Violations of the ban are punishable by imprisonment of up to six months or a fine up to Bt10,000.

The restriction is imposed to prevent electoral fraud such as vote buying or bribery. It is believed that canvassers usually try to bribe voters in different ways, including throwing parties the night before the poll, to attract votes.

Deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police Kritsana Pattanacharoen on Friday warned all sectors to be careful not to violate the electoral laws. Any wrongdoings can be report around the clock at the hotlines 191, 1599 or 1422 press 2.

Kritsana also said police has been prepared for the advance voting this Sunday as well as election day next week.

Police will take care of security at the polling stations as well as the  management of road traffic to facilitate voters exercising their rights, he said.

THE OFFICE of the Ombudsman drew on a previous charter court ruling to pronounce junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha fit to run for prime minister, overruling questions raised over his incumbency.

In response to a complaint lodged by social activist Srisuwan Janya, the Ombudsman explained yesterday that the general does not fit the description of a state servant as laid out in a previous Constitutional Court ruling.

The previous judgement described state servants as being either appointed or elected, working full-time with the authorities under the law, being under the supervision of the government and receiving money in return for their services.

Raksagecha Chaechai, the Ombudsman’s secretary-general, said yesterday that Prayut only met two of the four criteria – he worked full-time for the authorities under the law and was paid for his job.

He said Prayut could not be considered a state servant because he had been appointed by the King outside the law, and that his appointment was the product of a temporary power seizure.

Hence, the Election Commission (EC)’s endorsement of Prayut’s nomination as PM candidate was not unlawful and the case does not have to be submitted to the Constitutional court, the Ombudsman concluded.

Srisuwan had lodged a petition with the Ombudsman last week, because he said the process would be faster and also because he did not trust the EC. Others have filed similar complaints against Prayut with the EC, and the commission’s president, Ittiporn Boonpracong, has said a decision may be announced this week.

However, according to pro-bono lawyer Winyat Chartmontri, it is not the Ombudsman’s responsibility to judge this case and its conclusion will only cause further confusion.

He said this case must be ruled upon by the EC and submitted to the Constitutional Court, adding the Ombudsman only had the job of reviewing the constitutionality of legislation.

The lawyer also slammed the EC for slow progress in the case, and suggested that the commissioners should quit their office if they preferred the Ombudsman to do their job.

Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, a core leader of the Pheu Thai Party, also voiced dissatisfaction over the Ombudsman’s conclusion in favour of Prayut yesterday.

She asked that if Prayut were not a state servant, how was he able to exercise absolute power under Article 44.

“If they make decisions like this, then we don’t need any principles or even the elections,” Sudarat said. “They don’t care how judgements like this go against the public sentiment. They only care about staying in power.”

Sudarat said she was now placing her hopes on the EC to see if the agency would let the country go to wrack and ruin.

Meanwhile, the Future Forward Party was cleared of dissolution threats yesterday after the EC decided that the “false” information about its leader was not enough evidence to show the party was breaking the law.

Srisuwan had lodged a complaint asking for the party to be dissolved after its website displayed false information that Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit had been president of the Federation of Thai Industries for two terms.

The EC dismissed this case saying there was not enough evidence to prove the party was trying to dishonestly attract votes.

However, the activist filed a new complaint yesterday, accusing Future Forward of being influenced by outsiders after members of the now-defunct Thai Raksa Chart Party stepped in to help them campaign for votes. These Thai Raksa Chart Party members may also be in trouble again and the EC has set up a panel to look into the issue.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, a legal expert, said yesterday that he was not sure if providing support to Future Forward was lawful, though it was up to the EC to decide.

However, he confirmed that some Thai Raksa Chart members had broken the law by urging voters in some areas to choose the “no” option in their ballot papers.

“They cannot tell voters to not vote for this or that person,” he said. “It’s unlawful, but it’s a petty offence with a small punishment.”

THE OFFICE of the Ombudsman has drawn on a previous charter court ruling to clarify that junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha does not fit the description of “state servant”, overruling questions raised over his incumbency.

In response to a complaint lodged by social activist Srisuwan Janya, the Ombudsman explained yesterday that the general does not fit the description of a “state servant” as laid out in a previous Constitutional Court ruling.

The ruling described state servants as being either appointed or elected, working full-time with the authorities under the law, being under the supervision of the government and receiving money in return for their services.

