BANGKOK - Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen on Monday confirmed that he will resign as deputy police chief and secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and then apply for Pheu Thai membership, after the government party's executive committee unanimously chose him on Sunday as its candidate for the Bangkok governor election.

"At 11am, I'll travel to the Royal Thai Police headquarters to say goodbye to my police colleagues and at 9am tomorrow I'll visit the ONCB to bid farewell to the officials there so that I can register for the gubernatorial election, as resolved by the Pheu Thai Party's executive committee," Pol Gen Pongsapat said.

He said he had a meeting with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at Government House on Monday morning to inform her that he has agreed to run for city governor.

The Pheu Thai Party will officially announce Pol Gen Pongsapat's candidacy on Tuesday.

His main rival is MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra of the opposition Democrat Party.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has set the registration period for candidates in the election from Jan 21 to 25, 2013.

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