Preechapol Pongpanich, leader of the TRC – Sek Samyan / Shutterstock.com
The curtain has fallen for Thai Raksa Chart, a political party loyal to the Thaksin family, yesterday the Constitutional Court ruled and it was harsh: the party must be dissolved. The fourteen board members are banned from political office for 10 years and may not become board members of another party.
The opposition Thai Raksa Chart party came as a surprise in early February by nominating Princess Ubolratana as prime minister-designate. According to the court, the party has thus turned against the constitutional monarchy and the constitution.
The stunt came to an end when her brother, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, called Ubolratana's political ambitions inappropriate and unconstitutional.
The dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart allows the Shinawatra family to throw away its plan for the upcoming election. As a sister party of Pheu Thai, Thai Raksa Chart had to provide extra seats. The current constitution was written by the military and limits the number of seats each party can win. Many see this as an undemocratic ploy by the junta to ensure that the Shinawatra camp does not gain too much power in parliament.
TRC party leader Preechapol said after the verdict that he and the other party leaders are very sad.
Princess Ubolratana responded from Berlin, where she is for a promotion campaign for Thailand, on Instagram. She found this outcome very sad and depressing.
Source: Bangkok Post
Not a surprise, but a special statement that is based on the following (constitutional) legal article, namely.. *noise*…
Are you there again? Furthermore, the court ruled that the TRC acted contrary to Thai traditions. The letter with the opinion of the man who has a hut at the foot of the Alps is generally seen as the basis of this verdict.
TRC had called a number of witnesses, but according to the court this was not necessary, there was already sufficient evidence. In short, a beautiful example of separation of powers and independent judiciary. There is a lot of complaining, sarcasm (memes) and stuff going around on social media.
But it was to be expected, this is in line with 2006 and 2008, when pro-Thaksin parties were also put to rest.
Personally, I don't like the Thaksin camp, that man is not a democrat and in my opinion, together with other high gentlemen (Abhisit, many generals, etc.) should be held accountable for the many hundreds of dead civilians before an investigation and court according to international standards. have fallen with their consent/orders. But none the less pro-Thaksin parties of mine could just participate. There are no evil plans to overthrow the polity so no need to fear. The supporters with red sympathy must now move elsewhere.
See:
- http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2019/03/07/thai-raksa-chart-disbanded-for-nominating-princess/
- http://www.khaosodenglish.com/culture/net/2019/03/07/thai-net-reacts-to-party-dissolution-with-pungent-memes/
- https://www.thaipbsworld.com/constitutional-court-orders-thai-raksa-chart-dissolved/
- https://prachatai.com/english/node/7961
Where TRC was the clear winner and Phue Thai (also pro Thaksin) does not participate, the TRC will try to get a 'no' vote to win. Thanks to 'first past the post', the choice with the most votes gets the seats for that district. If the 'no' vote wins, the results are invalid and a new vote must be taken in that district. Phue Thai can then participate in that 2nd round to win seats for the Thaksin camp.
See: https://m.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1640888/thai-raksa-chart-plans-vote-no-strategy
Officially, Mrs. Uboratana was no longer a princess, but unofficially she was, that's how she acted and that's how the population saw her. Whether she and the Thai Raksa Chart party acted (constitutionally) legally or unlawfully, I leave to the experts. I do regret that King Maha Vijiralongkorn intervened in the political and legal process. The king must also be above it. He could also have given his elder sister his clear opinion in private and then allowed the course of justice to take its course.
In addition, I think the dissolution of that party and exclusion of board members is too severe a punishment. A clear 'not allowed! and a rebuke would have sufficed.
Completely agree Tony. Incidentally, this judgment - in addition to all kinds of references to Thai culture and traditions and that one letter from Germany - is mainly based on (according to the court) violation of the law regarding political parties. Namely Article 92, paragraph 2 of the 2017 Organic Law on Political Parties. According to the Bangkok Post, this article allows the court to dissolve a political party if there is sufficient evidence that the party has committed an act hostile to the monarchy (“if there is enough evidence that it committed an act deemed hostile to the monarchy.”).
Let's leave it to the legal experts whether that makes sense.
I cannot find an English translation of this law. Thailaw does not go beyond the same law but from 2007.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1640916/set-unfazed-by-partys-dissolution.
Hi Rob, you agree remarkably often with Tino 😉
If Tino had been 50 years younger, a lady and a fiercely attractive woman would have proposed to Tina. 😉
But a little resistance is also good. Although it still seems darn difficult to justify the Thai state of affairs such as the lack of Trias Politica. Only the kind of people who consider this state of affairs as a cultural thing that the Thais naturally undergo so resignedly can do that...
I also agree with many that Ubon should not have put itself forward as a candidate. Separation of powers is called that and this is already vaguely enough in Thailand. The fact that TRC was hostile to the monarchy seems damned difficult to me if parties of this nature can clearly count on support at the top of the tree.
