https://www.scmp.com/rss/330628/feed Latest news and updates on the Thailand general election which takes place on May 14, 2023. This vote is shaping up to be a battle between the pro-establishment groups of the ruling military-backed coalition and a pro-democracy camp of opposition parties. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s most popular political figure Pita Limjaroenrat has exhorted the public to fight apathy and vote in droves at a February 8 election for his reformist party, which remains the biggest threat to the power of the country’s entrenched elite. Pita led the reformist People’s Party – then called Move Forward – to win the last election in 2023 on a record 76 per cent voter turnout, stunning the establishment as it gobbled up seats from political dynasties and surged into the heartlands of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341222/thai-comeback-kid-pita-urges-decisive-peoples-party-win-break-establishments-grip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341222/thai-comeback-kid-pita-urges-decisive-peoples-party-win-break-establishments-grip?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 05:41:48 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones For any party that wants to change Thailand, bitter experience has shown that winning an election and taking power are two entirely different things. Conservatives hold the keys to government in the kingdom, where politicians, tycoons and generals serving the apex power of the monarchy allow elections, but conjure up coups and other political manoeuvres to take down winners perceived as a threat to their power. But this time could be different, says Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the leader of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338561/thailand-election-2026-can-orange-wave-break-conservative-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338561/thailand-election-2026-can-orange-wave-break-conservative-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 02:30:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Political parties in Thailand on Sunday registered their candidates for the next prime minister, marking the unofficial start of campaigning for the February 8, 2026 general election. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved Parliament earlier this month to call early polls, after the main opposition party prepared to seek a no-confidence vote over constitutional change. Calling a new election allows Anutin and his Bhumjaithai Party to build up their numbers in the House of Representatives... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337947/who-running-thai-pm-unofficial-campaign-starts-parties-name-candidates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337947/who-running-thai-pm-unofficial-campaign-starts-parties-name-candidates?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 11:41:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones As the pieces of Thailand’s political puzzle begin to fall into place ahead of an election set for early next year, the third incarnation of a reformist party that won the most votes last time around is seeking a repeat performance. But the People’s Party, whose predecessor was not only denied the chance to govern but ultimately dissolved by the Constitutional Court last year for attempting to reform the country’s royal defamation law, has a steep hill to climb. Conservative forces and the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334561/thailands-sidelined-reformists-battle-baan-yai-dynasties-repeat-election-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334561/thailands-sidelined-reformists-battle-baan-yai-dynasties-repeat-election-win?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thai lawmakers will vote for a new prime minister on Friday, with Anutin Charnvirakul in pole position for office after his conservative party won the unlikely support of the country’s reformist opposition, which holds the most parliamentary seats. The vote offers a way out of the deadlock that has gripped the politically combustible country since last week when prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was dismissed by judges for an ethics breach in a leaked call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324291/thailands-anutin-moves-closer-power-unlikely-support-reformist-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324291/thailands-anutin-moves-closer-power-unlikely-support-reformist-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 05:21:25 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s protracted political crisis has taken another messy turn as the conservative establishment, seeking to break a parliamentary deadlock after the ousting of yet another prime minister, reaches out to the very reformists it once sidelined. The People’s Party, whose bold pro-democracy agenda electrified voters at the last general election but unnerved the country’s elite, now seemingly holds the keys to the country’s next government. The ruling Pheu Thai party, meanwhile, was on Tuesday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324027/thailands-next-pm-will-pro-democracy-peoples-party-reformists-decide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324027/thailands-next-pm-will-pro-democracy-peoples-party-reformists-decide?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:38:35 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s Constitutional Court will decide whether to remove prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office for breaching ethics later on Friday, a ruling that threatens the survival of her family’s political dynasty and could unleash fresh chaos on the turbulent kingdom. It is another make or break day in court for the Shinawatra family, which has been hugely influential in Thai politics for over two decades, but has faced coups and court rulings driven by the conservative... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323505/make-or-break-time-thailands-shinawatra-clan-paetongtarn-faces-removal-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323505/make-or-break-time-thailands-shinawatra-clan-paetongtarn-faces-removal-office?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was cleared on Friday of royal defamation charges, relieving one of the threats to his embattled dynasty, which has dominated Thai politics for two decades. Thaksin’s family has long jousted with the nation’s pro-military, pro-monarchy elite, who view their populist movement as a threat to Thailand’s traditional social order. Their tenure as a defining force in Thai politics has unfolded in a saga of coups, street protests and court cases as they... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3322797/thai-ex-pm-thaksin-cleared-royal-insult-charges-political-dynastys-future-uncertain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3322797/thai-ex-pm-thaksin-cleared-royal-insult-charges-political-dynastys-future-uncertain?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 08:10:28 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s besieged Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra scrambled on Saturday to shore up her wobbling coalition after a leaked phone call drove defections from her government and rekindled resentments against her family, threatening to end her time in office after less than a year. Compounding her woes, Paetongtarn is set to face a court challenge from Thai senators and planned street protests demanding her ouster. Thailand’s youngest ever leader at 38 and the daughter of divisive two-time... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3315331/thailands-pm-digs-defections-and-legal-challenge-threaten-her-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3315331/thailands-pm-digs-defections-and-legal-challenge-threaten-her-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jun 2025 08:44:57 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s main opposition party leader has overtaken incumbent Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in a prominent opinion poll as the most preferred leader of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party, was selected by 29.9 per cent of 2,000 respondents as the person they “would support to become prime minister today,” according to the quarterly survey result issued on Sunday by the National Institute of Development Administration. He was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3292672/thai-opposition-leader-outpolls-incumbent-preferred-pm-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3292672/thai-opposition-leader-outpolls-incumbent-preferred-pm-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:49:17 +0000 Napon Jatusripitak Napon Jatusripitak “All politics is local,” as the saying goes, but not all local politics truly centres on local concerns. The election for the chief executive of the Udon Thani Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) on November 24 was more than just a contest for control between former Pheu Thai MP Sarawut Phetpanomporn and the Progressive Movement’s Kanisorn Khurirang. It evolved into a significant battle for national influence, with the political survival of their prominent backers and the future of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3289744/thaksins-return-thailands-red-shirt-capital-play-national-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3289744/thaksins-return-thailands-red-shirt-capital-play-national-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Dec 2024 02:30:08 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Proud father to Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister, a billionaire returned from the wilderness to the top of Thai power, and a one-time electoral star writing a sequel to one of Southeast Asia’s most remarkable modern political sagas – at the ripe old age of 75, Thaksin Shinawatra is back. He’s been pardoned from the convictions that drove him into 15 years of self-exile, with a third person bearing his surname – his daughter Paetongtarn – in the prime minister’s office. But experts warn... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275669/back-square-one-thailand-confronts-ghosts-its-past-shinawatra-restoration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275669/back-square-one-thailand-confronts-ghosts-its-past-shinawatra-restoration?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Aug 2024 04:30:10 +0000 Nathaniel Schochet Nathaniel Schochet Thailand has long been a key ally of the United States, with both nations seeking to continue to nurture strong military and economic relationships. However, since the military’s 2014 coup, Thailand has increasingly turned towards China for support. Despite Washington’s best efforts to lure Bangkok back into its orbit, Thailand’s recent domestic and international actions indicate that a realignment with the West is unlikely any time soon. Last year’s elections did present a glimmer of hope, when... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3274472/how-thailands-political-turmoil-complicates-ties-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3274472/how-thailands-political-turmoil-complicates-ties-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Aug 2024 08:30:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The appointment of Paetongtarn Shinawatra – a politically inexperienced novice – as Thailand’s new prime minister will mean that she will remain under the tutelage and in the “shadow” of her father, former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who will “hold sway” over policymaking, analysts have said. On Friday, Thailand’s parliament voted the 37-year-old Paetongtarn to be the country’s next prime minister after the ruling Pheu Thai party nominated her to replace dismissed leader Srettha Thavisin. