Row over campaign posters heads to court
A vandalised campaign poster for a Democrat Party candidate contesting the Bangkok Council election in Khan Na Yow district.
|
|
Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin yesterday denied accusations by Thai Rak Thai Party spokesman Sita Divari that he ordered the removal of Thai Rak Thai election campaign posters from the city's streets.
Apirak said it was deputy Bangkok City Clerk Rattapol Meethanathaworn who took the decision to have the Bangkok Election Commission take them down after seeing that many banners carrying mudslinging content had no indication of who owned or produced them. Apirak said he instructed deputy Bangkok Governor Wallop Suwandee to file a criminal complaint with police against Thai Rak Thai for defamation. He said Thai Rak Thai had put up election campaign posters carrying a message about corruption in 16 projects including the purchase of fire-engines by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. He said the Election Commission would decide whether the posters violated election laws. Rattapol said he ordered 50 district offices to remove those posters that did not carry the names or numbers of candidates but merely mudslinging messages. More than 1,400 posters were removed from 28 districts. He insisted he did not take the order from Apirak to take action. Bangkok City Clerk Natthanon Thaweesin, meanwhile, accepted a complaint filed by Thai Rak Thai members over the removal of the posters. Natthanon said she would seek a meeting with the local election commission to seek a just outcome to the matter.
|
