Pichai Thammachote, 55, a former election director of Songkhla's third constituency, claimed the election commissioners helped minor-party candidates to register so Thai Rak Thai contenders could escape the 20 per cent rule for lone constituency candidates.

This included describing what Pichai claimed to be a peaceful protest on April 19 and 20 as a "riot" so minor party candidates could re-apply at later dates.

"It was false information," Pichai told the four judges in the malfeasance case filed by the Democrat Party's deputy secretary-general Thaworn Senneam.

"[The commissioners] claimed there was a riot so candidates couldn't register."

A defence lawyer hit back, questioning whether the word "riot" was really inappropriate and showing a newspaper photo of a crowd.

When the lawyer asked if Pichai fled the scene and was therefore unable to file a detailed report, the election official retorted that many observers, including the governor of Songkhla, agreed that the demonstration was peaceful.

The former election director, who said he resigned in April because he could no longer function impartially, alleged that the commissioners intentionally delayed ruling on the eligibility of some candidates, forcing the provincial commission to seek a Supreme Court ruling.

Pichai said it was done to help Thai Rak Thai avoid the requirement that a lone candidate had to win 20 per cent of the vote.

He said the EC rushed the second round of voting on April 23, giving voters too little time to make a decision.

Voter secrecy had been violated by the EC's arrangement of voting booths, which allegedly allowed onlookers to see how people were marking their ballot slips, Pichai told the court.

"Their intention was dishonest. The party that benefited was Thai Rak Thai."

Pichai was subjected to an intense cross-examination, which led him to later complain to The Nation that he was being "pressured" and "coerced" by defence lawyers from the Office of the Attorney-General.

Chookiate Chlothorn, a lawyer representing the three election commissioners, asked the witness if he voted for another party, implying the election official was a Democrat loyalist.

The Democrats' lawyers successfully opposed the question, claiming it violated individual voting privacy but another OAG lawyer tried to make the same point, asking Pichai, who was born and raised in Songkhla, if he was a Democrat.

"In most cases, the party which is closest to the hearts of the people in the South is the Democrat Party, isn't it?" asked the second defence lawyer Choosak Senaboonrit.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation