Health volunteers deny Chuan's vote-buying claimsChuan LeekpaiThe Village Health Volunteer Club of Thailand has defended the integrity of more than one million village health volunteers, rejecting claims that the network has been used by candidates as a vote-buying tool in elections. Amarin Nimnuan, president of the club, said references suggesting that health volunteers were widely used in election misconduct could lead to misunderstandings about their role. More than one million volunteers nationwide carry out their duties with honesty and ethical standards and are not involved in political activities or actions that violate election laws, he said. Mr Chuan earlier claimed that vote-buying operations in the 2026 election had used health volunteers to collect money from households under their care, allegedly distributing around 1,000 baht per household in exchange for votes -- an act he described as illegal and unethical. He said he had written to the permanent secretary of the Health Ministry, urging authorities to protect village health volunteers from being exploited for political purposes.

Source: Bangkok Post March 12, 2026 07:07 UTC