Lt Phummisak Hongsyok’s three-year term as an appointed member of the Thai Senate has expired and he will not seek to extend it, The Phuket News learned today. A family member cited health reasons for his decision.
Phuket, like other provinces, has two senators, one elected by voters in the province and the other chosen by a national committee from nominees put forward by various recognised bodies in Phuket. The committee comprises three senior judges along with the chairmen of the Election Commission and the State Audit Commission,
Lt Phummisak, head of the Anuphas business group – whose interests include Phuket Country Club, Shell petrol stations, property developments and the Ford, Mazda and Honda dealerships – completed his three-year Senate term on February 18. Nominations are now being called for, for candidates to replace him.
Phuket’s elected senator, Thanyarat Achariyachai – like all elected senators – will remain in office for a further three years.
To replace Lt Phummisak, the Election Commission has called for nominations from registered organizations in academia, the public and private sectors, the professions and other registered organisations to send their nominations before March 11 to its offices in Laksi in Bangkok.
The Director of the Phuket Election Commission, Kittipong Thiengkunagrit, noted, “The nominated candidate needs to have worked for at least three years in the organization before being eligible for nomination.”
Apart from representing Phuket in the Senate twice, Lt Phummisak was Mayor of Phuket Town for 13 years. This was despite the fact that he frequently said privately that he didn’t really enjoy politics. Speaking of his most recent stint in the Senate, he told a journalist, “They talk such a lot. It can take days to make a decision that would take me 15 minutes.”