Thailand Politics

Will Article 44 Be Used to Further Postpone Thailand’s Elections

BANGKOK – Political scientists warned yesterday that the elections may be postponed beyond March 24, and there is a high chance that it will be held after the coronation of the King if the Royal Decree is not published this week.

Describing Article 44, which grants the junta leader absolute power to overrule even the Constitution, as a “wonder of law”, political scientists at the “Election 2019?” forum said it could very well be used to postpone the elections.

The forum was held at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan Campus.

Prajak Kongkirati, a political scientist from the university, said it will not bode well if the Royal Decree is not issued this week as promised by government officials.

Though the current most likely election date is March 24, Prajak said if it was to be postponed, then it will likely be held after May 9 – the final date forced by the Constitution.

“Though it will be unconstitutional, holding it after May 9 may still be possible with the ‘wonder of law’,” the expert said. “However, that would mean we enter a political black hole where the Constitution is meaningless and no rules are the norm other than Article 44.” In fact, Prajak said, a pessimistic few believe an election may not even be a possibility this year.

This is taking into account a recent movement calling for peace before the elections. A group, calling itself “Unity before Election”, took to the streets on Saturday demanding that pro-election protesters stop making demands.

The group said this was not the time to demand an election, especially since the country is getting ready to celebrate the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in May. This, the scientists said, may suggest that the election could be further postponed.

On Saturday, ultra-rightist Army officer Maj-General Tanasak Mitrapanont, posted a video on YouTube, saying the election should be postponed to focus on the coronation. In the clip, Tanasak calls on Thai netizens to launch a campaign both online and offline for the elections to be delayed for the sake of this special occasion for royalists.

Prajak also indicated that there have been moves to push a new discourse that the elections should not be held until there is peace in society.

However, the political expert pointed out that failing to hold an election would only put Thailand in a state of “uncertainty” and “unpredictability”.

State of Uncertainty

“We keep making promises to the international community, but then we keep putting the elections off. This makes us look erratic,” he said. “With this unpredictability, governments and investors have no idea what to expect from us. This is not good for the country or anyone.”

This also generates tension within the country, the expert said.

“An election is a political process where people reconcile [their differences]. It brings conflict into the system,” Prajak said. “Not having reliable rules is dangerous. It means that we have to resort to violence and resolve the issues in the street.”

The idea of achieving peace before election is a myth, Prajak stressed, adding that differences and conflicts are common and we need an election to sort them out and ease the tension.

Other political scientists, Siriphan Noksuan Sawasdee and Stithorn Thananithichot, agreed that the junta may resort to using Article 44 to reschedule the election given the current uncertainty. Siriphan, too, said this would create a black hole in politics, but the best way to go about it would be to at least set a time frame, such as 60 days after the coronation.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha told the press yesterday: “[The Royal Decree] will be out soon. Calm down. It’ll be out very soon.” However, he refused to say exactly when it will be published despite the public’s intense curiosity and concern.

By Kas Chanwanpen, Nattapat Phromkaew
The Nation

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.

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.