Thai Rak Thai, the former ruling party, urged the Election Commission (EC) of Thailand to dissolve the Democrat party for framing it over the hiring of small parties to contest the April 2 election, local media reported on Sunday.

Thai Rak Thai deputy spokesman Jatuporn Phromphan accused Democrat member Thaikorn Polsuwan of conspiring with his party to pay Better Life party leader Watthawarit Tantipirom to implicate Thai Rak Thai executives in the bribery, the report said.

Jatuporn claimed Watthawarit had complained to Chaiyaphum Province's police chief on April 21 that men from a major party had intimidated him.

Police later asked Watthawarit to make an appointment with Thaikorn at the Grand Hotel in Bangkok and hide a camera to tape their meeting. Police later followed Thaikorn who headed for the Democrat party office after the meeting, accordint to the report.

"I want to ask the court and the public prosecution what action should be taken against Thaikorn who clearly said in the VCD that he could lobby the court and prosecutors. They dared to hire people to frame Thai Rak Thai. That's too much," Jatuporn said.

"The Democrat party does not file charges against Thaikorn because it's his accomplice. So the Democrat party should be dissolved," he added.

Thaikorn admitted offering to Watthawarit, but said it was just a trap, set by him alone, and payment was never made.

The Democrat was seen in the VCD trying to convince Watthawarit to name senior Thai Rak Thai members as the people who paid small parties to contest the election, in exchange for money and a chance to run under the Democrat banner.

On Saturday, Jatuporn called on the EC to check the transparency and confidentiality of its subcommittee's probe into the poll cheating case and to consider dissolving the Democrat party for conspiring with Thaikorn to frame Thai Rak Thai.

Meanwhile, a source said Thai Rak Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra would announce at the party's Tuesday meeting that he would contest the next election under the party list system, but continue his political hiatus by not accepting the premiership until political reforms were done.

Source: Xinhua