Royal Decree Sets Oct 15 Election Date

[hammered]

"There was an interesting quote from Bangkok Bank chairman today - PM who wins with only 30% of votes but who is accepted by all parties is better (for business, I suppose) than the PM who wins with 60% but is detested by the rest."

This is always the view of the hierarchical elitists.

It can be translated as "Don't get too big for your shoes, you 60% serfs. We, your 10% eldest and best (plus our 20% bought-over middle-class lackeys) will run things best."

You read too much into it Martin. What he says is that if 60% will chose Thaksin and 40% will go on permanent Government House blocade it won't be the best solution. It won't be a solution at all, if you asked me.

It is not reasonable to think that 40% of the Thai population would "go on permanent Government House blocade." Only 1% of the Thai population would be over 600,000 people and there is much doubt as to whether the largest demonstrations have ever achieved this number of people. Even in terms of voters, 40% would represent about 10 million people....clearly an unreasonably high estimate of the number of people who would demonstate.

As to the people who *are* demonstrating: They are exercising their rights under the Thai democratic principles of law. This should not be viewed as a problem but as a sign of a citizenry that is truly free to express themselves and as an affirmation of the freedom of speech. If their physical presence causes a problem (traffic flow, litter, etc.) then a way should be found for them to continue to be heard without the unwanted side effects....it remains to be seen whether the ongoing demonstrations will be of a scale to create any serious side effects.

Finally, the banker's statement really has very little substance. He is just saying that it is better if everyone accepts the PM....then he throws some numbers on it to try to show that it has some special meaning within the context of current events.....or....on the other hand he may be like the child who says if I don't get my way then I will throw a tantrum.....if so then it is coersion plain and simple.

I saw Mr. Thaksin on CNN today he said that he would let the Thai people know if he would accept the PM post if his party won, before the election. Obviously pro and anti-Thaksin people are are trying to influence this decision. My guess is he'll come out with one of his if we get X million votes I will acccept it, if we dont I wont. This would also explain his very strong support for the EC, which actually doesnt make much sense even to some TRT insiders I have spoken to.

[Jai Dee]

The Democrat Party will report alleged poll fraud and assault on its district council candidate to the EC

The Democrat Party will ask the Election Commission (EC) to investigate alleged fraud in yesterday’s elections of Bangkok’s city and district councilors where one of its candidates was also attacked by a rival.

Democrat deputy spokesman M.L. Apimongkol Sonakul (อภิมงคล โสณกุล) said Kitti Prasanwongwut (กิตติ ประสานวงศ์วุฒิ), who ran for a seat in the district council in Sampanthawong (สัมพันธวงศ์) district had taken pictures of his rival candidate while allegedly persuading voters to cast ballots for him.

The rival then allegedly hit Mr. Kitti and took the camera’s memory card but the victim also had recorded those pictures in a mini-DVD, M.L. Apimongkol said.

The party has already reported the alleged poll fraud and the attack on Mr. Kitti with Sampanthawong police together with the evidence, he said, adding it will also lodge complaints with the EC to look at the incident.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 July 2006

[Jai Dee]

NESAC hosts a brainstorming session on ways to end political uncertainties today

The National Economic and Social Advisory Council (NESAC) will today discuss exits to the current political crisis with representatives of political parties, the Senate, the Election Commission, the courts and other agencies.

NESAC deputy chairman Worapol Sokatiyanurak (วรพล โสคติยานุรักษ์) said the objective is to find ways to bring political uncertainties to an end now the general election has officially been scheduled for October 15.

Mr. Worapol said he was expecting friendly discussions with all sides reconcile with one another and jointly work out measures that can guarantee the election will be clean and fair.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 July 2006

[Jai Dee]

Unofficial results released on Bangkok's city and district councils elections

The Democrat Party’s city council candidates won in 11 districts of Bangkok while contenders from the Thai Rak Thai Party were elected in five districts, according to unofficial reports.

As for the district council election, the Democrat Party made victory in 20 districts and Thai Rak Thai, seven.

