THAI ELECTION SEASON PROMPTS CAMPAIGN, FRAUD, AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 005578 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EAP/MLS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM TH SUBJECT: THAI ELECTION SEASON PROMPTS CAMPAIGN, FRAUD, AND SAFETY WORRIES REF: A. BANGKOK 5332 (ELECTION CLOCK TICKING) ¶B. BANGKOK 5482 (ELECTION DECREE ADVANCES) SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Thailand's campaign season is under way following the enactment of the royal decree establishing a December 23 general election. Political parties and journalists raised strong objections to the Election Commission of Thailand's (ECT) strict new campaign rules which dramatically restrict campaign activities and media advertisements. A controversial government anti-vote buying campaign led by Deputy Prime Minister and coup leader Sonthi Boonyaratglin was launched as a new poll suggests a majority of Thai voters are prepared to sell their votes in the upcoming election. Local officials will investigate a potentially politically-motivated killing of a Phrae province provincial official and People's Power Party (PPP) supporter. End summary. ELECTION DECREE LEADS TO CAMPAIGN RESTRICTIONS -------------- - ¶2. (SBU) The royal decree (reftel B) establishing a election date of December 23 was endorsed by the King on October 21, published in the Royal Gazette on October 24, and came into force on October 25, marking the official start of Thailand's general election campaign season. During the week of October 15-19, the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) finalized a plan to geographically designate 157 parliamentary electoral districts throughout the country. Under the new constitution, each electoral district will contribute between one and three seats to the 480-seat House of Representatives. ¶3. (SBU) The publication of the election decree permits the ECT to begin to enforce strict campaign regulations that were announced by the ECT on October 24. The new regulations restrict the quantity, size and shape of campaign posters, require television stations to give equal airtime to all political parties, and prohibit parties from airing TV and radio advertisements outside of allotted time slots. Candidates are prohibited from participating in Buddhist merit-making ceremonies until the election. The ECT rules also require candidates to submit detailed campaign expenditure reports and recommend against recruiting popular celebrities to participate in their campaigns. ¶4. (SBU) The regulations prompted a fierce backlash from political parties which view the rules as overly restrictive. Party leaders are particularly incensed about restrictions of campaign venues and on television advertising. The leader of the Pracharaj party said that the rules would favor large parties at small parties' expense, while a Democrat Party official complained the new rules contravened international election practices by restricting the ability of political parties to communicate their messages to the public. Another Democrat told us that the regulations would favor PPP and other parties that engage in vote-buying, since they motivate their voting base with money, rather than with campaigning. (Comment: The Democrats claim that they never resort to vote-buying; although this is hard to credit, the Democrats have not recently commanded the kind of war chest that would make them competitive in the vote-buying market. End comment.) We asked whether the ECT was deliberately targeting specific parties with these restrictions; the Democrat responded, "No, they're just crazy." Local journalist organizations have also raised concerns. In response to these complaints, the ECT announced it would consider relaxing some of the new regulations. SONTHI CONVENES ANTI-VOTE BUYING COMMITTEE -------------- ¶5. (SBU) During the week of October 15-19, retired General and Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratglin convened a committee to battle vote-buying in the upcoming election, a problem that has plagued Thailand's democracy for decades. BANGKOK 00005578 002 OF 002 The press reported that Sonthi's committee will combat vote-buying by raising awareness of the problem, offering $600-$6,000 (20,000 to 200,000 baht) rewards for vote-buying whistle blowers, and by asking voters to "pick good and capable individuals to run the country." Although ECT officials are reportedly members of the committee, some political party members raised concerns that Sonthi's efforts would unconstitutionally duplicate or supersede the ECT's role in policing campaign irregularities. An ECT official told us on October 25 that the ECT would accept Sonthi's help, but the ECT would remain independent and not report to Sonthi or any committee he heads. ¶6. (SBU) The anti-vote buying efforts seemed particularly opportune following the publication of an Assumption Business Administrative College (ABAC) poll conducted between October 15 and 20 which found that 65% of respondents expressed a willingness to receive gifts or money in exchange for their votes in the upcoming election. The poll also revealed that 83% of respondents would not inform authorities of vote-buying occurrences even if they had evidence that it was taking place. (Note: Under newly enacted election laws (reftel A),individuals buying votes, as well as those found to be selling votes, could lose their voting rights and face imprisonment if convicted. End note.) PRO-THAKSIN PARTY SUPPORTER KILLED -------------- ¶7. (SBU) In a possible case of election-related violence, Phrae Provincial Administrative Organization president Charnchai Silapauaychai was shot while jogging in a sports stadium on October 22 in the northern Thai province. The press reported that Charnchai had recently declared his support for the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party (PPP). Police contacts have told us the killing appears to have been a professional hit. A close associate of the victim has told us that the killing was politically motivated, although police have yet to uncover evidence suggesting a motive or identifying a killer. (Note: Administration organizations on the provincial and district level are the equivalent of city councils; they control significant resources and have a big impact on local development. These officials are often embroiled in local disputes. End note.) The killing prompted a PPP spokesman to ask the government to launch an investigation and ensure the safety of candidates. ¶8. (SBU) Comment: Politically-motivated violence is not rare in Thailand -- ten political canvassers were killed before the 2005 elections in possibly election-related violence, and local administration officials have been killed in recent years as well. A TRT former MP was the victim of a professional killing in mid-2006 in central Thailand. Few of these cases were resolved. Police in general have better luck in catching and prosecuting the hired guns than they do the alleged planners of the crimes. This case is receiving very high level attention, but, based on the police track record, we are not optimistic that they will identify and successfully prosecute the perpetrators, much less the organizers. End comment. BOYCE