‘We made it, Uncle’: Slain official’s nephew wins Nonthaburi PAO race

Naruphon Yenprasert is set to become the new chief of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) after gaining more than half of the votes in Sunday’s election.

Unofficial results released by the Nonthaburi PAO showed Naruphon secured more than 175,000 votes (56%), beating his main rival Decharut Sukkumnoed of the opposition People’s Party with over 125,000 votes (40%).

Naruphon and Decharut were among six candidates contesting for the seat left vacant after the previous officeholder, Thongchai Yenprasert, was murdered on August 10. Naruphon is the nephew of the slain official.

Thongchai was serving his fifth term as Nonthaburi PAO chief when he was shot dead in broad daylight outside his office at the Provincial Hall by Chalong Riewrang, a former three-time MP for Nonthaburi.

Chalong rang into a live YouTube news show and confessed to the crime before calmly describing his actions in detail during a press conference at the police station. He said he had shot the PAO chief four times in the face and neck over an unpaid debt of 11 million baht.

The incident sparked a national scandal, with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul scolding the police for allowing Chalong the freedom to address the press unhandcuffed – a privilege rarely, if ever, granted to murder suspects.

‘We made it, Uncle’

Naruphon claimed victory at about 8pm on Sunday after unofficial results showed he had secured over half of the votes.

He expressed gratitude to Nonthaburi voters for placing their trust in him and thanked powerful local political network Phueng Luang (Giant Honeybees) for nominating him.

The group was founded by Thongchai when he was first elected as Nonthaburi PAO chief in 2004.

Naruphon, 57, attributed his success to his late uncle’s long service to Nonthaburi.

“Uncle, our Phueng Luang team has won! Rest assured, we will carry on your vision,” he declared during an emotional press conference held at his political group’s headquarters.

His campaign centred on a promise to maintain Thongchai’s policies to improve quality of life, education, public health, the local economy and sanitation.

He admitted that replacing the long-serving PAO chief would be a tough task, adding that knowledge from his 30 years working in the private sector would make up for his lack of political experience.

“More importantly, I have the Phueng Luang team behind me. Everyone will work to their maximum potential,” he said.

Naruphon, a Nonthaburi native, took a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok before working as an engineer and a company executive.

The runner-up

Decharut, his closest competitor, was quick to concede defeat.

“I congratulate Mr Naruphon on winning the election and becoming the next PAO chief executive,” he said.

The loss was bitter for Decharut and his party, which has failed to translate its success at the national level – coming second with 120 MP seats in the February 2026 general election – to local polls.

Decharut, 58, was an economics lecturer at Kasetsart University before resigning in 2018 to help new party Future Forward, the People’s Party’s predecessor, establish its policy platform.

Since 2021, he has headed the Think Forward Centre, a think tank that helps craft the People’s Party’s economic and social agenda.

Decharut was part of teams that drafted policy platforms for Move Forward during the 2023 general election and for the People’s Party ahead of last February’s vote.

In Nonthaburi, he ran on a 20-point policy platform aimed at improving quality of life for residents. He promised to make the province “more liveable”, boost residents’ skills and healthcare provision, and give them a central role in shaping the PAO’s policy.

By Thai PBS World’s Political Desk