Raksagecha Chaechai, the Ombudsman’s secretary-general, said yesterday that Prayut only met two of the four criteria – he worked full-time for the authorities under the law and was paid for his job.

He said Prayut could not be considered a state servant because he had been appointed by the King outside the law, and that his appointment was the product of a temporary power seizure.

Hence, the Election Commission (EC)’s endorsement of Prayut’s nomination as PM candidate was not unlawful and the case does not have to be submitted to the Constitutional court, the Ombudsman said.

Srisuwan had lodged a petition with the Ombudsman last week, because he said the process would be faster and also because he did not trust the EC. Others have filed similar complaints against Prayut with the EC, and the commission’s president, Ittiporn Boonpracong, has said a decision may be announced this week.

However, according to lawyer Winyat Chartmontri, it is not the Ombudsman’s responsibility to judge this case and its conclusion will only cause further confusion.

He said this case must be ruled upon by the EC and submitted to the Constitutional Court, adding the Ombudsman only had the job of reviewing the constitutionality of legislation.

The lawyer also slammed the EC for slow progress in the case, and suggested that the commissioners should quit if they preferred the Ombudsman to do their job.

Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, a core leader of the Pheu Thai Party, also voiced dissatisfaction over the Ombudsman’s conclusion in favour of Prayut yesterday.

She asked that if Prayut were not a state servant, how was he able to exercise absolute power under Article 44.

“If they make decisions like this, then we don’t need any principles or even the elections,” Sudarat said. “They don’t care that judgements like this go against the public sentiment. They only care about staying in power.”

Sudarat said she was now placing her hopes on the EC to see if the agency would let the country go to wrack and ruin.

Meanwhile, the Future Forward Party was cleared of dissolution threats yesterday after the EC decided that the “false” information about its leader was not enough evidence to show the party was breaking the law.

Srisuwan had lodged a complaint asking for the party to be dissolved after its website displayed false information that Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit had been president of the Federation of Thai Industries for two terms.

The EC dismissed this case saying there was not enough evidence to prove the party was trying to dishonestly attract votes.

However, the activist filed a new complaint yesterday, accusing Future Forward of being influenced by outsiders after members of the now-defunct Thai Raksa Chart Party stepped in to help them campaign for votes. These Thai Raksa Chart Party members may also be in trouble again and the EC has set up a panel to look into the issue.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, a legal expert, said yesterday that he was not sure if providing support to Future Forward was lawful, though it was up to the EC to decide.

However, he confirmed that some Thai Raksa Chart members had broken the law by urging voters in some areas to choose the “no” option in their ballot papers.

“They cannot tell voters to not vote for this or that person,” he said. “It’s unlawful, but it’s a petty offence with a small punishment.”

The prime minister and NCPO (National Council for Peace and Order) head tried to project a new image but respondents to a “super poll” have told him not to bother.

Some 74.6 per cent of respondents said he should go back to his suits.

A quarter of respondents thought if he was going for a new look, it needed a rethink.

Of 1,450 respondents of working age, 56 per cent said they supported the current government or had in the past.

On whether Prayut should be in politics at all, some 66 per cent said he should abandon politics but remain head of the NCPO.

Only 34 per cent thought politics was the right choice for him.

Source: Thaivisa.com

Voters have found many flaws in the EC’s election manual and its “smart vote” mobile application including wrong names and photos of candidates running for parliamentary seats.

The latest of the EC’s so-called errors became the talk of the town when a woman’s name appeared under a photo of a candidate in Kanchanaburi who was dressed in a dark suit and boasting a male haircut.

The name under the photo identified him as Siriporn Kertsin, clearly of a woman.

The EC then checked the registration form that was filled in by the candidate and found that the candidate chose the title “Miss” and crossed out both “Mr” and “Mrs”.

But the EC had the last laugh after reporters telephoned the candidate at the number mentioned on the application form and talked to Siriporn.

She insisted that she is a woman although her appearance in the photo is indeed masculine. She explained that she has always looked like a tomboy and favoured a short hairstyle.

The photo on the application form showed her the way she looks at present, she told reporters. A visit to her Facebook page would identify her as an ordinary woman with short hair.

The meeting of the AIPA Advisory Council on Dangerous Drugs is being held for a second time in Chiang Mai province.

