Showing 1 - 10 of 674
People's Party eyes future despite hurdle
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 07/09/2024
» The People's Party did not win the Ratchaburi provincial administration organisation (PAO) chairman election last Sunday. However, this is not a major loss for the party, given the substantial increase in voter support it got for its candidate, almost threefold from the previous poll. Going forward, the party has good prospects for next year's local election and the general election of 2027.
Shadow of old guard lingers
Oped, Editorial, Published on 06/09/2024
» The defeat of the People's Party, formerly the Move Forward Party (MFP), in the Ratcha-buri Provincial Organisation Administration election and the shooting down of the bill on decentralised transport proposed by the opposition leader almost in the same week are definitely not a coincidence.
Deck reshuffle carries risks for Thaksin
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 02/09/2024
» It was a classic case of killing two birds with one stone. That was the incorporation of the Democrats into the Pheu Thai-led coalition to substitute for the fragmented Palang Pracharath Party.
Srettha Thavisin fell to hidden forces
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 30/08/2024
» Hindsight is likely to place Srettha Thavisin in Thai political annals as a prime minister who tried his best but ultimately succumbed to forces way beyond his control. While his nearly 12-month tenure in office came up short on policy deliverables, it nevertheless reset Thailand's foreign policy projection on Myanmar amid more omnidirectional relations with the major powers.
Thorny ethics debate
Oped, Editorial, Published on 29/08/2024
» The nation's political parties are to kick off a process to seek amendments to the charter. The main focus is a clause regarding politicians' ethics and a law governing the dissolution of parties to prevent political upheavals.
Shinawatras must shed old patterns
Editorial, Published on 25/08/2024
» Inarguably, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's first public address since his return from self-imposed exile has become the talk of the town, albeit not in the most flattering way.
Thaksin reclaims political centre stage
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 24/08/2024
» As the Pheu Thai Party was busy forming a new cabinet, Thaksin Shinawatra re-consolidated his power in the blink of an eye. Few, if any, political observers would have imagined this phenomenon in almost two decades of colour-coded politics that saw Thaksin, for much of that time, living in self-imposed exile.
Court image in the dock
Oped, Editorial, Published on 24/08/2024
» It is unusual for Thais to criticise courts and jurists. But such anxiety comes with good reason. Thai law levies hefty penalties on those found to be in contempt of court -- imprisonment of one to seven years and fines of 2,000-14,000 baht.
Thai politics has turned upside down
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 23/08/2024
» The rise of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the return -- and re-entry, of her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, have turned Thai politics upside down. On the surface, Mr Thaksin still dominates Thai politics nearly 20 years after he was deposed by a military coup and exiled for most of that period. This time, his political power and influence are being exercised through his daughter Ms Paetongtarn. As the Shinawatra clan has been coopted by its former establishment adversaries, the past two decades of periodic elections, street protests, two military coups, two constitutions, and multiple judicial bans on political parties and elected politicians have entered a new chapter.
Next chapter in Thailand's political saga
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 22/08/2024
» 'I consult with my father on all issues, whether on private matters or about work, and have done since I was young," said Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand's new and youngest prime minister at 38 years of age. She is the third member of the Shinawatra family to hold this office, and part of the "evil cycle" that has paralysed the country's politics for the past 18 years.