SpicyTricks

EC chairman Apichart Sukhagganond yesterday said the commission was ready to allow the EU to monitor the poll in Thailand since EU member countries also had embassies in the kingdom.
Mr Apichart said the EC had told the EU during a recent meeting that it had no objection to the EU request to send a team of officials to observe the July 3 poll as the commission was confident it could supervise the general election in line with international standards.
Several other groups also wanted to monitor the election; however they had not been formally invited to observe the poll, said the EC chairman. Those groups had only notified the EC about their plans. He said those agencies should carefully study EC regulations and familiarise themselves with the scope of election observation.
He believed the EU would endorse the election outcome. The EC had not signed a memorandum of understanding with the EU on observing the poll and any EU recommendations or conclusions would not be legally binding.
Mr Apichart warned that the EC could issue red cards to candidates even before the July 3 election day.
If red cards were not issued before the election, the EC could still issue red cards within 30 days from the election, he said.
He believed both red and yellow cards would be handed out this time round. EC investigators would get tough with poll cheats. Those found involved in vote-buying or mudslinging attacks would be red-carded and not be allowed to stand in by-elections.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office has found no suspicious movements of money in 77 provinces during the election campaign.
Amlo acting secretary-general Sihanart Prayoonrat yesterday said his office has completed its task of following the money trails in every province and found no indication that an unusual amount of money had been taken out of circulation for use during the poll.
Amlo launched the probe followed media reports that about 10 billion baht in cash had vanished from circulation with the suspicion being that it was going to be used to buy votes.
The EC, if it obtains information about suspicious financial transactions, could supply it to Amlo to analyse the money trails, said Pol Col Sihanart.
He admitted it was not easy to prove that certain suspicious financial transactions might be used to buy votes due to a lack of evidence to implicate suspected candidates.
He said it was also hard to prove that a huge sum of cash had been smuggled into Thailand from a neighbouring country to buy votes as those who planned to use the money for unlawful activities would not declare their cash. Amlo only had the authority to investigate money transactions via banks, he said. The task of arresting those who smuggled cash across borders lay with the police.