Opened by Thailand’s president of the National Legislative Assembly, acting as AIPA chair this year, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said the forum was aimed at seeking a resolution on strengthening the Asean community towards drug free environment.

Updates were provided to the participants and proposals on alternative developments towards a drug-free Asean community were proposed, with the focus on the practices of communities with the support of concerned agencies.

Thailand demonstrated a successful case for alternative development in Doi Inthanon of Chiang Mai, where ethnic minorities, who once widely grew narcotic crops, turned to organic farming and became a success story.

“Local communities play a key role in narcotic drug prevention and suppression and they should be encouraged to find the strength to  developed [prevention] further as a fundamental for drug-free practice,”  said Pornpetch.

The meeting would also discuss about the AIPACODD’s future and the set-up of a “special desk” to follow up work progress.

The meeting ends tomorrow.

The private sector has warned political parties of budget constraints if they propose contesting populist policies in the coming election while many businesses want to see political stability as a priority.

The post-election government should focus its economic policies on promoting Thai-manufactured goods and industry 4.0 transformation, support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and boost Thai exports, they said.

Most political parties are espousing economic policies that involve high budget spending when the country has a limited revenue potential from the current tax system, chairman of the tax and regulation committee of the Board of Trade, Kitipong Urapeepatanapong, said.

“No political party is stating clearly how they will finance their populist policies. This means all their economic policies, especially those involving spending for ageing people, lower-income people and children cannot be implemented when they form the government,” Kitipong said.

For example, one political party has a policy to increase monthly payments to citizens aged above 60 to Bt3,000 per month.

Currently, the government spends between Bt60 billion and Bt70 billion for a monthly subsidy of Bt600 per person, per month, according to Finance Ministry reports.

When this monthly subsidy is hiked to Bt3,000 per head monthly, the government will need much more than the current Bt70 billion a year, but the political party does not say how it plans to increase revenue to fulfil its promise, he said.

“In my view, most of the economic policies that promise payments to people cannot be implemented, as parties are not revealing how they will meet the budget demands, which cannot be achieved without increasing tax revenue,” Kittipong said.

Some policies will involve amending taxation laws but they do not say what they will do, he said.

“That’s the reason why their economic policies cannot be implemented when they form the government,” he said.

Punyapon Tepprasit, chief executive officer of MVP Consultant and MBA lecturer in industrial management, Ramkhamhaeng University, said it is a matter of concern that most political parties are proposing populist policies to gain votes by targeting segments of society. Populist policies in many foreign countries have led to collapse of the economic system, Venezuela being a prime example. Political parties mostly likely to receive a majority of votes are Democrat, Pheu Thai and Phalang Pracharat, he said.

While the Democrats are focused on tackling poverty, its rival Pheu Thai is laying emphasis on strengthening SMEs, which cover a large section of domestic businesses in almost all sectors as a real driver of the economy for the long term, he said.

The pro-junta Phalang Prachart formulated its policies in line with the 20-year national strategy for continuity of the current economic regime, Punyapon said.

Investors in the stock market, however, hope for political and economic stability after the election to boost capital inflows into the Stock Exchange of Thailand. “For investors, it is not important which political party forms the new government, as long as it can offer stability and there is no political turmoil,” said Paiboon Nalinthrang-kurn, chairman of the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organisation (Fetco). Political protests after the election could damage the economy and hurt investor sentiment, he said.

Also, he added, foreign investors were particularly worried that the new government would be weak, which could lead to political unrest.

The new government should promote industrial goods that are made in Thailand with a “make in Thailand” policy in order to support the growth of the manufacturing sector, suggested Kriengkrai Thiennukul, vice chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). The new government should give priority to the distribution and consumption of Thai manufactured goods, he said.

“Furthermore, the new government should continue to support the development of industry 4.0 in the country,” he added. “This includes supporting industrial transformation through promoting the adoption of new innovative technology by manufacturers, or through increasing the workforce’s digital capabilities.”

Kriengkrai also urged the new government after the election to continue to develop S-Curve industries in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a flagship project launched by the junta-backed government.

Speaking on the sliding export figures since mid-2018, the FTI vice chairman urged the post-election government to push for new free-trade agreements in new markets, mentioning Africa and Russia as potential targets for Thai exports.

The new government should support the development of SMEs, especially their digital transformation, as well as the reskilling of the workforce, said Yunyong Thaicharoen, first executive vice president and head of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB)’s Economic Intelligence Centre.

