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About 50 activists stormed parliament yesterday morning, forcing an abrupt adjournment of a National Legislative Assembly (NLA) session debating human rights legislation.
The Council for National Security (CNS) was cleared yesterday of any wrongdoing for its role in issuing a document which contained an order to suppress a political party ahead of the Dec 23 election.
Prachin Buri _ A former tambon headman who confesses to having helped politicians buy votes in the past says he has given up canvassing and will now campaign against the practice.
The officials of the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) believe the equivalent of 60 million baht in cash carried into Thailand by five Chinese nationals last month is still in the country, although two of them have already left.
Allegations of election fraud being investigated by the poll agency were no more than an attempt to slander the People Power party (PPP), secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee told a campaign rally last night.
The Election Commission's Bangkok office has announced the change of venues for advanced voting in 16 districts for fear the old venues may be too small. According to office director Chainarong Tienmongkol, the polling station for advanced voting in Kannayao district has been relocated from the district office to the parking lot of Fashion Island department store, while the venue in Din Daeng has been changed from the district office to the Thai-Japanese youth centre.
Embattled Machimathipataya leader Prachai Leophairatana shrugged off threats by some party candidates in the North that they will burn party jackets and remove his election advertising boards if he is not willing to fund their campaigns. A businessman turned politician, Mr Prachai said his leadership does not mean he must be ''a mogul who finances party candidates''.
The "them or us" mentality still reigns supreme. Thaksin Shinawatra, the ousted prime minister widely regarded as the mentor of the People Power party, has declared that the PPP will settle for spending the next term on the opposition benches if it falls even one seat short of gaining a parliamentary majority.
Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana doesn't hide from the reality that its economic platform is structured around tax breaks, state financial aid and other policies that some conservative economists deride as populist.
Khon Kaen _ An Englishman with a Thai heart has turned down one political party's relentless efforts to get him to act as a canvasser in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. Martin Wheeler, 46, has felt the heat of the electoral race.
The Election Commission's decision yesterday to take criminal action against the People Power party (PPP) could lead to the end of the party tipped by pollsters to win the Dec 23 general election.
Many tribal voters in the North are still in the dark about how to cast their ballots as the Dec 23 election draws near. No officials have been sent to explain to tribal voters living in Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces how to vote.
Despite being a key issue in a government campaign, vote buying prevails in Ratchaburi, Samut Sakhon and Kanchanaburi due to lack of resources and timely execution by poll officials.
Sa Kaeo _ Veteran politician Sanoh Thienthong's prospects of winning a seat in parliament appear poor as his Pracharaj party could lose out in the proportional representation contest, political observers say.
Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratkalin has ordered the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) and Immigration Police to trace a group of Hong Kong nationals who carried cash equivalent to 60 million baht into the country.
Three police officers in Chiang Rai and four officials in Buri Ram, which are both strongholds of the former Thai Rak Thai party, face being transferred for allegedly acting in favour of a particular political party.
Academics have urged that the ban on releasing opinion polls in the week before the elections be ended. They said it was a breach of civil liberties, citing cases in the US, Canada and the Philippines.
Those openly supportive of candidates contesting MP seats under the ticket of the People Power party (PPP) should beware of the military, which is closely monitoring the goings-on and will do whatever it takes to make sure things end up as it has planned, meaning that the PPP's goals should not be achieved.
As-yet-undecided voters will be a vital factor in deciding the election winner as for most seats the battle has narrowed down to a contest between the Democrats and People Power party (PPP).
The disappearance of Somchai Khunpluem, better known as Kamnan Poh, and the five-year ban from politics for his son Sonthaya may lead to a changing political landscape in Chon Buri after the general election. Mr Sonthaya talked about politics in the eastern province with ANUCHA CHAROENPO.
Voters in Phitsanulok are being lured with the offer of prepaid phone cards instead of cash, as candidates try to get around the laws against vote buying.
Ratchaburi _ Wassana Yamwon runs a small grocery store in a tiny village in Muang district and pays about 1,400 baht in annual taxes.
Lampang _ Money politics are again expected to rule the day on Dec 23 when voters cast their ballots in this northern province.
