By Budsarakham Sinlapalavan
The Nation
Published on August 13, 2009


The upcoming by-election in Surat Thani is a battle between not only government and opposition parties but two well-known local families.
Thani Thaugsuban, the ruling Democrat Party candidate, is younger brother of the party's secretary-general Suthep, who stepped down as a Surat Thani MP following an Election Commission ruling that shares he (and many other MPs) held violated the Constitution. Suthep's resignation led to the by-election.

Thani's competitor in the August 30 vote is Pheu Thai Party candidate Sompol Wichaidit, who is the younger brother of the opposition party's leader Yongyuth Wichaidit.

People from the Thaugsuban family have won MP seats in Surat Thani many times. But the loss by a Thaugsuban man in a recent ballot to pick a new provincial administrative organisation chief was seen as a boost for the chances of someone outside of the family.

The Democrats want to retain the seat to maintain the status quo while Pheu Thai aspires to win to undermine the rival party's stronghold, which would in turn boost the opposition party's morale. Both parties have mobilised a lot of personnel and resources in a bid to win this important seat.

Thani, 52, served as a kamnan for many years in the southern province and was deputy chief of the local administrators association and honoured as an outstanding kamnan. His last seat in local politics was chief of the Surat Thani provincial administrative organisation.

But when he sought re-election, the EC denied his victory for allegedly violating an electoral law. The Democrat Party later decided to field him as its candidate for the MP seat after Suthep resigned. It will be Thani's first bid to enter national politics. His brother Suthep is expected to join his campaigning from today.

Thani expressed confidence about his chances. He said he had visited his constituents regularly and believed his party had the locals' hearts.

In the ballot for local PAO chief last month, Damrong Thaugsuban, a relative of Thani and Suthep, was defeated. However, Damrong contested independently without support from the Democrat Party or the blessing of Suthep.

Thani described the upcoming election as a popularity contest between the prime minister and Democrat leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, and Pheu Thai supporter and ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Sompol, the 57-year-old Pheu Thai candidate, was in the tourism business before entering politics as an adviser to a number of Cabinet members, including his brothers Yongyuth and Thawat.

Sompol contested a general election in Surat Thani under the Thai Rak Thai Party banner in 2005 but lost to a Democrat candidate from the Thaugsuban family. Two years later he was part of the Pheu Thai Party's working group for the South.

Sompol said that he wanted to bring a change to Surat Thani, claiming that the "political monopoly" over the recent past had had limited benefit for local residents. However, he has only a little time to visit constituents.

"In the remaining time [before the election], even if I could stay awake all day, I would not be able to visit the whole constituency," he said.

But he still had hope given the result of the recent local election, which a Thaugsuban candidate defeated.

"I don't want to decide for local residents if the result will affect this upcoming election. If people want a change, they will choose for themselves," he said.