From: kamol@munnari.oz.AU (Kamol Hengkietisak)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Sept 3: Chuan ready to lead the nation
Date: 3 Sep 1992 16:03:21 +1000
Organization: Mail/News gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: munnari.oz.au

Chuan: Democrats ready to lead nation
DEMOCRAT Party leader Chuan Leekpai yesterday made an all-out 
pitch to raise the image of the Democrats as a party able to run 
the economy and of himself as a well-prepared potential premier.
     In a two-hour televised campaign at the National Stadium, Mr 
Chuan declared, to lengthy applause, that  he is ready to become 
opposition leader or premier after the election.
     Mr Chuan said the election is not just voting for MPs but 
also "a government and a premier".
     He said he may be "too soft and gentle and not aggressive 
because I'm a son of a teacher, but when it comes to making 
decisions I am resolute and strong".
     Mr Chuan explained his role and that of the Democrats during 
the May events by giving a chronology of pro-democracy 
demonstrations from May 4 to 21.
     He said he was one of the "most exhausted" pro-democracy 
activists. Since May 17 until the bloodshed, no politician had 
played a decisive part in the demonstrations except Palang 
Dharma's de facto leader Chamlong Srimuang, who had joined the 
Confederation for Democracy. He said he had tried very hard to 
keep Maj-Gen Chamlong from being harmed or fasting to the death 
prior to the military crackdown.
     Mr Chuan said people can rest assured that the Democrats are 
"sincere" and will not put the country at risk or people in danger 
and will not hesitate to tell right from wrong.
     He said he does not mean to reprimand or damage anyone by 
giving a "factual" account of the May events because he wants 
people to understand more about the Democrats' role.
     "In the South, I was called a coward for letting Brother 
Chamlong fight all alone," he said.
     Mr Chuan said Maj-Gen Chamlong called Democrat 
secretary-general Sanan Kachornprasart on the phone yesterday to 
thank the Democrats for continuing to be an ally of the PDP and 
expressed hope that the four former opposition parties will still 
be united as usual.
     Mr Chuan said he still has 10 days to campaign and will visit 
the Northeast again. More major speeches will be made.
     He expressed bewilderment at a poll by ex-National Statistics 
Office chief Niyom Purakham which predicts that the PDP and the 
Democrats will be the first and second largest parties 
respectively. An Interior Ministry poll and another by 
Chulalongkorn University forecast that Chart Pattana and New 
Aspiration will be the biggest.
     Mr Chuan said the Niyom poll's prediction is  "possible" but 
he is concerned at vote-buying in the last three days before the 
election.
     He said the PDP and the Democrats will certainly increase 
their number of MPs while the NAP will find it hard to increase 
the 72 it won in March.
     The next Cabinet will still comprise "old faces" but that 
should be all right if they are honest.
     Mr Chuan said the ex-premier and CPP leader Chatichai 
Choonhavan was being "very clever" in saying the Democrat leader 
could become premier.
     Gen Chatichai is vying only with NAP leader Chavalit 
Yongchaiyudh for the premiership, Mr Chuan said. Other Democrats 
yesterday declared their economic platform in response to claims 
the party has hardly touched seriously on economic issues.
     Maj-Gen Sanan spoke on agricultural issues, such as farmers' 
debts, land reform and forest reserves.
     Democrat candidate Savit Bhothivihok promised to build 
four-lane roads in every province throughout the country, to move 
two million to three million people from Bangkok to Eastern 
Seaboard development areas and introduce "a tourist estate."
     Mr Savit is a former director of the Eastern Seaboard 
Development Project Office.