By Thai Newsroom Reporters
SOME VILLAGE-BASED healthcare volunteers in Chumphon were accused today (Jan. 5) of unlawfully canvassing for a certain candidate contesting Jan. 16’s by-election for MP of a southern constituency.
Former MP Sirisak Onlamai, who defected from Democrat Party to Palang Pracharath Party, alleged that these village-based healthcare volunteers have been quietly helping the unnamed candidate running for MP of Constituency 1 despite the fact they are not legally allowed to do so in the first place.
Sirisak, who had been a six-time Democrat MP of Chumphon over the past decades, charged that some of these village-based healthcare volunteers had been coaxed and cajoled into unlawfully helping the candidate in question by recommending villagers that they should vote for him and others had taken kickbacks from his head canvassers.
The village-based healthcare volunteers who have been worked very hard helping the authorities contain Covid spreads among local villagers throughout downtown areas and Sawi district in Constituency 1 were pitifully turned into tools to serve such selfish desires of the rogue candidate, said the ex-MP who called on the authorities in charge of the village-based healthcare volunteers to take a close look at the allegedly unbecoming situation currently prevalent throughout the constituency.
Meanwhile, Sirisak himself is openly canvassing for Palang Pracharath candidate Chavalit Ardharn, who was defeated in the 2019 general election in Constituency 1 of Chumphon by a winning Democrat candidate Chumpol Julasai who was last month deprived of MP status due to his involvement in 2014’s anti-vote street activism in the name of the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee in Bangkok.
Chavalit’s archrival now is Democrat candidate Issarapong Mak-ampai.
In another by-election for MP scheduled for Jan. 16 in Constituency 6 of Songkhla, Palang Pracharath candidate Anukul Prueksanusak is contesting against archrival Democrat candidate Supaporn Kamnerdpol to replace former deputy transport minister Thaworn Senniam, who was also handed the deprivation of MP status due to the same misconducts as perpetrated by Chumpol.
In the previous general election, Democrat Party currently led by Deputy Prime Minister/Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit secured 22 MP seats, compared to 13 MP seats won by Palang Pracharath Party currently led by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and eight MP seats won by Bhumjaithai Party under leadership of Deputy Prime Minister/Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
The opposition Prachachat Party currently led by Wan Muhammad Nor Matha secured six MP seats and a splinter partner in government, namely Action Coalition for Thailand Party, won a lone MP seat in the 14-province region earlier dominated by the Democrats.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Democrat Party’s by-election campaign vehicle driving through Chumphon. Photo: Matichon
Home Page: Former MP Sirisak Onlamai. Photo: Prachachat.net
Also read: Southern by-election to see fierce contest among 3 coalition partners
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