Jatuporn's Detention Cost Him MP Status, Says Somchai
 Jatuporn Prompand already lost a lawmaker's status since he was put behind bars, not because he failed to go to July's polls.
Election Commissioner Somchai Jungprasert explained on Thursday his colleagues at the polling agency had ruled the Red Shirt leader-cum-Puea Thai MP had been deprived of his MP status because he had been earlier detained in prison on ''terrorism'' charges involving last year's Red Shirt protests.
Though Jatuporn was released on bail after the nationwide election had been held, the commissioners were obliged to rule on his MP status in retroactive fashion, Somchai said.
''The Election Commission's ruling which might lead to the loss of Jatuporn's MP status was attributed to the fact the elected lawmaker had been detained in prison in accordance with an organic law of the constitution.It was not because he failed to go to the polls as widely misunderstood.
''There has been no precedent to this kind of phenomenon and we'll see to it that it will be decided upon as an established rule,'' said the commissioner.
Jatuporn was among the top ten on a 125-candidates list of the Puea Thai Party which scored a landslide victory in July's race to parliament and set up a coalition government under leadership of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
He remained behind bars from May until Aug and was denied the chance to go to the poll on the July 3 electoral date.
Nevertheless, the outspoken Red Shirt leader may practically continue to perform as lawmaker, pending a final ruling of the Constitution Court.
The commissioners, who voted 4:1 to deny Jatuporn his MP status, are yet to forward their ruling to the Constitution Court via House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranond in due course.
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