https://www.scmp.com/rss/517782/feed The latest news on Srettha Thavisi, Thai businessman, politician and former Prime Minister of Thailand, including political news and updates. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Treethep Srisa-nga Treethep Srisa-nga On Sunday, Thai voters will do two things at once: elect a new House of Representatives and decide, via referendum, whether to begin drafting a new constitution. Yet Thailand’s recent politics rarely run in a straight line from ballots to a functioning government. The question is whether the next administration can loosen the unelected constraints that shape who governs and what elected leaders can do. Despite two elections since the 2019 transition from military rule, the pattern remains... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3342708/thailands-election-will-pass-verdict-architecture-elite-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3342708/thailands-election-will-pass-verdict-architecture-elite-control?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:00:24 +0000 CNA CNA Malaysian broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) has apologised for getting the names of three Southeast Asian leaders wrong during a live broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 47th Asean Summit. RTM had misidentified the leaders of Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia during the live broadcast on Sunday. In statements issued in Malay on social media, the broadcaster apologised for the mistakes. RTM said in its statement that a broadcast commentator had misidentified Singapore’s Prime... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330411/malaysias-rtm-apologises-misnaming-singaporean-thai-indonesian-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330411/malaysias-rtm-apologises-misnaming-singaporean-thai-indonesian-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 02:14:42 +0000 Duncan McCargo Duncan McCargo The ascent of Anutin Charnvirakul to the office of Thai prime minister must be a moment of personal celebration. Anutin is well known for piloting his own small plane around Thailand, which must give him a remarkably intimate overview of the country’s landscape and terrain. Yet from a political and indeed moral perspective, that landscape today looks disconcertingly desolate. Few are cheering the abrupt promotion of the leader of the Thai parliament’s third-largest party, who has gained the keys... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3326169/thai-politics-no-longer-orange-yellow-and-red-anutin-turned-it-blue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3326169/thai-politics-no-longer-orange-yellow-and-red-anutin-turned-it-blue?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 05:30:09 +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 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s biggest opposition party will push to curb the sweeping power of the Constitutional Court, which this month caused fresh upheaval by dissolving the most-popular party and then ousting the prime minister. The days-old People’s Party, comprised of members of the now-disbanded Move Forward, will push legislation to make it harder for the court to dissolve parties and to lessen penalties for politicians, leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said in an August 15 interview in Bangkok. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3275192/thai-opposition-party-seeks-rein-constitutional-courts-power-after-political-upheaval?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3275192/thai-opposition-party-seeks-rein-constitutional-courts-power-after-political-upheaval?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Aug 2024 09:21:06 +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 Aidan Jones,Laura Zhou Aidan Jones,Laura Zhou Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 37-year-old daughter of billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, will be Thailand’s new prime minister after she sailed through a vote of lower house lawmakers. Once formally appointed by Thailand’s king, she will become the country’s youngest-ever leader; only the second woman to run the nation and the third Shinawatra to carry the family name into the post, after her father Thaksin and her aunt Yingluck. Paetongtarn’s stunning political elevation – she has never served as an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274716/thaksins-daughter-paetongtarn-shinawatra-become-new-thai-pm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274716/thaksins-daughter-paetongtarn-shinawatra-become-new-thai-pm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2024 05:25:43 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones As Thailand digests the downfall of another prime minister and the wreckage of another government – after yet another court ruling – here is a look at what may come next in a kingdom locked in a perpetual political crisis: Shinawatras still strong? Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s dismissal at the hands of the Constitutional Court on Wednesday was as unexpected as it was brutal, with the lead judge describing him as lacking ethics. The 5-4 ruling put a nail in the coffin of his administration... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3274576/sretthas-exit-are-thailands-conservatives-rise-democracy-retreat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3274576/sretthas-exit-are-thailands-conservatives-rise-democracy-retreat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2024 07:06:23 +0000 Aidan Jones,Zhao Ziwen Aidan Jones,Zhao Ziwen Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin after barely a year in office for breaching ethics by appointing a cabinet member who had served a jail term, in a ruling that is set to send the kingdom into deeper political turmoil. The decision from the nine-member bench also torpedoed Srettha’s troubled government, which has failed to gain support inside parliament and among the Thai public despite months of efforts to spur economic growth. Reading the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274452/thai-pm-srettha-thavisin-dismissed-office-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274452/thai-pm-srettha-thavisin-dismissed-office-court?