Poll cheats will go free, claims P-Net

Poll cheats will go free, claims P-Net

ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT

Most of those involved in poll fraud will escape punishment by the Election Commission (EC) because of a lack of evidence, according to the independent group People's Network for Elections in Thailand (P-Net). Saiyud Kerdpol, the chairman of P-Net, said the EC barred independent observers from being members of committees overseeing voting stations. Only state officials, including police officers, were permitted to be there.

''We sympathise with government officials who were assigned to help operate the election, both from the Interior Ministry and police, who neglected or failed to encourage people to file complaints or express their grievances because they are not sure who the next government will be,'' said Gen Saiyud.

''In my opinion, independent observers should have been allowed to participate and closely observe the voting stations to ensure fairness and transparency,'' he said.

The EC regulation allowing ballots to be counted at polling stations instead of at the central counting stations, and the presence of kamnan and village headmen as officials at the polling stations, were the two keys to poll fraud in the election, he said.

''If counting is allowed at the smallest polling units, canvassers could easily have checked who those people receiving money had voted for,'' said Gen Saiyud.

Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, the secretary-general of P-Net, said vote fraud had been rampant the night before the election, known locally as ''howling dog night'', and money was used to buy votes for single candidates rather than for the whole party.

''Vote buying on the 'howling dog night' has re-emerged and the EC has not been resolute or clear-cut about curbing irregularities, therefore those ex-Thai Rak Thai politicians spread around the North and Northeast under new banners had to fight hard to survive in this election,'' said Mr Somchai, also a Thammasat University lecturer.

Mr Somchai also saw the high voter turnout as a show of dissatisfaction with the rule of the military-installed administration.

Adam Cooper, a member of the Asia Network for Free Election (Anfrel), said the poll was started and finished in a peaceful manner, but the lack of an independent poll monitoring agency such as P-Net was a pity as the EC hired volunteers who were not well educated about polling procedures.

''What Thailand lacks for one thing is that observers and monitors seem to be active in the pre-election, but on the election day and during the counting process, their presence was not adequate,'' said Mr Cooper.

He suggested Thailand set up an alternative mechanism to monitor future elections.

''Even P-Net is good, but in principle there is a conflict of interest as the agency is funded by the EC who is in charge of organising the election.

''In other countries, other independent agencies finance the work of poll observers or monitors,'' he said.

Anfrel said it had dispatched 40 international observers to monitor eight election zones around the country.

In their initial findings some minor irregularities were reported, but some key allegations such as vote buying could not be backed up with strong evidence.

''We heard a lot, and also saw in some areas that village headmen and local police officers were trying to assert influence and sway voters to a certain party,'' he said.

Diplomats from some countries, including the United States, Australia and Japan, were deployed nationwide with their local staff yesterday.

An American diplomat said things on the ground seemed to run smoothly, although minor inconveniences and irregularities could be found, such as police officers and military officers sometimes walking in and out the polling stations.