Thailand Seeks to Run Honest Election
M A H A C H A I, Thailand, Dec. 27 -- Inside a cavernous workshop, men in blue overalls are welding and hammering away at stripped-down cars, racing to armor-plate them for Thailand’s election campaign.
Preecha Puchaneeyakul’s factory, the only one of its kind in Thailand, is where politicians and candidates go for extra protection before hitting the campaign trail.
The fact that Preecha’s business is booming may not paint apretty picture of Thai democracy as it approaches a critical Jan. 6 general election, yet in important ways the opposite is true.
Driven by economic crisis, and swept up in an Asia-wide push for cleaner politics, Thailand has rewritten its constitution and is making its boldest attempt yet to root out corruption and run an honest election.
At least 18 people have been killed and scores injured inelection-related shootouts since Nov. 9. Some 130,000 policemen have been deployed, and the military is on standby. Hundreds of grenades, rifles and pistols have been seized, and 200 politicians have asked for police protection.
But equally attention-grabbing this time around is the Election Commission, with its new powers to stamp out vote-buying and disqualify corrupt candidates.
“In 68 years of on-and-off Thai democracy, we have had around 20 general elections, but not even once have we been able to punish a candidate,” said Gothom Arya, one of the five election commissioners.
Financial Scams
Until now, that is. The National Counter-Corruption Commission, also set up under the new constitution, threw the campaign into disarray on Tuesday by ruling that the leading contender for prime minister was guilty of financial wrongdoing that could bar him fromthe office.
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai (Thai Love Thai) party had been expected to outpoll Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai’s Democrat Party and take the most seats in the 500-member House of Representatives.
But now Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon, stands accused of having transferred millions of dollars’ worth of shares under the names of employees — including his maids — when he became deputy prime minister in 1997.
