The "unedited" video recording will be played for the media at 9.30am today at the party's head office. It will include a series of nine "captured" pictures presented by Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban.

Pongthep spoke after the third hearing of a case at the Constitution Tribunal, which could lead to the party being dissolved - if it's found guilty of serious electoral offences.

Two witnesses gave contradictory information yesterday about their meeting with former defence minister Thamarak Isarangura at the Defence Ministry.

Thai Rak Thai representative Somsak Toraksa asked for the Tribunal's permission to play the recording - but the Tribunal said it could watch the video for itself.

Suthep released nine captured pictures, which he claimed were from the close-circuit television cameras at the ministry.

They showed Pattana Chart Thai director Suksan Chaithet, Pattana Chart Thai candidate Chawakarn Tosawat, along with Thamarak's close aides Tawee Suwannapat and Pongsri Siwamoke, meeting Thamarak to negotiate and receive money from Thamarak on March 3 last year.

Suthep claims that Thamarak, as Thai Rak Thai deputy leader, and deputy secretary-general Pongsak Ruktapongpisal, hired candidates from small parties to field candidates in the April 2 election last year.

Chawakarn Tosawat, a Pattana Chart Thai candidate for Bangkok, a witness for the Attorney-General, said he was contacted by Tawee to facilitate the hiring of candidates.

Information about candidates' membership had to be changed so that they could qualify to run in the poll, he said.

Chawakarn said he, along with Suksan, Tawee and Pongsri, went to see Thamarak and Pongsak at the Thai Rak Thai headquarters on March 2, before going to see Thamarak at the Defence Ministry the following day.

He said the CCTV pictures from

the Defence Ministry showed Tawee Suwannapat receiving Bt50,000 for finding 15 candidates from three small parties to run in the election. Tawee had expected Bt150,000 for the deal, he noted.

Thamarak told him to find candidates to run in the former Opposition parties' constituencies, including the 14 provinces in the South, Suphan Buri, Ang Thong and Sa Kaew, as the Democrats had boycotted the election.

Thamarak also told him that Pongsak had to be present at the negotiations, as he would be paying the money, while Thamarak facilitated the conspiracy, Chawakarn said.

Chawakarn said he decided to reveal the electoral fraud to Suthep after receiving less than the agreed amount of money from the Thai Rak Thai executive.

"I was guilty and it is hard to deny. I'm ready to destroy myself by admitting the crime to reveal the truth," he said.

Chawakarn described what happened - as shown in the CCTV images - for Suthep to use as evidence against the Thai Rak Thai. He said he then went to stay at Suthep's house for awhile and received spending money from him.

However, Tawee, as another witness, denied everything Chawakarn said.

He said that as a reporter, he went to see Thamarak on March 3 to discuss the situation in the three southernmost provinces. But he didn't meet Thamarak, as claimed by Chawakarn.

He said he was holding documents containing information about the situation in the South, before returning the documents to Pongsri.

There was no talk about the election, he said.

Moreover, he claimed he did not go to meet Thamarak at the Thai Rak Thai Party headquarters and wasn't close to Thamarak, he said. 

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation