Yongyuth may face red card

EC source says poll fraud evidence strong

By Post Reporters

The Election Commission (EC) has solid evidence that may lead to People Power party (PPP) executive Yongyuth Tiyapirat being disqualified from the election for alleged vote-buying in the Dec 23 polls, a highly-placed source close to the poll fraud inquiry said.

Yongyuth: Accused of vote-buying

The EC summoned Mr Yongyuth for questioning yesterday afternoon. The veteran politician sent his lawyer but did not appear in person.

Mr Yongyuth, who ran in the proportional representation vote in the North, is among the latest batch of 12 PPP candidates accused of poll fraud.

In the case against Mr Yongyuth, the poll agency is working on an investigation by police and EC officials which centres around payment of air fares and distribution of cash to a group of Chiang Rai-based tambon chiefs at a hotel in Bangkok in October, said the source.

According to the source, the local leaders, assisted by a Chiang Rai-based mayor, met up with Mr Yongyuth at the SC Park hotel on Oct 28 for 30 minutes. They were reportedly urged to help campaign for votes for the PPP.

Each was reportedly handed an envelope containing 20,000 baht at the end of the meeting and one of the local leaders who coordinated the meeting reportedly received 38,300 baht for reimbursement of air fares for the group.

According to the source, poll fraud investigators also submitted a CD recording of the trip, a list of the local leaders, receipts for plane tickets and other related documents.

The source said the evidence was strong enough for the EC to red-card the PPP executive and hand yellow cards to other PPP candidates in Chiang Rai.

EC member Sodsri Satthayatham yesterday lauded police investigators for delving into election fraud allegations against the PPP executive.

''We have cooperated with police and the case against Mr Yongyuth is the result of police work. They have conducted a thorough investigation,'' she said.

The commissioner, however, took EC investigators to task for their alleged complacency.

''The [EC] investigation team threw out most of the complaints. It is too easy to drop a case after questioning just one or two witnesses,'' she said.

Mrs Sodsri went on to say the EC expects to endorse the first batch of election winners on Jan 3 and will issue some yellow and red cards on the same day.

''You will see yellow and red cards on January 3. But there won't be lots,'' she said.

She said the issuance of yellow and red cards might affect the setting up of a coalition government.

The EC has so far issued three yellow cards for three PPP winners who contested in Nakhon Ratchasima.

EC member Prapan Naikowit said yesterday the commission had agreed to look into the distribution of VCDs of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's speeches by PPP candidates.

''If the VCD is an introduction of party candidates, it is considered election campaign material. If it is just about Mr Thaksin, it is considered a gift,'' he said.

In a related development, Democrat candidate for Buri Ram Chaiwat Sinsuwong has filed a petition with the Supreme Court asking it to nullify the Dec 23 polls. In the complaint lodged on Friday, Mr Chaiwat accused the PPP of being a nominee of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party which made it ineligible to field candidates in both the constituency and party-list systems.

In the complaint he also asked the Supreme Court to order the EC not to endorse the election results.

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