EC endorses another 17 senators
The Election Commission (EC) yesterday endorsed 17 new senators and called for a second round of voting in Amnat Charoen and Kalasin because the winners there had violated electoral law, an official said yesterday.
Although they have yet to be Royally endorsed, the new senators yesterday requested information from the Senate legal office director Nat Pasuk about their privileges and allowances. Senate deputy secretary-general Norarat Pimsen said the upper chamber was obliged to spend as much as Bt100 million on salaries, allowances, insurance and other privileges for 200 caretaker senators and the newly endorsed senators. Each Senator receives a Bt104,000 monthly salary. The Senate asked the Council of State - the government's legal arm - whether it had to pay salaries to newly endorsed Senators and the council said it was required to start paying them from the day the Senate election was held. Sakhon Nakhon Senator Sithirat Ratanawicharn lodged a complaint with Norarat saying his travel allowance was not approved. Norarat said that the new Senators would be reimbursed only after their oath-taking ceremony. Sithirat said that when he was an MP, he had received a travel allowance even before he started working officially. If the Senate did not reimburse his travel expenses then all newly elected MPs should be required to return their travel expenses, he said. Norarat said she would look into the matter. EC deputy secretary-general Prawing Kachacheewa said the 17 newly endorsed Senators included a former politician as well as relatives of politicians, such former Thai Rak Thai MP Kaew Buasuwan (Phetchabun); the wife of Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat, Salakchit Tiyapairat (Chiang Rai); a relative of Snoh Thienthong, Kwanruan Thien-thong (Sa Kaew); Shoh's brother Withaya Thienthong (Sa Kaew); Chat Thai secretary-general Prapat Photasuthon's brother Prasit Phothasuthon (Suphan Buri); and former Thai Rak Thai Party MP Surachart Chamnansil's wife Arunee Chamnansil (Udon Thani). The EC is holding a second round of voting for Senate seats in Kalasin after issuing a yellow card to candidate Chamoi Waramit, the mother of former Thai Rak Thai MP Patara Waramit. Chamoi was accused of distributing items in exchange for votes. The EC has yet to endorse 18 candidates.
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