A retired major general and former governor of Bangkok, Chamlong was a devout Buddhist with strong ties to the Santi Asoke sect; he is known for his current vows of chastity, his vegetarianism and his strict adherence to the Eight Precepts of Buddhism.

Ahead of the 1988 general election, he founded the Palang Dharma Party, although only after gaining the approval of an initially reluctant Phra Photirak, the founder and leader of the Santi Asoke Buddhist sect.

The majority of the party's policies, presented under five headings in eighteen numbered points, were relatively general in nature; they included "improving the quality of the bureaucracy, fighting corruption, decentralizing power, spreading wealth to the countryside, supporting increased employment, and creating a better military".

Specifically, in terms of social policies, Palang Dharma hoped to encourage people "to lead clean, diligent, frugal, honest, and self-sacrificing daily lives".

The secular faction, or "careerists", on the other hand were convinced that, in order to lead the country's development in the right direction, the party had to expand, to invite capable professionals and business people, to forge alliances and to join the government.

Constituents admired the ethics of the former major general who, as a successful individual and well-known public figure, had given up his worldly possessions in order to live in a way that won over the urban poor.

In comparison, these new Palang Dharma candidates who presented themselves in "peasant garb", promoted chastity and vegetarianism, and denounced materialistic temptations were initially perceived by some of the electorate as "oddities, people out of sympathy with ordinary needs and popular opinion" who had left behind "normal" Thai society in their moral quest for purity.

Lastly, prior to the election, a number of prominent "moral" figures, including Police Colonel Seri Temiyavej, withdrew their potential candidacies, further weakening the PDP's party base.

Thus as part of their election strategy, Samak and his Prachakorn Thai Party attempted to discredit the burgeoning PDP by linking it heavily to Santi Asoke throughout their 1988 campaign.

Their cause resonated with the Parian Tham Association, a conservative Buddhist organization which denounced Santi Asoke's "illegality" (due to its claim that it was not under the jurisdiction of sangha authority) and the sect's ties to the Palang Dharma Party.

[6] By this point, what had begun as a campaign strategy to discredit Chamlong and his PDP had escalated into a full-scale inquisition of the Santi Asoke sect, as orthodox sangha members became involved.

Phra Sophon Ganabhorn, the assistant abbot of Wat Bowonniwet, the most prestigious royal temple in Bangkok, denounced Santi Asoke as a potential "threat to the stability of Buddhism in Thailand".

[6] Underlying this criticism is the implication that having Palang Dharma Party members in parliament would seem to legitimize Santi Asoke, and by extension appear to allow for the creation of a new Thai Buddhist order which would disrupt religious and political stability within the nation.

[6] Ultimately, while the Palang Dharma Party's founder Chamrong Srimuang was successful in winning Bangkok governorship in 1985 on his anti-corruption and Buddhist principles-inspired platform, the PDP was not as fortunate in its 1988 general election results.

Already a successful businessman at the time, Thaksin Shinawatra joined the Palang Dharma Party in November 1994, taking the post of a Cabinet foreign minister, marking his political debut.

Despite their apparent differences with Chamlong's religious principles, Thaksin as well as other wealthy "new-generation Bangkok businessmen" were reputedly drawn to the PDP due to its anti-corruption agenda and its promotion of "new-style" politics.

Specifically, a great number of PDP members objected to his holding the post of foreign minister, criticizing the appointment of "outsiders" such as new-generation businessmen to cabinet positions.

[9] Specifically, according to British writer Chris Baker and Thai economist Pasuk Phongpaichit, whereas Chamlong had steered the PDP in the direction of "cleaner and more principled politics", "...in the public mind, Thaksin was a concession hunter associated with some of the most flagrant 'money politicians'... and with the corrupt and discredited 1991-2 coup junta.

[10] Following his resignation, Thaksin expressed his belief that the PDP would remain struggling for continued existence and growth due to "its own limitations caused by its strict adherence to principles".