A maybe “investigation” into senate selection shenanigans

A couple of weeks ago, we questioned what had happened to the Election Commission’s mumblings about looking into a large number of irregularities in the Senate selection process including fake qualifications.

Thai Newsroom has offered something of an answer, reporting that the Department of Special Investigation may “launch investigation into allegations that last year’s senatorial elections were blatantly riddled with vote-buying, rigging shenanigans…”.

It says that DSI Director-General Yutthana Praedam “has recently received a refreshed petition from a defeated senatorial contestant” and that the agency might “set up an ad hoc task force to investigate the alleged riggings and other electoral frauds prevailing over the unprecedented, complicated, triple-tiered elections for senior lawmakers nationwide.”

Interestingly, it reminds us that the (hopeless) Election Commission “had earlier rejected a similar petition lodged by the same senatorial contender…”.

The report links this maybe/might intent to Thaksin Shinawatra who is claimed to be concerned that the senate represents his royalist opponents (that’s our interpretation). He’d prefer to have control over the the agencies laughingly described as “independent.”

At present, some 150 of the total 200 senators are loyal to de facto Bhum Jai Thai boss Newin Chidchob who is credited with having worked out how to rig the selection process.

Many such rumors go up in smoke, so we can only wait.