The elections of Bangkok’s city and district councilors were held yesterday.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 July 2006

[Plus]

Chownah, you nailed it here: "He is just saying that it is better if everyone accepts the PM...."

In 2001 and 2005 people accepted Thaksin's win, even his most fervent critics. This might not be the case now - if he takes on PMship.

If 40% of population does not accept the elected Prime Minister than the country is in trouble and deeply divided, geographically and socially. This was the reason he declined the post on April 4 and it's better he doesn't go back on his word.

There are poll results in today's papers - 43% of Bangkokians want him to go against 28% who want him to stay. It means that people haven't changed their minds since April, in fact 28% is the lowest support for Thaksin ever.

>>>>>>

Of course all 40% of Thais won't go to the Government House, it' silly to argue for or agaisnt that.

[Jai Dee]

Thai Chamber of Commerce Chairperson says the royal decree on the next election alleviates political issue

The Chairperson of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Art Taolanon, admitted that the royal decree, which set the next general election date to be on Otober 15th, has lessened the political tension. He also believes that the election will not help increase the national economy in the second half of this year too significantly.

Mr. Art said the recent oil price hike, the North Korea’s missiles, and the Middle East crisis have caused investors to bear heavier expenses. Many countries have been affected from the declining purchasing power. Thus, Mr. Art said that Thailand is unlikely to achieve the projected growth of 15 percent in the export sector this year, and the figure should be reduced to 13 percent. He said further that the Thailand’s political issue is still an influential factor on the country’s economy and investors’ confidence. He said the delay of the government budget and the mega-projects’ setback have also influenced a number of investors to invest elsewhere instead of Thailand.

The Chairperson of the Thai Chamber of Commerce forecasts that Thailand’s economic growth for this year should be around four percent.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 July 2006

[Jai Dee]

Democrat sweeps 35 Bangkok Council seats

The Democrat Party Sunday swept 35 out of 57 seats of the Bangkok Council.

The Thai Rak Thai Party won 18 seats in the Bangkok Council while the remaining four seats went to independent candidates.

The ballot counts for the Bangkok Council election was done at 1 am Monday.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced that 41.94 per cent or 1,676,373 of 3,996,881 eligible voters exercised their right.

The Democrat also swept 176 out of 255 district council seats in the district council elections took place in 36 districts on Sunday. The Thai Rak Thai won 71 seats and independent candidates won eight seats.

Source: The Nation -24 July 2006

[Jai Dee]

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra leads his wife and three children to vote in Bangkok local elections yesterday.

Source: The Nation - 24 July 2006

[Jai Dee]

BMA satisfies w/ yesterday's election

The Deputy Permanent-Secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Mr. Anan Siriphassaraphorn, is generally satisfied with the Bangkok municipal election, which was held yesterday (July 24th).

Mr. Anan stated that yesterday’s election in overall was satisfactory. He said 41.94 percent of voters exercised their rights, and the results of the election will be submitted to the Election Commission (EC). The EC will inspect all complaints and the result’s approval will not be over two to three weeks.

As for the complaint on additional ballot boxes, Mr. Anan said the boxes were brought in to replace the original boxes should they were damaged. He said this issue is deemed normal.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 July 2006

[thedude]

Chownah, you nailed it here: "He is just saying that it is better if everyone accepts the PM...."

In 2001 and 2005 people accepted Thaksin's win, even his most fervent critics. This might not be the case now - if he takes on PMship.

If 40% of population does not accept the elected Prime Minister than the country is in trouble and deeply divided, geographically and socially. This was the reason he declined the post on April 4 and it's better he doesn't go back on his word.

There are poll results in today's papers - 43% of Bangkokians want him to go against 28% who want him to stay. It means that people haven't changed their minds since April, in fact 28% is the lowest support for Thaksin ever.

>>>>>>

Of course all 40% of Thais won't go to the Government House, it' silly to argue for or agaisnt that.

that is a somewhat static view. opinions change, people are fickle.

if anything, thai culture and thai people are usually more 'accepting' and they try to avoid prolonged periods of disharmony. the present state of prolonged turmoil is propogated by those in the 'heirarchy' (astutely pointed out by Martin), using their influence over the urban media, to consistently paint the ruling party as an evil self-serving, corrupt and incompetent regime. the media ignores all together or otherwise cast obtuse cynicism over the government's many other policies and initiatives. its these people in the hierarchy who stand to lose the most from a democratically elected government that does not represent them for once. thailand's traditional power base has been undergoing an historic fissure in the last 5 years. what we have witnessed this year has been a last gasp effort by the old elite to displace a government and restore their own power and influence. with a new and hopefully undisputable mandate, the TRT can hope to also free the media from the partisan grasp of the elite and let people see in objective light the workings of their policy platform. opinions will change with a formal government in place again.

[Jai Dee]

Mr. Abhisit: it's up to the premier's decision on whether he will take a political break or not

Democrat Party Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva (อภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ) stated that whether or not Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will take a political break is up to the premier’s decision.

In response to Suan Dusit Poll’s indication that most people would like the Prime Minister to take a political break, Mr. Abhisit views that the public wants to see everything to go smoothly. Therefore, the solution for ending this conflict is to hold the general election. He, however, highlighted that the Election Commission (EC) must implement the process in a transparent basis, while viewing that it should follow the court’s suggestion as well.

Moreover, he informed that his party will propose the public agenda by the end of this week.

Speaking about the meeting between the leaders of Thai Rak Thai and Chart Thai parties on setting up a national government, he said that the national government should be the government that allows every unit to participate and it has to take the national interest as the main priority.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 July 2006

[chownah]

I hope there is some discussion going on in the appropriate places to decide now things like position and orientation of voting booths, pens and/or stamp pads ok or not, cardboard ballot boxes ok or not...etc. It would be nice to have these things worked out and agreed to before hand so people don't have to spend time and energy arguing these things and can put full attention on the political issues at hand.

[Old Man River]

It's too early to say what will happen.

On one hand it's a clear victory for Thaksin, he badly needs the elections. On the other hand there might be (probably are) some things left unsaid. Supreme Court president mentioned some good news that will be coming in the next few days. Good for who?

In The Nation they said that if EC is convicted on next Tuesday, it has 30 day to appeal, and if it appeals on the last day, it will be shielded by this Election decree - EC is untouchable during the election period. In the BP the Supreme Court president is quoted as saying that it will be shielded only from new charges, not the current ones.

This overlapping, by one day only, is curious to say the least.

Also the trial of TRT and Democrats won't be completed before the elections. It might be that the outcome have been privately decided already, that's why the election has been given full ahead - both parties will not be dissolved.

BP reports Thaksin won't take PM post, The Nation doesn't.

Anyhow, the set date is an important step in putting the country back on track and ending this mess. Everybody is better off with the date set.

If certain conditions are not fulfilled, however (both EC and Thaksin stay), than we haven't seen nothing yet - it will be return to pre parlament dissolution positions for all sides.

There was an interesting quote from Bangkok Bank chairman today - PM who wins with only 30% of votes but who is accepted by all parties is better (for business, I suppose) than the PM who wins with 60% but is detested by the rest.

The one thing we can be completely assured of is the most important thing on Dr. Thaksin's mind is ensuring that his family asset are safe. Hence, it is of great importance for him to be on the winning side on October 16th. I can see discussions with Khun Banharn centering around an alliance to make sure that the TRT remains in control should the Democrates pick up more seats than currently expected. What will be interesting is whether the PM will step down in favor of one of the Paesano 6. I would think his biggest question is can he trust them to not, ultimately, turn on him and send AMLO and the SEC out to "follow the money"? Given the stakes, he has to be questioning this.

[Plus]

"There are poll results in today's papers - 43% of Bangkokians want him to go against 28% who want him to stay. It means that people haven't changed their minds since April, in fact 28% is the lowest support for Thaksin ever."

that is a somewhat static view. opinions change, people are fickle.

That's why I pointed that Thaksin is no more acceptable to Bangkokians now than back in March. At least according to the poll results. Will it change by October. Maybe, but there are no signs of a opinion shift so far.

the present state of prolonged turmoil is propogated by those in the 'heirarchy' (astutely pointed out by Martin), using their influence over the urban media, to consistently paint the ruling party as an evil self-serving, corrupt and incompetent regime.

