‘Teng’ vows to free political prisoners; Thanathorn says govt possible

At Samyan Mitrtown, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader and prime ministerial candidate of the People’s Party, spoke on stage and declared his intention to invite the public to jointly rewrite Thailand’s national history — a Thailand with democracy without dictatorship dominating it, where people have security alongside the country, and where people are equal whether born rich or poor.

He said every police officer must work to serve the people, not demand “tea money” to buy positions, and every civil servant must be a servant of the people. In the past, he said, laws were used to target those who intended to do the right thing while letting wrongdoers go — and “we will fix this together”. He added that the pages of Thai history should be such that prisons exist to jail the guilty, not to jail the poor or those with different political views.

During the speech, someone in the audience shouted: “Free all political prisoners.” Natthaphong responded: “It’s in my heart. If I have power, I will definitely do it — I mean political prisoners, I will definitely do it.”

He continued that the military must be modernised to protect the country, not to govern the country. During that moment, someone shouted: “Execute them.” Natthaphong replied: “It’s in my heart as well.”

Natthaphong went on to say the duty of the people is to move forward into the polling booths, not to claim that a party is seeking to overturn everything or pursue change without thinking — because, he said, that is not the case. He believes his side has good intentions for the country and wants to see the Thailand they want to see, and asked supporters to help ensure they cannot be rejected again.

“From today until February 8, I think the people have two choices left,” he said. “One is the politics of the past, with the blue party leading the formation of the government. The other choice is the politics of the future — a new page of history, with the orange party leading the formation of the government. I ask you to promise: don’t stop believing, don’t stop dreaming. Move forward in the election and mark your vote for change, when everyone makes a promise to the leader,” Natthaphong said.

A member of the audience then called out: “Not a leader — be the prime minister.” Natthaphong replied: “The prime minister promises back as well,” prompting chants of “PM Teng, PM Teng.”

Natthaphong then said that this prime minister, and MPs and party representatives, will be honest, will not lie or deceive the people, will be humble towards the people, and will stand upright against dictatorship. He pledged to work for the people and not put money into his own pocket, and said that if he finds anyone who is corrupt or engages in graft, he will move in and deal with it immediately.

Later at the same venue, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a campaign aide for the People’s Party, took the stage and stressed the possibility of forming a “People’s Party government” because, in this election, the Senate does not have the power to vote for the prime minister, unlike the 2019 election and the 2023 election.

Therefore, he said, if the People’s Party receives overwhelming support to become the number one party, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the party leader and PM candidate, would become prime minister immediately.

He said opponents have to spread disinformation because they have nothing left to stop the People’s Party. Even falsehoods that make people lose hope or hesitate to “open the door”, he said, are used because they fear an era of change. He cited examples such as Tak Bai, the “friend’s watches” case, and “it is flour”, saying fear is used to make abnormality seem normal and to turn injustice into “justice” — and in a distorted society, straightforwardness becomes something alien. Old-style politics, he said, fears a new era where wrongdoing is no longer free of accountability.

Thanathorn said this time the party has not only prepared a team of MPs, but has also prepared an administration team because it has known since the 2023 election that the next election would be won. He said the party is telling the public it is more ready than before, with quality personnel ready to take responsibility for Thailand’s future and people’s quality of life.

He said his greatest pride over eight years of political work — from Future Forward in 2018 to 2026 — is not popularity or being the number one party, but having had the chance to be part of building an “orange” team to hand to the people.

He said some people worry about whether to “issue another licence” to them. He replied that the question is not whether the public will give them another licence, but whether people will accept things staying that way. With two weeks left, he urged supporters to ensure they cannot be rejected again, to deliver a landslide victory, and said the power to determine the country’s future is in the people’s hands — because “there is no Senate anymore”.

He added that they do not have influence, vote-canvassing networks, extraordinary legal power, or large sums of money to put up signs at every junction — but they have one powerful resource: the people. He urged everyone to walk together and make what seems impossible become possible. He recalled that in 2019 they were mocked as impossible and expected to win only 5–10 seats, but Future Forward won 81 seats. In 2023, Move Forward was seen as an alternative but became a main party of the country. Now, in 2026, he said people claim a “People’s Party government” is impossible — and he urged the public to make it possible together in the remaining two weeks.