Thai party nominates ex-leader Thaksin's nephew as PM candidate

The populist party founded by Thailand's former leader Thaksin Shinawatra nominated his nephew on Tuesday as its top choice for prime minister in the upcoming election.

Thaksin, a 76-year-old political heavyweight and one of Thailand's richest people, is currently serving a prison sentence in Bangkok for corruption during his time in office.

His party, Pheu Thai, selected biomedical engineering professor Yodchanan Wongsawat as its first-listed candidate for prime minister in the general election set for February 8.

Yodchanan, 46, is a son of ex-prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and Thaksin's sister, Yaowapa Wongsawat.

He told reporters in the capital on Tuesday that his relation to Thaksin came with the advantage of a singular vision.

"I think that would be an advantage for us as a party. We actually have one vision that would be for the people," he said.

Asked about his security policy, as deadly border clashes with Cambodia rage after a long-standing conflict reignited this month, Yodchanan said it "would be straightforward".

"Sovereignty would be the priority and we need to save our people," he added.

The renewed fighting has killed at least 32 people, including 16 Thai soldiers, a Thai civilian and 15 civilians in Cambodia, officials said.

It has also displaced around 800,000 people on both sides.

Yodchanan entered politics in 2014, running for parliament in the northern Shinawatra stronghold of Chiang Mai.

But a court nullified the election after protesters against the government led by Thaksin's sister, Yingluck, blocked polling sites.

Yodchanan received his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, and teaches in the biomedical engineering department at Mahidol University in Thailand.

He hold patents for several medical devices, including a "brain-controlled wheelchair" and "brain-based sleep alarm system", according to a CV provided by his party.

The Shinawatra clan has for two decades been the key foe of Thailand's pro-military, pro-royalty elite, who view their populist brand of politics as a threat to the traditional social order.

But the Shinawatra dynasty has faced a series of legal and political setbacks, including the court-ordered removal of Thaksin's daughter, Paetongtarn, as prime minister in August over an ethics breach.

Pheu Thai's two other prime minister candidates include its party leader and former deputy finance minister Julapun Amornvivat and veteran politician Suriya Jungrungreangkit.