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274786/puppet-her-dad-thailands-new-pm-paetongtarn-remain-thaksins-shadow-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274786/puppet-her-dad-thailands-new-pm-paetongtarn-remain-thaksins-shadow-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2024 09:30:20 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s Pheu Thai party has chosen 37-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as its candidate for prime minister, it announced on Thursday, a day after a court dismissed the incumbent premier in an ethics case. “We decide to nominate Paetongtarn Shinawatra,” party secretary general Sorawong Thienthong told a press conference in Bangkok. Lawmakers will vote on Friday in parliament – where Pheu Thai heads a governing coalition – on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3274633/thailands-pheu-thai-party-chooses-paetongtarn-shinawatra-pm-candidate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3274633/thailands-pheu-thai-party-chooses-paetongtarn-shinawatra-pm-candidate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:46:27 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s Constitutional Court dissolved the pro-democracy Move Forward Party (MFP) and slapped a 10-year political ban on its executives on Wednesday for attempting to reform the country’s royal defamation law during its winning campaign for last year’s general election. The ruling effectively wipes out the votes of 14 million people who had hoped for sweeping changes to one of Asia’s least equal societies; stubs out the political career of party frontman Pita Limjaroenrat and nudges Thailand... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3273585/thai-court-dissolves-election-winning-move-forward-party-bans-its-leaders-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3273585/thai-court-dissolves-election-winning-move-forward-party-bans-its-leaders-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Aug 2024 09:52:27 +0000 Napon Jatusripitak Napon Jatusripitak When important political events coincide, they inevitably seem intertwined. A case in point is Thaksin Shinawatra’s return to Thailand from self-imposed exile on August 22 last year. Just hours after Thaksin landed at Don Mueang airport, Srettha Thavisin was elected prime minister, endorsed by both establishment-leaning political parties and a significant number of junta-appointed senators. It is now a foregone conclusion that a grand compromise was made to facilitate Thaksin’s safe return and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3270216/thailands-grand-compromise-between-thaksin-and-his-political-foes-risk-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3270216/thailands-grand-compromise-between-thaksin-and-his-political-foes-risk-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jul 2024 03:00:10 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday pushed back deliberations in a dissolution case against an opposition party to next week over an allegation that it had tried to overthrow the monarchy with an election campaign call to reform the royal defamation law. The pro-democracy Move Forward Party stunned the Thai establishment in last year’s polls by winning 14 million votes and 151 parliamentary seats. But it was pushed into opposition and its candidate for prime minister Pita Limjaroenrat... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3266241/thailands-move-forward-party-stares-possible-dissolution-court-ruling-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3266241/thailands-move-forward-party-stares-possible-dissolution-court-ruling-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2024 03:07:09 +0000 The surprise winner in Thailand’s general election last year said it will “fight tooth and nail” against a move to disband it, citing improper procedures by the election commission. The constitutional court is set to deliberate on Wednesday a case brought by the election commission to disband Move Forward, Thailand’s largest opposition party. It is accused of breaching election rules over a campaign pledge to amend a stringent royal defamation law. The poll agency did not follow procedures... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3265965/thailands-move-forward-party-winner-last-years-election-vows-fight-dissolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3265965/thailands-move-forward-party-winner-last-years-election-vows-fight-dissolution?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jun 2024 12:16:19 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s divisive two-time former prime minister, will be indicted for royal defamation over media comments made nearly a decade ago, a potential sign of a conservative backlash against a government dominated by his loyalists. The 74-year-old billionaire, the nation’s most influential politician over the last two decades, faces the kingdom’s tough lese-majeste law, which shields the powerful monarchy from criticism, over an allegation that he defamed the monarchy in an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3264528/thailands-ex-pm-thaksin-face-trial-royal-defamation-amid-conservative-backlash-against-his-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3264528/thailands-ex-pm-thaksin-face-trial-royal-defamation-amid-conservative-backlash-against-his-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 May 2024 06:51:03 +0000 Thailand’s election commission on Tuesday passed a resolution to request a court to dissolve the opposition Move Forward party (MPF). The move followed a ruling by the Constitutional Court in January that said Move Forward, which won last year’s general election, had violated the constitution with its plans to change a law against insulting the monarchy, saying the campaign was a hidden effort to undermine the powerful crown. “There is evidence that Move Forward undermines the democratic system... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3255073/thailands-poll-body-asks-court-disband-move-forward-party-which-won-most-seats-last-years-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3255073/thailands-poll-body-asks-court-disband-move-forward-party-which-won-most-seats-last-years-election?