The main opposition parties have said they will boycott a meeting called by the Election Commission to decide the date for a new election.

Officials from the Constitution Court have also refused to go, saying it would be inappropriate for them to attend.

"We will not attend Monday's meeting. We no longer trust the EC, particularly after the court's ruling," Democrat Party deputy leader Jurin Laksanawisit said yesterday, referring to the Constitution Court ruling that the April 2 election violated the charter.

Jurin, the chairman of a joint committee for the three opposition parties, said he had talked to the other two parties and all agreed to boycott Monday's meeting to express their disapproval of the EC.

"We don't think the EC will be able to ensure the election will be free and fair," Jurin said.

The watchdog lacked legitimacy and the commissioners should be replaced to ensure that the next election was free and fair, he said.

The move by the opposition parties came as the government tried to set a date for a new election. It instructed the EC to hold a meeting on Monday with opposition parties to set a date for a new poll.

Mahachon deputy Akrapon Sorasuchart said: "The EC's attempt to organise a meeting clearly showed that it did not understand the Constitution Court's ruling and is not willing to take responsibility for its organising of the April 2 election." Mahachon was ready to participate in the next election but it was concerned about the EC's neutrality.

The Chat Thai Party said on Wednesday it would also boycott Monday's meeting.

Constitution Court secretary-general Paiboon Varahapaitoon said yesterday the court would refuse to attend the meeting if it received an invitation, as negotiating the date of an election went beyond its duties.

He said the court had not been asked to go although the EC had said it would invite the court to attend.

Democrat deputy spokesman Sathit Pitutecha said the party would still contest the new poll, even if the EC oversees the ballot.

Commissioner Prinya Nakchud-tree said the EC would go ahead with Monday's meeting even though the main opposition parties won't go.

It was not right, he said, for the opposition parties to use the condition that the EC had to quit before they would cooperate. "We have done our best. Go back to why the April 2 election was undemocratic - the parties that did not field candidates should know,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the party's secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban called yesterday for EC chairman Vasana Puemlarp to provide information and evidence to the court about pre-election lobbying among political parties. Suthep said Vasana should make public evidence about a party hiring small parties to run in the election. But Vasana's allegation that the Democrat Party hired small parties to boycott the election was groundless, Suthep said.

He said an EC subcommittee appointed by Vasana arrived at a unanimous conclusion that there was convincing evidence Thai Rak Thai hired small parties to field candidates to run against its candidates. The panel also found there was no convincing evidence the Democrats paid parties to boycott the election.

He filed a lawsuit against the four EC commissioners this week.

Suthep also denied any involvement with Taikorn Polsuwan, a leader of the anti-Thaksin protest in the Northeast who said he had evidence of talks between a major party and a small party before the April 2 election. Although Taikorn, a Democrat, had resigned and formed another party before applying recently to rejoin the Democrats.

Kornchanok Raksaseri,

Atthayuth Butrsripoom

The Nation

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Thai Rak Thai is now staring dissolution in the face

An investigating panel assigned by the Election Commission has recommended the EC charge outgoing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra over the contracting of small parties to contest the April 2 vote, an offence punishable by the dissolution of his Thai Rak Thai Party.

The panel's report was submitted to EC chairman Vasana Puemlarp on Monday and seen by The Nation yesterday.

The panel's explosive conclusions allege  the ruling party paid out almost Bt1 million in cash between March 3 and March 6 to candidates of a small party to run in southern constituencies. The report says most if not all  money trails could be verified by bank transactions.

In other evidence, EC official Amornwit Suwanpha confessed to the investigating panel the ruling party paid him Bt30,000 to rig the membership records for candidates from small parties.

In a unanimous decision, the panel concluded that the ruling party was involved in campaign fraud, deemed detrimental to both democracy and national security.

The report was prepared by panel chairman Nam Yimyaem, retired vice president of the Supreme Court and handpicked by Vasana to get to the bottom of the matter.

Vasana appointed the panel last month to look into a complaint against the ruling party filed by Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban.

Nam's report said the investigation focused on two key questions: Whether the ruling party paid candidates from small parties to contest the polls; and the number of culprits involved.

The ruling party stood accused of contracting small parties to avoid one-horse races that would demand a minimum of 20 per cent support from eligible voters to ensure a valid outcome.

Initial investigations revealed two small parties, Thai Ground and Pattana Chat Thai, did not have enough money to fund their campaigns.

Pattana Chat Thai candidate Chawakan Tosawat admitted financial links between the two parties and the panel uncovered evidence to support his testimony. A Thai Ground party-list candidate, Ratima Phawasri, also admitted financial support from Thai Rak Thai and produced financial records as evidence.

She later retracted her statement, but her signatures on the financial records implicated her.

Her party's leader, Boonitthiphol Chinrat, admitted the party was in no financial position to bankroll its candidates.

In all, the panel found 140 candidates from the two small parties had filed false records claiming lengthy party membership in order to qualify for the election.

It singled out Defence Minister Thamarak Isarangura and Transport Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal as the key players in the scam. But the panel insisted the scam was meant not for individuals' benefits, but for the ruling party's.

"The campaign violations have benefited the ruling party, helping it to cling to state power via means not sanctioned by the Constitution," it said. The violations have also undermined national security and constitute a number of offences according to the Criminal Code and election law, it added.

Two senior military officers - General Trairong Intharathat and Lt-General Padungsak Klingsanoh - were implicated in the violations in their capacity as aides to Thamarak, who is also caretaker defence minister. The panel recommended legal action against Thaksin.