Chaithawat Tulathon, former leader of the now-defunct Move Forward Party, who now oversees the People’s Party campaign strategies, posted a screenshot of a Line chat on X (Twitter) on Thursday.
Under the screenshot, Chaitwat said: "I started the New Year by helping campaign for People’s Party candidates in the election for the Chiang Mai-Lamphun Provincial Administration Organisation [PAO] president. This PAO election is unusual because it’s being held on a Saturday, which makes it tough for many voters as it conflicts with their work schedule. There is also concern about government power being used to favour certain candidates or parties.
“For example, this morning, a deputy district chief sent a message in the LINE group for village headmen and subdistrict headmen in one sub-district, stating: 'The district chief XXX has issued an order for the village headmen and subdistrict headmen or their assistants to monitor and document activities of the People's Party and report back.”
In his post, Chaithawat asked why there was an order to have officials follow and document only the People’s Party campaign and whether this order came from Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul or other influential persons.
In response, the Department of Provincial Administration issued a clarification saying measures had been put in place to ensure that officials and personnel under its jurisdiction act with honesty, fairness and legality during the election of the local council members and executives.
It said, the following actions had been taken:
On November 13, 2024, the Interior Ministry issued a directive to provincial governors, reminding all state officials, particularly those in regional administration, to maintain political neutrality.
During a Department of Provincial Administration meeting on December 26, 2024, officials at all levels, both central and regional, were reminded to strictly uphold political neutrality as they performed their duties, particularly given that local elections are taking place in several provinces.
The department said it will issue a formal letter to all provincial governors to reinforce the importance of maintaining political neutrality. It will also emphasise that provincial inspection zones ensure strict supervision of administrative officials within their jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, the department said it will expedite an investigation into the reported incident and have results within seven days. During the investigation, the concerned official may be reassigned to the provincial administration office.
Interior Minister, Anutin, commented on this matter, stating that he was not involved, as he was the one who issued the policy and directive that during local elections, all Ministry of Interior officials should remain neutral.
Regarding the order for local officials to report, it is likely that they were asked to report who was entering the area, which falls under the responsibility of the security agencies, especially individuals with prominent political roles, or even senior government officials. Anyone entering various districts must be monitored to ensure that nothing untoward or undesirable occurs, which is part of normal procedures.
As for the mention of political parties, it is the reason behind the establishment of a committee for an investigation and the transfer of a deputy district chief during the inquiry. However, in the initial report, the provincial governor has officially confirmed that this is a standard procedure, regardless of which party or significant individual is involved.
When asked why only the name of the People's Party was mentioned, Anutin explained that it could be due to a specific schedule indicating when each party was visiting, and that party might have been identified. However, when people don't pay attention or follow up, complaints arise about not taking care of or not giving enough importance to the situation.