Veteran politician Chalerm Ubumrung has vowed to act independently in keeping the Pheu Thai Party in check after it repeatedly refused to expel him.
The Pheu Thai list-MP made the pledge after a falling-out with the party that heads the government coalition. Mr Chalerm says he’s also had enough of the Shinawatra family, especially patriarch Thaksin.
Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn, the Pheu Thai leader, on Wednesday deleted Mr Chalerm from the Line group used by party MPs for sending messages that made them feel “uncomfortable”.
The trouble began when Mr Chalerm and his son, former MP Wan Ubumrung, attended a gathering hosted by a rival candidate to Pheu Thai in a Pathum Thani local election on June 30.
Some Pheu Thai members accused Mr Wan of “fraternising” with the enemy, despite his protestations that he was just visiting with an old family friend. He has since defected to the coalition Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) led by Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.
Mr Chalerm wants to do the same and has called on Pheu Thai to expel him so he can retain his MP seat when he moves. However, Ms Paetongtarn says the party has no intention of purging Mr Chalerm.
She defended her decision to remove the 77-year-old former police captain from the party Line group.
“The Line group chatroom is supposed to be mainly for communicating work-related appointments to MPs,” she said.
“We thought it best to drop Mr Chalerm from the chatroom’s list of members,” she said, adding that party did not wish to see the spat dramatised.
“We stand ready to explain that we genuinely want the issue to be laid to rest once and for all,” the Pheu Thai leader said.
Ms Paetongtarn said she would no longer respond to reporters’ questions about the issue.
Along with his call to be expelled from Pheu Thai, Mr Chalerm has threatened to spill the beans about secrets pertaining to Thaksin, Ms Paetongtarn’s father, who is believed to be the de facto leader of Pheu Thai.
Mr Chalerm claims only he knows of these secrets.
If Pheu Thai continues ignoring his demand to be purged, Mr Chalerm said he would have no choice but to adopt a new role as an independent MP who will be critical of his own party, especially in House debates.
On Wednesday, Mr Chalerm claimed he had “taken care of” several legal cases for Thaksin while the latter was living in a self-imposed exile overseas.
Thaksin fled the country in 2008, shortly before he was convicted by the Supreme Court for abusing his power while serving as prime minister, in connection with the sale of prime land by a state agency to his then-wife for a low price.
“Between me and Thaksin we owe each other absolutely nothing. But it would be fun if we could have a face-to-face debate,” Mr Chalerm said during a press conference on Wednesday at his lavish home in Bang Bon district of Bangkok.
Mr Chalerm, an exceedingly wealthy former police captain, has been in politics for more than four decades and has held senior positions in numerous governments, including deputy prime minister under Yingluck Shinawatra.
Bang Bon has long been the Ubumrung family’s political fiefdom, but when Mr Wan ran for election in May last year, Move Forward newcomer Rukchanok Srinork trounced him by more than 20,000 votes.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai declined to comment on Mr Chalerm’s latest move, saying he wished the media would stop fussing over the matter.
Chalerm Ubumrung, never shy about showing off his wealth, is seen stepping out of a pink Bentley in 2012. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
