Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra chairs yesterday’s meeting of officials in charge of preparations for the visit next week of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Thaksin returned to Government House for the third day following a month-

The sub-committee investigating the Democrat Party's allegation that the Thai Rak Thai Party paid small political parties to run in the April 2 election has turned down the Election Commission's instructions to carry out further investigations, a source said yesterday.

The sub-committee reiterated its original announcement that the investigation results it had put forward were complete and needed no further work, said the source.

Its chairman Nam Yimyaem, a retired Supreme Court judge, yesterday refused to comment on the matter, saying it was a confidential issue and the responsibility for any reporting on it rested exclusively with EC chairman Vasana Puemlarp.

The EC ordered the sub-committee to investigate the suspected election foul play after Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban alleged the Thai Rak Thai Party had paid

small parties to run in the April 2 election after the major oppo-sition parties boycotted the

polls.

After receiving the investigation report, the comm-ission instructed the sub-committee to further investigate the allegations, saying it required more details.

In a related development, Thai Rak Thai's legal adviser Wichit Plangsrisakul, yesterday called on the EC to replace some members of the sub-committee, claiming he has evidence suggesting some of them have a close relationship with the Democrat Party.

"One of them once lived in the home of one of the Democrat Party's chief advisers. Which is proof of how close they are," he said.

Wichit said his party would today submit a complaint to the EC requesting the replacement of the sub-committee members.

Meanwhile, EC secretary-general Ekachai Varunprapa said yesterday the commission

had rejected the People's Alliance for Democracy's appeal for a separate investigation into suspected vote-buying by Thaksin Shinawatra and his mother-in-law during the Thai Rak Thai Party's election campaign for the April 2 polls.

"The issues were covered by the sub-committee's investigation and no other separate probe is needed," he said.

Vasana and Virachai Naewboonnien said yesterday that they would be defending themselves at the Nakhon Si Thammarat Criminal Court next Monday in a case filed by some election candidates against all the EC members for alleged malfeasance.