Survivors scurry for cover under new banners

Of the 109 executives of the three parites banned from politics for five years, only 33 are members of the parliament.

Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silpa-archa is sending his 15 remaining MPs, who escaped the Constitution Court verdict disbanding the 34-year-old party, to Chart Thai Pattana Party.

As neither Banharn's younger brother Chumpol Silpa-archa, nor caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, who was also Chart Thai's chief adviser, were deprived of their political rights, they could become leaders of the new party. The Chart Thai Pattana Party will be based at the former headquarters of the Chart Thai Party because the rental lease is still valid.

A source from the now-defunct Chart Thai Party said Banharn was so confident that he had enough evidence to fight against the fraud charges that he had not prepared for possible party dissolution. When the Constitution Court ordered the party on Friday to be ready to present its closing statements yesterday, Banharn quickly adjusted his strategy by urging the three party-list MPs to quit. However, as they could not resign in time for the verdict, they ended up being disqualified, thus leaving the party with just 15 constituency MPs.

Former People Power Party spokesman Kudeb Saikrachang said the disqualified PPP MPs, along with the 111 former Thai Rak Thai Party executives, would be joining the demonstrations of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship.

He said his fellow party members believed that the Constitution Court had already decided upon the verdict and that was why the party was not allowed to present any more witnesses.

"The party was disbanded unfairly, but we are ready to move on. The remaining MPs will go under the Puea Thai Party banner and fight to protect democracy,'' he said.

Almost all PPP members have applied to become members of Puea Thai Party.

Former Matchima Thipataya Party leader Anongwon Thepsuthin said that though she had not expected the court's ruling, she respected it.

"I just put it down to our karma,'' she said, adding that her party's members would go under the banner of Phoom Chai Thai Party.

When asked if anyone in her family would represent the Thepsuthin family in politics, Anongwan said none of her children were old enough. Her daughter is 24 and her son is 23.

"They would rather see me working happily instead," she said.