Bangkok: General Rangsi Kitiyanasap, leader of the Economic Party, launched a strong campaign offensive, urging voters to support the Economic Party in all 33 Bangkok constituencies. He called on the public to rally behind the party's candidates to advance policies aimed at addressing Thailand's significant economic challenges.
According to Thai News Agency, General Rangsi emphasized the need for the Economic Party to secure a parliamentary majority due to Thailand's severe "three-tiered debt crisis" encompassing public, government, and business debts, amounting to over 55 trillion baht. This figure represents approximately 3.5 times the GDP and is as high as 17 times the national budget. He argued that without a majority, addressing these economic issues effectively would be impossible.
General Rangsi outlined the party's macroeconomic and microeconomic strategies, highlighting two main projects: the high-speed rail initiative and the Ocean Link project connecting the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. He asserted that these projects would triple both per capita income and GDP growth.
On the issue of corruption, General Rangsi proposed amending the law to impose the death penalty on individuals involved in corruption, both givers and receivers of bribes. He insisted on non-negotiable prison sentences with an appeals process allowed within a year if sufficient evidence isn't found to overturn the Supreme Court's verdict.
General Rangsi also addressed the need for justice system reform, emphasizing that individuals defrauding the nation should face severe consequences. He stressed the urgency of reforming the police and correctional systems to prevent further damage and shame to the country.
He passionately appealed to voters, "The Economic Party humbly requests the people, if you want to escape from all this filth, to vote for the Economic Party for a landslide victory." He pledged to resign if the party fails to achieve this, affirming his uncompromising stance against corruption based on his military experience.
On government officials, General Rangsi estimated that no more than 10% of police officers are corrupt, advocating for their removal. He called for modernizing the military to ensure national security around the clock. Regarding the constitution, he stated there is no intention to amend it, attributing problems to law enforcement rather than the constitution itself.
He categorically refused to collaborate with any political party involved in scammer activities, equating such cooperation with admission to corrupt behavior. Citing his intelligence experience, he assured voters of his capability to verify information at an international level.
General Rangsi concluded by promising that, should the Economic Party secure a majority, they would expedite agreements with China on transportation, tourism, and agricultural exports within a month to swiftly revive the Thai economy.