Military's Matchima link

The head office of the new Matchima political group is owned by a top military figure with close ties to the junta, sources say.

Matchima is the old Wang Nam Yom faction of the Thai Rak Thai Party. Matchima means Middle Way.

Somsak Thepsuthin, a former Labour Minister in the Thaksin Shinawatra Cabinet, leads the group.

He is reported to have met General Winai Pattariyakul, secretary-general of the Council for National Security, and discussed with him the formation of a new political party.

The party will reportedly give coup leaders a mainstream avenue for political involvement. Both Somsak and Winai deny the report.

The new headquarters of Matchima is on Khao Road, behind the Wachira Hospital in Thon Buri.

"As far as I know, it is owned by a military officer, but I don't know who," said Matchima group director Terdsak Setthamanop, the former deputy permanent secretary of the Transport Ministry.

The 131 Khao Road address is registered to the Supaporn family.

Before the Matchima group rented the house it was a restaurant. When the restaurant did not extend its contract, the family put it on the rental market using the Internet.

The rental advertisement named Jiradaporn Supaporn, elder daughter of General Montri Supaporn, the former TOT board executive chairman. He resigned two weeks ago over the access-charge income dispute.

Montri and other senior military officers were placed on the boards of state enterprises after the September coup. He is close to former prime minister General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.

Former member of Parliament and Matchima man Sophon Phetsawang said the building had been chosen because of its street number, which corresponds to Somsak's birthday, January 13. Somsak's Buri Ram home has the same street number.

The Matchima headquarters is a three-level house on one rai with parking for 30 vehicles.

The group has made the first floor into a meeting room and reception hall. The second floor has executive offices and a meeting room. The third is an attic used for storage.

Somsak has provided most of the furniture in the headquarters.

Terdsak said the rent was Bt200,000 a month. "We spent about Bt1 million on the renovations."

An opening ceremony is planned for today, and a name plaque will be erected on Monday.

The house is more than 70 years old. It has been painted white, and Terdsak said this represented purity and conveyed harmony, a Matchima concept.

Matchima is not a political party but an association, he said, citing the post-coup ban on political activity.

Members want to "exchange opinions and associate each other".

"We needed to find somewhere to join together and receive politicians who are not party members," he said.

Member Paisal Chantarasomboon said the location had better fengshui than the Thai Rak Thai headquarters on Phetchaburi Road.

The Matchima house is near the Chao Phya River and Parliament.

Paisal believed the group would be as strong as the building. "Even if the house looks old, its fabric is still strong, like ours," he said.

Paisal said the group would not register as a party until a new constitution was in force.

Sucheera Pinijparakarn The Nation

The Nation Thailand
Saturday January 27, 2007