Sudarat’s new party will cut ties to Thaksin: Watana

Watana was speaking to Inside Thailand following speculation that the party being launched by Pheu Thai’s former chief strategist Sudarat Keyuraphan would ally with Pheu Thai under its patriarch, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

Sudarat’s links with Thaksin go back to 1998, when she co-founded his Thai Rak Thai Party. However, those links appeared to break late last month when she abruptly quit Pheu Thai along with several of her allies. The move came after Thaksin’s ex-wife Khunying Potjaman Na Pombejra reportedly intervened to engineer changes at the top of Pheu Thai.

Watana said the resignation of Sudarat and her allies from the main opposition party was due to ideological differences with other members.

Turning his focus to the country’s current political turmoil, he said the solution was to amend the Constitution to return power to the people.

He said charter change was the biggest issue facing the country but added that it would not be achieved in a day but over a long period of cooperation between people.

Watana was also asked whether the new party would try to get rid of PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha so it could join his ruling Phalang Pracharat Party in power.

He answered that the new party would not ally with any other parties.

He also said he had notified the Election Commission of the plan to launch the new party.

The launch date was not revealed but he said the focus of the country should be charter amendment and the setting up of a Constitution Drafting Assembly.

Watana also insisted that the new party would not be influenced by Thaksin or Potjaman.