A Thai court last night disbanded the political party of ousted
prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra over election law violations.
The Constitutional Tribunal earlier found the Thai Rak Thai
party guilty of financing obscure parties to run against it in last
year's elections to get around rules requiring a minimum voter
turnout.
"The defendant is responsible for holding up democratic ways. It
used parliamentary elections only as a means to achieve
totalitarian power," Judge Vichai Chuenchompoonuj said.
"It goes to show that the defendant does not believe in the
democratic system. It also shows no respect for the rule of
law."
The verdict came hours after the court acquitted the Democrat
Party of any wrongdoing in last year's inconclusive election.
"The tribunal throws out the request to disband" the Democrat
Party, Judge Nurak Mapraneet said after the Constitutional Tribunal
spent four hours summing up the case before announcing the verdict
on national television.
Democrat supporters exploded into cheers after their party was
acquitted of four charges of election breaches in the election
called by Thaksin to defuse street protests against him.
"The cases to disband the parties have undermined investor
confidence for so long. From now on, we must move toward the
elections and real democracy," party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva
said.
(China Daily via agencies May 31, 2007)
