Thai Government's Election Campaign Disorganized
Thanom regime continues to have trouble getting organized to campaign for next February's legislative elections.
The initial session of the government's Sana Pracha Thai party failed to live up to the expectations of government The meeting in Bangkok was designed to generate enthusiasm among the party's rank and file and to move ahead withdetails, but was marked instead by factional quarrels and heated attacks on the high-handed tactics of government spokesmen.
Most of the protests came from politicians close to Deputy Prime Minister Praphat. Brought into the government party via the Praphat-organi2ed FreeLeague, these men maythey had certain assurances about their role in theparty that are now being circumvented by the party's organizers. Their protestswere similar to those they made earlier about not being consulted on such fundamental issues as party membership and campaign tactics. Conciliatory gestures by Prime Minister Thanom and other government leaders during the meeting have so far forestalled an open split, but their differences obviously have
their differences obviously have not been reconciled.
Dissatisfaction among the rank and file has comeime when party leaders have onlyto smooth over their ownabout party policies. One government official claims that the factions are stillat cross-purposes inmembers and potentialfor the government party.
It seems likely thatrival, Prime Minister Thanom, who has been criticized for his leadership deficiencies, has lost snm* ground in thasituation. Thanom wascaustic in discussing his political woes during apress conference in Bangkok. Ke made it clear that he has little appetite for the give-and-take of party politics.
The campaign itself is offairly slow start. Much of the activity thus far has centered in the northeast, where antigovernment sentiment is strongest. Leftist splinter parties, which hops to deny thelear majority in the legislature, have held ralliesumber of tha region's larger towns. The governmentltor*^o
Japan's Prime Minister Faces Party Elections
Minister Sato isto be re-elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party next week, but recent events in Okinawa may narrow his margin of victory and willcomplicate his task ofwith the sensitive issues of Okinawa's reversion and US base rights.
Neither of Sato's two challengers, former foreign minister Miki and faction leader Maeo, appear to have enlisted sufficient support to unseat Sato. Even some of Sato'sconcede that factions not formally aligned with Sato and whose support would be indispensable for an upsetby one of the challengers now lean heavily toward the prime minister.
The crash2 in Okinawa onovember has touched off an acerbic debate on the Okinawan problem between Sato and his two challengers. Sato, who ishird term as party president, will now come under renewed pressure from within his party toirm stand with the US on the postreversion status of the bases on the island.
Up to this point, Sato has argued that his uncommitted
public stand on the status of the Okinawan bases would expedite reversion and best serve Japan's security interests. In contrast, Miki and Maeo advocate the same restrictions that now apply to US bases inon use of bases and no storage of nuclear weapons. Sato's opponents, however,support the broadof US-Japan relations.
Maeo, apparently without much success, has attempted to make personal gain by claiming that Sato's failure tolear formula for early reversion contributed to the defeat of the conservative candidate for chief executive in Okinawa. On the other hand, Miki's position in the party probably sufferedesult of the Okinawan leftist': victory; Miki's associates were in charge of Liberal Democratic efforts in support of thecandidate.
Despite these recentin Okinawa, Sato's prospect for re-election do not seem to bo in serious jeopardy. In view of Sato's apparently fairlymargin,ajorblunder before thecould erase his lead^
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