"Today is an important day. If the Court agrees to hold the emergency hearing and decides on the case, the EC will need to launch a probe into Thaksin over his violation of the election law and announce the result of the probe before April 2," said Suriyasai Katasila, a PAD spokesman.

Earlier, the PAD and a group of 60 law lecturers from 14 universities asked the Election Commission to disqualify Thaksin for electoral abuses. In their separate complaints, they charged that Thaksin had given money to vocational school teachers, and said this alleged vote-buying violated electoral law.

They also alleged that while he campaigned in the provinces, Thaksin gave money to people to "invite" them to vote for his Thai Rak Thai candidates.

Thousands of anti-Thaksin protestors yesterday marched from Siam Paragon to the office the Election Commission (EC) on Rama I road, bracing the heat, intense humidity and a tropical downpour, to condemn the election as illegitimate and fraudulent.

 This followed a dramatic and historic rally at Siam Square on Wednesday, which attracted an estimated 50,000 protestors, mainly from the middle class. The rally brought politics to the centre of Bangkok's fashion and shopping district.

At the EC office yesterday, protesters held placards with a photograph of Thaskin allegedly handing out Bt1,000 notes to a man on February 25, which they claimed was proof that Thaksin bought votes.

"The EC said they would consider the matter 10 days after the election," PAD leader Somsak Kosaisuk told the crowd.

His statement prompted an outburst of obscenities from the crowd.

"This is no democracy, but a 'Thugnocracy'," he said.

Election Commission chairman Vasana Puemlarp dismissed the PAD's appeal for the EC to conclude an investigation into whether Thaksin had violated electoral law by Sunday.

Vasana said that because the EC would need at least 10 days to collect evidence it was only possible to complete the investigation after the election.

If the EC finds Thaksin guilty of attempting to buy votes he will be disqualified from the election.

Sarocha Porn-udomsak, another key member of the PAD, said, "It's not too late to cancel the election."

Shortly before 11.30am yesterday, media mogul and PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul urged the four election commissioners at the headquarters of the EC to stop helping the Thai Rak Thai stage a bogus election.

Soon after, Sondhi went into war-mode, not against the EC, but a UBC cable-television-network reporter, whom he claimed had filed abusive reports on the protesters.

Sondhi asked the protesters' guards to tell the UBC crew to leave and not come back.

"Brothers and sisters, when Thaksin is ousted, we will make CP pay," he said, referring to the Charoen Pokphand Group, which owns UBC TV and is alleged by Sondhi to belong to the pro-Thaksin camp.

Other speakers said the new system of using a rubber stamp to mark ballot papers would likely help Thaksin to manipulate the election outcome.

They also claimed the EC had not kept count of the ballots printed and alleged additional blank ballots had been produced for fraudulent purposes.

Somkiat Pongpaiboon, another core PAD leader, said he was not sure if the Administrative Court could stop the use of the rubber stamps before Sunday.

"But the Election Commission will become the defendant [in this matter] in the eyes of the whole of society. They'll become political criminals . . . electoral criminals," he said.

He alleged that one of the four commissioners frequently dined with senior members of the ruling party.

By 5pm tempers flared and protesters tried to prevent Vasana from leaving the office by checking all the vehicles departing the building.

Earlier in the day, some speakers had called for demonstrators to "arrest" Vasana.

 "Let see if he can get away. I have to sit here [to block the entrance and exit] to make sure he doesn't run away," said one middle-aged male protester who declined to give his name.

 Protesters kept a close eye on vehicles leaving the building.

Shortly before 5.30pm, however, it was announced that Vasana had probably managed to leave the building at about 3pm.

 "I don't believe it. A lot of cops are still around," said the same man who was among those blocking the entrance.

He kept checking vehicles with a few other protesters but they did not find Vasana.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation