Lieutenant Colonel Thanathorn declared that Kla Tham is firmly establishing its presence in Songkhla District 6 by endorsing Mangkon Baramee, a young candidate ready to work immediately. He candidly addressed a former junior colleague, saying, “It’s not that I rejected him; he rejected me,” and challenged critics by asking what basis they have to judge who is loyal or not, daring them to check all his accounts.
Reporters noted that the Kla Tham Party held a major rally in the southern border area at Padang Tinsulanon School, Padang Besar Subdistrict, Sadao District, Songkhla Province, on the evening of 17 January 2026. The event drew a large crowd, with party leaders and candidates on stage, including Lieutenant Colonel Thanathorn Phrompha, party advisory chairman and prime ministerial candidate, alongside party leader Narumon Phinyosinwat. They campaigned for Kla Tham’s Songkhla MPs: Wongwachira Khawthong for District 5 and Baramee Khawthong for District 6. Former Songkhla MPs Dechit Khawthong (Mayor Chai) and Supaporn Kamnueadphon also joined, as did southern candidates from Narathiwat and other Songkhla districts, all showing support.
Supaporn spoke on stage about her two terms of dedicated work in parliament and locally, focusing on empowering women and communities, especially in District 6. She openly admitted stepping back from politics due to its complexity and distortions preventing her goals. She emphasized the need for serious continuity in developing border areas, frontier economies, infrastructure, electricity, water, roads, and lighting. She expressed confidence that Baramee Khawthong—Mangkon—is the right person, citing his commitment, sacrifice, and public spirit from a young age, and asked the public to support giving opportunities to the new generation.
Baramee addressed the crowd, noting his law degree and understanding of laws that hinder people's lives, committing to personally fix these issues. His career includes serving as an MP assistant and ministerial advisor, growing through grassroots politics—not relying merely on his surname. He stated he does not discriminate by class; anyone who works for the community and loves the people is considered one of their own. He said the dreams he holds now rest with his parents, but the nation's future lies with the younger generation, inviting voters to join the 8 February election to change the future together.
Narumon stressed that although Kla Tham is contesting under a new name, it is not a new party, as the team has worked together since 2018 and contested the 2019 election. She explained the party’s choice of Lieutenant Colonel Thanathorn as prime ministerial candidate is due to his boldness in addressing problems and refusing to let capitalists exploit farmers—from opposing harmful agricultural imports to pushing for amendments to the Agricultural Land Reform Act 4-01 to upgrade land titles to official agricultural deeds. The party’s next step is promoting “Red Garuda Deeds.” She highlighted policies on sustainable debt relief, establishing a “People’s Bank,” lowering high-interest rates of state banks, and emphasized that while other parties may align selectively, Kla Tham stands united with Mangkon and the people to concretely develop District 6.
Then Lieutenant Colonel Thanathorn took the stage, announcing he was planting the flag in District 6 and seeking support for Mangkon, who represents Sadao–Khlong Hoi Khong and has deep ties to the area. He highlighted real border checkpoint issues, such as the outdated overtime pay of 25 baht set by a ministerial regulation from 1987, which should be abolished and replaced with a new budget rather than passing the burden to locals. He stated clearly that with the changing world, old laws must be revised, not left to cause hardship.
Thanathorn also emphasized Kla Tham’s respect for the southern Muslim community by prioritizing Muslim representatives as ministers and party-list MP candidates, affirming sincerity and the commitment not to leave anyone behind. He concluded by rallying voters for the 8 February election, urging them to vote for “Mangkon, number 6,” to achieve tangible change.
During the speech, Thanathorn opened up about a junior politician who had once been an ally but has since switched allegiance and told locals that Thanathorn rejected him. “I affirm clearly that it was not me who rejected him, but he who rejected me. I bring this up because many locals have asked why I don’t accept him. I gave him full opportunities, pushing for positions such as deputy government spokesman, assistant, and ministerial advisor, treating him like one of my own children. In my politics, when I love, I truly love and give my all. But in the end, he chose to walk away—even though I had just appointed him as my advisor that morning.”
Towards the end, Thanathorn described himself as a workaholic who loves sincerely; if he hates someone, they shouldn’t expect to survive. He said people must be clear. He criticized some parties who keep calling things “gray” repeatedly. He then mouthed some words silently, drawing cheers from supporters, before continuing with passion. “What do you use to judge who is gray or not? Honestly, you can check all my accounts—there’s no one transferring money to me except the government. My monthly salary is 110,000 baht. Nothing else. I’ve always used what I had before, and now I live off my wife, who was Miss Thailand 2016.” He ended the rally by entrusting the Songkhla MP candidates and the Kla Tham Party to the voters for the 8 February 2026 election.