EC Guilty!

[lukamar]

How long will the newly elected EC function?

Will it be replaced after the elections?

They should function till the end of the term of the previous vacancies, about 2 years. There should be another full EC after that time.

[lukamar]

I was wondering why those being selected do not come from common civilian rather from the judiciary, government officials, military or the police back grounds.

Civilians don't have enough chips in the game to be offered a seat at the table.

[tettyan]

I was wondering why those being selected do not come from common civilian rather from the judiciary, government officials, military or the police back grounds.

Civilians don't have enough chips in the game to be offered a seat at the table.

The law requires that only those who have served as government officials at the C-10 level (director-general or equivalent) or above may apply to serve as commissioners for independent agencies.

[sriracha john]

Here's a bit of disappointing news as she'd be an EXCELLENT commissioner...

but then again, it's just as well to keep the "WOLF" on as Auditor-General. She's making a big mark in that role:

Jaruvan not contest for EC post

Auditor-General Jaruvan Maintaka said Tuesday that she would not leave her post to contest for a seat on the Election Commission.

Jaruvan said she has several works left undone as the auditor-general so she would like to stay to complete her term on December 1.

The Nation

[Losangels]

The law requires that only those who have served as government officials at the C-10 level (director-general or equivalent) or above may apply to serve as commissioners for independent agencies.

That's not right is it? Who would then have the voice of the average working class citizen?

Do you think an average civil servant much less a C-10 level official have the best interest of the civilian in mind? I-don't-think-so

[sriracha john]

The law requires that only those who have served as government officials at the C-10 level (director-general or equivalent) or above may apply to serve as commissioners for independent agencies.

That's not right is it? Who would then have the voice of the average working class citizen?

Do you think an average civil servant much less a C-10 level official have the best interest of the civilian in mind? I-don't-think-so

I agree.

Perhaps that's one of those things they can tweak on during the reforms ONCE the Parliament is up and running.

Of course, it's some of those types of self-interest things that the seniors in all fields won't want to give up, so it won't be easy.

It's a backward way of seeking only "qualified" people to run things, akin to the MP requirement to have a degree.

Edited August 1, 2006 by sriracha john

[Jai Dee]

WEMOVE has submitted names of women deemed fitting for EC post to Supreme Court

The Women’s Movement and Political Reform or WEMOVE have submitted the names of 10 women deemed suitable for the post of election commissioner to the Supreme Court.

Among those names are auditor-general Khunying Jaruwan Maintaka (จารุวรรณ เมณฑกา), acting director of the Central Institute for Forensic Science Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan (พรทิพย์ โรจนสุนันทน์) and chairman of the Women Status Promotion Association Sutheera Wijitranond (สุธีรา วิจิตรานนท์).

The Supreme Court is accepting applications for five vacant seats on the Election Commission (EC). On August 10, it will hold a general assembly of 86 judges who will select 10 of the applicants and forward their names to the interim senate to vote five of them to the poll agency. The names of all contenders will be disclosed publicly on August 3.

The selection of five new poll commissioners is required after the Criminal Court convicted Pol. Gen. Wasana Permlarp (วาสนา เพิ่มลาภ), Parinya Nakchatree (ปริญญา นาคฉัตรีย์) and Weerachai Naewboon-nian (วีระชัย แนวบุญเนียน), of malfeasance in connection with the snap election in April and handed them a four-year jail term on July 20. The trio had already resigned from their posts.

Another commissioner, Gen. Jarupat Ruangsuwan, quitted a few months ago. The fifth EC member, Charan Buranapansri (จรัล บูรณพันธ์ศรี) died last year.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 01 August 2006

[Plus]

EC is not an elected body that should represent citizens, it's part of the judiciary. That's probably why there are restrictions imposed on candidates for EC commissioners' posts, just like not any Somchai can be a Supreme Court judge.

Normally 5 candidates should be selected by courts and 5 by the Parlament. Given the choice I'd go with all of them selected by courts, not by politicians - it's like prisoners voting wardens in.

[Jai Dee]

Mr Banharn calls on all political sides to compromise

Chart Thai Party Leader Banharn Silpa-archa has reiterated that his position is to be a political mediator, and he does not want to be the next Prime Minister. He said he would like to see all political sides to come together and compromise, in order to follow His Majesty the King’s royal address.

Earlier today, Mr. Banharn, together with his wife and son, traveled to Suphan Buri Province and visited Mr. Prapat Phosuthon, the Chart Thai Secretary-General, on the occasion of his 57th birthday. The celebration took place in Payak Karam Temple in Sri Prachan District.

Prior to Mr. Banharn’s return from the birthday celebration, the political veteran talked about the lunch he had with the Democrat and Mahachon leaders yesterday. He said he was trying to create a political reconciliation and whether it would happen or not, he had already done his best. He said further that he want to see Thai people to unite together.

The Chart Thai Party Leader also commented on the selection of ten new Election Commissioners. He said he is confident that the Supreme Court will be able to find ten qualified candidates. He also viewed that the new team of commissioners should be the court’s representatives, and they should not be involved with politics.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 1 August 2006

[John K]

TRT fears court will favour government foes

Former Supreme Court judge Nam is a major worry for ruling party

Key Thai Rak Thai Party figures are concerned that individuals who do not "see eye to eye" with the ruling party could be nominated as election commissioners, a party source said.

I am waiting for a penzman or BHE coverage on post #216 about “We worry about honest people with power who are not bias in our favor” news story.

Edited August 1, 2006 by John K

[lukamar]

Normally 5 candidates should be selected by courts and 5 by the Parlament. Given the choice I'd go with all of them selected by courts, not by politicians - it's like prisoners voting wardens in.

The 5 and 5 selection of candidates and final selection of the members by the Senate is part of the checks and balances in the constitution. Surely, you don't want to see those thrown out.

It's a backward way of seeking only "qualified" people to run things, akin to the MP requirement to have a degree.

I'm hopeful that a lot of things will change in the future reform making it easier for common people to hold office. Until someone with great qualifications but without a degree is allowed to run it will be like a closed union shop.

[sriracha john]

EC candidate list grows

The Supreme Court yesterday endorsed nine more candidates for Election Commission posts for the final selection of the general meeting of Supreme Court judges on August 10.

Supreme Court secretary Wirat Chinwinitkul said there were now 18 candidates. Seven are judges and 11 are from different sectors including the civil service and military. None is a woman. Auditor-General Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka refused to run.

The latest candidates include Amornsak Noprampa, former secretary to the Supreme Court, Warin Thiamcharas, secretary to the PollWatch Foundation, academic Pichian Anmartworaprasert, and Supreme Court judge Wicha Mahakun.

The Nation

==========================================================

Senate to speed up process

The Senate will speed up the process to ensure five new Election Commission (EC) members are selected before the October 15 election decree becomes effective on August 24.

"The Senate will select new commissioners, as it is required by law," said Sawai Prammanee, the head of Senate Speaker Suchon Chaleekrua's legal advisors, after he chaired a meeting with EC officials.

Sawai said that although the election should not be postponed, he had learned that most of the 2,000 EC officials nationwide were losing morale because of uncertainty over their office since three former commissioners were jailed last week.

Some outgoing senators have been concerned the selection would not meet the August 24 deadline, claiming the process of checking candidates' backgrounds would take at least 30 days before the Senate could pick five new members.

The EC is facing a deep crisis without any serving commissioners. This follows a Criminal Court verdict that booted out the three remaining commissioners, Vasana Puemlarp, Prinya Nakchudtree and Virachai Naewboonnien, for unlawful handling of the April 2 election. The Constitution requires the EC to be served by five commissioners.

Meanwhile, EC deputy secretary-general Prawing Kachacheewa appealed to all sides to cooperate so the election can take place on October 15. "The situation is unusual, so we should not be strict about following a regular process," he said.

PM's secretary-general Prommin Lertsuridej said His Majesty the King endorsed the election decree with the intention of seeing the political crisis end soon. All sides should find ways to meet His Majesty's wish.

The Nation

[sriracha john]

Ouch! This one is gonna hurt the ol' wallet:

EC to be responsible for cost

The Finance Ministry has decided the Election Commission (EC) should be held responsible for the Bt2 billion spent on the April 2 poll.

It said yesterday a letter was sent to the EC seeking details about the loss of public funds and to name the individuals responsible.

Anti-government groups threaten to sue caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya for failing to seek compensation from the three former EC members.

The Nation

-------------------------------------------------

This coming from the Finance Ministry, no less.

