Tough battle ahead in Nakhon Ratchasima

General News - Sunday December 16, 2007

RACE TO PARLIAMENT

Tough battle ahead in Nakhon Ratchasima

Seats likely to be shared by big parties

By Supawadee Inthawong

Sixteen MP seats in Nakhon Ratchasima look likely to be shared among the major parties contesting the province with the second highest number of constituencies. The province, dominated by the defunct Chart Pattana party for 15 years, is witnessing a multi-party contest in the run-up to next Sunday's general election.

Former MPs of the province were under the umbrella of the Chart Pattana party before it merged with the now-disbanded Thai Rak Thai party (TRT).

With the dissolution of TRT for electoral fraud, its members had gone on to form or join different parties.

Nakhon Ratchasima, the gateway to the Northeast, is the political stronghold of Suwat Liptapanlop and Chamlong Khudkhunthod, both among the 111 TRT executives banned from politics for five years by the Constitution Tribunal.

Now Mr Suwat is believed to have a role in the election campaign for the Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana party, while Mr Chamlong is thought to be behind the campaign of the People Power party (PPP).

Mr Suwat earlier set a goal of winning the most seats in the province, which he declared Ruam Jai Thai's political heartland.

Party leader Gen Chettha Thanajaro tops the candidates on the party list for zone 5, which covers Nakhon Ratchasima, Sa Kaeo, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat.

The zone 5 list included other key party members such as Virat Rattanaset, a former MP for the province, Pol Maj-Gen Thaloengsak Sukhonthamal, former MP Pratheep Kreetavej and Nawee Srinusart, a former deputy chairman of the provincial administration organisation.

Nakhon Ratchasima has 1.8 million eligible voters with 16 constituency seats, the second highest number after Bangkok with 36 seats.

Mr Suwat expected Ruam Jai Thai to win 12 constituency seats in the province and at least three party-list seats.

The party, however, may not pick up that many list seats as the zone is also a stronghold of rival parties.

The PPP has fielded Viruj Techapaiboon, Sompol Keyuraphan, the father of banned TRT executive Khunying Sudarat, Assanee Cherdchai, the son of interprovincial bus tycoon Mrs Sujinda, and Noppadol Pattama, the personal lawyer of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as party-list candidates in the zone.

Mr Chamlong, who served as PPP adviser, said his party would win at least half of the 16 constituency seats in the province if the election was held fairly.

Bangkok Post