Former MP Khamphong Thepakham posted a revealing exposé on the political 'snake' recruitment process, disclosing he was courted to switch parties seven times with offers including 80 million baht, luxury brand-new cars, and salaries in the hundreds of thousands.
On 20 March 2026, former party-list MP Khamphong Thepakham of the People’s Party (PChn.) sent shockwaves through the political arena by posting on his personal Facebook page an insider account of attempts to buy MPs, known colloquially as 'political snakes.' He stated that during his two terms as MP, he was approached with offers to switch parties seven times.
Khamphong detailed startling figures: the first offer was 3 million baht, which quickly surged to 30 million baht, along with a monthly salary of 200,000 baht and the position of 'Isan Commander.' Negotiations even took place at his residence in Ubon Ratchathani Province. Subsequent offers included 20 million, 40 million, and 30 million baht respectively.
“The fifth offer was 30 million baht, with instructions to collect the money at Ratchaburi 11, where a van came to pick me up. This happened before the vote for the House Speaker and the vote confirming General Prayut Chan-o-cha as Prime Minister,” the former People’s Party party-list MP explained. He added that the intensity continued after the Future Forward Party was dissolved, with an offer as high as 80 million baht plus a brand-new luxury car. Most recently, after the dissolution of the Move Forward Party, there was another offer of '15 kilo,' presumed to mean 15 million baht. Each approach was made through acquaintances or former colleagues, though some were direct.
Khamphong firmly concluded by affirming that these attempts to buy 'political snakes' are real, not fabricated. He left a cryptic and fierce remark about a mysterious individual, saying, “It really happened, like that wicked mastermind,” sparking a social media stir over who he might have been referring to within political circles.