Thawee Visits Malaysia, Meets 'Tom Yum Kung' Network, Focuses on Southern Border Development and Drug Crackdown

During a February 1st, 2569 (2026) event at the Marrakesh Arab restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Police Major General Thawee Sodsong, former Minister of Justice and Pracharath Party leader, met with Thai entrepreneurs and workers in Malaysia to discuss southern border region development. Thawee compared the southern region's development, noting that for 22 years, the area has been "moving backwards". He highlighted the Pattani Airport (Bo Thong), which was once a critical economic strategic point where even travelers to Hat Yai had to land. "After the 2004 unrest, the people's airport became a military airport, causing Pattani to lose massive opportunities, despite potentially being a gateway for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. This is the impact of prioritizing security over development," he stated. Regarding infrastructure, Thawee revealed that the Hat Yai-Sungai Kolok dual-track railway project has been approved with a central budget of 34,000 million baht, emphasizing that the railway is a "lifeline" to elevate local people's quality of life. On drug issues, Thawee acknowledged that some Thais have fled drug problems to Malaysia. He noted Malaysia's border fence is not to prevent people, but to block "drugs and contraband" from Thailand. "If we return to work, in the first 100 days we will launch a serious operation to arrest and seize drug dealers' assets. Society should not allow these people to maintain their status," he declared. The Pracharath Party proposed an Islamic-compatible economic model, including an "interest-free economic system", village peace funds, and corporate tax reductions to attract global Islamic capital. They also plan to push a "peace law" to abolish martial law and emergency decrees. Thawee confidently targeted winning at least 10 constituency seats in 13 districts, highlighting team members like Ku Heng Yawaha San, Kamolsak Leewamoh, and Sugarnoh Mata to drive the "restore rights-create opportunities" policy for southern people.