The Democrat party is thought unlikely to secure a landslide victory in the three southernmost provinces, where 12 parliamentary seats are up for grabs.
Asian poll watchers yesterday urged the Thai military to stay neutral and immediately lift martial law in the remaining areas of the country before the general election takes place.
Academics foresaw hardships for the country after the Dec 23 election yesterday and said the Thai people would have to help themselves as not only politics but also the economy would be inhospitable.
Democrat party candidates in Nakhon Phanom have lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), alleging fraud by two People Power party (PPP) candidates, one a party executive, for distributing VCDs featuring a speech to voters by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Pickup truck owners all over the country are making extra money by driving around with billboards featuring election candidates on the sides of their vehicles, but it's a hard road for some.
The People Power party (PPP) cannot be dissolved before the Dec 23 election even if it is found to have committed major electoral offences, according to the Election Commission (EC), which meets tomorrow to rule on complaints brought against the party.
Roi Et _ The House seats in Roi Et are likely to end up with several parties as constituents still love Thai Rak Thai founder Thaksin Shinawatra, but dislike his nominee Samak Sundaravej. Roi Et was once represented solely by the now-disbanded Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party, thanks mainly to the popularity of then prime minister Thaksin, who launched a nationwide poverty-reduction scheme in At Samat district early last year.
Khon Kaen _ The Puea Pandin party faces a daunting task in Khon Kaen in trying to attract voters still loyal to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who backs the People Power party (PPP), a political analyst said. Somphant Techa-atik, a Khon Kaen University lecturer who monitors elections in the northeastern province, said voters there would go with the PPP because it supported the populist policies of the former prime minister.
Undeterred by the daily violence, Waemahadi Waeaoh keeps walking around the insurgency-plagued province of Narathiwat and knocking on doors asking for votes. A candidate for the Puea Pandin party, Dr Waemahadi is challenging Democrat heavyweights and hopes to win one seat in this Democrat stronghold.
Khon Kaen _ Little-known parties such as Kasettakorn Thai, Nam Withi, Prachamati, Kasikorn Thai, Chart Samaggi, and Thai Ramruay are hoping to squeeze into the House of Representatives through this province.
It's certainly not what you'd expect as a political campaign in the rough and tumble election season: Vote for Puea Pandin as the na rak party.
The Democrat and Puea Pandin parties yesterday brushed off deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's call for a national unity government after the election.
With or without the Khunpluem family, Pramual Empia believes he has a good chance of winning the election in Chon Buri province.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday refused to consider a plea lodged by the 111 former Thai Rak Thai executives seeking the lifting of a five-year political ban imposed on them on grounds that it did not infringe on their human rights as claimed.
Tribespeople in this northern province are eager to exercise their voting rights in the Dec 23 elections, although no candidates have braved the journey to their hilltop village to court them. There are 69 eligible voters among the Mlabri nomadic tribespeople, better known as Tong Lueang.
Grassroots networks in this province are not excited by the bolder than expected populist policies being presented by some political parties as they believe that the policies are impractical and cannot be translated into action. The parties are campaigning without realising that voters also want to know from where they would get the money to run all those dream schemes.
The provincial election commission (EC) here has found that names of thousands of dead people have not been removed from household registration documents, leaving them eligible voters in the Dec 23 polls. Weera Yeephrae, the Mae Hong Son EC chief, said his commission has found that lists of eligible voters in Mae Hong Son do not match the actual number of existing voters.
Matchimathipataya party leader Prachai Leophairatana's run of bad luck has continued as he was sentenced to one month in jail by the Criminal Court for contempt of court yesterday.
Pattani _ The ongoing violence makes the southern province of Pattani a tough political field for two arch-rivals from the People Power party (PPP) and the Democrat party. In Pattani, the PPP team is led by veteran politician Den Tohmeena, who is 73. He is the leader of the Wadah faction in the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party.
The election battle to win Bangkok's constituency 8 remains a two-horse race between the Democrats and the People Power party (PPP), with the Democrats leading by a nose over their rivals. The Democrat candidates, headed by veteran politician Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, enjoy an extensive support base which has grown over the years, thanks to the party's district councillors who have managed to take control of the area.
Election commissioner Sodsri Sattayatham has threatened to take legal action against the webmaster of the hi-thaksin.net site, allegedly for accusing her of taking sides with a political party. ''I don't know what the intention of the website is,'' said Mrs Sodsri. ''As an election commissioner, I have never blamed any party.
Violent unrest has spoiled the poll atmosphere in the deep South which has seen fewer election rallies and campaigning material even though it is only about two weeks until the big day. Night-time political rallies have become a thing of the past in the three provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, which are plagued with shootings and bomb attacks.
More than 10 chairmen of provincial administration organisations (PAOs) in the northern and northeastern provinces may resign because of the pressures they face from the fierce political competition ahead of the Dec 23 election. A further 20 PAO chairmen were considering whether to quit, said Nan PAO chairman Narin Lao-araya, who submitted his resignation letter on Tuesday, which was effective on Wednesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratkalin is encouraging people to cast advance votes, amid mounting concerns that the old power clique will make a comeback after the Dec 23 general election.
Embattled Prachai Leophairatana will stay on as Matchimathipataya leader in a decision which has buoyed his supporters but perhaps not those loyal to faction leader Somsak Thepsuthin.
Chachoengsao _ Three influential political families who used to belong to the Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) in Chachoengsao are now rivals running neck and neck in the election campaign.
Yasothon _ A female candidate from the Democrat party is expected to secure a seat in this former stronghold of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai party, thanks to her hard work in contacting local residents in recent years.
Puea Pandin deputy leader Sitthichai Kwosurat has decided not to file a lawsuit against the People Power party (PPP) for allegedly forging his signature on a membership application form. A conviction could lead to the dissolution of the PPP.
Phichit _ Two powerful families are again battling it out in Phichit in the run-up to the general election _ the Kachornprasarts and the Boonsets.
Hua Hin _ Democrat chief adviser Chuan Leekpai began a whistle-stop campaign in the South yesterday, driving his own vehicle at the head of a motorcade of local party candidates.
The Election Commission has urged state agencies to ban the pro-Thaksin website www.hi-thaksin.net, after it carried messages saying that a vote for the People Power party (PPP) is synonymous to voting for deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Sura Saenkham has not visited his native Phetchabun often and voters are having second thoughts about electing the former world boxing champion in the Dec 23 general election. Mr Sura, also known by the boxing alias of Khaosai Galaxy, may now wish he enjoyed greater prominence.
As in previous elections, kamnan and village headmen are key factors in winning House seats. With this in mind, the Surayud Chulanont government is using every trick in the book to convince local leaders to sever their links with former Thai Rak Thai people now running for election under the banner of the People Power party (PPP).
The navy will reconsider its plan to purchase submarines on the advice of His Majesty the King, navy commander Sathiraphan Keyanont said yesterday. The navy would pay heed to the King's advice on its arms procurement programmes, he said.
Twelve years in full-time political roles and a four-time elected MP, Kanjana Silpa-archa still regards herself as a novice in political affairs. The daughter of Chart Thai party leader Banharn Silpa-archa, she could emerge as the party's only winner in the Zone 7 proportional representation election.
A glance through the tall glass windows suggests a library that would do any museum in New York, Paris or Tokyo proud. The ceiling-high bookshelves offer tomes on Thai history, political science and economics, while the tables and chairs look more suitable for a university coffee house than an office building.
Most of the total 80 House seats available through the proportional representation system are expected to go to two big parties _ People Power and the Democrats, according to deputy Chart Thai party leader Kanchana Silpa-archa.
The People Power party (PPP) and its leader Samak Sundaravej continued to lead in the Post Poll internet survey conducted by the Bangkok Post.
Hours after stepping down as leader of the Matchimathipataya party yesterday, Prachai Leophairatana was urged to reconsider his decision by the party's key figures.
The Election Commission (EC) yesterday ruled that there are grounds to allegations of vote-buying by the People Power party (PPP) in Nakhon Ratchasima. Commissioner Sodsri Sattayatham said the EC found evidence of alleged vote-buying by members of the PPP in constituency 3 of the province.
The Council for National Security (CNS) did write the confidential order that its opponents should be blocked, but never acted on it, said acting CNS chairman ACM Chalit Phukphasuk.
