Abhisit campaigns in Nakhon Si Thammarat with policy pitch

Abhisit Vejjajiva hit the campaign trail in Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday, urging voters to back the Democrat Party as it fights to win back support in one of its long‑standing strongholds.

The Democrat Party campaign team visited the Thewada fresh market in Sichon district, where Abhisit was joined by party executives and local figures to rally support for Chanwatthana Isarawatana, the party’s constituency candidate for Nakhon Si Thammarat’s ninth district.

The visit drew a large crowd, many of whom gathered to listen to the speeches and interact with party representatives.

Abhisit, who served as Thailand’s prime minister from 2008 to 2011, opened his speech with a joke about his 30 years in politics and how some still couldn’t remember his name. He outlined the Democrat Party’s platform, saying it was ready to return to public service with practical policies aimed at supporting Thais from birth to old age.

Among the key proposals highlighted was an expansion of welfare for older people. Abhisit said the party planned to build on the existing elderly allowance scheme by increasing payments to 1,000 baht per month without requiring recipients to wait.

He also proposed a 65,000 baht allowance for newborns during their first year that would be paired with a long‑term savings system designed to help children accumulate up to 100,000 baht by the time they reach 18 years old.

Education reform was another focus of the speech as the Democrat Party intended to upgrade the existing 15‑year free education scheme into what he described as truly free education, with the state covering all related expenses in order to ease the financial burden on parents.

At one point, Abhisit expressed concern over national issues, particularly the spread of grey capital and scam networks operating along border areas. He warned that illegal money was attempting to infiltrate politics through vote‑buying, arguing that allowing such influence would make it impossible to tackle organised crime effectively.

He concluded by urging voters in Nakhon Si Thammarat to support the Democrat Party to tackle falling rubber prices and revive the local economy, reminding them to vote Democrat on the party-list and Chanwatthana in the constituency race.

In similar news, a prime ministerial candidate from the New Alternative Party sparked online controversy after claiming he would acquire up to 10 nuclear warheads to strengthen Thailand’s security against global powers.