Five villagers who were witnesses in the Nakhon Nayok vote-buying case yesterday filed a complaint with crime suppression police against the Election Commission.
They accused EC officials of leaking statements they gave and causing them to be intimidated by the winning candidate into reversing their statement.
The villagers said Election Commission authorities questioned them on the day of the by-election.
They said they had told the officials that the winning candidate - Wuthichai Kittithanesuan of the Chat Thai party, who has not yet been endorsed by the EC - offered them Bt100 in return for voting for him. They said they accepted the money offered to them.
One of the villagers said that three days ago his child was abducted from school, and after he was told to go meet the winning candidate at his home.
When he went there, he said, the candidate asked him to reverse statements given to the EC, which were recorded on videotape. He said he was also forced to sign his signature on the statements reversing his earlier evidence. After that, he said, his child was released.
Another villager said that a man came to watch over his neighbours, who were witnesses for the EC, in an attempt to intimidate them.
Other neighbours said they were stalked and that some men fired -s into the sky outside their homes.
Proving that the voice on a secretly recorded tape sent to the Election Commission (EC) was that of Deputy House Speaker Somsak Prissanananthakul would be difficult, commissioner Sawat Chotepanit said yesterday.
Sawat, who oversees a subcommittee investigating allegations of vote-buying in Nakhon Nayok province, said that speaking from his experience as judge, in order to prove the voice was Somsak's, the judges would need to be able to establish precisely when the voice had been recorded. However, complainant Chanchai Issarasenarak has been unable to persuade the person who recorded the tape to give a statement.
The tape allegedly names an election commissioner as being involved in wrongdoing but does not clearly state the nature of the illegal activity.
Election commissioner Yuwarat Kamolvej said the EC had appointed the subcommittee to look into allegations surrounding the secret tape, which reportedly contains a recording of a telephone conversation involving Somsak.
The committee will summon both the accused and the complainant to give statements tomorrow and expects to conclude its investigation before the end of August.
If the EC decides not to endorse a winning candidate, a by-election will be set for August 11, Yuwarat said.
IN BRIEF: Chat Thai, Rassadorn win in Nakhon Nayok, Ubon Ratchathani
A Chat Thai Party candidate and a Rassadorn Party candidate have taken most votes in by-elections in Nakhon Nayok and Ubon Ratchathani, the secretary-general of the Election Commission said yesterday.
Wijit Yusuparp said Chat Thai candidate Wutthichai Kittithanesuan had received 23,717 votes in Nakhon Nayok's Constituency 2 on Saturday and Rassadorn candidate Witthaya Banthupa had received 31,860.
Their victories have yet to be officially endorsed by the EC.
Wutthichai beat Democrat Party candidate Wikit Issarasenarak, who received 17,361 votes.
Witthaya beat Thai Rak Thai Party candidate Kittipong Thiamsuwan, who received 21,601 votes.
Sak Jittawet, a Chat Thai Party candidate who was disqualified in an earlier election, urged his supporters to vote for Witthaya. - The Nation