Pro-democracy to hold rally outside EC today
Pro-democracy group “24 June Democracy” is planning to rally at the headquarters of the Election Commission (EC) in Bangkok’s Lak Si district on Thursday at 1pm to ‘protect the democracy’ and support Pita Limjaroenrat as the next Prime Minister, the group announced on facebook on Wednesday.
The group said it would present a letter to the EC urging the election watchdog to announce the election result immediately, as well as dismiss the complaints against Pita Limjaroenrat regarding his alleged holding of media shares.
Pita has been accused of holding 42,000 shares in ITV Plc, operator of the defunct TV station iTV. MPs are barred from holding shares in media companies by the Constitution.
The group said it has invited students and the general public to join the rally to “protect democracy”, adding that the attack on Pita has been planned by supporters of the military junta.
“These people want to stop Pita from becoming Thailand’s next PM despite Move Forward Party gaining the most MP seats from the May 14 general election,” said the group. “They are abusing the law to obstruct the process of democracy and ignore the people’s resolution.”
On Wednesday, EC chairman Ittiporn Boonprakong said the commission has not yet decided whether it will accept a complaint against Pita, nor if there are sufficient grounds to appoint a subcommittee to investigate the allegation.
On Tuesday, Pita said the allegation was purely political and was part of an attempt to prevent him from becoming prime minister.
He said the company has not been in the media business since 2007 following the termination of its TV concession contract by the PM’s Office’s Secretariat.
The shares are part of his deceased father’s estate and he is the estate’s executor, he said, adding that the shares had been transferred to other heirs following the controversy.
The 24 June Democracy group was led by Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, an activist who was sentenced to 11 years in jail for lese majeste against King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The group is named after the Siamese Revolution of 1932, which took place on June 24, 1932, and saw the bloodless transition of Siam (the former name of Thailand) into a constitutional monarchy, the introduction of democracy and the first constitution.
