On January 2, 2025, Mr. Chaitawat Tulathon, former leader of the Move Forward Party and current campaign assistant for the People's Party, shared a tweet accompanied by screenshots of a Line chat. The messages, allegedly from a district official, instructed village heads and community leaders to monitor and document campaign activities of the People's Party candidates for Chiang Mai and Lamphun Provincial Administrative Organizations (PAOs).
Mr. Chaitawat raised concerns about irregularities surrounding the election, including its scheduling on a Saturday, potentially inconvenient for voters. He also criticized the use of state power to seemingly favor specific candidates or parties. The Line message indicated that an order was issued by the district chief, directing local officials to observe and report on the People's Party's campaign activities.
In his tweet, Mr. Chaitawat posed two critical questions:
- Why were officials specifically ordered to monitor only the People's Party's campaign activities?
- Were high-ranking officials, including the Prime Minister, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, or influential individuals with significant authority, involved in orchestrating such actions?
The allegations have drawn attention to the potential misuse of state resources in the election process.