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Published on November 20, 2007

 Some of the 111 banned Thai Rak Thai Party executives who now advise the People Power Party (PPP) yesterday vowed to petition local and international human rights groups after being stopped from joining the election campaign.

They insisted yesterday they would carry on with separate rallies not be run by PPP.

Chaturon Chaisang, one of the 111 and a PPP adviser, said some of the banned executives would ask the National Human Rights Commission to look into the Election Commission's prohibition, which they claim oppressed their freedom and individual rights.

The EC last Friday used the Election Commission Act to rule against the 111 making speeches and engaging in other campaign activities.

Two other banned TRT executives, Adisorn Piengket and Sutham Sangprathum, today will file a petition with the National Human Rights Commission. Chaturon believed the EC had violated the Consti-tution Tribunal's ruling that only banned those executives from assuming political posts for five years.

As the EC had not issued a written regulation to back its prohibition, the executives would not enable to ask the court to rule on the controversy, he said.

Chaturon said he would defy the ban and continue his role in the election campaign. He and his faction would stage rallies at Chatuchak Park on Friday and in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima on November 27.

Sutham said he would send a petition to the London-based Amnesty International in a bid to pressure the EC to overturn its decision.

Boontan Tansuthep-veeravong, director of Amnesty International (AI) Thailand, said he would have to look at details of the petition first before deciding what to do. He said AI tried to avoid getting involved in sensitive issues related to politics.

EC member Somchai Juengprasert warned Chaturon's plan to launch separate rallies could violate the EC's ruling if they were found to benefit PPP.

He said the banned former executives may not be doubly penalised, but the candidates and political parties might have to suffer the result.

If the parties or candidates do not stop the former executives from helping them in the campaigns, others might file complaints that the parties are in favour of breaking the law, he said.

Candidates might have their voting rights revoked and the parties might have to face to dissolution if they allowed conduct that led to an unfair election, he said.

In the meantime, Puea Pandin adviser Preecha Laoha-pongchana said his party would ask the EC to clarify its ruling.

"Political participation is a basic right of every Thai citizen, hence any legal interpretation to curb this right should not be applied," he said.

Preecha said he and his three colleagues, Surakiart Sathirathai, Pinij Charusombat and Suranand Vejjajiva were among the 111 banned Thai Rak Thai Party executives who were not involved in the campaign beyond advising their new party.

"The party can choose either to heed our advice or ignore it," he said, voicing disagreement to an EC opinion that banned executives could not be appointed as strategic advisers with duties overlapping those of existing party executives.

Surakiart and Suranand resigned their positions late yesterday in order to comply with the new guidelines, but Preecha said the EC should hand down a second opinion before deciding his next move.

Preecha said he wanted the clarification from the EC, instead of opting for a judicial review by the Constitution Tribunal - which would be lengthy.

Chart Thai Party's advisers Paveena Hongsakul and Sontha-ya Khunplome, who are among the 111 executives, also quit yesterday following the EC's ruling.

Meanwhile, anti-coup activists Jaran Ditha-apichai and Somyos Prueksakasemsuk protested in front of the EC headquarters, asking the commission to overturn its ban on the 111 executives. They alleged it violated the constitution and basic rights of Thai citizens.

The Nation