EC to probe Abhisit's qualifications

Published: 28 Nov 2012 at 16.57
Online news:

The Election Commission will set up a subcommittee to investigate whether Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva still qualifies to serve as an MP after being stripped of his military rank following allegations he dodged the draft many years ago, EC secretary-general Puchong Nutrawong said on Wednesday.

The EC's action was in response to a petition by former senator Ruangkrai Leekijwattana, who said Mr Abhisit might be no longer qualify as an MP because he had been dismissed from military service.

Mr Abhisit was accused of using falsified documents to apply for a teaching job at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. He was subsequently exempted from military conscription. He did serve as a teacher.

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canuck
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Discussion 23 : 29 Nov 2012 at 19.2523
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Re English Bob
"It's a witchhunt and a smear campaign against Abhisit. The reassuring thing is that despite the millions of man hours spent trying to besmirch him, this is the biggest (alleged) scandal they can come up with. Pathetic"

The same could be said about Thaksin

FYI During the Vietnam War Many Americans burned there draft cards and were sent to jail. Mohamad Ali spent two years in jail for refusing to enlist.
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englishbob
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Discussion 22 : 29 Nov 2012 at 17.3422
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Sukumpol's entire case rests on a discrepancy on the date of a replacement document.
The originals have long since been lost (as you would expect after 25 years).
Sukumpol can't produce the Army's original copy of the document either (with the entire armed forces at his disposal). Given the utter incompetence of Thai government officials, an incorrect date on a replacement document hardly seems compelling evidence.

It's a witchhunt and a smear campaign against Abhisit. The reassuring thing is that despite the millions of man hours spent trying to besmirch him, this is the biggest (alleged) scandal they can come up with. Pathetic.
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bluebottle
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Discussion 21 : 29 Nov 2012 at 11.3421
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For goodness sake give it a rest, people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
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pquinlan
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Discussion 20 : 29 Nov 2012 at 11.1220
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D18: I have no doubt AV has the relevant documentation for the purposes you outline, but I doubt very much if he ever would have kept a copy of his application form which seems to be the pivotal document in all the articles I have read. How many applications have you ever kept, even in the last week, let alone 25 years old? Unless one wants to overturn the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" (in an actual court), then one must accept that "guilty until innocence is proven" is not the right way to do things.
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bkposter
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Discussion 19 : 29 Nov 2012 at 10.1419
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RE: D8 The government has produced forged documents that were signed and used by Abhisit to avoid military service. Abhisit has not offered any credible explanation for this even when asked tried to avoid any discussion on it and when summonsed did not appear. This is not even a new subject, it was raised when Abhisit was PM, but was swept under the rug at the time by that administration.
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ricefield
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Discussion 18 : 29 Nov 2012 at 09.2518
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Disc 15 - Documentation is very important in Thailand if you've ever been to a government office they have hand written documents hundreds of years old. Your military documentation is equally as important because the military is so sewn into the fabric of the country. Ever wondered why almost every job has a military styled uniform from MPs down to parking lot attendants? Everyone has their military records if they were in the military otherwise you can't collect a pension or other benefits of military service.
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banmebkk
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Discussion 17 : 29 Nov 2012 at 09.1917
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Why is everyone so afraid of Abhisit, because he thinks logically? because people can't win any debates against him? because he actually knows what he is talking about?

I mean some of the policies presented by his party were failures, like the Economic Stimulus package. But nonetheless there are bound to be failed policies in every party and that is something they should take the blame for. He is still a good leader and one of the cleanest PM with barely any corruption dirt on his sleeve.
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beer_sing
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Discussion 16 : 29 Nov 2012 at 09.0016
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The Court should be able to settle this, once and for all.
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bikeme
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Discussion 15 : 29 Nov 2012 at 08.3815
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I find it interesting that to the pro-PTP commenters their red shirts are innocent until proven guilty, the Dems are guilty until proven innocent. A bit of a double standard perhaps?

But I challenge anyone here, pro or con, to produce documents you used to apply for your first job 25 years ago. And I would bet none of you can produce tax documents to prove you paid your taxes that far back either. This is purely a witch hunt.
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wandee
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Discussion 14 : 29 Nov 2012 at 08.1014
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Funny, after living over 20 years abroad and taking part in elections (there are countries that grant citizenship if you contribute to their society) I am still confused about my home country and the qualification a member of parliament or the senate needs to be in these institutions. In Europe the only qualifications are enough votes. Seems to me that people should decide who should be in parliament and not some committee.
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