Abhisit under fire for referendum jibe

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Abhisit under fire for referendum jibe

EC's Sodsri says threats to obstruct vote illegal

Published: 18 Dec 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is under fire after calling on voters to "derail" the planned charter-amendment referendum.

The government is threatening to lobby for the disbanding of the Democrat Party if he tries to obstruct the vote.

Election commissioner Sodsri Satayathum yesterday said Mr Abhisit's actions could be deemed a violation of Section 43 of the Referendum Act, which prohibits attempts to obstruct a referendum through threats or deception.

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brilliant
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Discussion 33 : 18 Dec 2012 at 21.2933
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pvh - typical red spin. People were forced to vote for the constitution? How exactly? Were they led at gunpoint to the polls? Stop with the BS.
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pvh
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Discussion 32 : 18 Dec 2012 at 19.3732
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Bubpa = you either have a short memory or you were not here in 2006. The current constitution was written by the coup makers and the public was FORCED to vote for it or suffer the consequences of a military government. It should be thrown out completely and the charter that was usurped restored. If needed amend that one, although the only thing wrong with it was that it made coups illegal and therefore had to be changed to protect the coup makers. You should note that the current one absolves them of any wrong doing!
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Renaissance
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Discussion 31 : 18 Dec 2012 at 19.2031
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Discussion 21 makes a good point. Thaksin can maybe manipulate his return, but what kind of life will it be? He will need someone to inspect the kitchens and taste his food before he eats it in restaurants; wherever he goes will have to be inspected first; he can't go for a walk in the park without a group of armed guards and a police escort; his home will have to have extreme protection; his cars will have to be bullet-proof; etc. He will have 100's of billions, but no happiness. He will have problems, demonstrations, and PT/Red Shirt squabbles and divisions to deal with daily. For what?
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stan_ice
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Discussion 30 : 18 Dec 2012 at 16.5430
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Ignoring a referendum should be a legitimate way to tell the government that people are not interested in re-writing the constitution. Voting in referendum is not mandatory, so why should it be illegal to tell people to stay home and not bother?

Let's not forget the numbers game- if Dem supporters stay home referendum will be defeated because govt parties can't muster 50% turnout themselves. If Dem supporters go and vote "no" the referendum will pass because they will help the government achieve 50% threshold and the govt will surely have more "yes" votes.

Let's also not forget that so far everything the govt has proposed regarding the
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rontorre
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Discussion 29 : 18 Dec 2012 at 12.5229
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d21"" posted an opinion on his personal facebook page, I don't believe that legally it's actionable,""

on the contrary, we are warned not to even click on "like" , or comment on certain subjects, or we may be prosecuted, even if it was done in a foreign country, and it has already been done, see Joe Gordon and others, who did not even post things themselves.
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gleentea
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Discussion 28 : 18 Dec 2012 at 12.0028
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"I want to reveal the true colours of Mr Abhisit, who talks democracy but thinks dictatorship," Mr Prompong said.

He's obviously referring to the wrong person.
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englishbob
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Discussion 27 : 18 Dec 2012 at 11.4527
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It's a non-issue. Abhisit won't be charged nor the party disbanded.
Since early 2010, non-Reds have been predicting UDD/Peua Thai's actions. Everything we predicted has come true; even down to the useless policies.

I think PT will find a way to amend the charter. And I am sure there are no democratic reasons for doing so. It seems a means to an end. If that happens and Thaksin returns with a clean slate, there will be more violence. At what point will you Red-fans admit that it really IS all about Thaksin? All the evidence points that way, but you still insist it's 'for the people'... Well, which people has PT helped since 2011?
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bubpa
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Discussion 26 : 18 Dec 2012 at 11.2026
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EC’s Sodsri says threats to obstruct votes illegal, what about the actual barricades, firing of expired tear gas and act of police physical violence to obstruct peaceful, unarmed protesters to join Pitak Siam’s rally on 24-12-12? Why is this government so afraid of Mr. Abhisit telling the public the truth concerning the referendum?
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stan_ice
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Discussion 25 : 18 Dec 2012 at 11.1825
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According to this article Abhisit wants to derail the attempt to whitewash Thaksin. What's his transgression exactly? Are they making it illegal to campaign for "no" vote?

They are threatening Abhisit and his party with dissolution, doesn't it fall under "obstruct a referendum through threats or deception"? Or maybe preventing the opposition from campaigning is not obstruction, it's how the govt expects it to be.

Also, dictatorship is not that bad, Prompong's own party promised to govern by dictates from Thaksin, people supported this idea and put them in power. According to the government life under dictatorship of Thaksin is pretty s
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democrazy
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Discussion 24 : 18 Dec 2012 at 11.0124
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In the 2011 election the PheuThai party and its coalition parties got only 17,5 million votes. Voter turnout must be 50 % of eligible voters or about 23,4 million in a referendum. Everybody in a democracy is free to vote or not to vote in an election or a referendum.
When you don't support the red ideology. Then you are undemocratic.
This is the typical red-shirt nonsense.
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