Barkar Nash (Page 980)

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said it requires every political party to send their policy corruption risk assessment criteria reports to the Election Commission (EC) as soon as possible as the EC will submit the results to the NACC after this Sunday’s election.

The NACC said it wanted to clarify its urgent letter issued on May 3 to every political party, adding the requirement was one of the legal inspection processes to prevent election fraud, Phuthep Taweechotthanakun, the NACC’s deputy spokesman, said yesterday.

The agency approved the requirement on Feb 1 before passing it to the EC, citing Section 32 of the Organic Law on Corruption Prevention. Mr Phuthep said the section gives full authority to the NACC to propose any measures to the cabinet and related sectors in a bid to prevent corruption, including setting up the mechanisms that help them prevent such acts from occurring.

The EC will apply the requirement using its authority under Section 57 of the Organic Law on Political Parties, said Mr Phuthep.

The EC is required to gather the corruption risk assessment reports and draw conclusions from the results after the election, he said.

To provide the quantitative information to the NACC, the EC was required to send the following to it: the list of registered political parties, the list of elected political parties, the list of those making the assessment reports and those that did not, and the list of coalitions and those that conducted the assessment reports as part of a policy development process.

The EC was also required to send qualitative information to the NACC, which included comments from both the commission and the elected parties on the assessment.

According to Mr Phuthep, the report was developed from a corruption risk assessment report conducted on public projects, which the cabinet approved in June 2019. The report is used as a mechanism to help establish the transparency of the parties’ campaign policies.

It is expected to help prevent policy corruption, which has been rife in recent years, from damaging the economy and society.

It also serves as a platform for the parties to display their visions in relation to their campaign policies, which helps voters make informed decisions, said Mr Phuthep.

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A group of academics has launched a public campaign that is urging senators to support the political party that wins the majority of House seats in Sunday’s poll to lead in forming a new government.

The public can participate in the campaign from midday on Monday until midday Wednesday by scanning the campaign’s QR code and voting whether or not they agree with the campaign, said Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a law lecturer at Thammasat University.

The results of the campaign vote will be made public at 1.30pm on Wednesday, he said.

The campaign is designed to be a virtual public forum to convey to the rest of the nation a strong message that there should never be any organisation which doesn’t come from the public that tries to distort the public consensus to help some parties gain power to govern the country, said Phichai Ratnatilaka Na Bhuket of the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida).

Mr Phichai said that he also wondered whether the Election Commission, which was selected by the Senate that the 2014 coup makers installed, was being interfered with.

“I expect to see the Election Commission change the way it thinks and works so as to prove itself against the criticism that it is under the influence of those who appointed it,” said Mr Phichai.

Thanaporn Sriyakul of Kasetsart University said he is optimistic that the Senate will be fair and just during the selection of a new prime minister.

The campaign is aimed primarily at communicating the public’s views to the Senate, said Olarn Thinbangtieo of Burapha University, adding that the public expects all senators to respect such views.

He called on the Senate to soon make a clear stance on whether it intends to respect and support the decision made by the majority of voters.

The EC and the Senate should be aware that they should have an important role in ending political conflicts, not creating them, said Wanwichit Boonprong of Rangsit University.

“You [senators] are the people who will bring about peace in Thai politics, not war,” he said.

Mr Prinya also called on the new House speaker to consider changing the order of MPs and senators voting in selecting the new prime minister so that MPs vote first.

This way, the senators will have a clearer picture of what the majority of MPs want in the prime minister selection, he said, adding the senators should then respect the MPs’ will.

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The Election Commission expects unofficial election results to be known by 11pm on Sunday, saying results of ballot counts from polling stations nationwide will be compiled, verified and then published via its internet-based system called ECT Report from 7pm onwards.

The unofficial results will be published on <>, which is capable of handling up to a million users per minute, said Suranee Pontawee, deputy secretary-general of the EC.

The EC will report results of the election in three main categories, namely the overall figures of nationwide ballot counts, election results by province and results by political party, she said.

The first update is expected by 7pm on polling day, after polling station committees finish recording results of their ballot counts and begin submitting a report of the ballot counts to the EC through ECT Report, she said.

The Government Big Data Institute is responsible for publishing the results on the web, he said.

And to minimise the chances of human error, each ballot count team will have two staff members, and each team will be assigned to handle results from no more than 20 polling stations, she said.