He called for a holistic and detailed action plan by the new government to support SMEs and develop the skills of the Thai workforce.

With people seeking higher incomes, the most effective method to increase the workforce’s income would be to add value to both SMEs and the workforce through digitisation and reskilling, respectively, he said.

Furthermore, the new government should also continue the current public investment plans, especially in infrastructure, such as mega-transport projects, or in the EEC,” he added.

“Public investment will be a key driver of economic growth this year. We have predicted that public investment will grow by up to 7.2 per cent, and will be directed to the EEC and other mega-projects initiated by the government,” he said.

Yunyong said he did not think that the upcoming election would have any disruptive impact on the overall public investment figures.

EC President Ittiporn Boonpracong said yesterday that an investigation committee has been set up to look into the matter. He said Thai Raksa Chart members might be violating the law that prohibits attempts to influence voters. The law clearly says voters must make a decision independently and without any outside influence, he said.

Whether this may lead to parties supported by Thai Raksa Chart being dissolved remains uncertain, Ittiporn said, adding that the agency will look into the issue objectively.

He added that the investigation is being conducted independently without any complaints being lodged with the EC, adding that the action was clear enough for the agency to pursue it.

After the anti-junta party was dissolved last week, some of the banned party executives allocated their resources to support other parties who follow similar ideologies, such as Pheu Thai and Future Forward.

They are also urging voters in areas that do not have candidates from these parties to vote “no” instead.

Under the 2017 Constitution, the “no” vote matters. If the majority of the votes are “no” votes, then a new election will be called and candidates who had previously run for the constituency will be banned from the race.

In response to the EC president’s statement yesterday, Thai Raksa Chart’s party-list MP candidate Chaturon Chaisaeng took to Twitter to ask if the pro-junta Phalang Pracharat Party would also be dissolved if his party had allocated resources to support it.

Meanwhile, the investigation against junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha and his affiliated party appears to be making progress very slowly.

Ittiporn said yesterday that the EC had only just completed its initial investigation into whether Phalang Pracharat’s fundraising had been unlawful, adding that the results will be submitted to the commissioners in the next day or two.

The president said he had learned from EC secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma that donations to Phalang Pracharat had come from individuals who were not foreigners, as it is forbidden by law. The investigators are now looking to see if the donors are related to state agencies, he added.

Investigation into whether Prayut is a state servant and if he should be disqualified as a PM candidate is also being worked on, he said, adding that this matter will also be submitted to the commissioners this week.

As for the recent logistical problems experienced in overseas voting, Ittiporn said the issue will be sorted out and there may not be the need for a by-election.

WILL THE junta stay or go? This question seems to be uppermost in voters’ minds, pushing to the rear bread-and-butter issues popular in previous election campaigns like price guarantees for agricultural products, free schooling, healthcare etc.

In less than two weeks, Thailand will be voting for the first time since the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) seized power in 2014, in an election many see as an ideological battle between the democratic and authoritarian camps.

Hence, as politicians campaign for votes, make speeches and participate in debates, their stance on the junta has become important. The two camps began taking shape after the 2006 coup, but this phenomenon was not seen in the post-coup election in 2007. So, why now?

The power of democracy is the answer, political scientist Suraphot Thaweesak said. Though the red-shirt movement was huge 12 years ago, he explained its pro-democracy position was nothing like it is today.

“Most of the time, they were called ‘champions of [former PM Thaksin] Shinawatra’s interests’ – wanting an election as a means to support Thaksin. Nothing about them was seen as contributing to democracy,” he said. “Also, the Shinawatra camp was cautious when it came to democracy. They didn’t want to take risks, so they made compromises with the right wing.”

However, through political turbulence and debates, the pro-democracy camp has grown and developed, he explained. The pro-democracy camp, which had been tied to the Shinawatra bloc, appears to have found its independence, he said.

In this election though, the war between the liberals and conservatives has been accentuated, mainly thanks to the emergence of Future Forward Party (FWP), he said.

“I give FWP credit for giving momentum and emphasising the ideology of democracy beyond just paying it lip service,” he said. “This has given birth to a so-called pro-democracy bloc, which has given rise to a battle between democracy and authoritarianism.”

