Pongsapat denies breaking laws

Pheu Thai candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen insisted yesterday that he did not break any election laws by promising projects that go beyond the governor's authority. He was responding to an attack launched by Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Pongsapat said that he simply meant that any projects beyond a governor's authority would be carried out with the central government's support.

For instance, the Transport Ministry is now providing free services on 800 non-air-conditioned buses and if elected, he said, he would coordinate with the ministry to make services on all 1,600 buses free. As part of his campaign, he rode a free bus to Victory Monument and announced that he planned to make all non-air-con buses free.