By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A BY-ELECTION FOR MP of a northeastern constituency scheduled for the upcoming Sunday (Sep.28) will likely see a piece of cake for one contestant and a rotten tomato for another as far as tensions over Thai-Cambodian border conflict are concerned.
In Constituency 5 covering Khun Harn and Pusing districts of Sisaket, one of the lower northeastern provinces sharing border with Cambodia, the extra race to parliament is only being held between a couple of contestants vying for the MP seat left vacant due to the passing of the late Pheu Thai MP Amornthep Sommai.
The Bhumjaithai candidate, Jintawan Trisoranakul, has been largely anticipated to score an easy, overwhelming victory in the Sunday by-election over the Pheu Thai contender, Purika Sommai, daughter of the deceased lawmaker, given the circumstances under which the court-deposed prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who had concurrently acted as leader of the latter’s camp, had evidently mishandled Thai-Cambodian conflict which had culminated in last July’s clashes between armed forces of the neighbouring countries resulting in many fatalities and injuries on both sides.
Jintawan is daughter of former MP Thira Trisoranakul, niece of Sisaket provincial administration head Wichit Trisoranakul and cousin of Trisuli Trisoranakul, secretary-general to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who concurrently performs as interior minister and leader of the Bhumjaithai, core of the current coalition government under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, whilst the archrival Pheu Thai under de facto party boss-turned-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra are currently part of the opposition bloc.
The by-election in Sisaket which is provided by law to have a total of nine elected lawmakers has been postponed from Aug.10 due to the armed conflict.
Most constituents in those border districts were largely believed to hold grudges against the erroneous performance of Paetongtarn, who had been held accountable for the avoidable losses of lives and property during the five-day clashes as well as the disreputable action deemed detrimental to Thailand’s national security, territorial integrity and prestige.
One of unguided BM-21 missiles fired by a Cambodian army unit from truck-mounted, multiple missile launchers across the shared border landed on a convenience store in the premises of a gas station in downtown area of Kanthaluck district situated next to Khun Harn district where the by-election is being held, killing several Thai villagers and injuring others whilst Thai army troops had fought Cambodian intruders elsewhere in the disputed border areas of Ubon Ratchathani, Surin and Sisaket.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: Bhumjaithai candidate in the upcoming Sisaket by-election Jintawan Trisoranakul, right, and Pheu Thai candidate Purika Sommai, left.
First insert: Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul with his party’s candidate Jintawan Trisoranakul.
Second insert: The two candidates and their supporters at the Election Commission office. All photos – Amarin TV
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