The EC will verify election results in each polling station first by comparing them against turnout figures and all types of votes counted in that particular station before publishing them on the website, she said.

EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee, meanwhile, said everyone is allowed to take a picture or film a vote count as long as they don’t disturb the process.

Snapping a picture of a marked ballot, however, is against the election law, he said.

Observers are allowed to immediately correct ballot-counting staff when they notice a mistake, he said.

They are also allowed to file a written complaint regarding any possible mistakes in ballot counting right at the polling station, while station staff members are required to record such an objection, along with the polling station committee’s response to the objection, he said.

Separately, the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) group was recruiting volunteers to work as election observers for Sunday’s vote and ballot counting at polling stations across the country.

Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Police insisted all police officers who will be deployed at polling stations nationwide have been trained in the election laws and are required to maintain political neutrality to ensure law and order during voting.

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Police have confirmed that they will take legal action against a group of demonstrators involved in a violent protest at Samran Rat police station on Wednesday night.

Nine demonstrators have been arrested for allegedly leading around 20 people in spray painting the station in Phra Nakhon district, Pol Maj Gen Nakharin Sukhonthawit, commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 6, said yesterday.

The group caused significant damage by breaking a glass door and spraying paint on the walls, passages and stairs of the station, the commander added.

A policeman who tried to contain the situation was hit on the head and required seven stitches, further escalating the violence.

Pol Maj Gen Nakharin said such an incident should not have happened as it damaged state property acquired with taxpayers’ money.

The nine demonstrators have been charged with damaging state property, attacking government officials, and trespassing.

Police will seek a court order for their detention, according to the commander.

The demonstrators claimed they were demanding justice for a 15-year-old demonstrator detained at the Ban Pranee Juvenile Vocational Training Centre for Girls in Sam Phran district of Nakhon Pathom province. The teenage girl is being prosecuted for an alleged lese majeste offence.

According to Pol Maj Gen Nakharin, police could only follow the law in her case since no guardians showed up to seek her temporary release.

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The Department of Health Service Support (DHSS) is drafting an amendment to the “Protection of a Child Born by Medically Assisted Reproductive Technology Act, B.E. 2558 (2015)” to increase the penalties against those who facilitate illegal surrogacy in the country, including brokers and hired women.

“We are amending this act,” DHSS chief Sura Wisetsak said on Thursday, adding the draft is being made after the department became highly concerned about an increasing number of illegal surrogates in the country.

The department is currently working with the Royal Thai Police’s investigation team to determine whether wrongdoers are exploiting loopholes with foreign criminal syndicates, he said.

The draft aims to increase the financial penalty and jail term for anyone found guilty of being a broker or a hired surrogate, he said. However, he would not go into the details, saying the drafting process is still ongoing.

Illegal surrogacy is a problem in Thailand. During the pandemic, many surrogates could not deliver their babies abroad due to border closures, resulting in some children being born and abandoned in Thailand.

The Department of Special Investigation found that last year, at least 19 children were born in the kingdom via illegal surrogacy. They are now under the care of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.

Akom Praditsuwan, deputy DHSS chief, said there are 108 nursing care units providing assisted reproductive technology in state and private hospitals.

The success rate is relatively high at 46%, with 20,000 cases of in-vitro fertilisation and 12,000 artificial breedings, he said.

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Varawut Silpa-archa, leader of the Chartthaipattana Party, said on Thursday the party will win at least 25 seats in parliament in Sunday’s election, adding it would like to form a government with parties that support the monarchy.

Mr Varawut said he had assigned all candidates from his party to run on-site campaign rallies.

He said the dual-ballot system can be confusing to voters. The Election Commission (EC) should thus resolve any issues that emerge to gain the public’s faith.

When asked about the formation of the next government, Mr Varawut said that it is difficult to predict which party is going to join a coalition government before the results come out.

He said it is unproductive to predict if his party would join the military-backed side or the pro-democracy side as nothing will be certain until after Sunday.

“Within the first 100 days, the Chartthaipattana Party will push for the drafting of a new constitution that enables the country’s development and supports the monarchy. Without that, there is no point in joining a coalition,” he said.

Mr Varawut will today meet local voters in Muang district of Suphan Buri, the party’s political stronghold, to garner votes for its constituency and party-list candidates.

