• OPINION

  Crisis of faith is reaching a crescendo

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 31/07/2021

  » The harsh words by MC Chulcherm Yugala, a staunch royalist, against the Prayut Chan-o-cha government, denouncing its poor handling of the Covid-19 outbreak, have stunned political observers and supporters of the prime minister. Given his senior royal status, the prince's criticism has triggered wild speculation over a possible new prime minister endorsed by the palace.

• OPINION

  Thaksin undermining premier's role

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 24/02/2024

  » The release of convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from detention will present a dilemma for the Pheu Thai-led government. Sooner rather than later, Thaksin, who is now on parole, will outshine Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, and that does not bode well for the latter and the Pheu Thai Party.

• OPINION

  Move Forward, Pita down but not out

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 10/02/2024

  » With a court sentence that handed Move Forward Party (MFP) MP Pita Limjaroenrat a suspended jail term for his role in a flash mob in 2019, the power games between the old powers and the left-leaning party have intensified to another level.

• OPINION

  MFP's amnesty bill shouldn't be ignored

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 02/12/2023

  » An amnesty bill sponsored by the Move Forward Party (MFP), which aims to benefit all factions involved in political conflicts over nearly two decades, has stirred wide debate.

• OPINION

  Onus on Pheu Thai as support dwindles

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 09/09/2023

  » After making a policy statement before parliament on Monday, the Pheu Thai-led coalition is set to jumpstart its work under tight scrutiny from the opposition, especially the Move Forward Party (MFP). If this was not enough, members of the public are casting suspicious eyes at its policies, as several seem too good to be true.

• OPINION

  Prawit manoeuvres for his political life

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 28/01/2023

  » Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, in his capacity as leader of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), has rebranded the ruling party from being conservative right-winged to more liberal, using reconciliation and an end to colour-coded conflict discourse as a selling point.

• OPINION

  Suspension leaves PM down but not out

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 27/08/2022

  » The charter court’s decision to suspend Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha until it hands down a ruling over his controversial eight-year term limit as prime minister could be a bad omen for the army chief-turned-politician who, until this week, has run the country since 2014. Despite Gen Prayut weathering political storms and surviving many censure debates during the past three years, the onerous eight-year-tenure issue will soon be resolved.

• OPINION

  Blast from the past Thaksin eyes power

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 12/03/2022

  » As Thai politics is about to take another turn, with the next election on the horizon, fugitive ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is making a stir by vowing to stage a comeback.

• OPINION

  Anti-govt protesters must avoid violence

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 14/08/2021

  » Thailand has witnessed a rise of violence in a series of clashes over the past weeks between anti-Prayut Chan-o-cha government protesters and riot control police that have resulted in injuries on both sides.

• OPINION

  Saksayam must come clean on Covid

  Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 10/04/2021

  » It appears the third wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, with top entertainment venues in the Thong Lor area as its epicentre, is more severe than the previous two rounds. Virologists have detected the UK strain of the virus, which spreads 1.7 times faster than the variants this country has previously coped with. This is alarming.

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