General Rangsri unveiled Police Lieutenant General Chantep Sasawet as a candidate for Bangkok Governor, announcing a plan to overhaul Bangkok and resolve recurring problems within four years.
On 27 May 2026, General Rangsri Kittiyanansap, leader of the Economic Party, along with party MPs, held a press conference to introduce Police Lieutenant General Chantep Sasawet (Big Yom), former Metropolitan Police Commander, as the candidate for the 2026 Bangkok Governor election, accompanied by a full team of prospective district councilors. They chose a symbolic location beneath the Airport Rail Link station, near a high-risk site of a past tragedy, to emphasize proactive problem-solving: “Preventing incidents before they happen, not just reacting afterwards.”
Police Lieutenant General Chantep and General Rangsri announced five main policy pillars for the Bangkok overhaul, which include:
1. Safety of life and property (deploying municipal officers to assist police)
Police Lieutenant General Chantep revealed alarming statistics showing that over the past four years, rape cases in Bangkok averaged over 2,000 annually. The Economic Party plans to repurpose more than 5,000 municipal officers as "police assistants" to conduct patrols ensuring public safety and traffic control, instead of spending time chasing street vendors. They will install CCTV coverage accessible to the public via mobile devices immediately to combat transnational crime.
2. Solving traffic congestion using AI systems and integration
“If I say traffic will never be congested, that would be a lie, but I can guarantee it will be lighter,” said Police Lieutenant General Chantep. He noted that past governors often claimed they lacked authority over the police, but the core of being governor is "coordination." As a former Metropolitan Police Commander, he intends to collaborate closely with the National Police Chief and Metropolitan Police Commander to jointly plan traffic systems. He will implement AI technology to control traffic signals at critical intersections first.
3. Revolutionizing waste policy: “Garbage is gold” — abolish waste fees for citizens!
Bangkok loses up to 7 billion baht annually on waste disposal without adequate returns. Police Lieutenant General Chantep announced a policy to abolish the 20 and 60 baht waste fees imposed by the previous governor (excluding department stores and hazardous waste). The Economic Party plans to introduce innovative plasma technology to convert waste into capital reinvested in Bangkok.
4. Eradicating corruption: “Corruption equals capital punishment”
General Rangsri emphasized the party’s stance that corruption, especially within the Public Works Department and all 50 district offices, as well as procurement fraud causing poorly repaired roads and uneven sidewalks, corrodes Bangkok. Police Lieutenant General Chantep guarantees that during his tenure, there will be no under-the-table bribery. “No district director or public works chief who solicits bribes will escape the scrutiny of a former police officer like me.”
5. Stimulating the grassroots economy by expanding Street Food areas
He plans to promote and consider increasing Street Food zones in nearly every district to attract tourists and boost vendor incomes, with strict conditions ensuring no interference with traffic or pedestrian movement.
When asked about the rival candidate, “Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt” Police Lieutenant General Chantep sharply questioned, “Mr. Chadchart has governed for four years; how many of his promised policies have been implemented, and what tangible results are there?” He concluded, wearing a green reflective vest and helmet as symbols of Bangkok’s current insecurity, stating that the Economic Party will improve the quality of life in the capital. "Bangkok must survive!"
Finally, Police Lieutenant General Chantep’s public health policy is: “People of Bangkok must have access to doctors” Police Lieutenant General Chantep proposed upgrading Bangkok’s public health system by establishing more primary care clinics in neighborhoods and gas stations to serve the elderly, bedridden patients, and those with chronic illnesses, bringing services closer to home to reduce hospital visits.
The main approach is to integrate clinics, health service centers, and Bangkok hospitals into a unified system using household health databases. This will identify homes with elderly residents, bedridden patients, disabled persons, or terminally ill individuals so that staff can provide care proactively rather than waiting for serious illness to require hospitalization.
“If the people of Bangkok want to avoid recurring problems, vote for the Economic Party and its full team. Everything can be resolved within four years.”