THAKSIN LOYALISTS FROM THAI RAK THAI TAKE OVER THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 004214 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM TH SUBJECT: THAKSIN LOYALISTS FROM THAI RAK THAI TAKE OVER THE PEOPLE'S POWER PARTY REF: A. BANGKOK 4042 (TRT PLAN TO RISE AGAIN) ¶B. BANGKOK 3442 (POLITICAL MAP) BANGKOK 00004214 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor David R. Greenberg, reason 1. 4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Former Thai Rak Thai (TRT) politicians who appear to remain loyal to Thaksin have joined en masse the previously obscure People's Power Party (PPP). This move appears intended to assuage concerns that the delays involved in registering a new party could lead to many of these politicians being excluded from the next elections. The party's next formal leader remains undetermined, but most speculation centers on former Bangkok Governor Samak Sundaravej. Conventional wisdom currently holds that Thaksin loyalists will comprise a significant opposition block in the next parliament. The move to the PPP provides useful confirmation that well-connected political actors are confident elections will take place in the coming months. End Summary. EDGY ABOUT EXCLUSION -------------- ¶2. (C) The legislature on July 26 passed a law that prohibits political parties from using the name, logo, or abbreviation of a party that has been ordered dissolved. This law clearly targeted Thai Rak Thai (TRT),the party of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, complicating efforts of TRT figures to form a new party (ref A): they were leaning toward the name Thai Ruam Thai (Thais Join Thais),so the initials would clearly link them to Thai Rak Thai. Even without the new law, it was uncertain whether the ECT might seek to impede registration of a new party by officials associated with TRT. ¶3. (SBU) Former TRT members were particularly concerned about meeting the deadline for party membership in order to be a candidate for the parliamentary elections, currently expected to be in December. If the new constitution passes the August 19 referendum, there should be no problem; for this first election, it only requires candidates to be party members for 30 days before the vote. The 1997 Constitution, however, required candidates to be members of their party for 90 days before registering as a candidate (and candidates normally have to register at least a month before the election.) There is a certain irony -- if this former TRT grouping succeeded in its goal of defeating the new draft constitution in the referendum and securing the return of the 1997 Constitution, they could run out of time to create their new party and enroll members, and therefore would be unable to run in the December polls. ¶4. (C) In addition, various splinter groups from TRT are aiming to form new parties, and existing parties also have been courting some prominent figures previously associated with TRT. With jockeying for position under way, top Thaksin loyalists likely felt that their interests were ill served by leaving anxious former legislators adrift. For all these reasons, therefore, in recent days hundreds of TRT figures embarked on a coordinated and public effort to join the previously obscure People's Power Party (PPP). A former TRT figure told us on August 2 that approximately 220 of her fellow ex-legislators had joined PPP. THE "WHAT?" PARTY -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The People's Power Party (in Thai: Pak Palang Prachachon) was formed in 1998. It appeared to be principally an enterprise of the Thiankaeo family, heretofore not prominent in political circles. Two sisters serve as Party Leader and Secretary General, while their brother, a 46-year-old retired Police Lieutenant, heads the advisory board. Nationwide, prior to the influx from TRT, PPP had *********************** * Missing Section 002 * ***********************