Anutin-hyping roadside billboards may break election law: Rural Doctor Society

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

RURAL DOCTOR SOCIETY today (Jan.30) questioned whether 11,000-plus roadside billboards may illicitly solicit popularity for Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul during a current run-up to a general election.

Rural Doctor Society posted on its Facebook page to call on the Election Commission to determine whether the 11,000-plus large billboards spotted outside provincial, district, subdistrict and community-level hospitals under care of the Ministry of Public Health nationwide, conspicuously featuring a portrait of the public health minister who concurrently performs as top leader of the Bhumjaithai Party may practically violate the election law.

Anutin who will be Bhumjaithai partisan contender for prime minister in the nationwide election is portrayed to the extent that it looks far more extravagantly outstanding than the words on the billboards, declaring 2023 is the year of elderly health care, Rural Doctor Society commented online.

Those vinyl signs, each of which reportedly cost about 2,000 baht of the taxpayer’s money, may primarily serve the political interests of the deputy prime minister-cum-public health minister in spite of the polling agency’s prohibition on the use of government funds, property and personnel during a 180-day period running up to the general election, according to the doctors’ group.

Anutin has been held accountable for a recent, debatable transfer of Rural Doctor Society head Supat Hasuwannakit from one hospital to another in Songkhla against his will.

Supat has been earlier critical of the free-marijuana policy launched by the second-largest coalition partner, steered by de facto party boss Newin Chidchob.

CAPTIONS:

Top: Some of the large billboards conspicuously featuring a portrait of Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Photos: Matichon

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