PHUKET: More than 12,000 people turned out in support of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at a campaign event at Saphan Hin last night (May 7).
The event was held to promote the United Thai Nation Party (Ruam Thai Sang Chart) and the party’s candidates to contest the Phuket seats in the national general election to be held next Sunday (May 14).
Joining Gen Prayut on stage for the event were party leader Peeraphan Saliratwiphak and party secretary-general Ekanat Promphan, along with the party’s three candidates for Phuket.
Piya ‘Boat’ Seedokbuab, a former Deputy President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO), will be contesting Phuket Constituency 1, and has secured No. 8 on the ballot.
Nuanchan Samartkoomban, who has been involved in local politics for 20 years and has also served as a PPAO councillor, will be contesting Phuket Constituency 2. She has secured No. 3 on the ballot.
Channarong Prateep Na Thalang, a former PPAO councilor for PPAO Constituency 5, will be contesting Phuket Constituency 3. He has secured No. 7 on the ballot.
Before arriving at Saphan Hin, Gen Prayut and his top-flight party entourage visited the Heroines Monument to pay their respects.
At Saphan Hin, where attendees were left standing room only despite 12,000 chairs being set out, Gen Prayut told the crowd that he missed Phuket and hearing people speak in the Southern dialect, and he missed Southern food.
While walking through the crowd, Gen Prayut was mobbed by supporters and well-wishers presenting garlands and taking photos.
According to a report by the Phuket Info Center, Gen Prayut, referred to by his nic=kname ‘Phi Tu’, asked the crowd, “Who opened Phuket Sandbox?”
“At that time I decided to open [Phuket to tourists during the COVID-19 pandemic] because we were confident that Phuket people would work together with the government,” he said.
“To this day, Phuket is one of the world’s best tourist attractions. There are many tourists and we are bidding to host Expo 2028. If we get to host it, this will be the future of Phuket, it will make Phuket known around the world and will make people travel to Phuket 10 times more. Please believe in Phuket people,” Gen Prayut added.
Gen Prayut promoted the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party’s ambitions to “make Phuket’s tourism better”, by having more tourists visit Phuket, increasing local people’s incomes, including those of the elderly. He continued with the party’s plans to provide more social programs to improve the quality of life of elderly people throughout the country.
He repeated the party’s goal of building a new road from the greater Bangkok area to Southern Thailand as part of what has been called the ‘Thailand Riviera’ project.
He also read a poem calling for an end to divisions within the country, “as it is very dangerous”.
Gen Prayut thanked the people who turned out in support of the event, and urged them to vote for the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party candidates in Phuket.
He also reassured people that he was a member of the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party. “Don’t believe anyone who says that I belong to another party. I am definitely in the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party,” he said.
Gen Prayut also specifically lambasted liars, said the Phuket Info Center report, noting that Gen Prayut said he was “like the heart of a dying person, he does not lie”.
“But some people who are about to die tell lies that change every day. Therefore, please believe that he is a person who speaks the truth and does the truth. If you want a real government with clear results, you must choose,” the Phuket Info Center report concluded.