It's just fun to vote, but fair play??? As you could read in my piece of this week about the period 2001-2019, it is quite rattling. The right people will have to win…
It's never good to marry someone who has exactly the same ideas. Then the marriage gets into a rut very quickly, and the exercise is over.
What about your marriage, Chris? Yes, Rob and I have very similar ideas about the political and social reality of Thailand and what to do about it. More people's say, more decentralization, more equality and more rights and freedoms. Actually no different than what the Thais themselves wish, so stop with those Western glasses. We also differ greatly in our tastes in literature, music, art, food and going out. Satisfied?
My marriage is excellent, thank you. And I'm absolutely sure I'm not trading my wife for you or Rob. I'm not gay or bisexual either.
I also did not marry my wife because we have the same ideas about everything and anything.
What are you worrying about. Everyone knows that only Prayut's side can and may win. Democratic elections? Do not make me laugh.
Sorry, I'm too sorry for this beautiful country. But indeed it will have to win the patriotic general and other good people (khon die). Can I make you laugh with this cartoon? 🙂
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1087918774750150&id=622219024653463
well,
This Mr. Prayut, gives a "talk" every Friday on the TV (all channels) few weeks ago he said that "fake" news is bad for everyone, last Friday he said that Thailand is a democracy country.
And such a person should be the new prime minister?
The only thing they achieve with this is that the people will make their voices heard in a different way.
It could be a very hot summer.
Well played well by Prayut, this is all a stabbed card!!
In related posts, the Electoral Council. Also such a pearl of neutrality. Khaosod reports that the observation club (watchdog) People's Network for Elections (PNET) believes that the Electoral Council is not doing its job properly. The electoral council would not have sufficiently shown that it is not politically colored. For example, many petitions (complaints) about the elections and political parties have been submitted, but only 1 has been referred to the Constitutional Court: the complaint against TRC. The organization reproaches, among other things, that the Electoral Council does not take any action on the complaints against Prime Minister General Prayut about whether he is allowed to participate in the elections at all. The law states that office bearers are not allowed to participate. But Prime Minister Prayut does not think he is, he has been appointed from outside.
In addition, the Electoral Council is accused of traveling while there is a large backlog in open cases. However, 6 of the 7 members were abroad for 10 days, effectively temporarily closing the Electoral Council. The cost for this, 12 million baht, would be a waste of taxpayers' money, according to PNET.
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2019/03/07/poll-observers-give-f-grade-to-election-commission/
The Association of Thai Democrats Without Borders strongly condemned the court's ruling. And for the following reasons:
1. Usual legal procedures have not been followed. No investigation has been conducted and the defendants have not been able to defend themselves. The 7 days it took the court to reach this decision indicate political motivations.
2. The legal arguments are weak. The court points to Mrs Ubon's title, but she lost it in 1972 when she married an American. The reference to Article 92 of the electoral law is extremely weak. As a citizen Ubon is allowed to run for prime minister, this in no way shows that this act is a threat to (Thai) democracy with monarch as head of state. The 10-year ban on the party's management is disproportionate.
3. The dissolution of TRC is seen as a destruction of a people's association, a violation of the right of political organization, a violation of the rights of the party members and a violation of the people's right to support the candidates of this political party .
4. Despite these democratic setbacks, we call for a 24-3 vote. Even if it is a 'no' vote or a blank vote. A low turnout could be interpreted by the coup plotters as disinterest in democracy. We also call on the international community to pay attention to the undemocratic practices going on in Thailand and to lobby for fair and free elections.
The above is an abbreviated translation.
Source (Thai): https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1925768730865387&id=100002968350160
English translation: F. B. Andrew macGregor
In other political news: complaints against Pheu Thai and Future Forward. A lawyer from Loei has requested the Electoral Council to dissolve PT on the grounds of deception. At a meeting of the party, a person is said to have been mentioned as a potential member of parliament, even though they are not on the list of candidates. Therefore, the lawyer argues that this is deception and PT is purely calling this popular person to attract voters.
In the meantime, the NCPO (junta) has several complaints against members of Future Forward. For example, there are allegations against party leader Tanathorn (the website incorrectly stated that he was national dector for a certain period of time when he was still provincial director of his company, and that he also said things about the NCPO that are untrue and cause unrest ). Now the webmaster is also under fire for uploading a video. In that video, the party talks about dissolving TRC. The upload would be a violation of the Computer Crimes Act, the content would contain false information that undermines national order and security.
In an opinion piece by KhaoSod you can read that editor Prawit expects that after the elimination of TRC, Future Forward (Anakot Mai) will now be put to the test.
Source:
- https://m.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1641792/pt-future-forward-in-crosshairs
- http://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2019/03/09/opinion-future-forward-now-a-bigger-political-target/