From: htk@munnari.oz.AU (Hugh Thaweesak Koanantakool)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Thailand's news on 13 Sep 1992
Date: 13 Sep 1992 17:30:26 +1000
Organization: Mail/News gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: munnari.oz.au

Here are some news items as appeared in the Morning issue of
the Bangkok Post, Sep 13, 1992.

Headlines:
Chavalit not eligible to vote?
Gunmen fire on PDP truck
Large-scale buying of votes in 24 provinces
Judges rally against decree at ministry decree at ministry

------------------------------------------------------------------
Chavalit not eligible to vote?

THE LEADER of the New Aspiration Party Chavalit Yongchaiyudh might not
be eligible to vot today.

The former Army chief may not be eligible to cast his ballot because
the number of his house as shown on the eligible voter list and that
on his house registration paper are not the same, a party source said.

However, Gen Chavalit still expected to go to the polling unit near his
home in Nonthaburi's Muang District this morning to vote, the source said.

The registration number of the NAP leader's house as shown on the
voter list is 69/19 but the number shown on his house registration
paper is 69/15.

Sornchai Montrivat, a former aide to Gen Chavalit, said he had told
the Nonthaburi provincial governor of the confusion over the NAP
leader's home address but no correction had been made.

Gen Chavalit earlier petitioned the provincial governor that
many names on the Nonthaburi voter lists are duplicated.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Gunmen fire on PDP truck
(Aranyaprathet)

A Man driving a pickup truck used in the election campaign
of the Palang Dharma Party team running in Prachin Buri's
Consituency 2 was ambushed and seriously wounded yesterday,
policy said.

Lam Cha-umram, 49, was driving the truck displaying PDP
campaign posters on the way on Thana Withi Road to the PDP cam
paingn centre in this border district when two gunmen armed with
AK-47 assault rifles attacked him.

Mr.Lam was hit in the right shoulder with one bullet and
another just scratched his head. He was rushed to Aranyaprathet
hospital.

Meanwhile, five PollWatch Commission Officials petitioned
provincial governor Banjong Kantawiwud in Ta Phraya district that
they had been threatened.

The five pollwatchers were identified as Suriya Rucha,
Damrong Mulrat, Daeng Sawaengchu, Deja Karnsa-nga and Noppon
Khamsaeng.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Large-scale buying of votes in 24 provinces

AT LEAST 24 provinces have been listed by the PollWatch Commission
as areas where vote-buying has been intense, Poll-Watch spokesman Dr
Chira Hongladarom said yesterday.

PollWatch is keeping these provinces under close watch.

Dr Chira said the provinces on the list include Prachin Buri,
Nakhon Prathom, Ratchaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Nayok and Kamphaeng
Phet.

In Nakhon Nayok, PollWatch said there is heavy vote-buying in every
village and tambon.

Dr Chira said it is expected that some polling booths in certain
constituencies will be bought, including in Constituency 1 of
Sukhothai and Tak; and Constutuency 2 of Ratchaburi, Chiang Mai and
Nong Khai.

PollWatch has so far asked the Interior Ministry to send commando
units to Lampang and Pathum Thani.

PollWatch Deputy spokesman Malee Pruegpongsawalee said the
volunteers in Lampang have been seriously intimidated by local
godfathers.

One of the volunteers, who is a teacher, has asked the Education
Ministry to transfer him to other province after the election
because he fearx "dark influences," she said.

Dr Chira noted that intimidation against the volunteers is more
serious than during the March 22 general election.

However, the PollWatch said its volunteers, amounting to more
than 60,000 nationwide, are today ready to cope with poll-cheating in
every election booth across the country.

These volunteers will be assisted by mobile task forces,
consisting of police and PollWatch offcials that will be active in
all provinces today.

Each mobile unit will be equipped with a radio-transmitter that
will make it more convenient for them to coordinate their activities
with other units.

The PollWatch also reported more arrests of canvassers
yesterday.

Ms Malee said more canvassers were held in Rayong and Sakon Nakhon.

The Pollwatch deputy spokesman said leaflets had been dis tributed
in the name of the commission in UdonThani, strictly ordering
people not to vote for two New Aspiration Party candi dates in
Constituency 3.

The leaflets, written in a militarytype language, accused the NAP
candidates of being former leading members of the Communist Party of
Thailand and blamed them for the death of prodemocracy demonstrators
at Ratchadamnoen Avenue in May.

"They are fake documents," Malee insisted.

Meanwhile, PollWatch said the Interior Ministry was quick at giving
full cooperation this time.

