Son succeeds dad as candidate in by-election race

>>The Kamphaeng Phet by-election is setting the stage for a showdown between the government and opposition camps as campaign rallies get underway.

The race kicked off yesterday with candidates being allocated individual contest numbers. Pheu Thai Party’s candidate, Kumpol Panyakul, landed the No.3 spot after his rival, Palang Pracharath Party’s Phetphum Apornrat grabbed No.1.

Number drawing for the contest took place at the Phran Kratai district auditorium.

The by-election will be held on Feb 23 across the districts of Phran Kratai, Kosamphinakhon and Lan Krabue, as well as parts of Sai Ngam and Muang districts.

Mr Kumpol was accompanied by Pheu Thai heavyweights, including the party leader Sompong Amornwiwat and party secretary-general Anudit Nakhontap.

The Election Commission called the by-election to fill the vacancy left by Mr Phetphum’s father, Waipot Apornrat, a former Palang Pracharath MP for Kamphaeng Phet, who was handed another 50 years in jail for forest encroachment in his hometown.

Waipot was stripped of his MP status after the Supreme Court sentenced him to life in jail on Jan 15 for his role in a riot that shut down the 2009 Asean Summit. He was not present in court when the sentence was handed down, so the court issued an arrest warrant.

Thailand was Asean chairman at the time and the summit had to be hastily cancelled due to the incursion by United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) members, who were determined to oust then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Yesterday, Mr Kumpol said he wanted to represent people in the constituency who have been suffering quietly. “I volunteer to speak for them,” he said.

Pheu Thai leader, Mr Sompong, said his party planned to knock on doors and organise rallies in different parts of Constituency 2.

The party is racing against time because it has vast areas to cover, especially since the constituency is made up of nearly 300 villages. Mr Sompong admitted to being concerned that time may not be on Mr Kumpol’s side.

Mr Sompong, also the opposition leader, denied his party was divided over the choice of candidate, dismissing the reports as rumours. He added the party was well-received by residents.

Mr Anudit, meanwhile, said the Pheu Thai Party will also tell voters about the government’s failure in running the country.