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:43:21 +0000 Termsak Chalermpalanupap Termsak Chalermpalanupap How many prime ministers does Thailand have now? One, if you ask Srettha Thavisin. In theory, the 62-year-old real estate tycoon is the prime minister. Nominally, he leads a government coalition of 11 parties with 314 MPs in Thailand’s 500-member House of Representatives. But whether he is actually fully or partially in charge is another matter altogether. In practice, Srettha is neither an MP nor the leader of Pheu Thai, the chief party in the ruling coalition. He has confessed to knowing a few... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3254717/thailand-srettha-thavisin-prime-minister-he-really-charge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3254717/thailand-srettha-thavisin-prime-minister-he-really-charge?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 03:00:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Jailed former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be freed on Sunday, the kingdom’s prime minister has said, just six months after returning from 15 years of self-imposed exile. The controversial billionaire, twice elected prime minister and ousted in a 2006 military coup, was jailed for eight years on graft and abuse-of-power charges upon his return to Thailand in August, but within days had his sentence cut to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Speaking to reporters on Saturday... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3252267/jailed-ex-thai-leader-thaksin-be-released-sunday-pm-srettha-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3252267/jailed-ex-thai-leader-thaksin-be-released-sunday-pm-srettha-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Feb 2024 03:49:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Reuters Agence France-Presse,Reuters Thai police have charged former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra with lèse-majesté over comments he made almost a decade ago, officials said on Tuesday, though it is not clear if the case will go to court. Thailand has some of the world’s strictest royal defamation laws protecting King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family, with each charge bringing a potential 15-year prison sentence. The constitution states the king must be held in a position of “revered worship”. Thai king reduces former... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3251126/former-thai-pm-thaksin-shinawatra-charged-royal-insult?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3251126/former-thai-pm-thaksin-shinawatra-charged-royal-insult?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Feb 2024 09:00:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s jailed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra qualifies for release on parole next month due to his age and health, a corrections department official said on Wednesday. Billionaire Thaksin, 74, was hospitalised with high blood pressure and chest tightness within hours of his dramatic return to Thailand in August from 15 years of self-imposed exile to serve an eight-year sentence for abuse of power. His sentence was commuted to a year following a royal pardon. ‘Most popular’ Thaksin... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3248807/jailed-thai-ex-pm-thaksin-qualifies-special-parole-next-month-due-age-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3248807/jailed-thai-ex-pm-thaksin-qualifies-special-parole-next-month-due-age-health?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:00:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s ruling party on Friday elected the daughter of jailed billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its leader. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter, was voted unopposed to become Pheu Thai’s new leader, two years after entering politics. Thaksin, the most influential but divisive politician in recent Thai history, returned to the kingdom in August from 15 years in self-imposed exile after being ousted in a 2006 coup. “The new administrative body of Pheu Thai must... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3239462/thai-ruling-party-elects-thaksin-daughter-leader-unopposed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3239462/thai-ruling-party-elects-thaksin-daughter-leader-unopposed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2023 10:02:50 +0000 Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s plan to stimulate the economy and consequentially prop up a flagging property market by ramping up government spending and boosting consumption has received mixed reactions from analysts. The success or failure of the 60-year-old former real estate tycoon’s plan is likely to have a huge impact on Thailand’s property market, including foreign buyers from Hong Kong and mainland China. Srettha was the CEO of developer Sansiri Plc before joining the Pheu Thai... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3238777/can-us275-handout-citizens-benefit-thailands-economy-and-property-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3238777/can-us275-handout-citizens-benefit-thailands-economy-and-property-market?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Oct 2023 00:30:12 +0000 Chinese investment in Thailand has picked up pace this year despite an economic slowdown in the Asian giant, a welcome boost for the country’s new prime minister who flew into Beijing this week to bolster ties with its largest trading partner. A stuttering recovery in the world’s second-biggest economy has spooked financial markets in 2023 as investors fretted about the impact on global growth, although Thailand has managed to retain its attraction as a vital investment hub including for China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3238218/thailand-still-bullish-chinese-investments-new-pm-srettha-heads-beijing-belt-and-road-initiative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3238218/thailand-still-bullish-chinese-investments-new-pm-srettha-heads-beijing-belt-and-road-initiative?