By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER Anutin Charnvirakul today (July 27) called anyone’s legal moves to have the Bhumjaithai, core of the current coalition government, dissolved by court pertaining to 2024’s senatorial rigging scandals “pathetic” and repeatedly denied that he had been by any means involved in such electoral frauds.
Asked by reporters whether he may have been somewhat annoyed and frustrated by sustained allegations of himself having been involved among several Bhumjaithai members of cabinet in the vote-buying, electoral rigging conspiracy which had landed as many as 138 contestants undue victories in the complicated senatorial races two years ago, the prime minister, who concurrently acts as leader of the ruling party, bluntly responded by chuckling and saying the word “pathetic” twice.
Anutin repeatedly dismissed the allegations that he had been in any way involved in the alleged senatorial rigging conspiracy which had involved eight other Bhumjaithai figures and himself in addition to the 138 winning candidates, all being among a total of 229 rigging suspects.
The prime minister reconfirmed that a partisan lawyer will certainly file a libel lawsuit against Yingcheep Atchanont, project manager of iLaw activist group, who had publicly accused the prime minister and others of involvement in the senatorial rigging shenanigans.
Those prominent Bhumjaithai figures accused of involvement in the senatorial electoral fraud included Deputy Prime Minister Songsak Thongsri, personally close to Newin, Prime Minister’s Office Ministers Paradorn Prisnanuntakul, Napinthorn Srisanpang and Suksamruay Wantaneeyakul, Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, chief government whip Koravee Prisnanuntakul, former deputy House speaker Supachai Bhosu and Anutin, among others.
However, the prime minister admitted that he had visited Pullman Bangkok King Power hotel “daily” where, he said, he had unintentionally met “hundreds of people” many of whom had asked to pose for a photograph with him and that he had been so regularly there long before the senatorial election was held two years ago.
Besides, de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob, a native of Buriram – a lower-northeastern province where the largest Bhumjaithai stronghold is located, had also often been seen at the same hotel since the last several years.
Anutin had been accused by the iLaw activist of literally mingling with winning senatorial contestants at the Bangkok hotel where they had met to pick a Senate speaker and a couple of deputy Senate speakers among themselves.
Meanwhile, Pipat today downplayed criticism that he had developed some sort of conflict of interest with the de facto party boss and confirmed that they both are scheduled to see each other in Nakhon Sri Thammarat on the upcoming Friday.
The transport minister who had taken care of a Bhumjaithai partisan campaign for southern constituencies in a general election for MPs earlier this year, categorically denied that either his daughter, namely Pakornkarn Ratchakitprakarn, or he himself had been by any means involved in the senatorial electoral fraud among the total 229 suspects.
Those allegedly included close aides to Bhumjaithai MPs and members of cabinet, past and present, as well as covert partisan associates who had reportedly transferred cash to a number of senatorial contestants including those who had scored victories in the triple-tiered races to parliament and been involved in the rigging shenanigans.
Chief opposition whip/People’s MP Parit Wacharasindhu repeatedly called on the Election Commission to eventually forward senatorial rigging cases over to the Supreme Court and to never pass judgment on their own amidst suspicions that the commissioners might probably look for ways and means to keep the prime minister as well as the other Bhumjaithai members of cabinet intact from the despicable scandals.
Four out of a total of seven commissioners were named by an overwhelming majority of senators including those who have been largely suspected of involvement in the electoral fraud and apparently performed in line with plans and schemes of Newin’s camp.
Nevertheless, if found guilty as charged of the electoral rigging conspiracy, the prime minister and other partisan suspects could possibly be deposed of their current positions in government, be sentenced to terms in prison and have their largest ruling party immediately dissolved by court.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Photos – Amarin TV
First insert – iLaw activist group project manager Yingcheep Atchanont. Photo – PPTVHD36
Second insert – From left, Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob. Photo – Mgronline.com
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