Actions speak louder

Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT), said on Thursday the BJT has proved that its actions speak louder than words and assured voters the party is capable of leading the next government.

Mr Anutin, who is the party’s only prime ministerial candidate, told the press that the party had shown its competency over the past four years with its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as rebooting tourism afterwards and pushing many transport projects.

In the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration, the party was assigned to oversee the Ministries of Public Health, Transport and Tourism and Sports.

During the pandemic, the WHO praised Thailand for its Covid-19 management, he said.

“Many people told me my party successfully turned words into action. That was very moving. That is the image of the BJT in people’s eyes,” he added.

He said the party aims for achievements rather than conflicts in parliament, resulting in many more MPs joining its ranks.

“We have been in this conflict for over 20 years. If there is a neutral party that can coordinate both sides and devote itself to the public, the BJT is the most qualified for that position.”

Prawit for Prime Minister

The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) on Thursday explained why its leader, Prawit Wongsuwon, should be considered suitable for the post of Thailand’s 30th prime minister.

Charnkrit Detwithak, a spokesman for the party’s election strategy committee, offered five reasons why Gen Prawit is the best man for the job.

He said if Gen Prawit stepped into the chair, he would be one of the premiers rightfully selected by the voters.

Gen Prawit can work with anybody, especially the younger generation of politicians, said Mr Charnkrit, citing Gen Prawit’s role in coordinating every coalition party to set up the 2019 cabinet.

He added that Gen Prawit has a considerable amount of power and authority to make experts accept his invitation if they are asked to discuss people’s health, making the country’s development more seamless.

Mr Charnkrit finished off his remarks by saying that Gen Prawit promises to be a prime minister who would help to finally unite the country while also stabilising the next cabinet during his four years in power.

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Army chief Gen Narongpan Jittkaewtae on Thursday provided assurances that no coups will take place while he is in charge, saying the word “coup” should not exist in anyone’s vocabulary.

Gen Narongpan, who will retire on Sept 30, spoke to the media in the lead-up to Sunday’s election amid concern that the country may experience unrest after the polls.

Asked if he is concerned about the potential of future unrest that could prompt a reaction from the military, the army chief said he wasn’t.

“I don’t worry. We have learned many lessons from the past,” Gen Narongpan said.

“We have reached a point where democracy has to go ahead. Everyone should be mindful and avoid what should not be done.”

Asked whether another coup will occur after the election, Gen Narongpan said reporters should not raise such a matter as this could stir up conflict.

“The term should not be used. It is not appropriate. I want reporters to remove it from your dictionary,” the army chief said.

Quizzed on whether the military should also remove the word from its vocabulary, Gen Narongpan said: “Of course, it’s removed.”

Asked whether he can confirm that during his stint as army chief, soldiers will not act in a way that raises concern among the public, Gen Narongpan said: “I cannot say whether the country will be peaceful. I mean that peace can only be achieved by everyone working together.”

“But I can assure you that what occurred [coups] in the past. The chance is zero now,” he said.

Asked for thoughts about a change of the status quo, the army chief said that change is inevitable, though things should change for the better rather than for the worse.

“The country needs to be peaceful so the economy can grow. But if we are in conflict and stir up unrest, the country will be in chaos, and people will be in trouble. Everyone must work together in the country’s best interests,” he said.

Soldiers urged to vote

Gen Narongpan said he had encouraged army personnel to exercise their democratic rights to vote on Sunday.

Narongpan: Wants soldiers to vote

The army, through all of its channels of communication, has urged all personnel and their families to carry out their duty as good citizens by casting their votes, he said.

The army chief also downplayed a move by some political parties to replace conscription with voluntary recruitment if they form a government after the election.

“They have the right to carry out their policy if they become the government, but the military also has the right to explain why conscription is necessary,” Gen Narongpan said.

“Everyone has the right to agree or disagree [with conscription]. We can have different opinions. That’s normal,” he said.

Asked to comment if the Move Forward Party, which has been critical of the military, can be part of the coalition government after the poll, the army chief said: “That’s about the future. No one knows about it until after the election. It is up to political parties to form a coalition, while military personnel are not political-office holders.”

Gen Narongpan went on to say that he has issued guidelines for how army personnel can behave in the lead-up to Sunday’s election.

Entering a polling station with T-shirts bearing the names of political parties is against the law, the army chief warned.

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