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Published on November 5, 2007

Abhisit said the government must find the truth quickly by appointing the Election Commission or another independent agency.

Democrat Party spokes-man Ongart Klampaiboon said the party did not want to see such intimidation and called for an immediate investigation.

People Power Party se-cretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee claimed a

soldier pointed an M-16 rifle at the neck of Sombat Wanthong, secretary of Chaisri Kela, the party's candidate in Amnat Charoen.

Defence Minister Boon-rawd Somtas said he would go to Ubon Ratchathani and discuss the matter with the Second Army Region commander.

He said the military would not defend law violators.

"If soldiers break the law, they have to be punished also,'' he said.

Colonel Pornchai Trisupol, Amnat Chaoren provincial deputy police chief, brought Sombat to a re-enactment of the alleged crime yesterday.

The canvasser claimed the incident happened as soldiers searched his car after he came back from an election campaign.

Sombat said he was about to make a turn into a village when his way was blocked by two pickup trucks; one forced him to stop and the other parked at the rear of his car. The man with the M-16 pointed the rifle at his neck and asked: "You are Sombat or not?"

He said he was so scared that he ran 200 metres into a rice field and returned to the same spot after 20 minutes.

But Pornchai said he did not believe that military men threatened Sombat. He said it was probably the work of a third party.

Chaisri called on the government to lift martial law in Amnat Charoen and urged soldiers to wear their military uniforms all the time to clearly show their names and ranks.

He called on the Election Commission to check claims hundreds of soldiers were helping MP candidates to prepare for the election.

The Nation