Geez, when you get dumped and abandoned by Thaksin, you really get dumped.

Does the Ministry accept MasterCard?

[chownah]

"............

Meanwhile, EC deputy secretary-general Prawing Kachacheewa appealed to all sides to cooperate so the election can take place on October 15. "The situation is unusual, so we should not be strict about following a regular process," he said.

........."

Frightening.

[lukamar]

"............

Meanwhile, EC deputy secretary-general Prawing Kachacheewa appealed to all sides to cooperate so the election can take place on October 15. "The situation is unusual, so we should not be strict about following a regular process," he said.

........."

Frightening.

Frightening isn't the word for it. The April2 2 election was also an unusual situation where there were no regular processes in place for the situation and we know where that got the country and the EC commissioners.

[jdinasia]

"............

Meanwhile, EC deputy secretary-general Prawing Kachacheewa appealed to all sides to cooperate so the election can take place on October 15. "The situation is unusual, so we should not be strict about following a regular process," he said.

........."

Frightening.

Frightening isn't the word for it. The April2 2 election was also an unusual situation where there were no regular processes in place for the situation and we know where that got the country and the EC commissioners.

Yeppers .. Apr2 was unusual ... called to slience criticism and not because the government and the PM were not functioning together ....

Where did it get the country? To a place where they talk about checks and balances ... and power in the country!

[Jai Dee]

Auditor-General Khunying Jaruwan Maintaka will not accept the EC post

Auditor-General Khunying Jaruwan Maintaka (จารุวรรณ เมณฑกา) will not apply for the post of election commissioner.

Khunying Jaruwan said she is determined to serve His Majesty the King and the country by protecting taxpayers’ money until her term ends on December 1, this year.

Khunying Jaruwan said she still has a lot to do as the auditor-general, particularly in examining budget spending on mega-projects, including the construction of Suvarnabhumi airport.

All five vacant seats on the Election Commission need to be filled urgently since the general election has already been scheduled for October 15.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 02 August 2006

[jdinasia]

Good choice! being she is the only strong voice against corruption!

[sriracha john]

Auditor-General Khunying Jaruwan Maintaka will not accept the EC post

Auditor-General Khunying Jaruwan Maintaka (จารุวรรณ เมณฑกา) will not apply for the post of election commissioner.

Khunying Jaruwan said she is determined to serve His Majesty the King and the country by protecting taxpayers’ money until her term ends on December 1, this year.

Khunying Jaruwan said she still has a lot to do as the auditor-general, particularly in examining budget spending on mega-projects, including the construction of Suvarnabhumi airport.

All five vacant seats on the Election Commission need to be filled urgently since the general election has already been scheduled for October 15.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 02 August 2006

Good choice! being she is the only strong voice against corruption!

Wholeheartedly agree, jd...

Khunying Jaruwan "Wolf" Maintaka questioning a suspect during an examination of governmental spending on mega-projects.

[Jai Dee]

42 people are nominated candidates for five EC top posts

Forty-two people have been named candidates for five vacant seats on the Election Commission (EC).

Supreme Court secretary Wirat Chinwinijkul (วิรัช ชินวินิจกุล) said these candidates include 10 active judges, two former judges, two former poll commissioners, two university professors, three interim senators and two prosecutors and five women.

A court committee is examining their qualifications.

Mr. Wirat said the names of all contenders will be revealed on August 7 and the court’s general assembly of 86 judges will select 10 of them on August 10.

The interim senate then will vote five of the 10 finalists to the Election Commission, he said.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 03 August 2006

[Jai Dee]

PM's lawyer charged with acting in contempt of court

Thana Benjathikul (ธนา เบญจาธิกุล), lawyer of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is facing a charge of acting in contempt of court.

Somboon Chuayraksa (สมบูรณ์ ช่วยรักษา), registrar of the Administrative Office of the Criminal Court, pressed the charge against Mr. Thana with the Crime Suppression Division yesterday.

Mr. Somboon alleged Mr. Thana had criticized the Criminal Court after it handed a jail sentence to three former poll commissioners and denied them bail last week.

He submitted to the police as evidence newspaper copies and cassette tape of Mr. Thana’s comments on the court verdict.

Mr. Thana will testify before the court on August 8.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 03 August 2006

[Jai Dee]

Criminal Court sentences four to imprisonment for contempt of court

The Criminal Court Thursday sentenced three persons to one month in jail and another to three months in jail for contempt of court.