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:55:32 +0000 Thailand’s opposition Move Forward named a new leader on Saturday after Pita Limjaroenrat, who led the party to a stunning election victory in May, was thwarted in his efforts to become premier. Chaithawat Tulathon, a former political magazine editor, will head Move Forward, which won the most seats in parliament on a wave of youth and urban support over its anti-establishment policies. The progressive party will lead the opposition after conservative lawmakers and an unelected senate blocked... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235580/thailands-opposition-move-forward-party-names-new-leader-amid-temporary-restructuring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235580/thailands-opposition-move-forward-party-names-new-leader-amid-temporary-restructuring?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Sep 2023 09:00:43 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that he sees Thaksin Shinawatra playing a role in government once he is freed from prison – a sign of how the former premier continues to loom over the nation’s politics. “I believe he has value to add to the government and to the people of Thailand,” Srettha said during an interview in New York on Wednesday. The new premier is seeking to revive an economy whose growth has lagged neighbours during nearly a decade of military rule. Forced to flee in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235287/thailand-pm-most-popular-thaksin-shinawatra-could-play-government-role-after-jail-release-unwise-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235287/thailand-pm-most-popular-thaksin-shinawatra-could-play-government-role-after-jail-release-unwise-not?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Sep 2023 05:45:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra could be released on parole as early as late February, having already had an eight-year prison sentence commuted to one year following his return from self-exile, a senior corrections official said on Monday. Thailand’s most famous politician made a dramatic homecoming last month, 15 years after he entered self-exile, having been ousted by a military coup in 2006. While abroad, Thaksin was found guilty in absentia in three cases involving abuse... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3234963/former-thai-leader-thaksin-faces-early-release-february-parole?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3234963/former-thai-leader-thaksin-faces-early-release-february-parole?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Sep 2023 11:53:37 +0000 A Thai architect has been pelted with cow faeces in an unusual performance art piece inspired by an opposition party’s controversial decision to form a coalition government with army-backed parties. Thailand has endured months of political deadlock following May’s elections, when the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) triumphed only to be blocked from power by the kingdom’s conservative establishment. Former MFP partners Pheu Thai stepped forward to lead, forging an 11-party coalition with... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3233236/thai-artist-pelted-faeces-show-protest-against-army-linked-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3233236/thai-artist-pelted-faeces-show-protest-against-army-linked-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Sep 2023 02:55:23 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was named finance minister on Saturday in a cabinet that was endorsed by the king, as the real estate tycoon seeks to boost Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy and implement key campaign promises. Thailand’s economy has been faltering due to weaker exports and investments, with the central bank saying last month that the full-year forecast for 3.6 per cent growth could be lowered. Reviving Thailand’s economy will be one of the biggest tasks for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3233198/thailands-king-endorses-new-cabinet-months-after-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3233198/thailands-king-endorses-new-cabinet-months-after-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Sep 2023 06:45:15 +0000 Aidan Jones,Agencies Aidan Jones,Agencies Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn commuted the eight-year prison sentence of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to 12 months, the Royal Gazette journal said on Friday, days after the divisive billionaire returned from a 15-year self-exile. Thaksin’s rapid rehabilitation from being the bête noire of Thailand’s arch-royalist establishment comes after a shock election win in May by the radical Move Forward Party, which won 14 million votes and rattled the elite with calls for deep... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3233103/thai-king-reduces-former-pm-thaksins-prison-sentence-one-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3233103/thai-king-reduces-former-pm-thaksins-prison-sentence-one-year?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Sep 2023 09:04:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s former premier Thaksin Shinawatra has submitted a request for a royal pardon, outgoing Justice Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Thursday, his latest move in a long-running power struggle with the country’s establishment. Thaksin, Thailand’s most famous politician, made a dramatic homecoming last week after 15 years abroad where he lived in self-exile to avoid prison. Thaksin arrived on a private jet and greeted supporters before being moved to a prison to serve an eight-year... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3232986/thailands-billionaire-ex-pm-thaksin-submits-royal-pardon-request?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3232986/thailands-billionaire-ex-pm-thaksin-submits-royal-pardon-request?