Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday slammed caretaker Defence Minister Thamarak Isarangura over security camera footage linking him with allegations that the Thai Rak Thai Party hired smaller parties to run in the April elections, a source said.

Thaksin was quoted as saying: "Why was it so obvious? It is on state premises. Whoever sees it knows where it is. They are so clear that we know who is in them. It is damning evidence. How can you come up with a defence?"

Thaksin ordered the party's legal team to explain the matter to the public and demanded answers from Thamarak.

The minister apparently told the Cabinet that he did not meet the people in the footage. He explained that the pictures show several places and the colours were different, suggesting they had been edited.

The minister pledged to provide the Election Commission and the press with an explanation on Friday.

However, defence permanent secretary General Sirichai Thanyasiri yesterday confirmed the authenticity of the pictures.

"They were recorded by CCTV [cameras] installed in the Defence Ministry and I want to know what went wrong with security measures to allowed the leak," he said.

A fact-finding panel has been established to track down and prosecute those responsible, Sirichai added.

He confirmed that there are CCTV monitors in the corridors leading to Thamarak's office.

A close aide to Thamarak said the smaller parties had sought a meeting with the minister but the request was rejected.

The man who looks like Thamarak was in fact the minister's photographer, Uan, the aide explained.

He said Thamarak would appoint a panel to investigate how the footage was leaked.

One of the officials in control of the CCTV system is a native of Songkhla and is under suspicion for leaking the stills, the aide added.

The website Reporter.co.th, which is believed to be financed by a senior government figure, yesterday published a report saying that Thamarak was under pressure to leave the party and take responsibility for the scandal.

However, the report was later removed from the pro-government website.

Thai Rak Thai deputy spokesman Chatuporn Prompan yesterday challenged Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban to show the full, unedited footage since the stills that were released did not clearly show Thamarak handing out cash.

"It is all a set-up by the Democrats. The people seen in the stills intentionally went into the Defence Ministry in order to create this evidence. But they did not meet Thamarak.

"The story is a movie made by the Democrats to throw mud at Thai Rak Thai," he said.

Thana Benchathikul, Thaksin's lawyer, warned Suthep that he could be charged with submitting false evidence and the party was preparing legal action. He said Suthep's evidence carried no weight.

"Anyone can go into state buildings. None of the stills showed Thamarak talking to theses people," he said.

Suthep said he had more evidence and denied the stills were fake.

"I will not fight by illegal methods," he said.

He laughed at the allegation that the man seen was not Thamarak but his photographer.

"That is ridiculous. I can assure you that the stills are from Defence Ministry security camera footage," he said.

He claimed minor parties were hired [by Thai Rak Thai] systematically but only Thamarak was facing difficulties because his aides cheated representatives after losing all the money from Thamarak on horse racing.

"When the minor parties demanded money they were threatened so they came to me for help," he said.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva urged Thai Rak Thai to stop confusing the public and disprove the authenticity of the stills in court.

Suthep displayed the pictures at a Criminal Court hearing yesterday to make his case against the Election Commission (EC)'s alleged failure to prosecute the ruling party despite incriminating evidence.

Defence officials said all CCTV footage was classified.

The CCTV system in question was still under a trial-run and being operated by security contractor Vision and Security System Co, when the pictures were recorded in March.

Judge Prapan Sapsaeng said if the CCTV pictures were authenticated, they could lead to a judicial review.

EC chairman Vasana Puemlarp said Suthep had not showed him the pictures when he filed his complaint against the ruling party.

He also expressed doubts about Suthep, accusing him of submitting partial evidence and then blaming the EC for failing to uncover the remainder.

He confirmed the ruling party was yet to present its defence on the alleged funding of minor parties.

Piyanart Srivalo,

 Panya Thiewsangwan

 The Nation