Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan said yesterday that the red shirts would stage a fund-raising concert to support the campaign of party candidate Kokaew Pikultong for a Bangkok MP seat.
The by-election for Constituency 6 is scheduled on July 25.
The concert was expected to be held on July 10 in a province near Bangkok that is not under the state of emergency, he said.
Kokaew, a red-shirt protest leader, has been remanded at Klong Prem Central Prison pending investigation on a terrorism charge.
The Democrat Party's candidate was in an advantageous position, especially under the emergency law, he said. Whether Kokaew would be released on bail to campaign was up to the court.
The party and Kokaew's supporters, including those wounded during the clashes between the red-shirt protesters and military forces, would help Kokaew campaign in his absence, Jatuporn said.
The campaign would focus on clarifying to the public the deaths of the protesters, the objectives of the rallies, who benefited from the burnings and bombings during the protest and the probe of the Department of Special Investigation.
Unless Kokaew is released on bail to campaign, the party would use his speech recorded in prison or the one he made in a past election campaign. Other key party leaders including Chalerm Yoobamrung would join in the canvassing for votes, he said.
Kokaew would leave the prison at 6.30am so he can reach the Klong Sam Wa district office before candidacy registration opens at 8am, he said.
A source said Kokaew would be accompanied by 10 Corrections Department officials.
Chatchai Sutthiklom, director-general of the department, said Kokaew would not be allowed to go out wearing a prison uniform, as it is only meant to be used inside.
Applying as an election candidate is a honourable activity so Kokaew should dress respectfully, he said.
The Criminal Court approved Kokaew's request to be allowed to leave the prison temporarily for that purpose.
Chatchai also said Kokaew and the other five red-shirt leaders at Klong Prem will be moved to Bangkok Remand Prison (Lat Yao Prison) tomorrow, as per their lawyers' request for safety reasons.
The five are weng Tojirakarn, Wiphuthalaeng Pattanaphumthai, Yossawaris Chuklom, also know as Jeng Dokjik, Amnart Inthachote, and Kwanchai Sarakham or Praipana.
Suriyasai Katasila, acting secretary-general of the New Politics Party, denied that his party had conspired with the Democrats to not go ahead with fielding its own candidate.
No one from the Democrats had phoned to negotiate as claimed, he said.
Kittisak Rathaprasert faced opposition and pressure from his family after being chosen to represent the party so he withdrew. The party did not fear losing the election, he said.
"To prove that the New Politics Party is not the Democrat Party's branch, we will run for the election of 50 Bangkok councillors and 36 district councillors on August 29. We will fully compete with the Democrats and will win some seats," he said.
The party would propose new policies and change the minds of those who oppose the yellow shirts to support the party, he added.