Ministry warns village heads, tambon chiefs not to show support for any candidates
The top official at the Interior Ministry has warned village heads and tambon chiefs nationwide against taking photos with election candidates or showing any form of support for them ahead of the May 14 general election.
Suttipong Juljarern, the ministry permanent secretary, sent a circular dated April 12 to provincial governors nationwide, warning village heads, tambon chiefs or kamnan, assistant kamnan, assistant village heads and tambon chief medical officers to strictly remain non-partisan ahead of the election.
Suttipong reasoned in his letter that these local officials work closely at the grassroots and they are mostly respected by local people. As a result, if they do any activity or action that favours a particular candidate, it would not be fair to other candidates.
Suttipong told the provincial governors to in turn instruct district chiefs to remind the local administrators that they must strictly remain nonpartisan for the sake of a clean and fair election.
Among other things, the village heads and kamnan and other local administrators must refrain from expressing their political opinions on social networks and must refrain from inviting any election candidate to take part in activities of their villages or tambon.
They must not take photos with any candidate or figure in campaign posters of any candidate, the circular added.
There are about 7,200 tambon and 69,300 villages in Thailand’s 77 provinces.
