Senate candidate gets two years

Senate candidate gets two years

BANGKOK (AP): In a fresh sign that reforms to clean up
politics are taking hold, a Senate candidate has been sentenced
to two years jail for vote-buying, a court official said on
Friday.

But the verdict came amid growing reports of new poll abuses
ahead of an election rerun ordered on Saturday for 78 Senate
seats that were deemed to have been won by fraud in a first vote
March 4.

Chusak Trisrisilp, a candidate for Chiang Rai in northern
Thailand, was found guilty by Chiang Rai provincial court
Thursday of violating election law.

He was accused of putting on an entertainment show and passing
out free tickets to voters in a bid to gain support during his
campaign for Thailand's inaugural Senate election last month.

Chusak was immediately released on a 200,000 baht (US$5,263)
bail, pending an appeal that must be filed within 30 days, a
court official said on customary condition of anonymity.