The Santi Asoke group will send a candidate to contest the general elections under the banner of its political party to prevent the party from being dissolved under EC rules. 

The Phue Fa Din (For Sky and Earth) Party has resolved to field one candidate to contest the election on the party-list system.

Kwandin Singkam, party leader, said that the decision had been made because her party did not seek fortune or fame, and only wanted to work for the people.  Importantly, it was also to prevent the party from being dissolved.

However, the party still has a policy to run a ‘vote no’ campaign, as a solution for people who feel frustrated with he current political parties.

Kaenfa Saenmuang, the candidate, said that he was proud to have been chosen by the party and this mission was not for himself, but for the people.  If he gets elected, it will have to be seen what will happen, and there will be a surprise, he said.

Second Lt Samdin Lertbut, the party Secretary-General, said that the party had already made the decision, and this was a big new issue for the party, because the party had been formed 8 years ago and had never fielded any candidate in any election.  But this time the party had to comply with the rules of the Election Commission.

In the meantime, Somsak Kosaisuk, leader of the New Politics Party, insisted that his party would certainly field candidates for both constituencies and the party list, claiming a majority vote by 15 executive board members on 22 March and 19 April.

He made the remark after the party’s Secretary-General, Suriyasai Katasila, who had claimed the support of 10 executive board members, had filed a petition with the EC asking it not to accept any candidacy from the party. 

Suriyasai has claimed that a party resolution not to field candidates was made by most party members during the party’s general assembly on 24 April.

Somsak said that according to the constitution any decision made by a general assembly of party members was not considered a party resolution.  He said that only the executive board had the authority to make decisions about fielding candidates.

He said that Suriyasai had already resigned from the post of Secretary-General, and he would meet Suriyasai later to reach an understanding.

Somsak said that Suriyasai had colluded with a television station to create public misunderstanding about the party and to hinder the fielding of candidates under democracy.  So he will sue Suriyasai for that, which carries a jail term of 2-10 years.  This will be his third case against Suriyasai, as Somsak has sued Suriyasai for accusing him of being a communist and a second complaint against Suriyasai’s embezzlement of donations to the party is being processed.

Sondhi Limthongkul, leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, has said that he made a 3 million baht donation to the New Politics Party.  Somsak has responded that the party has never received the money.

Somsak has accused Suriyasai of embezzling 650,000 baht from the party during a fund-raising party last year. Suriyasai has denied the accusation.