Quote:
Chaiya quits as allegations of bias against PPP

The Election Commission is replacing its chief fraud investigator, following allegations that probes were biased against the People Power Party.

Commission secretary-general Suthiphon Thaveechaiygarn said Police Maj-General Chaiya Siri-amphunkul had agreed to quit chairing the fraud investigation subcommittee.

"Maj-General Chaiya insists he did not take sides but agrees to return all documents he is responsible for so there can be a replacement," Suthiphon said.

Special Branch chief Lt-General Taworn Chanyim has been asked to send another senior officer to the commission.

A total of 83 winning candidates, including more than 60 PPP members, have had their election wins suspended pending investigation into alleged fraud.

Meanwhile, commissioner Prapun Naigowit yesterday urged all rival political parties to allow the electoral review to run its course rather than putting pressure on the EC at this stage.

Continued meddling could see the post-election situation spiral out of control, he warned.

"Don't rush to assume the outcome of the electoral review. Ill-intentioned people could take advantage of this to inflame sentiment and blow the issue out of proportion," he said.

Prapun was reacting to Friday's demonstration in Buri Ram against the disqualification of People Power Party candidates.

He said appellate reviews of red cards had not been exhausted, as the Council of State would convene on Monday.

The three disqualified candidates are entitled to present rebuttals in order to overturn red cards, he said, adding that there was always a possibility that the Council of State would disagree with the commission because of new evidence.

The commission will proceed to review every electoral fraud case with caution and based on evidence, he said.

Of the 83 winning candidates whose balloting results were put on hold, six will be endorsed tomorrow as the commission has found no evidence to substantiate accusations of campaign violation, he said.

In repudiating the allegation that the commission had targeted People Power with its probes, he said all of the party's candidates in Lampang had had charges against them dropped and their election endorsed last week, with only Thanathorn Lohsunthorn given a yellow card for links to campaign violations.

As Thanathorn's involvement was indirect, he is entitled to contest a revote on January 13, he said.

He dismissed speculation that the commission had a disqualification quota, saying it was a coincidence Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban had made a close prediction of the number.

The six candidates to have their votes endorsed are four from People Power and two Democrats. The two Democrats are Rewat Areerob and Thosaporn Theppabutr of Phuket. The People Power candidates are Kittikorn Lohsunthorn and Wasit Phayakkabutr, both from Lampang, and Thira Trisoranakul and Wiwatchai Hotrawisaya, both from Si Sa Ket.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, authorities are ready to organise a revote on January 13 in Constituency 3. They have not encountered campaign violations.

Of the 16 House seats up for grabs in the Northeast province, the commission has endorsed the results in five, issued three yellow cards in Constituency 3 and is probing the remaining eight.

In Lampang, the revote is scheduled for January 13 and covers Muang, Hang Chat, Chae Hom, Muang Pan, Ngao and Wang Nua districts.

In a seminar at Thammasat University, law lecturer Worachet Pakheerat called on the commission to quickly complete the endorsement of balloting to pave the way for the formation of a coalition.

Worachet said electoral-fraud investigation should come after a Parliament was convened, which would ensure a smooth transition of power.

He voiced concern about litigation in the Supreme Court, which could lead to the cancellation of the December election results. He said an unfavourable verdict was tantamount to denying the people's voice.

Democrat candidate Chaiwat Sinsuwong has charged People Power with being a nominee of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party.

Quote:
PPP to appeal red-carded winners to Council of State

BANGKOK, Jan 5 (TNA) - The People Power Party (PPP) will submit a formal complaint to the Council of State urging it to investigate the issuing of red cards by the Election Commission (EC) disqualifying three party election winners in Constituency 1 of the northeastern province of Buri Ram, PPP secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee said today.

Expressing his surprise, Mr. Surapong said the three winners in the December 23 general election were earlier asked by the Buri Ram EC office to clarify the charges and complained that the agency officials did not then mention that they would be issuing them the disqualifying red cards.

The statement by the Buri Ram EC officials was made in writing, PPD said, and the party will ask the Council of State to consider their request on January 7 to scrutinise its process of issuing of red cards, which Mr. Surapong claimed may contradict the rules, suggesting that it could be a important precedent in relation to the other candidates as a "case study because more than 70 election winners haven't yet been endorsed."

To date, 83 election winners of six political parties, including the PPP, have not yet had their been certified by the EC.

Touching on yesterday's massive demonstration in front of EC office in Buri Ram, he said the protest was held within the rights of the people and if it did not harm others.

Over 10,000 voters from Buri Ram districts -- including the PPP candidates under question, Prakit Poldej, Pornchai Srisuthiyothin and Rungroj Thongsri -- on Friday protested the election panel's decision to issue red cards to the trio. No violence was reported.

Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Prapan Naikowit said the EC head office was responsible in issuing red cards to winning election candidates who were found to engage in election fraud and urged the protestors not to pressure the EC as the case would be considered by the Council of State when it meets at 9.30 am Monday.

When asked whether the EC would ask for additional help from the government, Mr. Prapan said there was no need to impose martial law in Buri Ram as he believed the protesters would now better understand tghe situation after receiving clarification from his agency.(TNA)-E111

Quote:
CNS senior officer to visit Buri Ram

A senior Council for National Security official will visit Buri Ram Tuesday to arrange protection for provincial election officials following a protest against them and threats on their lives.

Buri Ram Election Committee chairman Kasem Watanatham Sunday alleged that certain politicians were behind a protest by villagers against the EC on Friday. He vowed to take legal action against them.

An angry General Somjet Boonthanom, head of the Office for the CNS, said he would not allow influential persons to threaten EC officials who were working for the country.

Somjet said he would travel to Buri Ram Tuesday afternoon after the weekly meeting of the CNS to find out who had threatened officials.

The Buri Ram commission has issued red cards to three winning People Power Party candidates in Constituency 1.

On Friday, about 10,000 villagers held a protest at the office of the provincial EC, demanding Kasem and Pol Colonel Sangworn Phuphaijitkul, deputy commander of Buri Ram police, resign as EC officials.

Kasem earlier complained he and other EC officials had received death threats.

Somjet said he had coordinated with the Second Army Area and Provincial Police Bureau 3 to provide soldiers and policemen to protect the officials.

He said he would find out who was behind the threats and expose them.

"It's not good they used this method [of intimidation]. As the media would not like if it was threatened, similarly we will identify and expose these people," Somjet said.

"We will inform the public about who these influential people are and those who have abused their powers in threatening the EC.

"If we allow them to behave above the law, we might as well give away the country to such people."
The Nation

General Somjet Boonthanom can save himself a trip. It's between 10 and 30,000 (BBC) of the pissed electorate that are the "problem".

We could also remind him that it was the Military that put armed guards in the countries newsrooms, closed down local radio stations at gunpoint and imposed strict regulations threatening to close them down if they even printed Thaksin's name. I think the media knows full well what it is like to be threatened.

Behaving above the law is overthrowing an elected government no matter what the motives. The military does not have to give the country to these people, the People have just done it, no mater what the CNS thinks should be done...LOL

Quote:Poll case in Council of State today

EC and PPP battle over disqualifications

POST REPORTERS

The battle between the Election Commission (EC) and the People Power party shifts to the Council of State today, as both sides present their arguments in the case involving three disqualified PPP winning candidates in Buri Ram.

EC secretary-general Suthiphon Thaveechaiyagarn will lead a team of election officials and the deputy police chief of the northeastern province in explaining the decision to red-card all three winning candidates in constituency 1.

The PPP and its three candidates _ Prakit Poldet, Pornchai Srisuriyanyothin and Rungroj Thongsri _ will counter with their own argument.

They will argue the punishment dealt out by the Election Commission's head office in Bangkok was too harsh given that provincial election officials only suggested the results be voided and the candidates be allowed to run in a by-election in constituency 1, and not disqualified.

The three candidates then plan to file a complaint with the National Counter Corruption Commission, accusing Buri Ram election chief Kasem Wattanatham and provincial poll official Pol Col Sangworn Pupaijitkul of abusing their authority, party deputy spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said yesterday.

Election commissioner Sumeth Upanisakorn said the commission was confident it had the evidence to back up the disqualification.

The Buri Ram case was forwarded to the Council of State on Thursday.

Under the process, the EC needs advice from the Council of State on any decision to disqualify winning candidates.

The opinion of the state legal office is not binding, but history shows the commission follows it. In the 2005 general election, the Council of State was against the EC's decision to disqualify two winning candidates, and both subsequently contested the by-election.

The EC's decision led to a mass rally in Buri Ram on Friday amid reports that the lives of election officials there had been threatened.

Somjet Boonthanom, chief of the Council of National Security's (CNS) secretariat, plans a visit to Buri Ram tomorrow.

''The CNS has been informed that election officials in Buri Ram have been threatened and has directed soldiers and police in the area to provide them with proper security,'' he said yesterday.

Gen Somjet has said he suspected the PPP's victory in the polls was the result of vote buying.

His statement upset PPP secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee, who accused the general of showing disdain for the voters' decision. The win by the PPP demonstrated the confidence people had in the party.

''The CNS should help clear the way for the return of democracy. The country has been bruised for too long,'' he said.

Today the EC has 75 more cases to consider. They have been forwarded by police and its own investigators, and involve candidates who lost as well as candidates who won, said election commissioner Sodsri Satayatham.

So far the EC has certified 397 winners. Among the 83 who have not been approved are 65 winning members of the PPP, including its candidate in Lampang, who was ordered to run again in a by-election set for Sunday.

Lampang election official Niran Khamsemanant has appealed to the EC to delay the poll for a week, to Jan 20, to give officials time to organise and advertise it.

A fresh war of words erupted between the PPP and the rival Democrat party yesterday following People Power leader Samak Sundaravej's remark that ''a dirty hand'' was blocking his party from forming a government.

Democrat chief adviser Chuan Leekpai challenged Mr Samak to make clear what he meant. The only ''dirty hand'' he knew of was the one buying voters and cheating in the election, Mr Chuan said.