Kuthep Saikrajang, a legal expert for Thai Rak Thai, yesterday said the party had compiled allegations against the Democrat Party and would file a complaint with the EC this morning on the grounds that it had violated Article 66 of the Political Party Act, which prohibits any attempt to topple democracy.

Kuthep alleged the Democrats joined a campaign that was aimed at toppling democracy. It also said the party had refrained from fielding candidates in the elections to obstruct voting.

Kuthep also alleged the Democrats incited and collaborated with small parties at several instances to frame Thai Rak Thai, including a case concerning political activist Thaikorn Polsuwan.

"From the evidence which the Thai Rak Thai legal team has compiled, it is clear the Democrat management had violated Article 66 and the party must be dissolved in line with Article 67 of the act," Kuthep said.

Thaikorn was caught on a hidden video telling Wannawarit Tantipirom, the leader of the Better Life Party to implicate the Thai Rak Thai for allegedly hiring Better Life to run in the second round of elections.

Thai Rak Thai deputy leader Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday Thaikorn had not carried out the ploy by himself and must have been ordered to do so by Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban.

Had Thaikorn acted on his own, he would not have dared to offer such a large sum of money to Better Life Party's leader, Sudarat said.

She said the EC should carry out an investigation against both sides, instead of picking on Thai Rak Thai.

"We are not worried if the investigation is carried out fairly and straightforwardly," Sudarat said.

Thaikorn yesterday insisted he had not offered money to Wanwarit to frame the ruling party.

He said he was simply trying to expose the alleged wrongdoing of Thai Rak Thai, which he alleged as having hired Better Life.

"Thai Rak Thai had found out about it first and planned a retaliation against me by planting the video recorder," Thaikorn said.

"I believe someone big in Thai Rak Thai told police to set me up because a policeman disguised as a lawyer had hidden the camera to tape me."

Democrat deputy spokesman Sathit Pitutecha yesterday alleged Thai Rak Thai used police to obtain evidence to incriminate the Democrats.

Sathit said Thai Rak Thai should have taken action against the Better Life leader for having received money instead of getting police to tape the video in a bid to frame the Democrats.

"Whenever there are witnesses to implicate Thai Rak Thai, police will be used to gather evidence to make up charges against its rivals," Sathit said.

Police claimed the Better Life leader had filed a complaint that he had been intimidated into framing Thai Rak Thai.

Sathit said he would check police records to see if Better Life's leader had really filed complaints. If there was no such record, the policeman, who secretly recorded Thaikorn's conservation, could face malfeasance charges, Sathit said.

Commenting on frame-up charges by the Democrats and Thai Rak Thai, Kanin Bunsuwan, a former constitution drafter, said both parties should be dissolved.

He said the parties had been behaving as if they were waging a secret war like underworld gangs.

"Two gangs are battling for supremacy. If there is evidence warranting dissolution, both parties should be dissolved because one hires small parties to run while another hires them to topple the other party," Kanin said.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Better Life Party yesterday insisted Thai Rak Thai Party had nothing to do with secretly taping a Democrat member's bid to frame the governing party.

Samatcha Hoonsara

Bancha Khaengkhan

The Nation