Democrat to complain about TRT ‘registration’

Published on February 10, 2005

Democrat election candidate Buddhipongse Punnakanta said yesterday he would lodge a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) over an incident at Bangkok military flats that he suspects was a violation of electoral law.

Buddhipongse will lodge the complaint to protest against the poll result in his Bangkok constituency.

The incumbent MP, who lost to a Thai Rak Thai candidate in Constituency 4, said that before voting started on Sunday, residents of flats occupied by Phramongkutklao Hospital staff gathered on the ground floor of each building.

He said it appeared the residents were undergoing some form of registration before they went to cast their ballots.

Buddhipongse said he viewed the activity as inappropriate, because campaign posters for the TRT candidate were hung nearby.

The Democrat said he would also produce photos and video footage of what happened when he brings the matter to the EC’s attention.

Lt-General Sahachart Pipitthkul, Phramongkutklao Hospital director, said yesterday that residents of the flats were merely checked to see if they had been registered to vote against an official list prepared by the EC.

He insisted there was no voter registration going on.

“We didn’t try to influence any voter. We just wanted to see if their names were on the list, and if they had cast their votes,” Sahachart said.

He said that in previous elections it was found that the flats’ eligible-voter list had not been updated.

The general said a similar practice was done during the Bangkok governor election last August, but that there were no complaints.

Yossawadee Hongthong, Sucheera Pinijparakarn

The Nation

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