TRT allowed to put Thaksin's testimony online, Tribunal says
Pongthep Thepkanchana, left, head of the Thai Rak Thai Party’s defence team, talks with another legal expert during yesterday’s Constitution Tribunal hearing.
|
|
|
The Thai Rak Thai Party had the right to publish its former leader Thaksin Shinawatra's written testimony for the electoral fraud case against TRT on its website, and doing so would not affect the Constitution Tribunal's ruling on the case, Tribunal President Panya Thanomrod said yesterday.
"Whether publicising the testimony is suitable or not is up to individual views. It not against the law. If they want to do anything, it is their right. But I don't think it will affect the ruling and won't put any pressure on the tribunal," Panya said. Thai Rak Thai Party has posted Thaksin's written testimony on its website (www.thairakthai.or.th). In his testimony, Thaksin said if the Constitution Tribunal rules that the party should be dissolved, it would have a great impact on its 14 million members - and eventually the country. "It will clearly have a heavy impact that we can't describe yet. While party members didn't acknowledge or become involved in any activities of the party executives, they will be politically executed - unfairly - if the party executives did nothing wrong, [despite being] accused, and the Constitution Tribunal orders the party to be dissolved," Thaksin wrote. He said the country's reputation would also be affected as foreign countries and investors would not understand and would therefore lack trust in Thai politics. The website also carries the testimonies of acting Thai Rak Thai leader Chaturon Chaisang and acting executives Prommin Lertsuridej and Pongthep Thepkanchana. In Chaturon's written testimony, he claimed the Constitution Tribunal appointed by the coup makers should not be allowed to order a party dissolution as it wasn't a constitutional agency and was formed undemocratically. Pongthep, a Thai Rak Thai executive and head of the party's legal defence, said yesterday Chaturon's statement that the tribunal had no right to rule on the case or order the party to be dissolved did not violate tribunal rules. Chaturon was simply defending the party's argument that the Constitution Court, which was authorised to rule on the case, was dissolved shortly after the coup last September. Posting party figures' testimony on the website should not influence people's opinion, Pongthep claimed. Attorney-General's representative Atthapol Yaisawang said it was up to the tribunal to consider whether publishing Thai Rak Thai party figures' testimonies online was appropriate. Yesterday was the ninth hearing for the electoral fraud case against Thai Rak Thai, Thai Ground and Pattana Chart Thai parties. The defendants' witnesses testifying yesterday included leader of Better Life Party Watwarit Tantipirom, Election Commission investigator Ruthapol Naowarat, Thai Rak Thai MP candidate Tawee Surabarn and Trang local newspaper editor Budsayamas Klinpetch. The witnesses formerly testified before the Tribunal in the electoral fraud case against the Democrat and Progressive Democratic parties.
Kornchanok Raksaseri The Nation
|
