New General Election Proposed For Oct. 22

[Jai Dee]

The Democrat Party alleges EC responsible in resignation of investigation panel members

Democrat Party spokesman Ong-art Klampaiboon (องอาจ คล้ามไพบูลย์) holds the Election Commission (EC) responsible for the resignation of a few investigators from a panel probing accusations that the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party hired some small parties to contest the April 2 election.

Mr. Ong-art alleged that poll commissioners tried to save TRT from being disbanded and so pressured the probe panel for its cooperation thus forcing those investigators to resign.

He said the EC must stop buying time but speed up the investigation. He also demanded the commissioners stop serving the powers-that-be to regain public trust.

The Democrat Party yesterday filed a lawsuit against the EC with the Criminal Court alleging the poll agency of breaching the constitution and abusing authority in connection with the April 2 election in Rayong.

The party said the EC found an election expense statement submitted by a TRT candidate in Rayong was false and then sued that person in court but did not hold a re-election as required by the law. The court set the first hearing on August 7.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 23 May 2006

[sriracha john]

Undeterred EC sets poll for Oct 29

With the pressure to resign and take responsibility for mishandling the election process intensifying, the election commissioners yesterday boldly proposed a new election date that directly clashed with the courts’ announcement last week against their doing so.

Meanwhile, public pressure for the three remaining commissioners to resign peaked as the Criminal Court of Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday accepted the malfeasance case against them and a group of senators stepped up calls for their immediate ouster.

Election Commission (EC) Secretary-General Pol Maj-Gen Ekachai Warunphrapa yesterday announced the fresh poll will be held on October 29.

“The originally proposed [date of] October 22 coincides with Eid-al-Fitr, or the conclusion of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan,” he said. “Since October 22 is a Sunday we had to move it back a week to the new date.”

Ekachai said that while the EC can propose the date, it is up to the Cabinet to decide whether to issue a royal decree calling for a new election based on the EC’s recommendation.

Earlier yesterday, the EC had been toying with the two alternatives of setting a new election date on its own or inviting representatives from political parties for a meeting to discuss the most appropriate date. Ekachai indifferently said that he did not care whether the three former opposition parties joined such a discussion or not.

EC Chairman Wasana Permlarp led commissioners Virachai Naewboonnien, Prinya Nakchudtree and Gen Charupat Ruangsuwan, who quit the EC in the face of public pressure last week, in reporting to the Nakhon Si Thammarat courthouse and acknowledging acceptance of the malfeasance case against them.

Charges against all election commissioners were brought by Prayat Semapat, former municipality chief of Pak Nakhon subdistrict in Muang district, who was removed from his elected position by the EC after a year. He was greeted and presented with flowers by a crowd outside the courthouse.

Meanwhile, Banharn said that the election commissioners must resign for the sake of the country. He also expressed distress and discomfort at the commissioners’ actions that lacked not only legitimacy but clarity as well.

“I want to ask all three commissioners what are they sitting around for?” Banharn asked. “All the existing problems now lie with the EC alone and nowhere else.”

Also, as pledged last week, former Senate Speaker Niphon Visityuthasat handed a letter endorsed by several peers to the election commissioners. The letter demands the commissioners’ immediate resignation and claims that their stubbornness is creating grave problems for the country.

“We will submit our protest letter that has gathered about 30 signatures of former senators to the election commissioners,” Niphon said. “We want them to consider whether they are still suitable to stay on or not.”

The three beleaguered commissioners have defiantly refused to step down despite great public pressure after the country’s top courts annulled the April 2 election following a national address by His Majesty the King last month.

At a meeting last week, boycotted by the parties that abstained from the April 2 general election, the EC had announced October 22 as the new date for a fresh round of voting.

- TD

[sriracha john]

ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THAI RAK THAI

EC to reject Nam panel findings

The Election Commission will reject the results of an investigation linking Thai Rak Thai party members with the alleged bankrolling of small parties to contest the April 2 general election.

It has also indicated that it will make changes to the members of the probe panel who defied its order to make further inquiries into the case.

EC secretary-general Ekachai Warunphrapa yesterday said the EC had not accepted the panel's conclusion that two Thai Rak Thai executives were implicated in hiring the Thai Ground and Pattana Chart Thai parties to run in the snap poll because the Thai Rak Thai members had not been invited to defend themselves.

"Existing evidence fails to implicate Thai Rak Thai," said Mr Ekachai. "We cannot simply dissolve the party after an incomplete investigation."

The EC will meet tomorrow to decide officially on the report.

In the leaked results of the inquiry, the panel recommended that criminal charges be brought against Thai Rak Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra as the offence was meant to benefit his party.

Mr Ekachai insisted that if the panel, chaired by Nam Yimyaem, did not want to investigate the case further as ordered by EC chairman Wasana Permlarp, the EC would consider appointing a new panel.

A source in the Nam panel said the panel had not yet complied with the chairman's order, while Mr Nam was preparing to submit a letter to Pol Gen Wasana confirming the probe had been completed.

Mr Nam, a former judge, dismissed media reports that two members of his panel had submitted resignation letters and denied rumours that he had close ties with the Democrat party.

"I believe people in the judiciary know my background well and that I have never done anything wrong," said Mr Nam.

Thai Rak Thai legal expert Vichit Plangsrisakul yesterday submitted a petition to the EC demanding changes to the Nam panel members and for the case to be investigated again.

Mr Vichit said the panel did not allow the party to defend itself and accused certain panel members of having close ties to the Democrat party.

But Mr Ekachai said the accusations by Thai Rak Thai should not be used as grounds for changing the panel members.

- BP

[cclub75]

EC to reject Nam panel findings

Undeterred EC sets poll for Oct 29

Oh my god, call the UN ! Call the police ! Do something.

Thoses guys are unbelievable.

More seriously, the stakes must really, really be high (more than just "winning" elections), with secret power struggle behind the curtains, for thoses 3 mickey boys standing like that, against... the King's advice.

[Jai Dee]

The story continues in this thread.

/Closed.