Pheu Thai kindles 'sparks of hope'

Tech-led vision anchors leader Yodchanan’s campaign, writes Aekarach Sattaburuth

- 

The Pheu Thai Party has unveiled its three prime ministerial candidates, with Yodchanan Wongsawat — widely known as “Ajarn Chain” — named as the party's top choice and first in line to assume the premiership should Pheu Thai win the upcoming general election.

If elected, Mr Yodchanan would become Thailand’s 33rd prime minister, campaigning on a platform that stresses the use of science and technology to build a new economy and move the country decisively forward.

Mr Yodchanan, 46, is the fifth member of the influential Shinawatra-Wongsawat family to enter the race for the premiership. Thailand has previously had four prime ministers from the Shinawatra and Wongsawat families combined.

He is the son of Somchai Wongsawat, Thailand’s 26th prime minister, and Yaowapha Wongsawat, also known as “Jae Daeng,” the younger sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra — making Mr Yodchanan Thaksin’s nephew.

His political involvement with Pheu Thai spans several years. He has served as a lecturer and thought leader in the party's Pheu Thai Young Professionals Programme (YPP) and previously ran as a Pheu Thai candidate for Chiang Mai’s Constituency 3 in the 2014 election, which he won before the poll was later annulled.

Prior to reentering frontline politics, Mr Yodchanan built a prominent academic career, earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Thammasat University, followed by master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in the United States.

His academic work focused on electroencephalography (EEG) and brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies to assist people with disabilities and advance health innovation.