Matchimathipataya party leader Prachai Leophairatana has lost the chance of taking any cabinet post after the election.
Phitsanulok _ Voters in the lower northern province of Phitsanulok are likely to remain faithful to candidates from the People Power party (PPP), who are aligned with the former Thai Rak Thai party (TRT), and give the cold shoulder to the Democrats.
Trat _ Trat is set to be a key battleground between the two main rivals, the Democrat and People Power parties.
The Election Commission (EC) will invite the current chairman of the Council for National Security (CNS) to testify about the classified document said to order the suppression of the People Power party (PPP).
The Special Branch has come under heavy criticism over the leaking of the contents of its "assessment paper" on electoral competitiveness, which rattled the nerves of those in the seat of power.
Key political parties yesterday pledged to review free trade agreements (FTA) with Japan and other countries.
Nakhon Pathom _ A candidate from a humble background has set his sights on bringing down an influential political family in Nakhon Pathom province, where the election competition is largely a battle between the Democrat and People Power parties.
A Democrat canvasser was shot dead in Phatthalung and a Prachamati party candidate was stabbed to death at a guesthouse in Prachuap Khiri Khan yesterday.
Puea Pandin leader Suvit Khunkitti is targeting workers' votes with a plan to set up a labour bank.
The Election Commission (EC) is unlikely to review the ruling its investigation team made which faulted the coup makers for attempting to suppress opponents, said commissioner Somchai Juengprasert. However, it could always reach a decision which is different from the finding made by the panel, he said.
The People Power party (PPP) will complain to the Interior Ministry after it claimed authorities searched the houses of party supporters in Chiang Rai in a bid to intimidate them, according to party deputy leader Ruengroj Mahasaranont.
Rayong _ The popularity of the populist policies of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) in this eastern province will be a key factor for two of its former MPs, who are running under the People Power party banner in the general election. The two are Yongyot Arunwetsaset, who is running for constituency 1, which covers Muang (excluding tambons Glang and Samnak Thong), Ban Chang and Nikhom Phatthana districts, and Krissada Karun, who is running for constituency 2, which covers Klaeng, Khao Chamao, Ban Khai and Pluak Daeng districts.
The coup-making body has asked the Election Commission (EC) to revise its sub-panel's finding on its document which seeks to undermine the People Power party. The Council for National Security (CNS) yesterday submitted a letter to the EC asking the election regulator to review its finding.
The Election Commission's first all-star campaign events were a disaster in Bangkok and Songkhla yesterday, with only a handful of listeners turning up for the Bangkok event and not a single person showing up to listen in the South. In Bangkok, only one party leader, Waranchai Chokchana of the Rak Muang Thai, appeared on the commission's first central stage. No other party leaders were there to showcase their campaigns and visions.
With the election due this month, the public are seeing politicians in a different light, doing things they normally wouldn't.
Prachai Leophairatana, de facto leader of the Matchimathipataya party, has cleared the air over his claim he was being blackmailed, putting it down simply to a misunderstanding in the party.
Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratkalin would be removed as head of the government's committee against vote buying if the Election Commission (EC) recommends it, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said yesterday.
Chon Buri _ Chart Thai candidates in Chon Buri under the care of the Khunpluem family are being challenged by the Democrats, who hope to snatch at least four of the eight parliamentary seats in the province.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva shrugged off the foreshadowed announcement of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's comeback date by the People Power party at a rally two days before the Dec 23 election.
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has frozen the assets of Easy Network Co, owned by Thai Ramruai party leader Pathom Ansakul, who has been charged with fraud for running a direct sales business in a deceptive manner.
A leading pollster has warned of a proliferation of bogus opinion surveys produced by political parties to attack rivals in the run-up to the general election.
Thailand's economy is facing a drastic crisis due to policy mismanagement and political instability, according to Samak Sundaravej, the leader of the People Power Party.
Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda says he is unworried about his fate at the hands of the next government, and has ruled out launching another coup to protect his position. He was commenting on opinion polls which suggest the People Power party (PPP) will win the election.
Members of a party that police say is running an illicit direct sales business yesterday put up resistance to a DSI raid on their premises.
