‘Renegade’ Thammanat and followers return to ruling party

Thammanat and 20 MPs loyal to him were expelled from the PPRP in January 2022 for allegedly planning to topple Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha in a censure debate.

The group then joined the Settakij Thai Party, which Thammanat later took control of as party leader.

However, after Prayut formally severed his ties with the PPRP by joining the United Thai Nation Party and announcing his intention to become its prime ministerial candidate, speculation has been rife that Thammanat and his group would return to the PPRP.

On Monday, Thammanat, who is close to PPRP leader and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, and the other 11 members of his party began the process of re-applying to become members of the PPRP. As a result, all of them lost their MP status immediately because they had resigned from their party to join a new one.

The 11 Settakij Thai MPs, who followed Thammanat to the ruling party, are Phai Lik (Kamphaeng Phet), Jiradej Sriwiraj (Phayao), Kasem Suparanon (Nakhon Ratchasima), Sathira Puakpraphan (Chonburi), Pornchai Insook (Phichit), Panya Jinakham (Mae Hong Son), Jomkwan Klubbankoh (Samut Sakhon), Thassanaporn Ketmethikarun (Nakhon Ratchasima), Pakphum Boolpramook (Tak), Yutthana Pothasuthon (party-list) and Somsak Khunngern (Khon Kaen).

Two other party-list MPs of the Thammanat group – Boonsing Warinrak and Yongyuth Thepjamnong – previously rejoined the PPRP.

In another development, a key faction of the PPRP – the Sam Mitr ("Three Friends") group – has reportedly sent some members to join the Pheu Thai Party.

On Monday, Sukhothai MP Chusak Khirimathong – who is close to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin – resigned as a PPRP member to run for a House seat in Sukhothai as a Pheu Thai candidate. Somsak is a co-leader of the Sam Mitr group.

It has been reported that the Sam Mitr group, which once supported Prayut as the prime minister, is distributing its members to various parties so that it will still have a chance to retain some power after the election.

Earlier, two Sam Mitr members – Phudit Insuwan, former Phichit MP, and Chakkawal Chaiwiratkul, former Sukhothai MP – announced they would be Pheu Thai candidates in their respective provinces.