Thailand Politics
Thailand’s Election Commission Recommends Dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart Party
BANGKOK – Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) has sent a recommendation to the Constitutional Court to dissolve the Thai Raksa Chart Party (TRC) for nominating Princess Ubolratana to be its prime ministerial candidate.
EC secretary-general Charungwit Phumma said the poll organising agency had found Thai Raksa Chart in breach of Section 92 of the 2018 Political Parties Act.
“The act is deemed hostile to the constitutional monarchy,” he said.
Section 92 states that after obtaining credible evidence that a party has committed an act deemed hostile to the constitutional monarchy, the EC must propose the dissolution of the party to the Constitutional Court.
EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong, who acts as the registrar, forwarded the case to the court as soon as the decision was made.
The court said it will decide tomorrow whether to accept the case.
‘It’s likely that the court will dissolve the party after this recommendation,’ said Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University’s College of Asean Community Studies in northern Thailand.
‘We’ll be asking the court to exercise our rights under the constitution,’ Preechaphol Pongpanit, TRC party leader, told reporters.
‘We still don’t have the details of the allegations or what’s being submitted to the court. What we did started with good intentions, not bad intentions. I still stand by our position that we’re innocent.’
The EC move followed TRC’s registration of the princess to be its candidate for prime minister on Friday morning. His Majesty the King issued a royal command on Friday night stating members of the royal family should not be drawn into politics (see unofficial translation).
The princess was disqualified from running for PM on Monday.
The party on Wednesday tried in vain to ask the EC to give it a chance to defend its actions before the poll organizing office made a decision.
Thai Raksa Chart is linked to exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Dissolving it could anger his supporters and boost junta leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s push to stay as prime minister after the general election due on March 24. The furore shows that political divisions are erupting again in Thailand ahead of a poll to end almost five years of military rule.
Foreign investors have sold a net 3 billion baht of Thai stocks since the political storm first broke last week, while the baht has weakened about 0.1% against the dollar.
Thaksin or his allies have won every election since 2001, only to be unseated by the courts or the military. Thai Raksa Chart and Pheu Thai are among the parties linked to the former premier. Regulators have suspended a television channel linked to him for 15 days.
The dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart would leave the election strategy of Pheu Thai and other Thaksin-aligned parties in tatters.
Thai Raksa Chart was planning to field 108 party-list candidates and run in 175 constituencies. Pheu Thai has apparently chosen not to field candidates in many of these constituencies to boost the chances of its perceived spinoff parties, including TRC — a strategic move that may now be seen as disastrous to its overall objective of preventing the continuation of military-backed rule.
Princess Ubolratana on Tuesday night posted an Instagram message saying she was “sorry” for the problems that have arisen from her “sincere intention” to help the country.
By Mongkol Bangprapa
The Bangkok Post

Thailand Politics
Thai Prime Minister’s Popularity Declines as Move Forward Party dominates

(CTN News) – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continues to make local and international visits to try to solve problems and promote Thailand, but he has failed to impress most voters, according to a Nida poll. The poll also revealed the declining popularity of Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the rise of the Move Forward Party.
According to a poll released on Sunday, only 12.85% of people supported the prime minister, down from 17.75% in the previous survey. The daughter of convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin, currently on parole, saw her popularity drop from 6% to 4.85%.
The National Institute of Development Administration conducts a quarterly survey of the public’s preferred political leaders. The last survey was released at the end of March.
According to the survey, supporters of the prime minister described Mr Srettha as a resolute decision-maker determined to address their problems. Ms Paetongtarn was complimented for her vision, leadership, knowledge, and grasp of the country’s difficulties.
This weekend, the prime minister will be in the northeast region listening to citizens’ concerns. The journey occurred only a few days after he had visited northern provinces earlier in the week.
Despite criticism, he has reduced his abroad trips, citing the need to showcase Thailand to investors and traders.
Pita Limjaroenrat, the chief advisor of the Move Forward Party, remained the top candidate for prime minister with 45.50% of the vote, up slightly from 42.75% in the previous quarter’s poll.
Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was the huge winner. The leader of the United Thai National Party saw his popularity nearly quadruple from 3.55% to 6.85%.
The sampled voters stated they appreciated Mr Pita’s political beliefs and thought he had broad knowledge. They praised Mr Pirapan’s credibility, claiming he was clean and honest.
Two other probable prime minister candidates were Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party and Anutin Chanvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai. However, they were less popular than others.
About 20% of voters still did not believe any candidate was qualified to lead the country, which is the same percentage as in the last survey.
Move Forward Party was the most popular party with 49.20%, up slightly from three months ago, while Pheu Thai fell around five percentage points to 16.85% from 22.10%.
The poll, issued on Sunday, surveyed 2,000 ineligible voters between June 14 and June 18.
More in: Move Forward Party
Thailand Politics
Move Forward Party MP Jirat Thongsuwan Appeals Suspended Jail Sentence for Defamation