I don't think it's just paint - it really is an evil, self-serving, corrupt and incompetent regime.

the media ignores all together or otherwise cast obtuse cynicism over the government's many other policies and initiatives.

Like what? What are those magic policies that have been completely left out of PRD propaganda or Thaksin Saturday sweet-talk shows, or government controlled TV?

its these people in the hierarchy who stand to lose the most from a democratically elected government that does not represent them for once.

Except that these people think that the country will lose more than them, personally. Besides there's a lot more to anti-Thaksin movement than hierarchy - middle classes have never been represented and they form the base of the movement.

thailand's traditional power base has been undergoing an historic fissure in the last 5 years. what we have witnessed this year has been a last gasp effort by the old elite to displace a government and restore their own power and influence.

Not only elite, there's was not much of "elite" at PAD constant protests lasting over a month.

with a new and hopefully undisputable mandate, the TRT can hope to also free the media from the partisan grasp of the elite and let people see in objective light the workings of their policy platform. opinions will change with a formal government in place again.

Free the media from partisan grasp??? Just two days ago another news anchor has been axed after running an SMS poll that didn't go the government's way, though the name wasn't mentioned, it was admitted that the station recieved a phone call from high ups and the programe had to be pulled off air mid-way through.

Dude, you sound like a spokesman for something like Burma or North Korea.

"There are poll results in today's papers - 43% of Bangkokians want him to go against 28% who want him to stay. It means that people haven't changed their minds since April, in fact 28% is the lowest support for Thaksin ever." that is a somewhat static view. opinions change, people are fickle.

Edited July 24, 2006 by Plus

[Jai Dee]

Mr. Suranand: TRT must consider the outcome of the yesterday's election

The Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Suranand Vejjajiva (สุรนันท์ เวชชาชีวะ), admitted that the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) must discuss the outcome of yesterday’s election of Bangkok councilors and district councilors after TRT candidates have gain only a few seats.

He said that the TRT respects Bangkok people’s decision. However, he said that his party should revise various factors of yesterday’s election in order to find out why the party won a few number of seats.

As for the criticisms that the popularity of TRT is dropping, Mr. Suranand views that the party should also be concerned on this issue as well.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 July 2006

[Jai Dee]

Privy Councillor Surayud refused to comment on the conflicts among forces

Privy Councilor Surayud Chulanont (สุรยุทธ์ จุลานนท์) has refused to comment on the conflicts among some of the army officials. However, he believes that the Commander-in-Chiefs of each force can help establish harmony among them, and thus, he is not concerned on this matter. .

The Privy Councilor said that he is not concerned on this matter as conflicts are normal when different sides have different views. He said that even though they have different point of views, but they have the same target, which is to create peace to the country.

Meanwhile, he has refused to speak his views on certain military officers. He said that his duty in the military has now ended, and therefore, it is inappropriate to criticize issues related to the army.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 July 2006

[jdinasia]

Chownah, you nailed it here: "He is just saying that it is better if everyone accepts the PM...."

In 2001 and 2005 people accepted Thaksin's win, even his most fervent critics. This might not be the case now - if he takes on PMship.

If 40% of population does not accept the elected Prime Minister than the country is in trouble and deeply divided, geographically and socially. This was the reason he declined the post on April 4 and it's better he doesn't go back on his word.

There are poll results in today's papers - 43% of Bangkokians want him to go against 28% who want him to stay. It means that people haven't changed their minds since April, in fact 28% is the lowest support for Thaksin ever.

