Intereview: How the Democrats won

By Supawadee Inthawong

Defence council Bundit Siripant was the first non-party member that Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva turned to to thank after his party survived dissolution from the verdict of the Constitution Tribunal on Wednesday.

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The chief of the Seni Pramoj law office offered his defence council services to the Democrats free of charge to help the party fight against charges of electoral fraud. Mr Bundit spoke of his fight for the Democrats with the Bangkok Post.

Supawadee Inthawong: Why did you take this job? Were you confident from the start?

Bundit Siripant: Mr Chuan (Leekpai) and Mr Abhisit asked me to help. Studying all the information, I believed the Democrat party was innocent so I felt comfortable with the case. I consistently told my close aides that I was 100% confident about the case. Apart from the facts, I believed in the maturity and honesty of the nine-member Constitution Tribunal.

I am a lawyer who normally knows the backgrounds of judges. I know the history of every person on the nine-member panel. I knew that none of the judges had been tarnished, so I was confident of justice.

If it had been the old Constitution Court, I would not have acted for the party because I had a conflict with them in the past. I once defended Sqn Ldr Prasong Soonsiri in a libel suit that the Constitution Court judges had filed.

Q: Is this the most difficult case you have ever handled?

A: In the 41 years that I have spent as a lawyer, this case is the biggest and the most tiring. I had to wok hard because time was so limited. I had to hurry to research the details. When the tribunal submitted accusations, we had to respond thoroughly and carefully under a very tight schedule.

For example, when I learned of accusations put by another party at 2pm, I had to read them, conduct research and prepare responses. I went to bed at 10.30pm. Accusations against the Democrat party were so broad and I had to research a wide range of facts.

Q: Can you give an example of the difficult parts of the defence?

Regarding Mr Abhisit's speech referring to the Thaksin regime, we had to describe the Thaksin regime concretely to show what it was and how it had harmed democracy. In the trial we could not explain only verbally but had to present supporting documents. For the Thaksin regime issue alone, I had as many as 150 pieces of paper to show what it was, why it was dangerous and why Mr Abhisit had to refer to it. I referred to academics and newspapers. What was very surprising was that I found a remark of Uthai Pimchaichon who used to be the parliament president and worked for Thai Rak Thai. Finally Mr Uthai had had enough and denounced the Thaksin regime. When I found the reference, it became credible.

Another highlight of the case is that I was able to prove that police, the Thai Rak Thai party and the Election Commission conspired to distort facts and accuse the Democrat party.

It referred to the allegation that Thaikorn Polsuwan, on behalf of Mr Suthep (Thaugsuban), hired the leader of the Cheewit Tee Dee Kwa party to frame Suwat Liptapanlop. The conversation between Mr Thaikorn and the leader of the Cheewit Tee Dee Kwa party was taped and edited to mislead people into thinking that Mr Thaikorn had done something wrong.

But I found from the transcript by the prosecution that there was nothing indicating Mr Thaikorn had hired him. All that resulted from their attempt to fabricate evidence. The EC, Thai Rak Thai and police joined forces to do that.

Q: Being involved with the fate of the Democrat party during its crisis, do you plan to enter politics?

This is quite clear. I was invited to join the Democrat party in 1975 by Mr Damrong Latthapipat. But M.R. Seni Pramoj (former Democrat leader and prime minister) said he could persuade anyone to enter into politics, but not me. He wanted me to run the law office. But all my life, I have been the lawyer for political cases.

Almost all my clients are politicians. I follow politics but I do not want to become a politician.

But this case was my proudest moment because it drew special attention from local and foreign people. And the outcome has taught me that, with a reliable court, justice still exists on this Earth.