Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party's No.1 prime ministerial candidate, headed to Chiang Mai on Friday hoping to win over voters known to be loyal to the Pheu Thai Party.
Gen Prayut, accompanied by core party figures, including UTN leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, took leave from official duty to help UTN candidates campaign for votes.
It was his first visit to Chiang Mai, a Pheu Thai political stronghold and home province of Thaksin Shinawatra, whose daughter Paetongtarn is among the party's prime ministerial picks, since the House's dissolution.
Previously, Gen Prayut had made an official visit during which he was confronted by a woman who flashed an anti-establishment three-finger symbol and demanded to know when the election would be.
There are ten House seats up for grabs in Chiang Mai, and the UTN is contesting them all.
Gen Prayut made his first stop at Wat Yang Kuang in Muang district and received a traditional welcome from party candidates before visiting Kom market and stopping for local dishes.
He was scheduled to visit ethnic people on Mon Cham Mountain in Mae Chaem district and wrap up his day at Constituency 5's Sri Boonruang market.
Gen Prayut was asked by the ethnic people to look into land rights disputes with state agencies claiming their plots overlap with forest reserves.
He said these were not easy to solve, but his government had started tackling the problem and the UTN would carry on if victorious in May.
Mr Pirapan pledged that land rights were among the UTN's core policies submitted to the Election Commission (EC) for review.
"The party has it all covered, and if it has the chance, this policy will be implemented. The UTN is committed to solving land problems, and whether or not it becomes the government, it will work to address people's problems," he said.
Gen Prayut also urged local residents to help protect natural resources and refrain from forest burning, which could worsen PM2.5 ultra-fine dust pollution.
Chiang Mai was badly hit by haze this year, and about 1,700 residents recently filed a lawsuit at the Administrative Court against Gen Prayut and two state agencies over their failure to resolve the recurring haze.
The trip to Chiang Mai was part of a UTN campaign plan which includes a rally in Phitsanulok on Sunday and attending funeral rites for the mother of UTN list-candidate Siriwan Pratsachaksattru in Phrae after the day's itinerary is over.