>>>>>>

Of course all 40% of Thais won't go to the Government House, it' silly to argue for or agaisnt that.

that is a somewhat static view. opinions change, people are fickle.

if anything, thai culture and thai people are usually more 'accepting' and they try to avoid prolonged periods of disharmony. the present state of prolonged turmoil is propogated by those in the 'heirarchy' (astutely pointed out by Martin), using their influence over the urban media, to consistently paint the ruling party as an evil self-serving, corrupt and incompetent regime. the media ignores all together or otherwise cast obtuse cynicism over the government's many other policies and initiatives. its these people in the hierarchy who stand to lose the most from a democratically elected government that does not represent them for once. thailand's traditional power base has been undergoing an historic fissure in the last 5 years. what we have witnessed this year has been a last gasp effort by the old elite to displace a government and restore their own power and influence. with a new and hopefully undisputable mandate, the TRT can hope to also free the media from the partisan grasp of the elite and let people see in objective light the workings of their policy platform. opinions will change with a formal government in place again.

Overall the above should be considered a funny post!

Totally ignores the control that the Gov't has over TV and radio ... not to mention the Thai press for the most part!

5+ years of getting sued ... people getting fired etc etc etc ... just for reporting the truth!

Oh well ... maybe it isn't so funny!

[lukamar]

"There are poll results in today's papers - 43% of Bangkok's want him to go against 28% who want him to stay. It means that people haven't changed their minds since April, in fact 28% is the lowest support for Thaksin ever." that is a somewhat static view. opinions change, people are fickle.

And the truth still is you don't have to carry Bangkok to win the poll, you have to carry the North and Northeast. While some like to think of Bangkok as the center of the Thai universe the fact remains they as an area do not have enough seats to swing an election even if you throw in the Southern voters for good luck.

[Greer]

I quote someone else (I know not who), who observed:

"The evil in Man makes Democracy necessary.

Fortunately, the good in Man makes Democracy possible".

What an excellent quote Martin, thanks!

Let us all hope that finally the Thai people will get a fair chance to select a leader.

"Fair" in this case means exactly that - real and open reporting of events surrounding the election and it's lead up, information about the parties and the candidates backgrounds etc, and of course a good selection of alternative parties to the one that currently holds the "caretaker" power.

Without this the Thai people will be robbed of their ability to make an informed decision.

The country needs political stability or it will continue to sit here with "one wheel stuck in the sand"!

[sriracha john]

well, well, well.... big things COULD occur today... we'll see later on what happens:

Focus is back on the judiciary and today's EC ruling

The royal endorsement for the October 15 election may have given Thaksin Shinawatra a temporary reprieve, but it also sets the stage for a political end-game.

The Criminal Court will today hand down its verdict against the three recalcitrant members of the Election Commission (EC) accused of malfeasance for their alleged unlawful handling of the April 2 election.

If the court were to hand down guilty verdicts against Vasana Puemlarp, Prinya Nakchudtree and Virachai Naewboonnien - and send them to jail, even for a single night - the election commissioners would automatically lose their status, as pointed out by Meechai Ruchuphan, the former Senate president. This would pave the way for the Supreme Court and the Senate to pick five new candidates to fill the EC.

A new EC would deprive the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) of "home-field advantage" going into the October election.

If the court's verdict is soft on the three election commissioners and allows them to get off the hook, then everything would be back to square one. The election commissioners, chaired by Vasana, could have the go-ahead to organise the election in exactly the same way they did in April.

But let us all heed the advice of His Majesty the King. Last Friday, His Majesty endorsed the royal decree setting the general election date. But the King also attached a letter - which was unprecedented - saying he would like to see peace and stability restored to Thailand as quickly as possible. He also asked for a clean and fair election.

It is no secret that the King disapproved of the April 2 election, in which TRT ran only against small nominee parties. This was undemocratic. The King has instructed the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court and the Constitution Court to resolve the political mess through judicial means. The Constitution Court moved quickly to nullify the April 2 election.

Now it is the turn of the Criminal Court, which will decide in the case against the election commissioners, who are widely seen as being too close to TRT for comfort.

The King has stressed that he would like to see a clean election. If this is the case, then the election commissioners, who have resisted all pressure to step down, have to be forced, through legal means, to take responsibility for their mishandling of the April election.

In politics, timing is everything. The royal decree for the October 15 election could not have come at a better moment. First, it sets a definite timeframe for the election. Second, it neutralises any attempt at a military coup. Third, it restores political stability - for, eventually, the country needs an election. Fourth, it forces a resolution to the political quagmire through the judicial channel, which is part of the democratic process.

"Were the royal decree to be issued after the Criminal Court's verdict on the EC, the political turmoil could be plunged into an open-ended situation. Thaksin and his cohorts could come up with different tactics to delay the nomination process of the new election commissioners, which would have made it almost impossible to fix the new election," said a keen observer of Thai politics.

"Then, the pressure would be on the shoulders of the Thai elite, who are up in arms against Thaksin."

Although Thaksin desperately needs the election, to extend the lease of his political life, he can still afford delaying tactics and play an active role as caretaker prime minister - indefinitely if necessary. The damage to the country would be irreparable then. But his critics among the Thai elite have to pay more attention to the stability of Thailand as a whole and cannot afford to let the country slip into a bottomless pit of turmoil.

Since Thaksin wants the election, he can test his own medicine with the royal decree. The name of the game now is judicial power to restore equilibrium to the absurd political stalemate. Another example is that the Constitution Court has yet to rule on whether TRT, the Democrat Party and three other small parties violated the election law in April. Any of the parties on this list could be dissolved if found guilty.

Between now and October 15, there could be other unpredictable forces at play. In chess, it is sometimes necessary to prolong the game - to test the nerve of one's opponent - and sacrifice a bishop or a knight along the way to arrive at the checkmate position.

- TN

Edited July 24, 2006 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

More information on today's ruling:

KEY VERDICT LOOMS

Kingdom at crossroads

The Criminal Court is set for an historic verdict today that could change Thailand's political landscape ahead of the October 15 general election. It will rule on a criminal charge against the three remaining Election Commission (EC) members related to their controversial handling of the April 2 general election, which was later nullified by the Constitution Court.

The EC is widely seen as a major obstacle to resolving the political crisis. But the pressure may well be getting to those in the spotlight.

A source revealed that EC commissioner Virachai Naewboonnien planned to skip today's court ruling by attempting to get a medical certificate to support a claim for his absence. But a doctor reportedly refused to give him one.

Despite the refusal, the source said Virachai insisted he would go for a blood test at Chulalongkorn Hospital's Promphan Building - which normally tends to kidney-disease patients - at 8am today.

The court is scheduled to read its verdict at 10am.

Another source said if Virachai is absent, the court could decide to postpone the reading of its verdict.

Virachai and his colleagues EC chairman Vasana Puemlarp and commissioner Prinya Nakchudtree are under intense pressure, as they could be jailed for up to a week.

Today's verdict stems from a lawsuit filed by Democrat Party deputy secretary-general Thaworn Senniam, which accused the three EC members of negligence of duty.

Thaworn alleged the EC arranged the April 23 repeat vote in constituencies where lone candidates could not overcome the rule requiring a minimum of 20 per cent of total votes to declare victory - without a royal decree to endorse the repeat vote.

He also accused the EC members of allowing some lone candidates who failed the 20-per-cent rule to switch and register in other constituencies for the April 23 vote.

Anti-government groups including opposition politicians, senators and academics along with the three top courts - Administrative, Supreme and Constitution - have mounted pressure for the EC members to resign, following the Constitution Court ruling in early May that the April 2 poll was managed illegally.

They believed this would pave the way for new commissioners to hold a "fair" election.

However, only one of the four remaining EC members stepped down. The three others have insisted they are innocent. This has caused them to face charges filed by their opponents, including the Democrats and the People's Alliance for Democracy.

Even if the three are found guilty, there would be legal debate on whether they would automatically lose their positions, given their right to appeal to higher courts.

Legal expert Meechai Ruchuphan argued yesterday that a court ruling finding the three EC members guilty would not be enough to unseat them.

"They will lose their EC status only if the court punishes them with a jail term and denies their call for bail if they make an appeal," he declared.

Meechai said the recently-endorsed election decree, which will be effective on August 24, would not affect the court's ruling. The three EC members were not legally protected from being prosecuted like members of Parliament during parliamentary sessions, he said.

