Paetongtarn unfazed by allegations against Pheu Thai, sees no dissolution in future

She had arrived at her polling station in Bangkok’s Khan Na Yao district with her mother and older sister at 10.30am.

Paetongtarn was 454 on the list of eligible voters at her station, while her mother, Khunying Pojaman Damapong and sister Pintongta Shinawatra Kunakornwong were 453 and 455 respectively.

The three waited in the queue for about half an hour for their turn.

A foreign reporter approached Paetongtarn as she came out of the polling booth and asked if she was worried about speculation that her party may be dissolved.

The young politician responded by saying she was not afraid as her party has not violated any laws. She also told the reporter she hopes to see a high voter turnout.

Sonthiya Sawasdee, a former adviser to the House committee on law, justice and human rights, filed a petition with the Election Commission alleging that Nattawut Saikuar, director of the Pheu Thai family project, had insulted outgoing PM Prayut Chan-o-cha during an election campaign in Nakhon Pathom on March 26.

He said the fact that Nattawut is under a political ban, yet Pheu Thai still assigned him to lead an election campaign shows that the party agrees with his comments against Prayut. Hence, Sonthiya said, the EC should consider investigating Pheu Thai with the intention to dissolve it.

The party’s critics have also alleged that Pheu Thai’s patriarch, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, has delivered several speeches online in support of Pheu Thai. They said Thaksin is influencing the party’s affairs as an outsider and that these offences can be used to get the party dissolved.

Speaking to Thai reporters later, Paetongtarn said she has been monitoring the election since the morning and was happy that many people had come out to vote.

She also encouraged the rest to come out and exercise their voting rights before polling stations close at 5pm.

After casting her vote, Paetongtarn said she would return home to look after her newborn baby before heading to the party’s head office to monitor the election results in the evening.

She said she had done nothing special on Sunday apart from seeking her mother’s blessings. She said she had spoken to Thaksin on Saturday night, and he had advised her to rest as she has a very young child to look after.