PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN

Political defections have created family battles between relatives running in the election on Sunday for different parties.

Kriangkrai Phumlaochaeng, Chart Thai candidate for Kalasin's constituency 2, said he was initially tipped to be the TRT candidate and had conducted political activities there for TRT for two or three years. However, the party opted for another candidate.

Mr Kriangkrai said he was determined to run so he switched to the Chart Thai party. His older brother, Withaya Phumlaochaeng, is TRT candidate in constituency 3.

In his view, there is no problem with brothers running for different parties, as both are free to follow their principles.

However, Mr Kriangkrai said, he was criticised by some TRT members who felt running against his brother's party was inappropriate. ''Before I switched to Chart Thai, Thai Rak Thai had not set a condition to bar siblings or relatives of party members from contesting the election for rival parties. If there had been such a condition, I would not have run. However, the criticism came after I left the party,'' he said.

Mr Kriangkrai quit as vice-chairman of the Kalasin provincial administration organisation to contest the election. At that time, he was confident he would be picked by TRT to contest constituency 2. The situation changed after Oradee Suthasri, former Chart Thai MP for Kalasin, switched to TRT which decided to field her. Mrs Oradee was a member of a group led by Chon Buri MP Sonthaya Khunpleum. Mr Sonthaya and 15 others left Chart Thai to join TRT.

There are other cases of relatives seeking House seats for different parties.

- Jittra na Kalasin, a Chart Thai candidate in Kalasin's constituency 6, is married to Wiwattanachai na Kalasin, a TRT party-list candidate.

- Atthaphol Chai-anansamit, younger brother of TRT party-list candidate Suvit Khunkitti's wife, is contesting Khon Kaen's constituency 3 for the Social Action party.

- Bunserm Krutkhunthod, younger brother of TRT list candidate Chamlong Krutkhunthod, is running in Nakhon Ratchasima's constituency 16 under the Mahachon banner.