Thailand's EC supports DSI investigation into election fraud

The Election Commission (EC) of Thailand is working with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on a probe into alleged vote rigging in last year's Senate election. EC chairman Itthiporn Boonpracong expressed his support for the DSI's involvement in the investigation. Since the election, the EC has received 577 complaints about misconduct. Among these, 220 are related to vote rigging, which violates election laws. So far, nine cases have been sent to the Supreme Court for legal action. The EC has investigated 115 of the 220 vote-rigging cases. Recently, the EC received three more cases from the DSI related to Senate election violations. The DSI's preliminary probe indicated that these cases should be investigated by the EC. Officials from the DSI will work with the EC on these cases. The EC has faced criticism for the slow progress of the investigations and a lack of transparency. About 30 former Senate candidates have also called for the suspension of EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee due to alleged negligence in preventing election collusion. The group believes there is evidence that the EC may have tried to hide the misconduct. They are requesting additional agencies, such as the Royal Thai Police and the Anti-Money Laundering Office, to join the investigation to restore public trust and ensure thoroughness.