Somsak led Pheu Thai party candidates in three consecutive rallies in Sukhothai, supporting returning incumbent Jakrawan to parliament, and explained that former Prime Minister Paethongtarn lost her seat because of anti-scammer efforts.
On 5 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Somsak Thepsuthin, former Minister of Public Health, along with Mr. Chai Watcharong, Pheu Thai party list candidate, Ms. Natthida Thepsuthin, party list candidate, Mr. Jakrawan Chaiwiratnukoon, candidate for Sukhothai constituency 4, number 2, and Ms. Naknan Kulanatsiri, candidate for Sukhothai constituency 1, number 5, visited three locations in Sukhothai Province: Ban Kaeng subdistrict, Si Satchanalai district; Luang Ancient Temple, Sarachit subdistrict, Si Satchanalai district; and Love View Resort, Sawankhalok district.
Mr. Somsak said that today’s visit reminded him of past opportunities to help develop this area. In 1988, as secretary to the Minister of Transport, he helped solve transportation problems since the old city roads were dusty. He pushed for road construction, which has continued to develop. The road development is ongoing, and Mr. Jakrawan continues to advocate for upgrading it to a four-lane road to enhance transport capacity. Therefore, he urged the public to elect Jakrawan, number 2, back to parliament to continue developing the area. Jakrawan also courageously voices issues in parliament for the country's overall benefit.
Mr. Somsak added that in this election, Pheu Thai has many policies to improve people's quality of life. Each candidate will explain details, but he emphasized the main policy to guarantee welfare for Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) and community defense volunteers nationwide. While serving as Minister of Public Health, he recognized VHVs’ importance in campaigning to reduce carbon and NCD diseases, helping over 42 million people, reducing patients and government expenses significantly. He thus pushed for the VHV Act to provide security for VHVs. He is ready to return to push this legislation forward, as it is pending but was blocked and fell when the parliament was dissolved. He is determined to continue advocating for it.
“I want to clarify the situation of former Prime Minister Paethongtarn Shinawatra for the public to understand correctly, because if I don't, misinformation will spread. The fact is that the Pheu Thai government was seriously cracking down on scammers who defrauded many citizens, causing great hardship. The government decisively cut off the scam sources in Cambodia, which angered the source, leading to attacks against her. The former Prime Minister intended to seriously address the scam problem, understanding that some people had lost everything due to fraud. However, she lost her position because of this crackdown. I ask the public to understand this so they won’t be misled by incorrect claims.” . Mr. Somsak said.
Mr. Jakrawan stated that he is committed to continuing to serve the people and fully address policies and problems. He understands local issues well, having served as MP for two terms, district councilor for four terms, and deputy chairman of Sukhothai Provincial Administration Organization. He has consistently helped push solutions such as roads and lighting and is advocating for a four-lane road. Many policies have been supported since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s time and have continued through Pheu Thai. They will not betray former PM Thaksin’s contributions to Sukhothai. He asked for support for Pheu Thai, number 9, and himself, number 2, for a decisive victory. He also urged monitoring of Ministry of Interior officials to ensure a fair election. After the election, he believes Mr. Somsak is suitable to serve as Minister of Interior to help solve problems professionally, having 17 terms’ ministerial experience and the ability to drive public service effectively.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chai said that in the past 20 years, any party with tangible policies has been remembered by the public, especially Pheu Thai, which originated from Thai Rak Thai party, always creating beneficial programs such as the 30-baht universal healthcare, recognized worldwide as excellent, and village funds. However, they acknowledge the party was dissolved twice, five former prime ministers were treated unfairly. Despite these challenges, they cannot retreat because farmers still struggle to make ends meet. Thus, Pheu Thai cannot step back because their heart is with the people. This election, Pheu Thai has full policies to solve debt issues and address land problems with Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) land, which currently cannot be used as bank collateral. There are 36 million rai of ALRO land nationwide, but its use is restricted. Pheu Thai plans to unlock this by issuing land titles that can be bought, sold, and used as bank collateral, increasing land value by about 30,000 baht per rai. Nationwide, this would immediately add over 1.08 trillion baht in value. In Sukhothai alone, with 660,000 rai of ALRO land, unlocking it would add around 20 billion baht in value, greatly benefiting the people.
Ms. Natthida said that during recent visits, farmers reported problems with low agricultural product prices and losses due to rising production costs like fertilizer and fuel. These increased costs mean farmers make no profit and have no money to invest or upgrade machinery. Pheu Thai recognizes this problem and proposes a 30% profit guarantee policy. For example, if costs are 6,000 baht, a 30% profit means selling at 7,800 baht. She assured that Pheu Thai will help manage costs, especially fertilizer, by analyzing soil to improve accuracy, and provide coupons and seeds to reduce expenses. This will fully support farmers’ cultivation and help revive agriculture. The party also sees education issues, where graduates lack jobs, so it has a policy of funding education linked to job placement, assuring that Pheu Thai delivers on its promises.
Ms. Naknan said that Pheu Thai works as a team, as seen today with both constituency and party list candidates fully committed. She has expertise in economics and will help push related policies to improve people's quality of life. Pheu Thai has debt relief policies to help farmers maintain their livelihoods better.
Pheu Thai’s debt relief policy has four parts: 1) For bad debts up to 200,000 baht, viewed as occupational burdens, debtors pay 10% and the rest is forgiven; 2) For farmers’ debts, principal and interest are deferred for 3 years up to 500,000 baht; 3) For retirees with no income but outstanding debt under 100,000 baht with state banks, debts are forgiven; and 4) For informal debts, low-interest loans up to 50,000 baht per person are provided to pay off informal debts.
Additionally, there is a one-year good repayment program with one free installment and a retirement lottery where individuals can buy tickets up to 3,000 baht per month. Winners get cash immediately; if not, amounts accumulate for retirement use. For example, buying 3,000 baht monthly for one year totals 36,000 baht; if starting at age 50 and continuing for 10 years, this totals 360,000 baht accessible at age 60. As an economic expert, she affirmed this policy is effective in genuinely helping citizens with debt.