Chuan declined to comment on the case involving Chaiyanat’s assault on a deputy superintendent and referred questions to Abhisit, noting whether this affects the southern electoral base. He emphasized that everyone must abide by the law and viewed the government’s response to daily gun issues as ongoing. He personally owns two guns, unused and now rusted.
On 14 August 2026 at the Democrat Party headquarters, Chuan Leekpai, party list MP for the Democrats, addressed the case of Chaiyanat Dedcho, party list MP and deputy party leader, who was reported for assaulting a deputy superintendent at Thung Yai Police Station, Nakhon Si Thammarat. He said he has followed the news but is unaware of the facts and has not inquired further. Regarding potential impact on the party, he suggested asking party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, adding that everyone must be equally subject to the law.
When pressed on whether this would affect the party’s southern support base, Chuan said he did not know. He noted the bigger issue currently is vote-buying, mentioning he sent a letter to the Election Commission to encourage them and highlight that the last general election involved the highest amount of money spent to secure MP seats and government formation. He warned of problems like interference with senators, which is wrong and must be guarded against.
“I sent a letter to the Election Commission chairman, who replied with thanks. I also wrote to the Election Commission secretary, but received no response. We survived the last election because we ran on the party list; if we had contested constituencies, it would have been uncertain. The party list helped us gain more MPs,” he said.
Chuan commented on the government’s stricter control of firearm possession, involving new gun and ammunition laws. Although he has not seen the draft law, he urged consideration of whether problems stem from legal flaws or enforcement. He believes gun laws are sufficiently strict but said that if people feel safe, they are less likely to own guns for self-defense. The priority is creating a safe society where people trust officials to protect them. He suggested reviewing past performance without adding burdensome regulations, as new rules might cause issues. The root problem may lie in behavior rather than laws.
Asked if this approach addresses the core problem, Chuan said it is a day-to-day fix, enacted reactively when incidents occur. He suggested focusing on behavior. He shared that a junior police officer told him about gun auctions awarding licenses to buy and distribute firearms to officers. He hopes authorities will strictly regulate online gun sales, noting society’s vulnerabilities are not limited to guns but also involve discipline. He urged officials to take these issues seriously rather than overlook them, warning that ignoring discipline leads to further social problems.
When asked if politicians possess more guns than necessary, Chuan said it is difficult to say because he does not know why they collect guns or how they use them. Some claim it is a hobby, but the key concern is whether possession poses danger. Having guns is not the problem; behavior and conduct of gun owners are. He revealed he owns two guns, a handgun and a long gun, but does not use them; they have rusted over time.