Interior Minister Pol Gen PowSarasin, while visiting the PollWatch
headquarters yesterday, said cases of politicians suspected of
election law violations must be concluded before the new government is
formed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Judges rally against decree at ministry decree at ministry

OVER 500 JUDGES rallied in front of the statue of Prince Ratcha
buri, the father of Thai law, to protest against the executive
decree restructuring the Judicial Commission.

Meanwhile, a complaint accusing Prime Minister Anand Panya
rachun and Justice Minister Wichian Watanakun of dereliction of
duty eas filed with Chana Songkhram police by Mr.Chamnan Ravivan
pong, chief judge of Mukdahan provincial court.

Mr.Chamnan accused Mr.Anand and Mr.Wichian of refusing to
submit for His Majesty the King's approval a judicial Commission
decision of May 11 appointing 22 senior judges.

The dissident judges were at first barred from the compound
of the Justice Ministry to pay homage to the statue. But as more
judges arrived, the gate was opened.

Mr.Kamthorn Posuwatkul, a chief judge of Thon Buri Civil
Court, told the protesters that they had come together to protect
the judiciary, not Supreme Court judges Mr.Pramarn Chansue or
Mr.Prawit Khamparat.

Pramarn and Prawit have recently been found guilty of inciting
a rebellion against then justice minister Prapasna Uaychai.s

"Judges are not stupid as Prime Minister Anand panyarachun
implies," said Mr.Kamthorn. He accused the Anand administration
of trying to ruin the judiciary.

After addressing the crowd for about 15 minutes, the chief
judge pierced his finger with a knife and brushed his blood on
the base of the statue as a gesture of protest, drawing applause
from his colleagues.

The dissident judges then adjourned to a nearbly hotel for
lunch and more discussion. They were later joined by more pro
testers.

After the meeting, the judges issued a three-page statement
accusing the executive decree of being unconsitutional. Three is
no emergency, as stipulated in Article 172 of the Constitution,
to justify the decree, they said.

They said the government move would give men associated with
the Anand administration power over the judiciary.

Mr.Anand said yesterday he didn't believe the judges would
strike as threatened.

Government officials must be responsible to the public,
especially judges, even if they are dissatisfied with the govern
ment, he said.

Justice Minister Wichian Watanakun said the Government had
to issue the decree to resolve the longstanding dispute within
the judiciary because it had exhausted all other means to solve
the problem.

He said political and economic stability would be threatened
if the conflict continues.

He appealed to the protesting judges to consider carefully
the Government's reasons for the decree and to express their
views "within the framework of the law."

He said he respects and is responsive to divergent views.

"The Government has done everything with transparency and
with sincerity," he said. The Government had kept confidential
the consideration of the decree.

The Government had set up a proper system to meet changing
circumstances, he said.

The move was not an interference in judicial affairs, he said.

Judges will continue to have freedom and independence in
considering court cases. The Governement or himself had not
appointed any memers to the commission, he added.

M.L.Krairiksh Kasemsant, an Appeals Court judge, also said there was
no emergency to justify the decree.

He accused the Prime Minister of failing to heal the rift in the
judiciary in the beginning.

"Now he claims the decree is needed to end the conflict," he said.

Other judges called the decree the "legacy of the devil".

Mr Sriamporn Saligupt, and Appeals Court judge, said the law
would perpetuate leader Pramarn Chansue told reporters that he
had joined because he could not let his "brothers" fight alone.
He condemned the decree, saying it is unconstitutional.

A panel discussion on the decree is reportedly scheduled for
Tuesday at the Faculty of Law at Chulalongkorn University.

Among the panelists will be former Supreme Court presidents
Banyat Suchiva and Sophon Rattanakorn, Law Faculty dean Prasit
Kovilaikul and Thammasat University law lecturer Kaewsan Atipho.

The new Judicial Commission will comprise 28 members instead of 18,
including 18 ex-officio judges, six elected representa tives and
four retired Supreme Court presidents.

Asked about the threat of a judges strike tomorrow, the minister
said he knew nothing about it.

"All judges are educated people who know the law and follow it, and
they should know it also applies to them. We don't want judges to be
above the law," he said.

He said the people should judge whether the Government had done right
or wrong.

----------------------------------------------------------------
p.s. I think both kamol, somsak and yongyuth are not available in
Bangkok.  They are somewhere in North America.  All messages
are retyped by my staff at the PollWatch Computer Center,
Ban Manangkasila.  The assistancs is hereby acknowledged.

Thaweesak.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU