Tawee pledges peace in the deep South, vows emergency decree to hold talks in Thailand
Prachachat Party leader Tawee Sodsong says a peace decree and talks in Thailand would restore calm in the southern border provinces if he becomes prime minister.
At the Bangkok Youth Center (Thai-Japanese) on the evening of January 17, 2026, Nation Group hosted the “Nation Election 2026 DEBATE: The Crossroads”, inviting representatives from political parties to present their visions ahead of the February 8 election.
Tawee Sodsong, a police colonel and leader as well as prime ministerial candidate of the Prachachat Party, said that if elected he would, within one year, define the government’s role as serving the people, while the Prachachat Party would focus on developing people so they can help build the nation.
Tawee said that in the first 100 days, priority would be given to a nationwide operation to crack down on drug traffickers, ensuring all dealers are arrested and prosecuted on money-laundering charges. Drug users and addicts would be treated as patients and referred for rehabilitation.
On household debt, he said Thailand has been trapped in a long-standing cycle. His plan would focus on debt rehabilitation, including writing off or cancelling student loan debts (SLF). To ease living costs, he pledged to cut diesel prices to 20 baht per litre.
Tawee stressed the need to restore peace and quality of life in the southern border provinces through a two-pronged approach.
First, the state must protect the safety of all citizens, with civil servants required to be free from corruption and not weak in enforcing the law. Second, the peace dialogue process must be underpinned by law. As an urgent measure, he said he would issue a peace emergency decree to allow the peace dialogue committee to hold talks inside Thailand, rather than abroad.
On corruption, Tawee said the fight must begin with MP candidates, warning that vote-buying undermines democracy and allows people to seek office for personal gain. He said public pressure and civic action—when citizens unite—can effectively eliminate corrupt politicians.
Tawee also addressed constitutional reform, describing the constitution as the nation’s “foundation” that protects everyone. He said it should be treated as sacrosanct and must be drafted with public participation, leading to approval of a new constitution in its entirety. The new charter, he said, should ensure a fair balance of power, equitable resource sharing, and the ability to solve problems and protect the people.
