Alliance ends after SATP members join ruling party

Thai Sang Thai (TST) Party yesterday dismissed speculation that its alliance with the Sang Anakhot Thai Party (SATP) fell apart due to disagreement on who would be the party’s top prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming general election.

Sita Divari, TST secretary-general, said the actual deal-breaker was a clear connection between key SATP figures and the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), which he described as part of the “dictators’ camp”.

“We have a clear stance against forming a political alliance with the dictators’ camp,” Mr Sita said. “And at first they said they wouldn’t return [to the PPRP] for sure.” Former key SATP figures, Uttama Savanayana and Sontirat Sontijirawong, recently returned as members of the PPRP.

Mr Uttama previously served as the PPRP leader, and Mr Sontirat was once the party’s secretary-general. “Personally, I always suspected while negotiating the deal with the SATP that it still secretly supported Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and Gen Prawit Wongsuwon,” he said, referring to the prime minister and the deputy prime minister.

Mr Sita said the TST is able to field up to three prospective prime ministerial candidates, as the law allows. However, the first candidacy spot will be TST leader Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, he said.

In October last year, SATP spokesman Naris Cheyklin said SATP chairman, Somkid Jatusripitak, must be a prime minister candidate if the party is to merge with the TST.

In late December, the parties announced they were forming a political alliance, though leaders of both parties stopped short of saying whether the move would lead to an eventual merger ahead of the election on May 7.

Sources last week said Mr Somkid, along with Mr Uttama, who was SATP leader, and Mr Sontirat, the SATP secretary-general at the time, would rejoin the ruling party.