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Saturday, April 27, 2024

One family, five candidates: dynasties rule rural Thailand

This picture taken on April 22, 2023, shows campaign posters for the upcoming general election in the Thai province of Sa Kaeo. – Politics is a family affair for the Thienthong clan, one of Thailand’s most enduring political dynasties, with five members running in next month’s general election, for two different parties. (Photo: AFP)

They are one of several families woven into the fabric of Thai politics — the most famous of which is the Shinawatras, whose patriarch Thaksin was prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and continues to loom large from exile abroad.

The financial rewards of elected office — an MP earns around 113,000 baht (US$3,500) a month — may be little more than loose change to these ultra-wealthy clans, but the…

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