Chidchob clan, Pheu Thai in Buri Ram face off

[Welsh Wonder]

Chidchob clan, Pheu Thai in Buri Ram face off - The Nation

Chidchob clan, Pheu Thai in Buri Ram face off

         The Nation January 13, 2012  1:00 am

                 
                 
The focus of attention on the local elections in the 21 northeastern provinces this Sunday will certainly be on Buri Ram.

          Contesting the post of president of the Buri Ram Provincial  Administrative Organisation (PAO) are two major candidates from the  powerful Chidchob family, and a third from the ruling Pheu Thai Party,  which has attempted unsuccessfully to dominate this lower northeastern  province. The fourth and fifth candidates are also well-known local  politicians.
     
Karuna Chidchob, the incumbent PAO president, is seeking re-election  and her key challenger is former Buri Ram senator Ussanee Chidchob.
     
Both are significant women in the life of banned politician Newin  Chidchob, who is believed to be the de facto leader of the opposition  Bhum Jai Thai Party. Karuna is his wife and Ussanee his elder sister.
     
Khajonthon Judto, a four-time MP for Buri Ram who failed to get elected  in last year's general election, is contesting with the support of the  Pheu Thai Party and its red-shirt followers.
     
Two other candidates are former Buri Ram MP Prasert Lertyaso and  Surasak Somboonram, a former member of the Buri Ram PAO and ex-adviser  to Karuna.
     
This is likely to be a close race among Karuna, Ussanee and Khajonthon,  considering their political experience, support base and local  connections.
     
Karuna is running with the backing of her husband Newin and Bhum Jai  Thai's supporters and political canvassers. The party won seven out of  the nine MP seats up for grabs in the province in the July 2011  election. The two other seats went to Pheu Thai.
     
Ussanee is expected to get major support from her father, former House  speaker Chai Chidchob. Unlike Karuna, she has no support base of her own  in the constituency and this could pose problems if she wins and  becomes the next PAO chief.
     
Khajonthon's major support certainly comes from Pheu Thai and its "big  boss" - former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - as well as the red  shirts and Bhum Jai Thai's political enemies who want to see changes in  Buri Ram's politics after the Chidchob family's long domination.
     
The Chidchob clan could not come up with a single candidate after Newin  fell out with Ussanee's husband, Chaowalit Arj-asa, whom he backed to  win an election and become the PAO chief before Karuna. Chaowalit later  became upset after Newin's men were sent to dominate his PAO's affairs.  The rift led to a legal feud.
     
This upcoming local election is going to be a test of popularity  between the split Chibchob family - representing one side with the  support of Bhum Jai Thai - and Pheu Thai and the red shirts on the other  side.

[Prakhonchai Nick]

It  will likely all be decided by money as usual.  Party popularity is unlikely to be a factor! My wife yesterday received 100bt to vote for candidate No 4 (the wife!).

Who's going to up that today?