General News - Sunday December 16, 2007

RACE TO PARLIAMENT

Chart Thai eyes deep South seats

By Wassana Nanuam

The Chart Thai party has set itself a modest goal of winning just two out of the 12 constituency seats up for grabs in the Democrat-dominated southern border provinces. Chart Thai candidate Kuheng Yaworhasan said he had dashed the Democrats' dream of making a clean sweep of all 12 House constituency seats in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala in the 2005 election, as he managed to snatch one seat.

And if opinion polls are to be believed, the Democrats are facing the possibility of losing up to six of those seats in next weekend's election.

Mr Kuheng is standing in constituency 2 of Narathiwat and his elder brother Watchara is running in constituency 1. Their are five House seats in Narathiwat's two constituencies.

Their father, Mr Kuseng, chairman of the Narathiwat Provincial Administration Organisation, has a solid support base which his sons hope will help them.

''I wish I could take all (12 seats). But that is simply not possible as [the Democrats'] candidates are so outstanding. So I aim for two,'' Chart Thai leader Banharn Silpa-archa said during election campaigning in Narathiwat recently.

But the Democrats have conceded the two brothers pose a challenge.

''I don't care about candidates from other parties but the two Chart Thai candidates stand a good chance to steal two seats from us,'' said Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban.

Bangkok Post