There is enough evidence to suggest the country's two main political parties committed major electoral fraud and should be disbanded, a subcommittee set up to probe the issue announced yesterday.

The 11-member panel, set up by the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG), also suggested that the Constitution Court dissolve the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties.

The panel's report and recommendations will now be sent to Attorney-General Pachara Yuti-thamdamrong, who will decide whether to endorse and then forward the recommendations to the court.

The announcement was met with strong reactions from the two parties. The Democrats questioned the short period spent by the OAG panel in considering the case before it came up with the recommendation.

Thai Rak Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra said he was confident that his party had done nothing illegal.

The panel's unanimous conclusion and suggestion, which could drastically alter the country's political landscape, also includes the indictment of three smaller, little-known parties - the Progressive Democratic, Pattana Chart Thai, and Thai Ground parties.

The conclusion was handed down after five hours of

intense closed-door deliberations.

"This resolution will be presented to the Attorney-General [for his deliberation]," said Attapol Yaisa-wang, an OAG spokesman and the subcommittee's secretary.

Attapol said the indictment papers, which he would prepare, would be finished by the end of the week at the earliest.

The Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties, along with the three minor parties, stand accused of major electoral fraud.

Both Thai Rak Thai and the Democrats violated Article 66 of the Political Party Act, the subcommittee concluded.

Two senior Thai Rak Thai figures - deputy leader Thamarak Isarangura and deputy secretary-general Pongsak Ruktapongpisal - are accused of bankrolling small parties on behalf of Thai Rak Thai to contest the April 2 general election and avoid the 20 per cent minimum vote requirement needed by unchallenged candidates.

The Democrats are accused of having asked for the royal appointment of a non-elected prime minister and having presented false witnesses to accuse Thai Rak Thai of electoral fraud.

All the allegations are covered by Article 66 of the Political Party Act, which states that any political party acting to overthrow the country's democratic system should face dissolution by the Constitution Court.

"When it's done and the attorney-general has approved the report, it can be forwarded directly [to the Constitution Court]," said Attapol, who added that all charges would be laid out in detail in the indictment.

"It will then be up to the Constitution Court whether they believe it or not. All five parties can explain themselves to the court. The court will listen to all parties," he said.

Attapol played down speculation that the OAG was under external pressure.

He said his boss, Pachara, who met with Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday, had not interfered or pressured the subcommittee, which Pachara formed on May 26.

Deputy Attorney-General Chaikasaem Nitisiri led the subcommittee.

"He [Pachara] didn't interfere, but it will be up to him [whether to refer the matter to the Constitution Court or not]."

Constitution Court judges are due to meet on Tuesday and are likely to consider the case if it is submitted this week, a source said yesterday.

The source said that due to the size and significance of the case, it is likely that a court trial would take at least three months.

In response to the public prosecutors' conclusion, Thaksin said the party had never violated the law. However, he said the party respected the work of organisations that do their jobs and that the country needs a checks-and-balances system.

While it is still unclear whether there will be a general election on October 15, Thaksin said he and the party would carry on with their jobs as normal.

Meanwhile, top Democrat figures including party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and senior adviser Chuan Leekpai met for about two hours after the OAG panel's announcement.

The leaders did not appear stressed and said they did not discuss what action they would take should the party be dissolved. They said the procedures would take a long time.

However, they discussed why the OAG spent such a short time considering the 1,500-page report on the case against the Democrats, and Monday's meeting between the attorney-general and the caretaker prime minister.

The party issued a statement questioning the recommendation by the OAG panel, describing it as rushed and made under pressure. The party denied all six allegations filed against it by Thai Rak Thai.

Meanwhile, Chat Thai leader Banharn Silapa-archa said he did not believe the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties would be dissolved. However, he said he would rather not override the court's ruling, which should be honest.

"I believe the court will consider the issue carefully. One party is 60 years old, and another is five years old. If the court rules on different norms, the court might be ruined," he said.

Pravit Rojanaphruk,

 Yossawadee Hongthong,

 Nerisa Nerykhiew

 The Nation