IN BRIEF
rubber stamb rebellion
Court upholds injunction allowing voters to use pens to mark ballots
The Supreme Administrative Court yesterday confirmed a lower court's order to allow voters to mark ballots with their own pens instead of the rubber stamps provided by the Election Commission.Three days before Sunday's election, the lower court issued an injunction against the EC's decision to use only rubber stamps for voting. A network of civic groups opposed the decision as arbitrary and said it might lead to election-rigging. The EC complied with the injunction for Sunday's vote and appealed to overturn it for subsequent elections. The high court threw out the EC's appeal, saying the injunction had been properly issued to safeguard voters' rights pending the completion of the judicial review. - The Nation. ----------------------------------------------------- MEDIA: Sondhi to appear on Chinese TV People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leader Sondhi Limthongkul will visit Beijing tomorrow to be a guest on a China Central Television show. He said yesterday he would tell the Chinese what was going on in Thai politics. He told PAD supporters he was not fleeing Thailand and asked them to inform him if an arrest warrant was issued for him while he was away. Sondhi said the PAD would not accept a puppet prime minister as successor to caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and would pressure the Thai Rak Thai Party with further demonstrations if it dominated the next Parliament, though not during the June celebration of His Majesty the King's 60th year on the throne. - The Nation. ----------------------------------------------------- BALLOT TEARING: Prosecutors accept suit against Chaiyan Prosecutors yesterday accepted a suit filed against Chulalongkorn University lecturer Chaiyan Chaiyaporn for deliberately tearing up his ballot at a polling station last Sunday. Chaiyan has vowed to fight the case in court and argued that Article 65 of the Constitution empowers a citizen to peacefully resist any political activity carried out to seek power unconstitutionally. Prosecutors also accepted a suit filed against Ratekarat Ratchapak-deerat, 45, a Bangkok resident accused of the same charge. - The Nation. ----------------------------------------------------- UPPER HOUSE: Chuwit awaits nod to run for Senate Former Chat Thai MP Chuwit Kamolvisit will find out on Monday whether he will be able to run for the Senate. The Supreme Court said yesterday it would deliver its verdict on Monday on a petition filed by the one-time massage parlour tycoon against the Election Commission's decision to disqualify him from the race for the Upper House. To run for the Senate, a candidate has to be free of any affiliation to a political party for at least one year. Chuwit said he should be eligible to run because the Constitution Court had effectively stripped him of his MP status. - The Nation.
|
