Palang Dharma Party

The Palang Dharma Party (Thai: พรรคพลังธรรม, RTGS: Phak Phalang Tham; translated as "power of Dharma", or "moral force", PDP for short) was a Buddhist-inspired political party in Thailand founded by Chamlong Srimuang in 1988, associated with the Santi Asoke sect of Buddhism. The Thai word tham can be used to refer both to "morality", and "dharma", the teachings of Buddhism. Phak Phalang Tham was a political party, not to be confused with its precursor, Ruam Phalang ("collective force"), the campaign group that backed Chamlong Srimuang in the 1985 Bangkok gubernatorial election. To some extent, the PDP evolved into a political party from Ruam Phalang. The latter group was largely made up of Santi Asoke devotees, former Young Turks, and other political activists and community leaders. Many of the PDP's early members were drawn from the ranks of Ruam Phalang.