Prachai Leophairatana has threatened to disband the Matchimathipataya party after the former industrial tycoon alleged he has been blackmailed by a party member.
Thaksin Shinawatra has accused the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) of persecuting him for the political gain of the groups that supported the Sept 19, 2006 coup that toppled his government. Through his regular mouthpiece and lawyer Noppadon Pattama yesterday, Mr Thaksin, currently in self-imposed exile in Britain, stated that the actions of the ASC, including its order to seize his assets, were illegitimate.
The investigation committee of the Election Commission (EC) ruled the Council for National Security (CNS) had failed to be neutral by issuing an order in a classified document to suppress its opponents. Copies of the document ended up in the hands of the People Power party which counted itself as the target of the suppression order.
An exodus of key social and grassroots activists into the often-murky political arena has made many members of the activist community concerned, although some of them are optimistic that these social campaigners-turned-politicians may be able to help bridge the gap between non-governmental organisations and policy makers.
The Royal Thai Police Office has admitted the Special Branch made an assessment of potential areas of election conflict, but denied the results posted on some websites constituted an opinion poll.
An anti-coup group has asked the prime minister to take action against Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratkalin for allegedly having registered three marriages.
Results of opinion surveys on the forthcoming election could benefit both frontrunners and underdogs in various ways, according to a psychologist and pollsters.
Chiang Rai _ Six non-commissioned officers attached to the Phan police station in Chiang Rai have been transferred to inactive posts after being accused of acting in favour of a certain political party.
Foreigners favoured the Democrat party and its leader Abhisit Vejjajiva in an internet survey conducted by the Bangkok Post.
Ubon Ratchathani _ The Democrats are looking for a ''miracle victory'' in Ubon Ratchathani with hopes of taking at least five of the 11 seats in a province apparently dominated by the People Power party (PPP).
The Election Commission (EC) intends to rule next week on a case of alleged vote buying in Nakhon Ratchasima that could have repercussions for the People Power party.
People should not expect too much from the new government if they want to remain happy, social thinker Sulak Sivaraksa suggested yesterday.
Opinion polls on political parties and candidates are permitted in the run-up to the general election as long as they take a purely academic approach, Election Commission chairman Apichart Sukhagganond said yesterday.
City Hall has changed its mind and will now allow some of the 111 banned Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party executives to address the public at a rally at the Lan Khon Muang civic ground on Friday, in a bid to avoid claims of discrimination.
The Criminal Court yesterday threw out a lawsuit brought by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Potjaman against the 11-member Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC), saying it had no authority to hear the case.
Veteran politician Chalerm Yubamrung recently joined the People Power Party (PPP) and is seen as its number two.
National police chief Pol Gen Seripisuth Temiyavej yesterday warned police officers they would be punished if found taking sides with political parties contesting the Dec 23 election.
Nonthaburi _ People Power party leader Samak Sundaravej (PPP) said yesterday that there was no chance his party would back Chart Thai leader Banharn Silpa-archa to be the next prime minister.
Maj-Gen Sanan Khachornprasart, the Chart Thai party's chief adviser, has a history of high-profile successes as a kingpin in forming past governments.
Former key Thai Rak Thai member Chaturon Chaisaeng yesterday accused the Sept 19 coup makers of organising the Dec 23 election as a front to conceal their ulterior motive of prolonging power.
Weerasak Kowsurat shakes his head. ''This election is going to be difficult,'' he says with a touch of frustration.
Two years ago in the last election the Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) easily beat its rivals in Surin province, but members of the Matchimathipataya party do not think the outcome will be the same this time.
Thai people living overseas are eager to vote in the Dec 23 election and almost three times more have registered to vote than in the 2001 election, the Election Commission (EC) said yesterday. Up to 78,586 Thai people in 92 countries have confirmed with embassies that they will turn out to cast ballots in the election, which will mark a change from a military-backed to a democratically-elected government, said EC commissioner Praphan Naikowit.
Arriving after midnight on Friday at Khao San road, Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva caught up with some of the young people whose votes he is targetting _ night owls and youth. Earlier the same day, he met sex workers and transvestites working at cabaret houses in Pattaya.
