DSI denies intimidating senatorial candidates in Amnat Charoen over voting collusion

DSI denies claims of intimidating Senate candidates in Amnat Charoen amid probe into alleged voting collusion; tensions rise with Election Commission.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has denied allegations that its officials intimidated or coerced unsuccessful senatorial candidates in Amnat Charoen to confess to peer voting collusion during last year’s Senate election.

DSI Chief Dismisses Governor’s Allegations

Pol Maj Gen Yutthana Praedam, Director-General of the DSI, refuted claims made by Amnat Charoen Governor Narong Thepsena, who alleged in a letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry that DSI officials intimidated at least two candidates.

According to Narong, three men claiming to be DSI officers, who wore no uniforms and failed to show identification, visited the province and pressured the candidates to confess to colluding during the peer voting process to favour certain winners.Claims of Evidence Tampering and Coercion

The governor also alleged that the individuals disabled CCTV systems at the homes of the two candidates to prevent any video evidence of their actions.

However, Yutthana confirmed that the three individuals were indeed DSI officers but denied that they used intimidation or coercion. He stated that the officers were simply questioning the candidates as witnesses, following standard procedure.

DSI: No Evidence of Intimidation

Yutthana argued that if intimidation had occurred, the candidates would likely have recorded it. He suggested that the governor's allegations may be an attempt to discredit the DSI as it investigates the Senate election case.Tensions Between Coalition Partners

The DSI's probe into alleged voting collusion has become a politically sensitive issue, reportedly straining relations between the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which oversees the Justice Ministry and DSI, and its coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, whose loyalists reportedly make up most of the senatorial winners.

Jurisdictional Dispute with Election Commission

Under Thai election law, only the Election Commission (EC) is authorised to investigate election fraud. Therefore, the DSI is handling the case as a money laundering investigation linked to alleged collusion, rather than direct election fraud.

The EC has previously asserted that the DSI cannot independently probe the case without being formally commissioned to do so. EC Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee stated that the EC has received 220 complaints regarding alleged peer voting collusion, has completed reviews of 109 cases, and has referred three cases to the Supreme Court.

(2025/05/06-00:00)