(CTN News) – Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward Party MP, says he would appeal his one-year suspended jail sentence for defaming a former senior defense ministry official concerning the state’s procurement of bogus bomb detectors.
The Criminal Court also fined Mr Jirat 100,000 baht for falsely accusing ACM Tharet Punsri, a former Air Force chief-of-staff who later became the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, of being the chairman and shareholder of a company that supplied the military with the infamous GT200 bomb detectors.
The Chachoengsao MP claimed a July 20, 2022, no-confidence vote against cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. ACM Tharet was not a cabinet member.
Jirat Thongsuwan also identified ACM Tharet as a key figure in the 2006 coup headed by then-army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, which overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra.
ACM Tharet told the court that Jirat Thongsuwan’s charges were false and harmed his reputation. He denied involvement with the bomb detection company and said he was not the company’s senior chairman or shareholder.
In addition to the suspended jail term and fine, the court ordered Jirat Thongsuwan to pay $ 500,000 baht in damages to ACM Tharet and publish an apology in three newspapers for five days.
Jirat Thongsuwan later announced on his X account that he had challenged the verdict with the hashtag “An injustice is infuriating”.
The MP has also been accused of dodging required military conscription. He admitted to the accusation on May 8.
A British business promoted the GT200 as a “remote substance detector” and sold it in several countries. Between 2004 and 2009, fourteen Thai government organizations, most of which were military, were projected to spend 1.4 billion baht on the units.
Concerns about the GT200 and related gadgets arose after the National Science and Technology Development Agency discovered they lacked electronic components.
The devices were later revealed to be “divining rods”.
Thailand Politics
Thaksin Shinawatra Files 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit Against Warong Dechgitvigrom

(CTN News) – Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, has launched a defamation action against Warong Dechgitvigrom, the head of the Thai Pakdee Party, accusing him of paying a bribe to be released on bail in a lese majeste case.
Thaksin’s attorney, Winyat Chartmontree, filed a lawsuit against Warong, seeking 100 million baht in damages.
Warong, a long-time Thaksin Shinawatra critic, gave a public statement and posted on social media, saying that 2 billion baht was paid to judicial officials in exchange for release on bail in the lese majeste case.
Thaksin Shinawatra Granted Release on 500,000 Baht Bond
Thaksin was granted release on a 500,000 baht bond last week and told not to leave the country without court authorization after pleading innocent to charges of defaming King Rama IX in a 2015 interview with South Korean media.
Winyat stated that, while Warong did not identify Thaksin Shinawatra by name in his speech or post, he did include a hashtag with Thaksin’s name as well as the date Thaksin must appear in court, allowing readers to connect Thaksin to the allegations.
Winyat further stated that he was investigating the fact that Warong mentioned the specific aircraft and automobiles utilized by Thaksin Shinawatra to violate the Personal Data Protection Act.
“I have requested Mr Warong to provide proof as to where he received the data. “If it turns out that it came from state officials, there will be legal consequences,” he warned.
The Criminal Court has scheduled the case’s preliminary hearing for September 30.
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