

By Chindawan Singkongsin and Parawee Meesomwit 4 April 2006 14:06 - Manager -

Critics were upset that paper ballot boxes were used to collect votes instead of the metal ones used in the past.

Election observers are claiming that Sunday’s poll was full of irregularities. Their list.

The April 2 election was said to be one of the most complicated in Thailand’s history. Since Sunday, complaints have been lodged, alleging irregularities and criticizing certain aspects of the polling methods and arrangements. Yesterday, the National Human Rights Commission said that the poll was unconstitutional because the voting booths did not ensure privacy. For the same reason, the anti-Thaksin coalition the People’s Alliance for Democracy has submitted a petition to the Administrative Court asking for the election to be annulled. The main criticisms of the election:

Voting booths

The locations of voting booths became the hottest topic among observers. During the election, many voting stations situated the booths in different spots from past elections. Booths this time were placed facing outward (so onlookers, with some effort, could see who people were voting for). Election officials, however, claimed that the arrangement of the booths was appropriate as it allowed officials to monitor cheating more easily. They said the arrangement allowed them to see if the voters were taking pictures of the ballots in order to confirm their votes to [and then get money from] the election canvassers.

But many voters disagreed. Said one voter who requested anonymity: “This [the suspicious position of the voting booths] is to confirm vote buying success. Because in the past, people would feel that since they already got the money [from vote buying] they could vote for anyone because nobody would know anyway. But this time, the officials could see who people voted for because of the position of the voting booths and where the election officials were sitting. So if that election official belonged to a political party, then he or she could check whether that voter cast a ballot for the party or not.”

With the voting booths positioned in this way, it is easy to see where voters’ hands are – on the left would mean the voter chose the ruling Thai Rak Thai party while on the right bottom would suggest a “No Vote.”

“I think the election methods by the Election Commission this time were strange. It seems that [the methods] are prone to election fraud rather than to protect it,” the voter commented.

Yuwarat Kamolvej, the former election commissioner, agreed that the position of voting booths was inappropriate, and against the constitutional provisions that guarantee the secrecy of the voting process.

“The voters’ choices are confidential and that is why the position of the voting booths in past elections was against the wall, so nobody could see who people voted for. I don’t understand why this time the Election Commission placed the voting booths differently,” Yuwarat said.

Yuwarat added that even he felt a little nervous while casting his own ballot as television cameras were recording him at the polls. Yuwarat believes the election official could see who he voted for.

“If you look from the side where the election officials sat, they surely could see it. If you zoomed in from the back, I think it is likely you could see it. I’m afraid if someone placed a video camera about 100 meters away, they could surely zoom in and tell who voted for who,” Yuwarat said.

Some academics suggested that, due to Article 104 of the Constitution, which states that voters must cast ballots by themselves and that their choices must be confidential, the voting booth irregularity could make the April 2 election invalid.

“The position of the booths allows onlookers to see who you’re voting for. This issue could be filed in the Constitutional Court and if the court rules that it is against the Constitution, this election will be void and a new election must be set up,” said Prayat Hongthongkam, a retired academic from Chulalongkorn University’s political science faculty.

A picture in your face

In many districts, where there was only one candidate from the Thai Rak Thai party, voters complained when they saw that candidate’s picture inside the voting booth. The pictures were placed on the board at eye level. Normally, in past elections, candidates’ pictures are on the board in front of the polling station. Observers said the placement of the pictures was to influence voters to vote for Thai Rak Thai.

“I’m not sure if this would be considered against the law or not. But at least, it is very inappropriate because it is like a message for voters to vote for that person. And they only placed the pictures in districts with a sole Thai Rak Thai candidate. If they were fair, they should do it in every district, with pictures of candidates from other parties, including a display of a “No Vote” choice,” said Pittaya Wongkul, chairman of the Campaign for Popular Democracy.

Paper ballot boxes and rubber stamps

The Election Commission this time decided to use paper ballot boxes instead of the iron ones that were used in the past. Observers say that paper boxes are easier to mix up among districts. Also, paper boxes are easier to destroy.

“This is strange. Why would the Election Commission change to paper boxes even though they already had the iron ones? Why would they invest more money? I think this smacks of election fraud as they could replace the old boxes with the new ones on the way to the counting stations. And they can destroy the old paper boxes easily,” said Varin Thiemcharas, a member of the Open Forum for Democracy Foundation.

Moreover, critics cried out over the use of rubber stamps instead of pens saying they make election fraud more difficult to verify. Critics said that it is easy to see if the ballot was marked by the same person or not, since different people apply different pressure when using a pen. But it is impossible to know when it a rubber stamp is involved.

Under severe criticism, the Election Commission later allowed pens in addition to rubber stamps. But in the end, many ballot stations didn’t provide pens, saying they didn’t have enough time to prepare.

“Formerly, political parties would bribe election officials at the polling stations rather than buy votes from villagers because the result is more predictable. The election officials could just put in new ballots or change the ballot boxes. It costs even less as there are a fewer election officials [to pay off] compared with paying the whole village,” Varin said.

Canvassers

Critics also said vote-buying during this election differed from the past as political parties have discovered the weaknesses of earlier vote-buying methods.

In the past, the canvassers allegedly received a big sum of money but only paid part of it to villagers. Often after receiving some money, the villagers didn’t bother to vote.

A new strategy for vote-buying this time is to have party officials take the villagers directly to the polling stations, one party member for 10 villagers. This way, the result is much more certain.

“In the past, one canvasser would oversee 500 villagers. Now the party sends its officials to the villagers. They take each group to the polling station Another way is the official will take 10 villagers to vote at different polling stations, which is facilitated by the election officials at those stations. This method is popular in the rural provinces,” said Varin.

Vote buying this time, however, focused on the district, with only one candidate as the party needed to ensure at least 20 percent of the votes from voters in order to win that district.

The price of a head

Observers claim the price of a vote was similar to previous general elections and that the price per head in the southern provinces was more expensive than in any other region. Overall, throughout the country, prices ranged from 200 baht to 1,000 baht per head, with urban residents getting more than rural dwellers.

“From the information we received, vote- buying is widespread in many areas, especially in the South, where the average cost was 500 baht per head. But the problem is that we cannot find any witnesses who will agree to testify against vote-buying as they fear retribution,” said Dr Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon, the chairman of the Rural Doctors Association, which helps verify fraud during general elections.

Cameras

Satit Wongnontaey, the Democrat party spokesman, claimed about 60 polling stations were found to have video cameras recording voters. One example cited was ballot station 2 at Huay Yod district in Trang province where a man claiming to be a district official placed a video camera in front of the station for two hours. Satit claimed many of the 60 sites were found to have Thai Rak Thai officials present during recording.

Satit believes that some villagers may have been scared away from voting after hearing reports of the open-style voting booths.

“Many villagers used to say they would not vote for the party even if they already received the payment. But the position of the voting booths made them afraid of reprisals if they didn’t vote for the Thai Rak Thai party as there were many Thai Rak Thai people observing at the stations. Thus, many villagers might have been afraid and refused vote buying this time,” Satit said.

[ColPyat]

I dont honestly know as I'm not invloved, but at this stage I would be surprised if there were a compromise that didnt involve him at least temporarily standing aside. Interestingly I was talking to a TRT organizer today and she said they were surprised at how they had underperformed in the election. She thought they were going to get 20 million plus votes and 2/3. I didnt ask the obvious question but I got the impression that Thaksins postion is now weaker than before the election bizarrely enough, so I guess his moving aside is an option for TRT.

I am surprised that they are be surprised by the results.

In last year's elections the TRT had the only somewhat accurate prognosis of the outcome, mainly due to their excellent advanced systhems of internal information gathering. Last year's landslide victory was not to a small extend influenced by the Tsunami, and how Thaksin has managed to profit from it.

This year's result is more or less the same percentage as his first victory 5 years ago, give or take some minor factors and trends.

[dezeure]

Adichai>> If you really think the 30baht-scheme has helped the poor or the loans to everyone that wanted it has put the poor in any better position then they where in before, then you better wake up and do it quickly.

It's almost amazing reading this from (semi-) educated expats (and other signups) on this board.

I fully agree with you there... Basically ALL of his promises to the poor are flawed and failed! but somehow these un-educated people keep believing in him...I guess they just see his wealth...

On the other hand, the more educated people living and working in BKK are totally against Toxin. Even in the South he is no longer welcome, and all I see is that if he does not resign, there will be another march and big protest in the streets, maybe even a possible bloodbath like in ...eerm 1992? (not too sure about the date anymore)

Who did he have to bribe now to get the winning votes...? He got the paper boxes... easy to remove non-Toxin votes... I say revote, but this time in PRIVATE voting boxes without the rest looking at your fingers where you mark the X...

SD

[ColPyat]

A new strategy for vote-buying this time is to have party officials take the villagers directly to the polling stations, one party member for 10 villagers. This way, the result is much more certain.

Rubbish. This is not "a new strategy for vote buying" - this is the established grass roots organisation of the TRT. One local party activist responsible for around 10 families. He/she has regular meetings, comes to visit the folks, listens to their problems, fills them in new with government strategies, spends the occasional money, gives information upstairs about the people in his area of responsibility. This has been in place since years, and one of the main reasons for the huge succes of TRT in those villages.

[sriracha john]

The apparent agreement of the opposing forces to accept Thaksin's pledge to resign in cooperation for the disbanding of protestors is a major one.

Let's hope for once he keeps his word.... I certainly hope so.