Economic policies being promoted by the six leading political parties lack a cohesive vision for the country's long-term development, economists and business leaders said at a seminar yesterday.
The Democrat party and the People Power party (PPP) are running neck-and-neck in the latest nationwide popularity survey although the PPP appears to be steadily gaining ground. Noppadon Kannika, director of the Abac Poll, said the popularity ratings for both parties were very close, with the Democrats leading by only 2%.
Political observers anticipate confrontation between supporters of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and anti-Thaksin groups to resume soon after the Dec 23 general election if the People Power party (PPP) manages to win the election.
Buri Ram _ The People Power party (PPP) is confident it will win at least seven of the 10 constituency seats up for grabs in Buri Ram province, the political bastion of former TRT key executive Newin Chidchob. Sanong Thep-aksornnarong, a PPP candidate for Buri Ram's constituency 3, said he and another party candidate running for the same constituency, Prasit Tangsrikiartkul, had good prospects of winning the race as they have worked closely with their constituents. The constituency is a solid support base of Mr Newin, one of the 111 TRT executives banned from politics for five years by the Constitution Tribunal.
The Democrat party would think of its closest ally, the Chart Thai party, if and when it looked for a partner to form the next government despite Chart Thai's non-commitment to an alliance, said Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban. The Democrat and Chart Thai parties were in opposition during the previous government under ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party.
The competition between the two big rivals _ the People Power (PPP) and Democrat parties _ which are competing to gain the majority of seats and lead the next government, has now become far more intense. The Democrats yesterday started an around-the-clock political campaign to meet people from all walks of life in Rayong while the PPP raised the controversial war-on-drugs issue as its key campaign talking point to gain the support of people in Huai Kwang district in Bangkok.
Police are digging deeper into the background of election candidates, focusing on their sources of funding and their supporters, in the hope of heading off election violence. The move is aimed at curbing electoral crime following reports of fierce rivalry for canvassers and other conflicts.
Former acting Thai Rak Thai leader Chaturon Chaisaeng yesterday lodged a complaint with a human rights unit of the United Nations in Bangkok, claiming the 111 banned TRT executives' right to free expression had been violated by the state.
Despite an increase in the number of female election candidates, women's rights advocates are still unhappy with the relatively small proportion of women running in the general election.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva will step up his election campaign by trying to meet voters from all walks of life around the clock. Democrat executive Sathit Wongnongtoei said Mr Abhisit's 24-hour-blitz would begin today.
The Puea Pandin party will appeal to the Supreme Court over the Election Commission's disqualification of two of its candidates from the party list for the Dec 23 election.
Matchimathipataya leader Prachai Leophairatana yesterday decided to cut off financial assistance for about 100 ''B-grade'' candidates, a source at the party said.
Police expect bloody conflicts ahead of the Dec 23 election as political parties hire aggressive canvassers and businessmen take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of their opponents.
The Puea Pandin party's apparent knack for political wheeling and dealing has placed it in a strong position to help dictate the shape of the next coalition government, political observers say.
An election commissioner yesterday challenged the 111 banned executives of the former Thai Rak Thai party to seek a ruling from a court of justice over the commission's restrictions on their political activities.
Government transport agencies have been instructed to either slash or waive fares temporarily to encourage people to get out and vote on Dec 23. Transport permanent secretary Chaisawat Kittipornpaibool said the fares of second- and third-class trains and inter-provincial buses, except VIP buses, will be halved between Dec 21 and 24.
Former senators elected in 2000 can run again in the Dec 23 general election, justice permanent secretary Jarun Pukditanakul said yesterday. Mr Jarun said a provisional clause in the new charter allows this.
Samak Sundaravej should know by now that being a nominee is synonymous with being nominal.
The People Power party (PPP) has become the favourite party in the second week of an internet survey conducted through the websites of the Bangkok Post, Post Today and TITV.
The National Teachers Union says it will encourage members to vote for any party willing to promise 25% of the national education budget will go to education development projects. Union chairman Perm Luangkaew said the Malaysian government had already made this level of commitment to education development.
The restrictions of the Election Commission (EC) on political activities of the 111 former Thai Rak Thai (TRT) executives are not administrative orders, and therefore not enforceable by law, said Supreme Administrative Court president Akkarathorn Chularat yesterday.
