Chart Pattana Kla Party ‘ready’ for general election as it unveils Chatichai statue

The party said it was all set and ready to contest the general election scheduled for next year.

Chart Pattana was officially renamed Chart Pattana Kla Party on September 26 to reflect the alliance between Chart Pattana and Kla.

Chart Pattana Kla chairman Suwat Liptapanlop said Chatichai had played an important role in Thai politics from 1972 to 1991.

“Chatichai’s policies, including the one to “change the battlefield to the trade field”, and the Eastern Seaboard development had boosted Thailand’s economic growth to as high as 10 per cent of gross domestic product,” Suwat pointed out.

He said Chatichai had built strong ties with Nakhon Ratchasima locals through several projects, such as the Suranaree Industrial Zone, Suranaree University of Technology and Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo.

Suwat went on to say that the Chart Pattana Kla Party is ready for the general election after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in November.

The summit is an opportunity for Thailand to boost confidence in trade and among investors, he said.

“It is up to members whether the party will be able to make a great comeback in the upcoming general election or not,” he said matter-of-factly.

Suwat strongly believes the cooperation with former finance minister and Kla leader Korn Chatikavanij will help boost Chart Pattana Kla Party’s potential in tackling economic crises.

Meanwhile, Korn said he was “proud” to get an opportunity to attend the ceremony as Chart Pattana Kla is “playing an important role in the country’s development”.

“Suwat and I aim to enable Thailand to see prosperous trade similar to that during Chatichai’s era,” he added.

Apart from serving as Thai ambassador as well as foreign and industry ministers, Chatichai was as the prime minister from August 1988 until a coup d'état in February 1991.

He died aged 78 from liver cancer in a hospital in London on May 6, 1998.