However, Democrat executive Suwaroj Palang said that Thatima Phawalee was a good actress who had distorted and hidden some information.

Yesterday was the fifth hearing in the case against Thai Rak Thai, which has been accused of hiring candidates from small parties to compete in the April 2 election last year, so the party could avoid the "20-per-cent rule" that requires candidates to win that proportion of total votes in areas where they stand with no rivals.

Thatima, a party-list MP candidate and a coordinator for Thai Ground Party, said she first cooperated with Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban as she feared a threat he made and wanted money he offered her.

But Democrat Thaikorn Pol-suwan warned Thatima she would have to be responsible - subject to legal penalty - after over 100 Thai Ground candidates were disqualified by the Election Commission (EC). He told her to contact Suthep, who offered her Bt1 million to frame Thai Rak Thai executives.

After she testified according to the Democrats' "script" and Suthep video-taped her testimony on March 19 last year, she received Bt300,000 and went to stay at Suthep's house in Surat Thani. She also filed complaint with Surat Thani police against Thai Rak Thai. But she felt pressured when detained at the house and worried about her safety so she changed her mind later, she said yesterday.

At Suthep's house, she met Pattana Chart Thai Party director Suksan Chaiyates and candidate Chawakarn Tosawat, as well as Thaikorn Polsuwan, who joined the conspiracy. They said they received over Bt10 million from Suthep, she claimed.

When she came back to Bangkok, she filed a complaint against the Democrats at the Crime Suppression Division, she said.

The information she gave to Surat Thani police was the opposite of what she later told Crime Suppression officers.

Thatima was also a guest on the TV talk show "Thueng Luk Thueng Khon" hosted by Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda, in which she accused Suthep and the Democrats of framing their rivals.

She told the truth that time, she said yesterday.

However, Suwaroj, who phoned Sorrayuth's programme to challenge the claims, said Thatima omitted to tell Tribunal members she met him before meeting Suthep.

He said she had asked to meet him on March 16 and told him information. He also asked her to summarise the information on pieces of paper. Suwaroj showed the messages yesterday allegedly hand-written by Thatima.

He said Thatima's testimony on the recording was according to her own information as she told him - not some Democrats' script.

Later, Thai Ground Party leader Boonitthipol Chinnarat testified to the Tribunal. He also said he was contacted by the Democrats to frame Thai Rak Thai.

The party candidates used their own money to run in the election and hadn't accept the Democrats' offer, he said.

The Tribunal agreed to include two additional witnesses - Suwaroj and Thai Ground Party contributor Panthamit Duangthip.

Thai Rak Thai representative Somsak Toraksa said he had no questions to ask Suwaroj and Suwaroj had attended every hearing. The Tribunal scheduled Panthamit to testify on Feb 27.

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation