SURIN: Paroled ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Sunday visited this lower northeastern province of Thailand where the Pheu Thai Party won a minority of House seats. The founder of the Thai Rak Thai dynasty vowed to soon start concrete work to serve the public.
From Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thaksin first landed in Buri Ram airport in Satuk district of Buri Ram province. There he received a warm welcome from Pheu Thai’s current and former ministers and Surin MPs. Then he travelled to adjacent Surin by road.
In Surin, Thaksin went to Wat Suwan Wichit in Prasat district where he presided over a ceremony for the ordination of 334 monks to celebrate the sixth cycle birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King.
During the ceremony, he said that after August he would take up tasks that would bring concrete results for the sake of fellow Thai people nationwide.
Meanwhile, Sahakan Phetnarin, director-general of the Department of Corrections, said Thaksin’s six-month-long parole would end in August, and thereafter he would not have to report to the department anymore.
Surin is the lower northeastern province standing adjacent to Buri Ram which is seen as a political stronghold of the Bhumjaithai Party.
Political observers noted that Bhumjaithai, currently a member of the Pheu Thai-led coalition government, had tried successfully to win House seats in Surin.
Bhumjaithai grabbed one of eight House seats available in Surin in the general election in 2011, when Pheu Thai won seven seats. In 2019 Bhumjaithai also won one seat out of seven, equal to the Palang Pracharath Party, while Pheu Thai collected five seats.
Last year Bhumjaithai obtained five seats while Pheu Thai won just three. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin's youngest child, leads Pheu Thai.