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Aug 2023 11:38:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is suffering from stress and fatigue but is in good spirits, his daughter said on Tuesday as criticism grew of his transfer to a hospital just hours after he began serving an eight-year prison sentence. Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, returned to Thailand last week after 15 years of self-imposed exile and was immediately sent to prison over several criminal convictions he has decried as politically motivated. Corrections officials... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3232702/daughter-ex-thai-leader-thaksin-says-he-fatigued-criticism-grows-his-hospitalisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3232702/daughter-ex-thai-leader-thaksin-says-he-fatigued-criticism-grows-his-hospitalisation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:19:07 +0000 Adam Simpson Adam Simpson More than three months after Thailand’s national elections – and many anti-democratic manoeuvres in parliament – the country finally has a new prime minister, Srettha Thavisin. But given the chaotic nature of Thai politics, this was perhaps not even the biggest news of the week. Hours before the partially military-appointed Thai parliament elected Srettha to the post, one of the country’s most prominent political figures, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, returned from his self-imposed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3232332/thaksins-back-thailands-anti-democratic-forces-are-strong-ever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3232332/thaksins-back-thailands-anti-democratic-forces-are-strong-ever?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Aug 2023 02:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin discussed overcoming political divisions with predecessor Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday, in his first meeting as premier as he prepares to form a cabinet from a crowded 11-party alliance that includes fierce rivals. Srettha sailed through a parliamentary vote to become premier on Tuesday and will head a tricky coalition that includes parties backed by the military, which has repeatedly manoeuvred to topple governments led by his Pheu Thai Party. Thursday’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3232178/new-thai-pm-srettha-discusses-overcoming-divisions-coup-leader-prayuth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3232178/new-thai-pm-srettha-discusses-overcoming-divisions-coup-leader-prayuth?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Aug 2023 10:14:44 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has remained his country’s most divisive figure, even during 15 years in self-exile. Yet the billionaire’s return this week could help bring stability to a restive nation mired in political deadlock since elections in May. Hours after he landed, the Thai parliament elected the leader of Thaksin’s political party, property mogul Srettha Thavisin prime minister at the head of a coalition including former opponents. To cap the political and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3232067/thaksin-return-may-bring-badly-needed-stability-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3232067/thaksin-return-may-bring-badly-needed-stability-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Aug 2023 22:15:17 +0000 Property mogul Srettha Thavisin will be Thailand’s 30th prime minister after lawmakers on Tuesday voted him into office, in a day of high political drama which also saw former leader Thaksin Shinawatra return to the kingdom after a 15-year exile and whisked straight to jail to serve an eight-year sentence. Srettha’s endorsement in parliament promises to end a deadlock which has gripped the country since the pro-democracy Move Forward Party won the May election and formed a coalition that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3231857/thaksin-shinawatra-returns-thailand-after-15-year-exile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3231857/thaksin-shinawatra-returns-thailand-after-15-year-exile?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Aug 2023 02:04:00 +0000 Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire ex-premier who sits at the heart of Thailand’s decades-long political rupture, is poised to return to the kingdom on Tuesday after 15 years in self-exile, just hours before parliament is due to vote for his party’s candidate for prime minister. “Tomorrow at 9am, allow me back to live in my homeland and [breathe] the same [air] as my Thai brothers and sisters,” the 74-year-old said in a tweet on Monday. Authorities say Thaksin will be met by police after he... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3231833/thailands-thaksin-shinawatra-poised-return-pheu-thai-seals-pact-ex-political-foes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3231833/thailands-thaksin-shinawatra-poised-return-pheu-thai-seals-pact-ex-political-foes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Aug 2023 12:53:36 +0000 Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world. Sign up now! The summer of 2023 is not yet over, but it has already cemented itself as one of the more pulsating periods of recent times as far as Southeast Asian politics is concerned. From Cambodia to Thailand, Malaysia, and even the usually staid Singapore – all countries with China as their biggest trading partner – there has been some... https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3231735/global-impact-southeast-asian-politics-provide-plenty-drama-and-intrigue-who-are-real-winners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3231735/global-impact-southeast-asian-politics-provide-plenty-drama-and-intrigue-who-are-real-winners?