Activists sue Ombudsman and Constitutional Court judges for nullifying Feb 2 election

Student activists in Khon Kaen Province filed complaints at the Administrative Court on Monday against members of the Office of the Ombudsman for filing a request to the Constitutional Court to annul the February 2 election.  
 
Last week, the Court annulled the election on the grounds that it could not be held on the same day nationwide due to disruptions from anti-government protests. In 28 constituencies in 8 provinces, protesters from the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) blocked candidate registration and voting, claiming that reform by an unelected so-called “People’s Council” should take place before the election.
 
The activist group, who are mostly students at north eastern Khon Kaen University, said the Ombudsman and the Constitutional Court did not have the authority to accept the complaint, as the issue did not concern legislation, but rather the management of the election. Therefore the decision was made to obstruct the electoral process and democracy, the group said.
 
Jatuphat Boonpataraksa, a representative of the group called Human Rights Law for Society, said the group did not hope for any legal consequences from the lawsuit because they have already lost faith in the justice system. Instead, he said, they want to express opposition to the actions by the so-called independent agencies, including the Constitutional Court and the Office of the Ombudsman.
 
“What happened was like a coup by the independent agencies. The decision to nullify the February 2 election will create a problematic precedent for future elections,” he said.
 

The activists lodges complaints against the Ombudsman at the Administrative Court 
 
The student activists also staged a mock play by dressing up like barbarians, symbolizing, they claimed, the backwardness of the Constitutional Court judges.
 
The group later read out a statement opposing a coup or the appointment of an unelected Prime Minister, should either be carried out in the future.
 
Meanwhile in Surin Province on Monday, the People’s Youth for Democracy Party covered the province’s democracy monument with a black banner to oppose the charter court’s decision.
 
In Bangkok, an online petition was created to gather signatures from people who disagree with the election annulment. Sudchai Boonchai, who led the petition, gathered about 10,000 signatures and filed complaints against the Constitutional Court judges with the Attorney General on Tuesday.  
 

Activists in Surin, northeast of Thailand, hang black banner at the province's democracy monument
 

Since 2007, Prachatai English has been covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite the risk and pressure from the law and the authorities. However, with only 2 full-time reporters and increasing annual operating costs, keeping our work going is a challenge. Your support will ensure we stay a professional media source and be able to expand our team to meet the challenges and deliver timely and in-depth reporting.

• Simple steps to support Prachatai English

1. Bank transfer to account “โครงการหนังสือพิมพ์อินเทอร์เน็ต ประชาไท” or “Prachatai Online Newspaper” 091-0-21689-4, Krungthai Bank

2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”