SA KAEW: SNOH CLAN LOOKS FOR SWEEP

Published on November 14, 2005 - Veteran politician’s brother, sister spearhead Thienthong family’s bid for eastern province’s only two seats

Sa Kaew, the political stronghold of Snoh Thienthong, is another province with “sure-bet” candidates competing for two senatorial seats, both of whom are members of the Thienthong family.

They are Snoh’s younger brother Withaya Thienthong, and his sister Kwanruan Thienthong, mother of Treenuch and Thanit Thienthong.

Among the challengers to the Thienthongs is General Krit Thiemtip of Tambon Thung Mahacharoen Administrative Organisation, a retired official who was commended for his role as an outstanding individual in the security and military sectors in 1998. The other candidates, who both ran in the 2003 senatorial election, are Democrat Party MP Pornpol Ekattaporn and retired official Ruang Badal, who previously suffered a humiliating loss to Thanit.

Treenuch said that neither Kwanruan nor Withaya would put too much emphasis on door-to-door visits as part of their election campaign as they believed that they were already well known by most of the electorate in Sa Kaew. They said they would mainly distribute posters and leaflets to let voters know that they are running as senators.

Treenuch said her mother had prepared more than 20,000 cards for this purpose.

Treenuch also downplayed criticism that the upcoming senatorial election is likely to result in a high number of senators who have close connections to the government, which would affect the neutrality of the Senate. She said politicians must realise they are public figures who are subject to criticism, which is an integral mechanism of democracy.

Thai Rak Thai Party MP for Sa Kaew Sorapong Thienthong also dismissed the criticism saying the Thienthong family has a spotless record and has never faced any corruption allegations.

“Our family will be able to carry out the role of MP or senator without the need for any checks,’’ he said.

He added that both Kwanruan and Withaya had spent a lot of time with the members of their constituencies and were confident of victory.

Ruang said he wanted to use the knowledge he gained achieving a law degree in the role of senator. He also highlighted the selection of independent organisations as one of the most important roles of a senator. He has had more than 50,000 leaflets printed to introduce himself to voters.

When asked what made him confident enough to challenge the Thienthong family candidates, Ruang said that he could only let the voters decide whether to give him a chance to work for them.

“I would not think of it as a defeat or victory so much, because I only want to offer myself as an alternative for voters,’’ he said.

Budsarakham Sinlapalavan
The Nation