New faces among party-list MPs

Published on February 11, 2005

A look at the freshmen on the various parties’ elite slates in Parliament

Chuwit Kamolvisit/Chat Thai party-list MP

Chat Thai’s Chuwit, number six on the party’s list, is best known as a massage-parlour tycoon who fought to expose police corruption.

He also finished third in Bangkok’s gubernatorial election last year, securing more than 300,000 votes.

Chuwit founded the First Thai Nation Party before deciding to merge it with Chat Thai after failing to win the Bangkok election.

He was appointed Chat Thai deputy leader and vowed to use his popularity with voters in the capital to bring more party-list MP seats to the party.

Eight Chat Thai candidates ended up winning party-list seats, two more than the party had after the last election four years ago.

Dr Winai Wiriyakitjar/Chat Thai party-list MP

After graduating with a medical degree from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital in 1967, he returned to Chon Buri to start his medical career.

His additional credentials include a certificate in nutrition from the University of North Carolina and another certificate in public health administration from an institute in Japan.

After working in hospital management in nearly all regions for 14 years, Winai was promoted to the post of chief health official in Narathiwat, before climbing the ladder even higher to positions in the Public Health Ministry in Bangkok.

The highest position he held before entering politics was permanent secretary of Public Health from 2001 to 2002. Before joining the Chat Thai party as its number one party-list candidate, he advised the party on its social policies.

One of his notable works at the ministry was his promotion of the importance of EQ (emotional intelligence) and indicators reflecting the population’s happiness.

The retired medical doctor is married with four children - all daughters. Winai’s wife is also a medical doctor who works at the Disease Control Department.

Thamma Pinsukhanchana Chat Thai party-list MP

Number seven on the Chat Thai party list, treasurer Thamma Pinsukhanchana is 78 years old and has always been the party’s financial source. As a businessman he was known as “Sony’s Top Man,” and he founded Samchai Co, which later changed its name to Sony Thailand Co. After Thamma ended his chairmanship with Sony, he turn to build a new business - “Buds” ice cream.

In the political arena, he was appointed as senator in 1979. He has been loyal to Chat Thai and sits on the party’s executive board. When Chat Thai was part of a coalition with the Thaksin government, Thamma was appointed as advisor to tourism minister Sontaya Kunplome even though he did not defect to the Thai Rak Thai.

Dr Vallop Thaineua Democrat party-list MP

Although the Public Health Ministry’s work on improving the prevention of HIV transmission from mother to child under Vallop’s administration was regarded as a remarkable success by the world community, what really made this doctor known to most Thais was the Bt900-million computer procurement scandal last year.

Just a few months before his planned retirement from the post of permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry, Vallop was suddenly removed from the post, allegedly due to poor performance.

Afterwards he came back and lashed out at Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan, who removed him, by exposing a scandal concerning the bidding process for Bt900 million worth of computers for the Ministry. That was the start of a controversy that rocked the reputation of both Sudarat and the Thai Rak Thai Party.

After attaining a medical degree from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, Vallop received a diploma from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and a master’s degree on Public Health Administration from Johns Hopkins University.

As a consequence of his bringing the computer scandal to the public, Vallop has been accused by Sudarat of having some suspect goings on with the scandal himself and initiated a series of graft investigations against him.

Kiatti Sitthi-amorn Democrat party-list MP

Businessman turned politician Kiatti Sitthi-amorn is likely to make his political debut as the Democrat Party’s 16th party-list candidate.

The former head of Thailand’s International Chamber of Commerce is expected to use his extensive experience in the international trade arena to scrutinise Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s government trade policy.

Kiatti has long been outspoken against the Thaksin government’s policy of shift from World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks to engage in a number of bilateral trade agreement negotiations with various countries.

A graduate of Chulalongkorn University’s engineering department, Kiatti pursued his master’s degree in foreign affairs at Tufts University’s Fletcher School in the United States. He also received a management certificate from Harvard Business School.

As one of the key members of the Democrat party, he authored the party’s current economic platform.

This most recent election was Kiatti’s second. He ran previously under the 90th position on the Democrat’s party list four years ago, but lost.

His chances look brighter this year as he has been moved up to the 16th place.

Assoc Professor Peerayot Rahimulla/Democrat party-list MP

An outspoken academic from Prince of Songkhla University in Pattani, Perrayot is a well-known figure in the area with a wealth of knowledge about the problems facing the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

Peerayot is regularly consulted as a source for local and foreign media outlets and has appeared regularly on television news programmes. In spite of his frank criticism of the government’s handling of the Muslim-majority South, the National Security Council and related agencies have sought his advice on a number of issues pertaining to the restive region.

Peerayot came into the wings of the Democrat Party at a time when the country’s oldest party was at one of its lowest points.

He also came in when the majority of people in southernmost provinces had turned their back on the ruling government and opted for the Democrats to represent them politically.

The spotlight will be on him and other Democrats during these troubled times, which have already seen the deaths of more than 500 people since violence re-erupted 13 months ago.

Kriangsak Charoenwongsak Democrat party-list MP

Democrat Kriangsak, the final name on the party’s list, played a solid academic role on the National Economics and Social Advisory Council for many years before joining the Democrat Party.

After the Thai Rak Thai-led government largely ignored his advice, Kriangsak said he entered politics because he wanted to be in charge of putting policies into action,

He said he joined the Democrats because its ideology was in step with his democratic philosophy, which was to invest in society for a brighter future.

Dr Prawet Ratanapian/Thai Rak Thai party-list MP

Thai Rak Thai Prawet, the 32nd name on the party’s list, is a son of former public health minister Prachum Ratanapian, and younger brother of Prawit Ratanapian, former deputy leader of the now-defunct Chat Pattana Party and a Thai Rak Thai party-list MP.

Prawet is the former secretary-general of the Thailand Volleyball Association and a current member of the Olympic Committee of Thailand.

He is also a deputy dean of Rattana Bundit University of Science and Technology, which his family owns.

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