Witnesses deny earlier evidence
Witnesses at the electoral fraud case involving the Thai Rak Thai Party told the Constitution Tribunal yesterday Election Commission (EC) investigators forced them to frame the ruling party.
Yesterday was the sixth hearing for the case. Witnesses in a few earlier hearings also testified in favour of Thai Rak Thai. Boonchoo or Chuwit Soonsuwan, an MP candidate for the Thai Ground Party, said he didn't personally know Gen Trairong Intaratat and Lt Gen Phadungsak Klansanoh but EC panel members including Police Captain Manoon Wichiennit told him to say they did and promised they would protect him. General Trairong is a senior military officer close to some TRT leaders while Lt Gen Phadungsak was a close aide to former defence minister Gen Thamarak Isarangura, a Thai Rak Thai deputy leader. But Boonchoo said he accepted Bt60,000 from Thatima Pawalee, the party's coordinator, as a subsidy for the election campaign. If a candidate had to pay a registration fee themselves, the party agreed to provide them Bt150,000 each. His receipt was evidence for the case. Boonchoo said that after he saw a media report about his testimony to the EC panel, he wanted to reverse his words and tell the truth. He then filed a document to the EC, asking to "correct" his testimony, he said. Fandy Pasu, an MP candidate for the Thai Ground Party, also said he did not know Trairong and Phadungsak. But the EC investigation panel told him he should admit to that so if he wanted to escape the allegations Fandy and Boonchoo were disqualified from being candidates in the last election because they had not been members of the political party for 90 days, which is a legal requirement for all MP candidates. Both men previously told the EC panel that Trairong and Phadungsak contacted leaders of small parties to hire them to run in the April 2 election. Fandy said: "The investigators said, 'Other (witnesses) have said so, why don't you say so'." He claimed he was tired at that time so he did what he was told to. Pattana Chart Thai candidate Direk Noosai told the Tribunal members he heard from his party leader Boontaweesak Amornsin that Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban offered him Bt15 million to frame Thai Rak Thai, but that was all he heard. Direk was disqualified as he was listed as a Thai Rak Thai member.
Kornchanok Raksaseri The Nation
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