Though actively involved in previous coup attempts in the capital, soldiers from the Ninth Infantry Division based in Kanchanaburi will go to the polls just like ordinary civilians to elect three candidates on Dec 23.
Samak Sundaravej and his People Power party (PPP) have emerged as leaders in the Post Poll in the second week, overcoming Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Democrat party, which led the poll in the first week.
Football appears to have become a new political tool in the run-up to the Dec 23 general election with two rival camps planning to build football schools in association with English clubs.
Some of the 111 former Thai Rak Thai (TRT) executives banned from politics have decided to petition human rights agencies, instead of the Constitution Court, against the Election Commission's guidelines restricting their participation in election campaigning.
Six sub-committees investigating the extra-judicial killings that took place during the war on drugs waged by the Thaksin administration plan to issue a report detailing how the previous government had violated human rights.
In the 2005 general election, the Chart Thai party sprang a surprise by grabbing one of the 11 seats in the Democrat-dominated deep South. The party's deputy leader Nikorn Jamnong, an overseer of the election campaign for the South, talks to ANUCHA CHAROENPO about winning this seat again in the Dec 23 election
The Chart Thai party yesterday rolled out all 36 candidates that it will run in Bangkok, one in each constituency, on a platform of populist policies.
Khon Kaen _ Puea Pandin leader Suvit Khunkitti has vowed to turn Khon Kaen province into a ''Suvit Buri'' to rival ''Banharn Buri'' if his party tops the general election and he is installed the prime minister. Mr Suvit believes that he too can bring prosperity and development on the scale once achieved by Chart Thai leader Banharn Silpa-archa in Suphan Buri.
The Democrat party yesterday vowed it could in 99 days from taking the helm of the next government, offer free education, a million-baht tambon fund, free electricity and a cut in fuel prices.
The public focus on the Dec 23 election might be on which party will win the election and who will become the next prime minister _ but some of the candidates are also keeping people smiling at the strange ways they draw attention to themselves.
Phetchaburi _ The private sector places honesty as the most important requirement it wants from the new government, a business poll found yesterday.
Chaturon Chaisaeng, former acting leader of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party, says he will challenge the Election Commission by defying political restrictions on former TRT executives and deliver a public speech.
Chiang Rai _ Soldiers along the northern border here are keeping a close watch on the movement of cash from casinos in Burma coming into Thailand after reports that influential figures are using gambling dens as venues to strike vote-buying deals.
The People Power party (PPP) is creating a pretext for confrontation by running a pro-Thaksin Shinawatra election campaign, according to Pibhop Dhongchai, adviser to the Campaign for Popular Democracy (CPD).
Military top brass in the Council for National Security have downplayed a ritual held by well-known seer Warin Buawiratlert to prolong the council's life.
Violent crimes and assaults are on the increase, with domestic violence and growing street crime the main sources of the problem, according to the Public Health Ministry.
Prachai Leophairatana might have lost the petrochemical company that he founded. For years, he was adamant in his belief that Thai Petrochemical Industry - now IRPC Plc - was stolen from his hands by rapacious bankers and corrupt politicians.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday said he disagreed with the Election Commission's restrictions on banned politicians, which he claimed trampled on constitutional rights.
With the strong likelihood that the next government will be a multi-party coalition, the private sector is keen to impress upon all political parties the importance of a stable economic policy, no matter who comes into power.
The Election Commission yesterday decided to get tough with the 111 former executives of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party, prohibiting them from taking part in election campaigns.
The registration of constituency MP candidates ended on a quiet note yesterday with the focus shifting to the candidates of small parties.
Narathiwat _ Authorities have compiled a list of around 30 suspected gunmen who are thought to have entered this restive southern province to stir up trouble in the region ahead of the elections, Narathiwat deputy governor Niphon Narapithakkul said yesterday.
Children in the deep South whose schools have been targets of arson attacks now have new instant roofs over their heads thanks to the donation of fully-equipped tents by the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC). These instant classrooms should return some sense of normalcy to local schools disrupted by the continued violence in the region.
Public participation in poll monitoring is needed to deter, if not prevent, money politics in the Dec 23 general election, says an international election think tank. Martin Walecki, a political finance adviser of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) urged state and independent poll observers to thoroughly monitor the financing of election campaigns of each political party.
The Criminal Court yesterday threw out a lawsuit filed by PTV against Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas over his allegation the PTV-led rallies early this year received financing from deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The court found the accusation did not constitute a criminal offence and ordered the court fee returned to the PTV.
About 20,000 turned up at the People Power party (PPP) rally at Sanam Luang, cheering as images of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra appeared on screens. The images were shown on three large screens surrounding the stage, featuring Mr Thaksin at the time he was still the prime minister and during his self-imposed exile abroad.
Army commander Gen Anupong Paochinda has signed an order to put his men in charge of key battalions in a move to further strengthen his grip on the army.
A key figure in the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has lashed out at the People Power party (PPP) for trying to distort the spirit of the general election and whitewash the alleged wrongdoings of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The Council for National Security has admitted to the Election Commission's inquiry panel that the classified documents detailing its plan to suppress the old power clique are genuine, panel chairman Supol Yutithada said yesterday.
Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana leader Chettha Thanajaro has told two key party advisers serving political bans to keep a low profile, fearing the party could be disqualified from the election if they are found to have violated the conditions of their ban.
The Matchimathipataya party kicked off its election campaign in Bangkok yesterday with a host of lofty promises to build a comprehensive welfare state and make people rich.
Combating global warming is at the head of the environmental policies of the three major political parties contesting the general election.
An advisory panel to the Election Commission has suggested that 111 former Thai Rak Thai executives who are banned from politics should not be allowed to assume any role or duty equivalent to that of party executive members.
The People Power party yesterday called on Chart Thai to join in a coalition after the election, saying its leader Banharn Silpa-archa would be better off ending his alliance with the Democrats.
The Election Commission has decided to split the contract for printing 105 million election ballots between both state and private companies after initial bidders for the job said they could not finish the work by the Dec 18 deadline.
Many companies have said they will not make Dec 24 a holiday, as requested by the government, as they have to handle a heavy workload with the end of the year approaching, the Employers Confederation of Thailand said yesterday.
Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratkalin denied fresh accusations yesterday by the People Power party (PPP) that 1,000 special warfare soldiers had been despatched to keep tabs on the party's key political strongholds.
Former finance minister Suchart Jaovisidha now leads Chart Thai's economic team with another former minister, Pridiyathorn Devakula, serving as party adviser. Chart Thai leader Banharn Silpa-archa introduced Mr Suchart at party headquarters yesterday and said his experience and knowledge would be a major draw for the party.
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday approved in principle an amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering Act that would give law enforcers power to tackle seven new offences.
People in the Northeast will probably follow the same pattern in voting for the party list on Dec 23 as they showed in the August referendum, an analyst said yesterday.
The Democrat party and its leader Abhisit Vejjajiva were in the lead according to the Post Poll's first-week results from Nov 8-12.
A public holiday has been declared on Dec 24, the day after the general election, to encourage people to return to their home constituency to vote. Election day is a Sunday.
The second day of constituency candidacy registration was relatively quiet yesterday, but several complaints were lodged about hired candidates, TV appearances and campaign posters being put up in prohibited locations.
Confusion was the order of the first day of constituency-based candidacy registration in Bangkok as the five-day process began nationwide yesterday.
Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratkalin declared yesterday he will not run for election to the House or the Senate, but did not rule out holding ministerial office again in the future.
Pattani _ Academics, religious leaders and military officers in the southern border provinces are calling for more concrete policies from political parties to heal the rift in the strife-torn region.
Three anti-coup protesters who started a fire around the constitution sculpture on top of the Democracy Monument on Sunday night have been arrested and face charges.
Chiang Rai _ The People Power party (PPP) is confident of making a clean sweep of the constituency seats in Chiang Rai, but will face some strong opposition from the Chart Thai party.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday challenged People Power party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej to a one-on-one debate as the party kicked off its Bangkok political campaign.
The People's Network for Elections (P-Net) is concerned about the amount of vote buying going on and says the campaigns in the North and Northeast are the dirtiest. This concern was based on information supplied by P-Net members across the country.
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