• 
• 

Published on September 22, 2007

Leaders of the Saman Chan political group who were absent from the recent Pracharaj Party meeting are set to join the Chat Thai Party.

Saman Chan leaders Pinij Jarusombat, Suwit Khunkitti, Preecha Laohapongchana, Surakiart Sathirathai and Suranand Vejjajiva attended the formation of the Pua Paendin (For the Motherland) group.

Snoh Thienthong had announced that he was willing to change the name of his Pracharaj Party to the Pua Paendin Party after Pracharaj's annual meeting held on Thursday.

However, Pracharaj has not changed its name, and Snoh was elected the party's caretaker leader.

Only the Matchima group, which is an ally of Pracharaj, attended the party meeting. Saman Chan leaders were not present.

Ekkapap Polsue, a Saman Chan member, yesterday said his group and Pua Paendin founders had discussed their political future and agreed that they had three choices, to form a new political party, to join Suwit's former Social Action party or to join Banharn Silapa-archa's Chat Thai Party.

Chat Thai deputy leader Somsak Prisananamthakul has talked with the group's senior members, asking them to merge with his party, said Ekkapap.

"Most members agreed to join Chat Thai, because our way is similar to Chat Thai's. Chat Thai advocates harmony, and the group also likes Banharn's ideas," he said.

Next week the Saman Chan group will make it clear whether they will move to Chat Thai or not, he said.

Payap Panket, former Sing Buri MP, yesterday resigned from Pracharaj, saying that his political ideology was different from the party's.

"I will not leave politics and have not decided whether to join any party," he said.

Meanwhile, Ruam Jai Thai group co-founder Kittiratt na Ranong has joined the People Power Party's economics team, according to a source in the party.

Kittiratt, former president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, first appeared on the political stage in July, when he joined prominent politicians in announcing the creation of Ruam Jai Thai. Some members of Ruam Jai Thai even identified Kittiratt as a potential leader of the new party.

However, Kittirat then slowly distanced himself from Ruam Jai Thai and kept a low profile, concentrating on his job as manager of the national football team.

Kittiratt earlier helped the former Thai Rak Thai's Sudarat Keyuraphan with her campaign for Bangkok governor.

The Nation