Pongsak Ruktapongpisal, the Thai Rak Thai deputy secretary-general and Transport minister, said yesterday Suthep's claim that he and two other party members threatened, coerced and hired people to represent small political parties in the general election was groundless.

The party's legal experts were working on the allegation and gathering evidence to counter it in court.

Wichit Plangsrisakul, a party counsel, said Suthep had violated criminal law by slandering party members. The Democrat Party would be held accountable, too, as Suthep was its secretary-general.

Suthep must have also infringed on election laws, as this was the run-up to a poll, and if his conduct could be proved obstructive to the democratic system, the Democrat Party could be dissolved, the lawyer said.

The party will file the complaint with the court next week demanding at least Bt100 million in damages, he said.

Pongsak said the other two party figures named by Suthep - Thammarak Isarangura, party deputy leader and Defence minister, and Prommin Lertsuridej, party deputy secretary-general and prime minister's secretary-general - also denied the charge. Prommin said he had nothing to do with the party's campaign strategy.

What Suthep had said was still unclear and seemed to have come from a third person, Prommin said, adding that Suthep might have chosen to finger him because he had a clean image.

Thammarak said Suthep might have worried because some hired people had asked for help from him as he used to be a military commander in Surat Thani, but he was now responsible for the party's campaign in the Northeast, not the South.

The general said he was confident the voter turnout in Isaan would reach the 20-per-cent level required in case only one candidate runs in a constituency. However, his counterpart in the South must campaign hard to clear that hurdle.

EC chairman Vasana Puemlarp said he had not yet received the additional information on the case from Suthep that he had said he would give. However, if the Democrat didn't trust the commission, he could file a complaint with police.

Suthep on Thursday contended that three senior Thai Rak Thai officials conspired to subvert the democratic system by recruiting small parties to field contestants in constituencies where the party might not get enough eligible votes.