Yodchanan talks up Pheu Thai clean sweep in Chon Buri

Party urges voters to back its candidates in all 10 constituencies

CHON BURI – Prime ministerial candidate Yodchanan Wongsawat brought the Pheu Thai campaign to Chon Buri on Saturday, calling on voters to deliver a clean sweep of all 10 constituencies in the eastern province and send both the party and himself into government.

A large crowd of supporters packed the Phanat Nikhom Municipal Hall from 10am to hear Mr Yodchanan speak in support of Pheu Thai candidates across all 10 constituencies in the province, where Pheu Thai won just one seat in the 2023 general election.

Mr Yodchanan, 46, a nephew of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, walked through the crowd to greet supporters, many of whom presented him with roses and garlands and posed for photographs.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Yodchanan said gratitude was a core quality of good leadership, adding that Chon Buri, where he attended kindergarten, held deep personal significance for him. “Without Chon Buri, there would be no Yodchanan,” he said.

Mr Yodchanan, widely known as “Ajarn Chen”, said Pheu Thai and its 10 Chon Buri candidates were ready to move forward together with the people.

“We see problems through the same eyes as the people, and I ask for only one thing — elect all 10 of our candidates.”

He described the Feb 8 poll as a new beginning of hope for Chon Buri, urging voters to choose Pheu Thai candidates and choose him to lead the country. “Thailand will change immediately, turning hope into reality,” he said.

In the 2023 election, Move Forward (now the People’s Party) won 7 seats in Chon Buri, with Pheu Thai, United Thai Nation and Palang Pracharath winning one each.

Mr Yodchanan said he was fully prepared to enter politics to restore human dignity and urged voters to consider the future of Chon Buri residents, noting that daily livelihoods and the next meal remained a pressing concern for many families.

“We are ready to move forward on Feb 8. Thais must be free from poverty, and Chon Buri must be free from poverty. Pheu Thai can deliver,” he said.

He also outlined policy priorities, including promoting Chon Buri not only as a beautiful province but as a national learning model. He vowed to support Burapha University as it strives to become a top-100 university worldwide.

He also pledged to push ahead with a Clean Air Act to ensure people and industry can progress together. As well, he stressed that drugs must be eradicated and that national sovereignty remained paramount.

Mr Yodchanan is the son of former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and Yaowapha Wongsawat, Thaksin’s younger sister.

Currently serving as vice-president for research at Mahidol University, Mr Yodchanan has been positioned by the party as a modern thinker with credibility in science, innovation and management.

The other two Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidates are longtime Thaksin loyalist and minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, and party leader Julapun Amornvivat.