Ex-Election Official Exposes Senate Election Fraud, Challenges EC

At 9:30 a.m. on August 4, 2569 at Parliament, the opposition coalition coordination committee, led by Priset Wachrasin (a party-list MP and deputy leader of the People's Party) as opposition coalition chair, held an event titled "2nd Anniversary of Senate Election: Investigating Evidence in the Senate Seat Fraud Case (Special Section) – How Far Can We Trust the Election Commission?" Witnesses including Sarinthon Sondhisirikrit, Pol. Lt. Col. Pian Piamsuasdee, and Pol. Col. Manas Nakhonsri, a former Election Commission inspector, shared information.

Sarinthon stated that what surprised her most was that the Election Commission announced through a microphone that no documents would be allowed in the voting round—people could do whatever they wanted, then hand out new Senate candidate sets afterward. Many people began copying, thinking they would get away with it, but she never expected such large-scale fraud. More seriously, Ritchu Kaewlaai carried a briefcase and brought cameras, openly stating names without fear of lawsuits, only telling the truth.

Sarinthon further revealed that some alternate senators carried files into the voting room in the afternoon, which she found suspicious. After 1 a.m., she witnessed what appeared to be fraudulent processes and asked who the top authority was, being told it was Sawaeng Boonmee. After speaking with Sawaeng, she saw Khamrop walk in. She later took a vacation in Japan, then filed a case at the Supreme Court, but was told she had no standing to sue. When asked whom to sue if the Election Commission acted wrongly, she was told to file at the Corruption and Misconduct Court. She appealed after the first ruling rejected her case.

Sarinthon also disclosed that after the election, she investigated many candidates' qualifications and found a 40-year-old applicant with suspicious credentials—claiming 10 years as a military school instructor but verification showed this was false. Another claimed to be a nurse at a hospital, but this also proved untrue. She filed a complaint with the Election Commission on November 25, 2567, but received no response, and that person became a current senator.

Pol. Lt. Col. Pian noted that running for Senate exposed him to a contemptible process of seizing power by people claiming honor. He saw signs of dishonesty and filed a complaint with the Election Commission on June 24, 2567, noting that some applicants held national ID cards and even debt collectors by morning became Senate candidates by afternoon. Questions arose about who paid the 2,500-baht registration fee, and the Election Commission allowed unqualified candidates—those without 10 years' experience or with disqualifying factors—to apply. One person even vouched for multiple candidates on the same date.

Pol. Lt. Col. Pian added that he filed a police complaint on July 30, 2567, but after two months there was still no progress. On September 18, 2567, Cherdsakdi Netgeuakul, a former Senate candidate, filed a court case as an eligible candidate.