Phak Khao Tham Rejects Removal From Opposition Bloc

On September 22, 2569, Surasit Jiamwijaksana, a Chiang Rai Member of Parliament from the Khao Tham Party, gave an interview regarding Prasit Wattharasindhus, a list-based Member of Parliament from the People's Party and coordinator of opposition parties in parliament, who announced he would remove the Khao Tham Party from the opposition coalition after it voted to approve the 2570 annual budget bill.

Surasit confirmed that the Khao Tham Party has never passed a resolution to withdraw from the opposition, and no member of the party had informed Prasit of such a decision as claimed. He noted that the party has not held a meeting for two to three weeks, making it impossible for any such resolution to have been passed.

Regarding votes on individual bills, Surasit said Khao Tham maintains an independent stance. The party votes against measures it deems unhelpful and supports those it considers beneficial, and does not follow directives from the People's Party. He emphasized that the party is not subordinate to any other party and has the right to vote differently on issues it disagrees with. He cited the 2570 budget bill as an example, which the party reviewed and voted to support because it deemed it beneficial.

Surasit criticized Prasit, saying he should not overstate his position by unilaterally removing Khao Tham from the opposition bloc when the party has never decided to leave. He reaffirmed that Khao Tham's current status remains that of an opposition party, and that party leader Thammanus Promphao has not made any statements about withdrawal. He added that the government has not yet signaled an invitation for the party to join it, but stressed that if such an invitation comes in the future, Khao Tham would be prepared to accept and become part of the government, as no party would refuse such an offer.