Local Kathu elections halt alcohol sales

PHUKET: Alcohol sales will be banned within the Kathu municipal area starting at 6pm today until midnight tomorrow due to local elections.

The affected area includes: from Wat Samkong temple on the bypass road just north of Tesco Lotus, to the Phuket Mining Museum behind Loch Palm Golf Club, to just before the Patong City sign on Patong Hill and down to the Bang Wad Reservoir.

Running for re-election is Chaianan Sutthikul and his *Rak Kathu (“Kathu protectors”) party.

Leading the charge against Mr Chaianan is two-time former Kathu Mayor Prasert Khaokijpaisarn and his Kathu Pattana (Kathu development) party. Mr Prasert was elected to his first four-year term as Kathu Mayor in 2000 and re-elected in 2004.

Both mayoral candidates led their parties in registering candidates to contest seats in all three voting districts in the Kathu municipal area.

Teerapong Assawadarakorn, Chief Administrative Officer at Kathu Municipality, told the Phuket Gazette in October that he was hoping for a good voter turnout on polling day.

“In previous elections, not many people have shown up to vote. But this time we are hoping to get about 65 to 70 per cent of the 7,000 eligible voters in each electorate to turn up and cast their ballots,” he said.

* NOTE: Chaianan Sutthikul’s Rak Kathu (“Kathu protectors”) party is not associated with Patong Mayor Pian Keesin’s Rak Patong (Love Patong) party. The word “Rak” in Rak Kathu uses the short form of the Thai word raksa (to protect). The spelling of rak (love) and rak (to protect) as the short form of raksa make the two words sound identical, but critically different in meaning (as different as “night” and “knight” in English).