Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn and political activist Veera Somkwamkid have asked the Election Commission (EC) to investigate the United Thai Nation (Ruam Thai Sang Chart) Party over alleged violations of the election law.
In a letter, submitted to the EC today (Thursday), Veera and Somchai, currently strategy chief of the Thai Liberal Party, allege that the United Thai Nation Party breached the law on January 9th, when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha formally applied for membership of the party at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
The alleged violations include the hiring of about 100 buses and passenger vans to transport people to the event, distribution to supporters of about 4,000 sets of party T-shirts, hats and flags worth over a million baht and the hiring of a band to entertain the attendees.
They also ask the EC to look into the speech, given at the event by party member Dr. Trairong Suwankiri, which, they claim, contained remarks referring to the Monarchy. They also want the EC to determine whether the event was an extra-ordinary meeting of the party or campaigning.
Somchai said that the election law prohibits an election candidate or a party to provide free transport to voters to cast their votes, he would like the EC to rule whether providing free transport to carry people to attend a political event is considered a violation of the election law, because it is of benefit to the party which cannot be measured in financial terms.
In the letter, the two petitioners ask the EC to rule on their complaint within a month. Failing that, they threaten to sue the EC for alleged malfeasance in office.
