Suspect donation may result in dissolution of ruling Palang Pracharath Party
The Election Commission (EC) will investigate to see if the ruling Palang Pracharath Party broke the law by accepting donations from a “foreign” businessman linked to an illegal Bangkok nightclub.
EC secretary-general Sawang Boonmee can under the Political Parties Act gather information and evidence to see if any wrongdoing was committed, a source said on Friday.
If the evidence points to wrongdoing, then it could lead to the party’s dissolution after the case is handed to the EC, the source added.
The law prohibits Thai political parties from accepting donations from an illegal source or from a foreigner, and they can face dissolution if found guilty.
Palang Pracharath has been in hot water after it was found that the party accepted a donation of 3 million baht from Chaiyanat Kornchayanant, a naturalised Thai businessman whose Chinese name is Haozhe Du.
Chaiyanat, who came to Thailand more than 20 years ago, said he obtained Thai nationality after marrying a Thai woman.
However, police are investigating a possible connection between him and an unlicensed pub in Bangkok’s Yannawa district, which was raided on Tuesday and where dozens of mostly Chinese patrons tested positive for illegal drugs.
Also confiscated in the raid were various party drugs and gambling tools, police said, adding that the pub mostly caters to Chinese customers.
Separately, Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of Thai Constitution, on Friday filed a petition with the EC to investigate the matter.
He pointed out that if Chaiyanat is found to be holding both nationalities, Palang Pracharath can be deemed as violating the law and get dissolved.
Chaiyanat is one of five wealthy Chinese businessmen in the tourism sector who has come under the police radar. His wife is a senior police officer and the niece of a retired police general.
He has businesses in many provinces, including Bangkok, Chonburi, Phuket and Samut Prakan.
Department of Business Development records show that Chaiyanat is registered as a director in 12 companies involved in businesses ranging from real estate and jewellery to Internet services and birds-nest products.