The four were among 15 people tried for contempt of court and violating the court power when the court made the ruling on the case against the Election Commission on July 25.

The three persons, who got one month jail term, were Thitirat Surattanakulchai, 51, Renu Jitprasarn, 53, and Mali Netkham, 40.

Sathien Wipromsiri, leader of a pro-EC group, was sentenced to three months in jail.

Former Chat Thai Party MP Chuwit Kamolvisit escaped the jail term. The court put him on probation for one year without giving him a sentence.

Six other people were also put on probation for one year after expressing their remorse and begging for courts mercy. The court did not hand down sentence on them.

The four remaining person received suspended jail term.

Source: The Nation - 3 August 2006

[John K]

PM's lawyer charged with acting in contempt of court

Thana Benjathikul (ธนา เบญจาธิกุล), lawyer of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is facing a charge of acting in contempt of court.

Somboon Chuayraksa (สมบูรณ์ ช่วยรักษา), registrar of the Administrative Office of the Criminal Court, pressed the charge against Mr. Thana with the Crime Suppression Division yesterday.

Mr. Somboon alleged Mr. Thana had criticized the Criminal Court after it handed a jail sentence to three former poll commissioners and denied them bail last week.

He submitted to the police as evidence newspaper copies and cassette tape of Mr. Thana’s comments on the court verdict.

Mr. Thana will testify before the court on August 8.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 03 August 2006

Does that mean he will not have time to sue anyone for Thaksin?

[Thaising]

Before that, he was a trigger happy to sue his master enemies. Now he is in hot water for criticizing the criminal court with the table turn against him. Let us see whether he will be sentence to jail for contempt of court like the three former EC.

[Siripon]

An article in one of the Thai weeklies claimed that the company contracted to supply The EC with all the rubber stamps for the last election had only been set up 2 months previously.

No doubt the foundation of the company and the decision to change from signatures to rubber stamps was coincidental as the election was called on the spur of the moment so there can't have been any collusion.

[sriracha john]

Was there ever a rational explanation given by the EC as to WHY they decided to switch to rubber stamps in the first place?

Edited August 3, 2006 by sriracha john

[slimdog]

An article in one of the Thai weeklies claimed that the company contracted to supply The EC with all the rubber stamps for the last election had only been set up 2 months previously.

No doubt the foundation of the company and the decision to change from signatures to rubber stamps was coincidental as the election was called on the spur of the moment so there can't have been any collusion.

Rubber stamps were first made compulsory after the last General Election in 2005. The first time they were used was in the Kalasin's by-election on July 19th 2005. The first time they were used on a large scale was in the local Administrive and TAO elections on 31st July 2005, this was also the first time that Election Commission changed the rotation of the Polling booths ostensibly to deter people from using Mobile Phone camera's to prove who they had voted for. On both issues no complaints were filed with either the EC or the Constitutional Court.

The rational behind the rubber stamps was believed to have been cost. At each election the EC was obliged by the constitution to purchase very large numbers of pens, none were ever returned to the EC for re-use, unlike the rubber stamps. Of course after the Constitutional Court ruled that Pens as well as Stamps had to be provided all the savings were lost and it ended up costing the EC even more..

[sriracha john]

Hmmm... I know the EC guys are rich... and therefore have no doubt been inside a bank at least once in their lives...

Did they ever notice these things there?

pen chains... 15 baht

---------------------

any other rational explanation?

[Jai Dee]

Interim senate speaker: extraordinary session to be opened on August 15th

Interim senate speaker Suchon Chaleekrua (สุชน ชาลีเครือ) stated that the extraordinary session on the selection of the new election commissioners should be opened on August 15th.

If the Supreme Court proposes the names of the new candidates to the senate, he said that the extraordinary session will then be able to open on August 15th in order to take up the selection process. Besides, the Senator has opened P.O. Box 45 and its website for people to comment on the qualifications of the nominees.

He confirmed that the selection process will be completed within October 15th. The unnecessary process will be cut off, but the securitization must take place.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 04 August 2006

[sriracha john]

On bail: Mahamakut Buddhist University lecturer Sathien Wiphromha, left, Mali Netkham, above, and Renu Jitprasan and Thitirat Surattanakulchai.

Is Thaksin's lawyer buddy next?