Former mayor Sonthaya Kunplome hit back against his family’s first real electoral challengers in 20 years, calling them liars and accusing them of smearing his clan as “outsiders”.
Clearly unused to being so publicly and repeatedly criticized, a visibly angry Sonthaya took the stage at an April 10 campaign rally for his Rao Rak Pattaya (We Love Pattaya) slate of mayoral and city council candidates and railed against their rivals claiming they are distorting his record and that of his brother Itthiphol Kunplome, who was mayor from 2008-2015.
Sonthaya, appointed mayor by the military junta in 2018, bristled at suggestions by rival candidates that the Kunplomes – whose family compound is in Saen Suk Subdistrict – are “outsiders” and that the city would be better served by electing someone born and raised in the city.
“The Kunplome family considers Pattaya as their birthplace and have close, generations-long ties with the city,” Sonthaya said. His family has worked for Pattaya since 2004.
“The claims of the other party are nothing but lies,” Sonthaya said. “They are using blocking and dividing tactics and not promoting unity in our society.”
Sonthaya also laid out defenses to criticism leveled on the campaign trail about his family’s long history of failed pork-barrel projects, ranging from the Koh Larn’s “Stingray” aquarium building and wind-power generator, the Pattaya Youth Sports Center, Eastern National Indoor Sports Stadium and the Waterfront Suites debacle.
Sonthaya alleged that the Treasury Department actually is investigating the former mayor and his administration for the solar-powered Stringray and windmill project, even though it was continued and completed under Itthiphol.
It was supposed to be a pilot project to produce electricity for city offices and streetlights on Koh Larn using 45 wind turbines. The Stingray building, completed in 2011, was an alternative-energy resource center – complete with solar panels – restaurant and souvenir stand.
As with many projects under former administrations, no money was allocated for maintenance and the Stingray building and the alternative-energy experiment shut down in just a couple years. Salt air corroded equipment, ruined the generator and rendered the solar panels useless. A junta-appointed city manager suggested repairing the facilities in 2018, but nothing ever came of it.
Sonthaya claims the Treasury Department now wants the former city administrators to pay back the 30 million baht the central government allocated to the project. The allegation cannot be verified.
“To use these tactics in trying to get elected is narrow-minded, but because the opponents are using the wrong tactics in this election, I have to clarify the situation,” Sonthaya said.
As for the two sports projects, Sonthaya’s opponents “claim these projects were total failures and cost taxpayers a lot of money and are useless. In fact, they’ve become amazing phenomenon in Pattaya,” the former mayor claimed.
As for Waterfront Suites, while not a city project, the 53-story tower project was issued with all the necessary permits before construction began. But when complaints were raised during construction, city engineers inspected the building and determined that it was not being built according to plans. They were ordered to cease construction and after much legal wrangling, an order was issued to demolish the building. Due to the huge size of the building, the method of demolishing it is still under consideration.
Meanwhile the owners of the project have proposed that they can alter the plans as required by law and finish the project. The request has been sent to the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning for their consideration.
Stepping off his soapbox, Sonthaya wrapped up his campaign remarks by saying all the projects, criticized or not, showed that the Kunplome clan constantly has worked to develop Pattaya and said his hand-picked successor, former deputy mayor and MP Poramet Ngampichet, would continue that legacy.
“He possesses the knowledge, abilities and understanding of management and policy to continue and further Pattaya’s development,’ he said.
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