As for the Thaksin-linked Pheu Thai Party, Suraphot said he has also seen a change in them that backs his idea of this ballot being a battle between the two ideologies. He said that after all these years, Pheu Thai has finally realised that it cannot make compromises with the right wing, and hence has decided to focus more on its beliefs and economic policies.

Apart from the deep-rooted conflicts plaguing the Kingdom for over a decade, other political observers are seeing other angles that make this election unique.

Pro-democracy activist Nuttaa Mahuttana’s said the NCPO regime and its political ambitions make this election very different.

“Previous coupmakers did not show any signs of wanting to cling to power, unlike this junta,” the activist said. “This time, the pro-junta Phalang Pracharat Party – which shares the same name as the government’s cash-handout programme – is so obviously working for the junta. In fact, it was founded by the junta’s Cabinet members.”

Nuttaa said she believes the party’s every move is planned for General Prayut Chan-o-cha to retake power. For instance, she said, the party has headhunted an unprecedented number of former MPs.

“And now Prayut is their PM candidate,” she said. “It will become even easier for him to take over thanks to the 250 senators he has appointed. So, this plan to have Prayut stay on has given rise to this ideological battle.”

The battle can also be blamed on the NCPO’s legacy, such as the 2017 Constitution and its 20-year national strategy, Nuttaa added.

These strategies will dictate the direction of the country for the next two decades, yet there has been very little public participation in their creation.

“So, this election is significant. If Prayut does return, he will have all this apparatus,” the activist said, implying the junta chief may be unstoppable if he does win the election. “It is important that we support the pro-democracy camp, so that after the election all these NCPO-created strategies can be removed.”

FWP deputy leader Chamnan Chanruang, however, believes politicians are still focusing on bread and butter issues.

In fact, he said, the anti-junta sentiment largely stemmed from the NCPO’s poor performance. So, when people vote against Prayut, it will only show that they want the military to be out of politics and want professional politicians to do the job and put money in their pockets, he said.

But where will this battle take the country?

All three observers responded differently.

Chamnan believes the junta will be easily defeated, as it will not win any support from the House of Representatives.

“Prayut will never survive the censure motions,” he said. “The 250 senators won’t be able to carry him, and he will just have to give in when the sentiment against him is strong enough.”

However, he admitted this triumph will not necessarily guarantee an end to coups. The only way coups can be stopped is if there is a common consensus, he added.

The two other observers, however, see only a dim hope for democracy.

Nuttaa said that with the dissolution of the Thai Raksa Chart Party, the anti-junta bloc has only a slim chance of winning.

Similarly, Suphot said new regulations have put the pro-democracy camps at a disadvantage, but maybe defeat is a necessary process for the development of democracy.

“Each time they are defeated, injustice is exposed,” Suphot said. “In the process, the conservative camp is destroying its credibility and legitimacy. So, though it will be a long, tough fight, it will have to continue until democracy triumphs or until the elite yield to liberal democracy.”

Of the 40 legal entities and 84 individuals who had donated to the party, none of them was a foreign entity, said EC secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma. While the law prohibits a number of persons from donating money to a party, only taking money from foreigners can lead to party dissolution, he said.

Ruangkrai Leekitwattana of the now-disbanded Thai Raksa Chart, who had filed the complaint against Phalang Pracharat, said he would continue to scrutinise the pro-junta party as he found many irregularities in its accounting. The party’s fund-raising became controversial after state agencies were suspected to have donated money.

Ruangkrai yesterday also submitted a letter to the EC asking the polling agency to speed up its investigation into whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was qualified to be Phalang Pracharat’s PM candidate. The law prohibits a state official from being proposed as a PM candidate.

Critics have accused Prayut of using all means, including breaking the laws, to cling to power. The general, who staged a coup in 2014 to seize power, yesterday appeared unfazed by the accusation. In his weekly press briefing yesterday, he casually told reporters that it was a common practice for every government.

“That’s what politicians do all the time,” he said in response to criticism of him refusing to give up power. “All political parties and politicians want to form the government or become the prime minister. That’s clinging on to power, too.”

With elections finally taking clear shape, Prayut said the power was with the people to decide.

All the candidates nominated are already well known to the voters, he said. “They can choose whoever they like. They’ve seen everything. They know everyone of these.”

However, the general also expressed his determination to continue in government, citing all his work over the past five years.

He thanked his supporters and the polls that suggested he was being perceived well as PM. He said he was waiting to see if the survey results matched the reality after the election.