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Lift weights, lift team, dig ponds!

November 14th, 2007 by Andrew Walker · 1 Comment

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A regular New Mandala reader with camera at the ready captured these images of local campaigning in Chiang Mai’s Wororot market. Featured are Boosaba Yodbangtey and Dr. Anusorn Khunanusorn. I have crossed paths with Boosaba a few times in the past, as she has been active in building up political connections in the district where I have been undertaking fieldwork. Here is an image of a kathin festival donation she made in late 2005.

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Boosaba was a successful candidate for the senate in 2006 but given the political crisis and subsequent coup her victory was short-lived. She is now running on the Matchima Thippatai ticket under the predictable “create happiness with sufficiency economy” banner. Her CV makes for interesting reading – she has a strong background in local government in Chiang Mai and in weight-lifting! (Her husband, also an active local politician and Thaksin foe is a big shot in the national weight-lifting scene).

Bangkok Pundit has some interesting comments on Matchima’s policies. What I find most exciting is the promise to build 9 million ponds for farming families throughout Thailand! I have some experience in this area having helped to dig the pond pictured below (I took the photo during one of my very short rest breaks). I am happy to offer my services should Matchima find itself in a coalition government.

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Tags: Election Watch · Sufficiency Economy · Uncategorized

1 response so far ↓

  • 1 steve wilson // Apr 27, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    I was just wondering if the army was wavering in there support for the current government in bangkok in the recent unrest, as reports in various newspapers highlighted a rift in the military.The red shirts stormed the economic summit in pattaya, there was very little military response, some reports were saying military units were brought in from outside bangkok to stop the unrest in bangkok.
    Is there a rift between abhisit and general anupong.

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