Outgoing Senator Seree Suwanpanont said the commissioners faced losing their positions if the court finds them guilty and rejects an appeal for bail, because the Constitution has a rule that a commissioner loses his or her status if found guilty of a criminal charge.

EC public relations director Peerapong Pairin said, however, he had never seen the court reject appeals by defendants.

He argued that as the decree endorsed on Friday resulted from an amendment of the House Dissolution decree on February 24, the commissioners should be protected by a constitutional rule which forbids any attempt to arrest, prosecute or imprison them until the election [October 15] ends.

Peerapong claimed the electoral process would be damaged if today's verdict causes the three commissioners to lose their jobs.

Nobody could guarantee that a new EC would be transparent, he said, and it would be tight picking five qualified commissioners within the month before the election decree takes effect.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court has reportedly prepared a room with 300 seats to accommodate the crowd expected to come to hear the verdict. Additional police have been organised to handle any unforeseen incidents.

The court is treating the case with significance, and has appointed deputy chief Judge Charnnarong Praneejit to take charge today.

- TN

[jhj2000]

I hope Taskin goes, he reminds me too much of "Fat Boy"

[hammered]

The talk of a government of national unity sounds positive provided it actually includes all the parties. That combined with a new EC could reduce tensions dramatically at least in the short term without anyone having to be seen as a loser or winner.

[Plus]

truth still is you don't have to carry Bangkok to win the poll

Right, but what the poll shows is that Thaksin is not any more acceptable than he was in March. That means large demonstrations, divisiveness and so on. Exactly what the banker meant - we don't need any of this. We need a PM accepted by all.

[hammered]

The election commision have just been jailed so that is the end of them.

Three EC commissioners thrown behind bars, losing status

from the Nation

[Thaising]

Court found EC guilty for the organizing the April election with fraud, and have melted out four years jail sentence. The three EC members will appeal to Supreme Court for this later ruling. News From Channel 3.

[marquess]

I hope that they enjoy their stay, I wonder if they brought their tooth brushes?

Edited July 25, 2006 by marquess

[Jai Dee]

TRT denies reports about a national government

Caretaker PM’s Office Minister Suranand Vejjajiva (สุรนันทน์ เวชชาชีวะ) denies reports that the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) has lobbied other parties to accept its plan to set up a national government.

Mr. Suranand said things that were being said about TRT were all rumours. He dismissed as groundless reports that TRT leader Thaksin Shinawatra had sent representatives to talk to various political parties about forming a national government on condition that the caretaker prime minister would take a break from politics.

Mr. Suranand said TRT will only hold a meeting of its executives today to discuss election campaigning plans and another one with its members tomorrow to brief them on party policies.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 25 July 2006

[Jai Dee]

PM Thaksin insists no talks with TRT members as to set up National Government

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has confirmed that there will be no discussion with the Thai Rak Thai Party members regarding the establishment of the National Government.

Pol. Lt. Col. Thaksin will chair the Cabinet meeting tomorrow, which coincides with his birthday. Prior to the meeting, he disclosed that that there would be a merit making ceremony in the morning. He has also wished for His Majesty the King’s quick recovery.

He has denied the news claiming that the Thai Rak Thai Party will hold a meeting this afternoon, to set up the National Government. He said related agencies will look after the flood situation since His Majesty has expressed concern over this issue.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 25 July 2006

[Jai Dee]

Gen Sonthi says army is equipped to support the holding of the new poll

The Royal Thai Army is ready to support the upcoming general election, which is set to be held on October 15th, while believing that the problems relating to the Election Commissioners’ works will be solved through democratic processes.

The Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army, General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin (สนธิ บุญยรัตกลิน), has confirmed that the army is ready to follow the democratic regime by supporting the upcoming general election.

He said the army will opened its units so candidates and party members can run their election campaigns. He will urge organizations under the management of the Royal Thai Army to spread the election news so that people will recognize its importance as well as the democratic regime. Political parties are also allowed to use the army media to solicit more votes. Gen. Sonthi said further that the army will be neutral and just on this issue.

As for the issue where the number of the Election Commissioners is less than five people, the commander believes that this problem can be solved through the democratic framework.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 25 July 2006