Here it is, 'Kla Tham Party' has 2 MP seats in the parliament after the original party expelled 'Kriditthat-Chaowarit', 'Thammanat' sits alongside in the parliament meeting room with a new sign on the first day.
Mr. Kriditat Saengthanayothin, MP for the Kla Tham Party, gave an interview that he applied to be a member of the Kla Tham Party after the New Party, which was his original party, voted to expel him from the party on October 5. He admitted that working in the New Party as an opposition party, he had no role, no place to stand, and could not work together. He had to be alone. When many parties in the government invited him to join, he decided to join the Kla Tham Party. He admitted that he made the decision because he talked to Lt. Col. Thammanat Prompao, MP for Phayao, Palang Pracharath Party.
'The reason for changing affiliations is to have the opportunity to work and help the villagers to the fullest. Even though I have been to the area to help the people in the past, I went to a small party and people were not interested. Also, working in the parliament, I did not have a role in the original party. I could not propose any bills or motions because they had to be endorsed by MPs. However, after changing affiliations, I believe that I will be able to work more. As for the original party that I belonged to, I was the leader and thought about dissolving it, but some of the party's executives did not want to dissolve it because they wanted to continue. Therefore, they used the method of voting to expel me from the party. At present, I have applied to be a member of the Klatham Party and have become a 100% MP for the Klatham Party,' said Mr. Kriditat.
When asked if switching parties was also a plan of the small party group with 1 vote, Mr. Kriditat said that in the past, 5-6 MPs from the small party group had talked all the time because they had a plan to drive forward to submit various motions together. However, there are currently 2 clear ones who have switched to the Kla Tham Party: himself and Mr. Chaowarit Khajornpongkirati, a party-list MP who was originally from the Palang Sangkhom Mai Party. The rest are still considering their approach. He cannot answer for others.
Mr. Chaowarit Khajornpongkirati, MP for the Kla Tham Party, said that the Palang Sangkhom Mai Party voted to expel him on October 6. Then, on October 7, he transferred to the Kla Tham Party. The reason for the transfer was because the original party could not implement its policies to the people and there were obstacles in solving problems. The reason for choosing the Kla Tham Party was because it was a vacant party and after considering its policies, he believed that it could solve the people's problems. In the next round of MP elections, he will send an MP to compete for a seat in Nan Province, Constituency 1.
When asked if he joined the Kla Tham Party because Lt. Col. Thammanat invited him, Mr. Chaowarit said, 'Not exactly.'
The reporter reported that before that, on October 5, Mr. Chaowarit, as the leader of the Palang Sangkhom Mai Party, also led party officials to meet the people in Chiang Yuen District, Maha Sarakham Province, to elect a new branch committee and listen to the people's problems. Just one day before that, he had asked the Palang Sangkhom Mai Party meeting to expel him, according to the legal process in order to transfer parties.
The reporter added that in the House of Representatives meeting today (October 10), the staff of the House of Representatives Meeting Office brought a sign with the name 'Kla Tham Party' to place in the meeting room. It was noticeable that the MPs from the Palang Pracharath Party group of Lt. Col. Thammanat, including Lt. Col. Thammanat himself, went to sit in the Kla Tham Party seats, which were seats next to Mr. Kriditat, while the next seat was Mr. Chaowarit. The group of MPs turned the Kla Tham Party sign and also turned to face the media to record the image.
Source: Thai News Agency