Tawee still Karon Mayor

KARON: In the Karon municipal council election on Sunday, incumbent Mayor Tawee Tongcham, running unopposed, easily received the minimum 20% of all eligible votes required for him to reclaim the mayoral seat.

Voter turnout was just over 60% of the 4,601 eligible voters. Of these, 2,269 people voted for Tawee.

Eleven of the 12 regular council seats went to members of Tawee’s “Tong Thin Kao Nah” (Local Progress) team, ensuring him solid support in the town council.

Karon is divided into two voting districts. In District 1, the winners were Sompote Muktieb; Sawat Pattakor; Pornchai Fai-ngam; Jaran Srisawat and Anurak Yamklai, all from the Local Progress team; and Pratum Yodkaew.

District 1 turnout was 62.9% of 2,112 eligible voters. There were 36 spoiled ballots and 21 “no votes”.

District 2 was a clean sweep for the Local Progress candidates. The winners were Jorranat Sa-nguanporn; Setthawut Tammawat; former council chairman Meechai Nawin; Kane Chulak; Kobkoo Pattakor and Pairote Sangkaew.

Voter turnout was 57.9% of 2,489 eligible voters, with 57 spoiled ballots and 34 “no votes”.

Mayor Tawee, now in his second four-year term, said he will continue the policies begun in his first term, which included establishing a hospital and a school in Karon so that residents do not need to travel outside the district for healthcare or education for their children.