Bhumjaithai plans new tack in Si Sa Ket

POLITICS

The Bhumjaithai Party will change tactics for this Sunday's by-election in Si Sa Ket after being stunned by the unexpected poll defeat in Sakon Nakhon at the weekend.

Bhumjaithai does not have a candidate in the Constituency 1 by-election but will be helping the Chart Thai Pattana Party's Sakulthip Angkasakulkiat, who is standing against Puea Thai's Surachart Charnpradit.

Allowing the Puea Thai Party to win two by-elections in a row would be a major blow to Newin Chidchob, a key player behind the scenes of Bhumjaithai, as he considers the northeastern province, and neighbouring Surin and Buri Ram, part of his political stronghold.

The landslide win by Puea Thai in Sakon Nakhon on Sunday was attributed to the feelings of voters towards convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Bhumjaithai spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said his party would draw up a new strategy to prevent the former prime minister from influencing voters. The party would do everything to stop Thaksin from influencing voters, he said.

A source said Bhumjaithai would work on giving voters a better understanding of its policies so they forget what Thaksin had done for them.

In the medium term, the party will speed up implementation of its schemes such as the dust-free road project and the one village, one sports ground project to gain popularity in rural bases, Panya Sripanya, a Bhumjaithai MP for Khon Kaen, said.

After the Sakon Nakhon defeat, Mr Newin, leader of the Friends of Newin faction, had instructed all party MPs to hold talks in all villages in the Northeast to tell residents about the party's plans.

The win in Sakon Nakhon gave Puea Thai the confidence that "selling" Thaksin to voters was working.

Surawit Khonsomboon, a Puea Thai MP for Chaiyaphum, said the party would employ the same strategy in Si Sa Ket. It would send party MPs to hold forums in villages in parallel with the pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship's rallies in which Thaksin will make phone-in speeches to draw more people, he said.

Somchai Phetprasert, a Puea Thai MP for Nakhon Ratchasima, said the red shirt group's move to "create understanding" among local people about Thaksin's "unfair treatment" and his populist policies helped his party win on Sunday.

Payap Shinawatra of Puea Thai was confident the party would achieve the same result in Si Sa Ket as in Sakon Nakhon. What happened on Sunday was a clear example of the loyalty of people in the northeastern region to his elder brother and his policies, he said.

Election Commissioner Prapun Naigowit said the EC would await the local election panel's decision to endorse the result of the by-election in Sakon Nakhon. The EC has 30 days to endorse the winner or issue red or yellow cards if there was poll fraud.

The official results in Sakon Nakhon show that Anurak Boonson of Puea Thai won 83,348 votes, against 47,235 votes for Pitak Chansri of Bhumjaithai.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday the results of the Sakon Nakhon by-election showed clearly that any party wanting to win seats needed time to establish a political base.

He indicated he did not feel it meant the government was failing to win the hearts and minds of northeasterners.