The Election Commission (EC) is offering up to one million baht to anyone who can provide evidence of electoral corruption including vote buying.
The office of the EC issued a statement yesterday announcing the launch of a new online service via its Ta Sapparot (pineapple eyes) mobile app through which members of the public can anonymously give details of alleged fraud, vote buying or gift-giving in exchange for votes. The app is available for both Android and iOs mobile phones, according to the EC.
Besides the app, the EC has also opened other channels for people to submit complaints including via the phone numbers 02-141-8860, 02-141-8579 and 02-141-8858 and the EC’s own 1444 hotline number.
The EC will offer cash rewards for tipoffs starting from 100,000 baht going all the way to 1 million baht, based on the importance of the evidence to a conviction.
Meanwhile, EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee yesterday monitored the transfer of ballots and equipment to 66 countries for advanced voting in 94 cities.
Narong Boonsatheanwong, deputy director-general of the Consular Affairs Department, and Pongsathorn Wisetsuwan, deputy managing director of Thailand Post, also oversaw the transfer at Thailand Post’s headquarters in Bangkok.
Mr Sawaeng said party-list ballots are green while constituency ballots are purple. A total of 115,139 Thais registered for advance voting overseas from March 25 to April 9. Of them, 109,442 registered via the internet and the rest registered at district or local registration offices.
In other news, the EC revealed total donations received by each party in January, with the United Thai Nation Party topping the list with 26 million baht, followed by the Pheu Thai Party’s 12 million baht and the Chartthaipattana Party’s 9.8 million baht.
The Bhumjaithai Party received 1.9 million baht in donations, the Chartpattanakla Party got 1.7 million baht, and the Move Forward Party received 571,919 baht.