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Aug 2023 06:00:13 +0000 Most Thais disagree with the leading plan for a coalition government which includes military-backed groups, an opinion poll showed on Sunday, two days before a parliamentary vote aiming to end a three-month political stalemate. About 64 per cent of 1,310 respondents disagreed or totally disagreed with the idea of the Pheu Thai party forming a “special government” with military-backed rivals, according to the survey by the National Institute of Development Administration. Thailand has been under... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3231722/most-thais-oppose-plan-pheu-thai-military-coalition-government-poll-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3231722/most-thais-oppose-plan-pheu-thai-military-coalition-government-poll-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Aug 2023 15:15:16 +0000 Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to return to the kingdom on Tuesday, the same day as a key parliamentary vote that could end a political deadlock, his daughter said. The 74-year-old billionaire was ousted in a 2006 military coup and has spent 15 years in self-exile. Thaksin has long said he wished to return home, but faces multiple criminal charges that he says are politically motivated. “On Tuesday, August 22, 9am I will pick up my father Thaksin at Don Muang... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3231630/thailands-ex-pm-thaksin-shinawatra-return-tuesday-same-day-political-stand-vote-daughter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3231630/thailands-ex-pm-thaksin-shinawatra-return-tuesday-same-day-political-stand-vote-daughter?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Aug 2023 04:21:16 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3231477/video-thai-election-runners-announce-fresh-coalition-government-aligned-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3231477/video-thai-election-runners-announce-fresh-coalition-government-aligned-party?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Aug 2023 03:25:40 +0000 Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party on Thursday gained support from a rival military-backed party, potentially boosting it in its bid to form a government ahead of a prime ministerial vote in parliament next week. The United Thai Nation Party or UTN, the party that fielded former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as its prime ministerial candidate in the May election, said on Thursday that it will help Pheu Thai form a government. Prayuth, who is currently caretaker prime minister, first came to power in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3231444/thailands-pheu-thai-gain-backing-rival-party-form-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3231444/thailands-pheu-thai-gain-backing-rival-party-form-government?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Aug 2023 13:08:04 +0000 Move Forward Party, the surprise winner in Thailand’s May election, is in a quandary over whether to back or oppose a former ally’s candidate for prime minister after its own leader was rejected in his bids for the position. A new coalition that’s being formed by Pheu Thai Party plans to nominate property tycoon Srettha Thavisin as its choice for prime minister. Voting against Srettha risks pushing Pheu Thai toward conservative adversaries and pro-royalist senators, who thwarted Move Forward’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3230891/thai-poll-winner-faces-dilemma-over-support-tycoons-pm-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3230891/thai-poll-winner-faces-dilemma-over-support-tycoons-pm-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Aug 2023 09:31:44 +0000 Thailand’s election runners-up announced a fresh coalition with a government-aligned party on Monday as lawmakers attempt to overcome resistance from military and pro-royalist senators to break a political deadlock. The kingdom has been unable to form a government after the reformist Move Forward Party (MFP) fell short of a majority, despite winning the most seats in May’s polls, and was later excluded from a progressive coalition. MFP rode a wave of support from young and urban Thais weary of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3230308/thai-election-runners-agree-coalition-government-aligned-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3230308/thai-election-runners-agree-coalition-government-aligned-party?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:13:01 +0000 Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra attended a birthday party for outgoing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, according to video posted online on Sunday, a day after Thaksin said he would delay plans to return to Thailand following years of self-imposed exile. Thaksin’s appearance in Cambodia came at a politically sensitive time in neighbouring Thailand, as Pheu Thai, the latest in a string of parties affiliated with Thaksin, is seeking to win enough support in Parliament... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3230148/thai-ex-pm-thaksin-seen-video-cambodian-leader-hun-sens-birthday-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3230148/thai-ex-pm-thaksin-seen-video-cambodian-leader-hun-sens-birthday-party?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Aug 2023 09:25:54 +0000 Thailand’s political deadlock is turning potential homebuyers cautious in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, posing risks to the property market as some 50,000 flats are likely to be launched this year, analysts say. “The market is currently slow but quite stable in terms of supply and demand as local buyers are now adopting a more wait-and-see attitude, rather than making a decision,” said Wittaya Dave Apirakviriya, general manager of ThinkOfLiving.com and DDproperty, a unit of proptech... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3229572/pita-politics-and-policies-how-current-political-impasse-impacting-thailands-property-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3229572/pita-politics-and-policies-how-current-political-impasse-impacting-thailands-property-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Aug 2023 04:30:07 +0000