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Judgement Day - Coffee Break - 05-30-2007 01:15 AM
JUDGEMENTS TODAY
Country holds its breath
Huge security operation underway amid fears that mobs will vent anger in the streets if parties are disbanded
A sense of anxiety gripped the country yesterday on the eve of the Constitution Tribunal's landmark rulings that could dissolve either or both of the Kingdom's two biggest political parties.
In a repeat of what happened on the night of the coup last September, soldiers were stationed outside the offices of all broadcast media outlets yesterday evening, prior to today's reading out of the much-awaited verdicts by the Constitution Tribunal.
The reason cited for the unsolicited troop deployments was "protection".
State-run and private telecom organisations have been "protected" by soldiers and police since as early as 1pm yesterday, before troops were dispatched to broadcast media offices in the evening.
The Council for National Security (CNS) contacted all local broadcast media members early on to seek their "co-operation" for troop deployments, citing a textbook security plan referred to as "Pithak 1" (Protection 1). No media members were reported to have refused the troop deployments.
The Chon Buri-based soldiers, from a unit sent to the Nation Multimedia Group compound after the September 19 coup, entered and secured the Nation Channel station, but did not visit editorial rooms of the group's three publications.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry decided to close all schools near the top court's compound today - for safety reasons. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority's Wat Liab office, which is nearby, will also be closed.
Fears of violence prompted Proctor and Gamble Manufacturing to allow its employees to voluntarily work from home, even though its premises are not near the court.
Mobile phone signals around the courthouse will be cut off starting at noon today - at the request of tribunal officials - until the much-awaited verdicts are read out, or even until later on, to prevent any possibility of wireless detonation of bombs within the area.
Both banks of Ong Ang Canal at the back of the tribunal compound have been cleared of pedestrians, following intelligence tips that hand grenades could be hurled into the compound by people hired to cause disruption, or instigate violence among supporters of either political parties.
Checkpoints have been set up at entry and exit points in and out of Bangkok manned jointly by both police and soldiers to watch for possible violence between supporters of the political parties involved or between anti-junta activists and troops. The Navy is responsible for security on the Thon Buri side and the Air Force for areas in northern Bangkok.
First Army Area commander Lt General Prayuth Jan-ocha, said all soldiers stationed in areas where confrontation with protesters was possible "must not be armed", except for those assigned to guard and protect government properties.
"There must be someone responsible for the first shot fired, but I don't want the whole thing to go that far," he said.
Assistant Army commander General Saprang Kalayanamitr, said military officers had "marked" five key Thai Rak Thai members who were believed to still have influence to mobilise mass support of TRT members nationwide.
The five were Sudarat Keyuraphan, Chidchai Vanasatidya, Prommin Lertsuriyadej, Newin Chidchob and Yongyuth Tiyapairat.
He said a large number of mid- and low-level mob organisers had also been "marked" in the North and Northeast by local military officers.
He said Bangkok-based police and the First Army Area had promised they could handle a large number of people referred to as "mob in red shirts" that would be supported by taxi motorcyclists and taxi drivers, if they roamed city streets to cause trouble. The mob was expected to vent anger to a verdict that results in both the Democrat and Thai Rak Thai parties being disbanded.
Meanwhile, Suwanna Uyanunt, a vice president of the Thai Broadcasting Journalists' Association, said yesterday that she saw two trucks full of military officers visit the Tippo Building on Rama VI Road yesterday evening. The building is the headquarters of the UBC cable TV stations.
"I don't understand the purpose of their visit. If they claim they were there for security reasons, the police have already done that job very well. Based on past experience, there is only one reason for such a military visit, and that is to do something about media content or to control media broadcasting," Suwanna said.
Wasan Paileeklee, director of the Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand (MCOT), said that up until 8pm he had not received any reports about a military visit to his office. "I don't know the real situation yet. But I do believe that everyone is praying for a normal situation as soon as possible for our economy to recover and for political stability and confidence," he said.
"If the military was aiming to provide us with security, we thank them for that. But if the aim was to interfere with our content, I think we are professional enough to know what our role is in this situation," Wasan said.
Thanaphol Iwsakul, a member of the 19 Sept Network Against the Coup, condemned the military for going to media offices.
"Every time the army arrives at media offices, the less the facts are reported due to self censorship, and this affects what the public consumes. I insist that all Thais have a basic right to information. Our network insists on one thing today: that we have the right to protest against any coup in any form," Thanaphol said.
The Nation
RE: Judgement Day - Coffee Break - 05-30-2007 01:19 AM
![[Image: 30035564-01.jpg]](http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/30/p1news/images/30035564-01.jpg)
Police officers and barricades surround the Constitution Court ahead of today’s electoral fraud verdicts. Mobile phone signals will be cut and pedestrian traffic behind the court banned this afternoon.
The Nation
RE: Judgement Day - lukamar - 05-30-2007 04:45 PM
Democrats NOT Guilty
Quote:5:40 pm: The Constitution Tribunal rules that the Announcement No 27 of the Council for Democratic Reform, which bans party executives from holding political offices for five years if their party is dissolved, is retroactively enforced.
5:30 pm: The Constitution Tribunal rules that the Democrat has not committed wrongdoing warranting party dissolution.
The tribunal rules to dissolve the Progressive Democratic Party.
5:26 pm: The Progressive Democratic Party is found guilty of falsifying its membership records to enable its candidates to run in the three Trang constituencies.
5:24 pm: The Constitution Tribunal acquits the Democrat Party of trying to prevent candidates from small parties from entering the race.
5:20 pm: The Constitution Tribunal acquits the Democrat in the charge of it arranged for the leader of Better Life Party to frame the Thai Rak Thai Party for bankrolling the small party.
5:00 pm: The Constitution Tribunal acquits the Democrat of leading three electoral candidates from Progressive Democratic Party to frame the Thai Rak Thai for bankrolling them.
4:25 pm: Constitution Tribunal rules Democrat is not guilty of framing Thai Rak Thai during election campaigns.
TheNation
=====================================
Democrat wins Constitutional Tribunal's unamimous decision
The Constitutional Tribunal agree unanimously that Democrat Party did not violate the election laws.
The Tribunal rules that as Democrat Party is not guilty of violating the election laws, so it is not subject to party dissolution.
The nine-member Tribunal ruled 9-0 that Democrat is not guilty.
The Tribunal delivered the sentence after reading the verdict since 2pm.
Senior Democrat party members who sit in the court room seemed to be relieved after the Tribunal read the final verdict.
The nine-member Constitution Tribunal addressed six questions in reaching its decision on the electoral fraud involving the Democrat and Progressive Democratic parties.
The first question - Did the Democrat Party make campaign speeches to frame Thai Rak Thai Party and its leader Thaksin Shinawatra?
Verdict : Acquittal.
The second question - Did the Democrat Party lead three electoral candidates from Progressive Democratic Party to frame the Thai Rak Thai Party for bankrolling them?
Verdict : Acquittal.
The third question - Did the Democrat Party arrange for the leader of the Better Life Party to frame the Thai Rak Thai Party for bankrolling the small party?
Verdict : Acquittal.
The fourth question - Did the Democrat Party try to prevent candidates from small parties from entering the race?
Verdict : Acquittal.
The fifth question - Did the Progressive Democratic Party falsify its membership records to enable its candidates to run in the three Trang constituencies?
Verdict : Guilty
The sixth question - Did the Democrat and Progressive Democratic parties commit wrongdoing that constitutes a cause for disbanding?
Verdict : Acquittal for Democrat/Disbanding Progressive Democratic parties and revoking voting rights of all party executives including those who resigned their position.
The Nation
RE: Judgement Day - lukamar - 05-30-2007 05:44 PM
TRT DISOLVED
Quote:11:36 pm: The Constitution Tribunal rules that former Thai Rak Thai executives must also be banned from politics.
11:34 pm: The Constitution Tribunal rules that the Thai Rak Thai executives must be banned from politics for five years in line with a coup order.
11:23 pm: The Constitution Tribunal orders Thai Rak Thai to be dissolved for lacking political ideology.
11:07 pm: The Constitution Tribunal rules that Thai Rak Thai's election frauds damaged the national order and good morality of the society and violated Article 66 of the constitution.
11:05 pm: The Constitution Tribunal rules that the Thai Rak Thai is guilty of violating the constitution by collaborating with other parties to unconstitutionally gains power.
10:56 pm: The Constitution Tribunal rules that the Thai Rak Thai must he held responsible for the electoral frauds committed by Thamarak and Pongsak. The tribunal says the two hired two smaller parties to contest the April election on behalf of Thai Rak Thai.
9:55 pm: The Constitution Tribunal finds Thamarak and Pongsak guilty of collaborating with Pattana Chart Thai party leader Boonthaweesak to falsify records of Pattana Chart Thai's membership records.
9:50 pm: The Constitution Tribunal finds former TRT deputy leader Thamarak Isarangura and ex-deputy secretary general Pongsak Ruktapongpisal guilty of involving in paying and hiring politicians of Pattana Chart Thai party to run in the April national election.
theNation
=================
Thai Rak Thai ordered disbanded
BangkokPost
The Constitution Tribunal judges wound up a day-long reading of their verdict in the political parties case late on Wednesday night, ordering the powerful Thai Rak Thai Party of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra dissolved for election cheating - and banning 111 top members from political life for five years.
The nine judges also found two Thai Rak Thai executive committee members guilty of illegally hiring small parties in the April, 2006, election - Gen Thammarak Issarangkura na Ayudhya and Pongsak Raktapongpaisarn.
The order disbanding Thai Rak Thai contrasted with the earlier decision to allow the Democrat Party and its executives to continue in politics.
Thai Rak Thai leader Chaturon Chaisaeng, who took over after Mr Thaksin went into self-exile after last year's coup, sat on the edge of his seat during most of a late-night verdict, which ended not long before midnight.
Judges said that disbanding a political party was a serious matter.
Thai Rak Thai won elections in 2001 and 2005, they said, and had 14 million members. Ordering the party dissolved would cause economic problems.
But the verdict laid much of the blame for shaky Thai Rak Thai political deals on the back of founder and then-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, still in foreign exile. The judges said Mr Thaksin had used the party for his own benefit, and Thai Rak Thai had no political ideology beyond its leader's ambitions.
The immediate fate of Thai Rak Thai, the country's most popular party, was not known.
But Mr Chaturon and other executives could immediately apply to form a "new" party, perhaps even using the Thai Rak Thai name.
Worries of violence after the verdict had long faded by the time the announcement against the party was made. But even at the height of public interest on Wednesday afternoon, no more than a few hundred peaceful supporters of both parties were gathered in three spots in Bangkok - at the court and at the two parties' headquarters.
The government had amassed a security force of 13,000, none of whom was needed to keep order.
A huge media corps of 700 outnumbered all political supporters from all factions.
=======================
Chaturon tells party supporters rulings against Thai Rak Thai unfair
Chaturon Chaisang, leader of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai, told party supporters at the party head office that the rulings against the party were unfair.
He said the rulings indicated that the people, who had seized power, could set what was right or wrong.
He said the people nationwide would find the rulings unacceptable.
The crowd cheered to his speech.
Speaking at a rally in front of the party at about 15 minutes after midnight, he said Thailand was now ruled by dictators.
The Nation