Bangkok: The Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) has clarified guidelines permitting politicians and political parties to donate to disaster relief efforts, provided they adhere to specific criteria.
According to Thai News Agency, Kriangkrai Pandokmai, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Election Commission, emphasized that donations for traditional or justifiable reasons must comply with the ECT’s regulations. These regulations cover the donation amount, criteria, methods, conditions for traditional or justifiable donations, and the submission of objections regarding expense recording for the upcoming House of Representatives election, B.E. 2561 (2018), as amended.
For traditional occasions, such as funerals or merit-making ceremonies, donations through political parties or individuals holding political positions are capped at 3,000 baht. In contrast, for disaster relief, political officeholders and members can donate up to 300,000 baht at a time, while political parties can donate up to 3,000,000 baht per incident. Donations exceeding these limits will be reserved for future elections to ensure fairness. Donations can be directed to any individual, organization, or agency without needing a designated recipient.
The Deputy Secretary-General further clarified that the EC does not limit donations, allowing MPs to donate up to the specified limit to assist citizens. MPs can also distribute items like rice, labeling them as contributions from the MP or political party. However, donations made within 180 days of a term’s expiration carry risks unless they are conducted through local administrative organizations under Section 65, with caution to avoid identifying the donor.
When addressing concerns about preventing donations from exceeding legal limits through intermediaries, Mr. Kriangkrai explained that individuals could donate multiple times per disaster, with each donation not exceeding 300,000 baht. There is no restriction on the frequency of donations per disaster event, as long as each donation is within the limit. He noted that disasters generally do not persist for extended periods, citing the recent southern floods that lasted about a week as an example.