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Aug 2024 08:39:18 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones August has brought fresh political drama to Thailand and judges are at the heart of it. The most popular party, the reformist Move Forward, was dissolved by the nine-member Constitutional Court last week. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai party is set for a showdown on Wednesday with the same bench which could see him booted from office after barely a year, an outcome which would also end his government. Here is an explainer of what is going in Thailand, a kingdom where judges and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3274269/thailands-srettha-next-firing-line-country-struggles-shrug-political-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3274269/thailands-srettha-next-firing-line-country-struggles-shrug-political-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:30:19 +0000 Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin used his first monthly television address as the country’s leader to promote plans for legalising casinos and building a nuclear power plant to curb illegal gambling and reduce electricity costs. Casinos would bring gambling businesses under the government’s control, while a nuclear power plant would ease public dissent over high energy bills because of its lower generation costs, Srettha said in the recorded TV programme. “We have to admit that underground... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3267647/thailands-srettha-touts-plans-legalising-casinos-building-nuclear-plant-cut-power-costs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3267647/thailands-srettha-touts-plans-legalising-casinos-building-nuclear-plant-cut-power-costs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jun 2024 06:30:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand faces fresh political instability with a flurry of potentially decisive court cases driven by conservative powers seeking to banish the radical opposition and undermine the government – perhaps fatally – in the same time frame. The kingdom has been locked in a spin cycle of political chaos, coups and short-lived governments for decades, as the royalist establishment backed by the army refuses to cede power to elected governments. That power struggle often plays out through the courts,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3266946/train-wreck-day-thailand-courts-hold-political-future-their-hands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3266946/train-wreck-day-thailand-courts-hold-political-future-their-hands?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2024 10:05:27 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones The decision by Thailand’s Constitutional Court to launch an ethics probe into Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, which could see him removed from office over a disputed cabinet appointment, is a “show of force” from old powers accustomed to leveraging the judiciary against civilian administrations, experts say. The petition against Srettha, accepted by the court on Thursday, was filed by forty conservative senators from the outgoing upper house over his appointment of Pichit Chuenban as minister... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263950/ethics-probe-thai-pm-srettha-show-force-countrys-old-powers-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263950/ethics-probe-thai-pm-srettha-show-force-countrys-old-powers-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 07:22:50 +0000 How much did Singapore pay to be the only regional stop for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour? It is “nowhere as high” as reports have suggested, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong said in an interview on Friday. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was quoted as saying last month that Singapore had brokered a deal to pay the pop star up to US$3 million for each of her six concerts – in exchange for keeping the shows exclusive to Singapore in Southeast Asia. CNA understands the figure... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3253926/singapores-grant-taylor-swift-concerts-nowhere-high-speculated-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3253926/singapores-grant-taylor-swift-concerts-nowhere-high-speculated-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Mar 2024 05:05:13 +0000 Thailand’s government will urgently move a bill to ban the recreational use of cannabis, the health minister said on Tuesday, after the kingdom decriminalised the drug in 2022. Cannabis was taken off the list of banned narcotics in June 2022 under the previous government, which included the pro-legalisation Bhumjaithai party. The move prompted hundreds of cannabis shops to sprout around the country, particularly in Bangkok, provoking concern from critics who urged the need for tighter... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3251163/thailand-set-ban-recreational-use-cannabis-over-concerns-it-will-cause-wider-drug-problems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3251163/thailand-set-ban-recreational-use-cannabis-over-concerns-it-will-cause-wider-drug-problems?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Feb 2024 12:30:09 +0000 Thailand has ordered its customs department to ban cheap Chinese imports of trousers with cat and elephant patterns as it cranks up efforts to protect a sartorial trend long popular among foreign backpackers travelling to the kingdom. Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the thin cotton pants had been copyrighted in Thailand and the intellectual property department would assess the extent of the imitation products flooding the local market. “So, I have to find out how the copyright law... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3251142/thailand-seeks-ban-low-quality-china-made-elephant-print-trousers-bid-protect-its-copyright?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3251142/thailand-seeks-ban-low-quality-china-made-elephant-print-trousers-bid-protect-its-copyright?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Feb 2024 09:47:54 +0000 Enthusiasm for more regional economic cooperation could jump, analysts said, after China’s efforts to tap the Southeast Asian market partly paid off as Thailand followed hot on the heels of Malaysia by announcing a permanent visa-free policy for Chinese visitors from March. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced the “upgrade” of the bilateral relationship at the start of January, with Thai businesses anticipating more Chinese tourists, increased exports of rice and durian and additional... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3248234/chinas-visa-free-deals-thailand-malaysia-singapore-could-trigger-asean-trade-investment-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3248234/chinas-visa-free-deals-thailand-malaysia-singapore-could-trigger-asean-trade-investment-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jan 2024 21:00:18 +0000 Thailand and China will permanently waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens from March, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Tuesday. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which relies heavily on tourism, in September waived entry requirements for Chinese tourists until February this year. “This will upgrade the relationship between the two countries,” Srettha told reporters. In 2023, Thailand welcomed 28 million foreign tourists, slightly above its target, generating 1.2... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3246964/thailand-permanently-waive-visa-requirements-chinese-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3246964/thailand-permanently-waive-visa-requirements-chinese-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jan 2024 05:53:41 +0000 Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Saturday that Japanese companies in Thailand should make quick decisions in their business operations amid an increasing market share by Chinese companies. Srettha, who is visiting Tokyo for a summit between Japan and Association of Southeast Asian Nations members slated for Sunday, met executives of several Japanese carmakers here on Friday and agreed in principle about tax incentives to help them produce more electric vehicles in Thailand, he said... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3245355/japan-companies-thailand-should-make-quick-decisions-amid-chinese-rise-says-pm-srettha?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3245355/japan-companies-thailand-should-make-quick-decisions-amid-chinese-rise-says-pm-srettha?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Dec 2023 03:46:05 +0000 Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Thursday the country’s economy was in “crisis”, stressing the need to forge ahead with his controversial 500 billion baht (US$14.23 billion) digital handouts policy. Speaking at a forum, Srettha said the economy was not in good shape with fewer foreign arrivals than targeted, and he would be prioritising attracting foreign investment and addressing household debt. “There needs to be big economic stimulus,” said Srettha, who is also finance minister,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3242567/thai-pm-srettha-says-economy-mess-tourist-arrivals-growth-fall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3242567/thai-pm-srettha-says-economy-mess-tourist-arrivals-growth-fall?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Nov 2023 07:26:38 +0000 Thailand is pitching a multibillion-dollar project that will significantly cut shipping times between the Indian and Pacific oceans by bypassing the Malacca Strait – one of the world’s busiest sea lanes. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told investors in San Francisco, California, on Monday that the project can cut travel time by an average of four days and lower shipping costs by 15 per cent. With traffic volumes projected to exceed the Malacca Strait’s capacity by 2030, the new project will... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3241519/thailand-pitches-us28-billion-shipping-lane-bypasses-malacca-strait-cheaper-faster-safer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3241519/thailand-pitches-us28-billion-shipping-lane-bypasses-malacca-strait-cheaper-faster-safer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2023 10:09:59 +0000 Thailand is mulling a plan to station Chinese police personnel at some of its popular tourist destinations to lift the confidence of travellers from the Asian neighbour, but the move has sparked a controversy with some critics raising concerns over sovereignty. The cooperation with Chinese police was discussed by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, senior police and tourism officials on Sunday as a way to draw more Chinese visitors, who used to make up the largest number of foreign arrivals before... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3241324/thailands-plan-deploy-chinese-police-patrol-boost-tourism-sparks-outcry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3241324/thailands-plan-deploy-chinese-police-patrol-boost-tourism-sparks-outcry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2023 07:15:18 +0000 Srettha Thavisin, a former property tycoon turned prime minister, has spent the two months he has been in office focused on turning around Thailand’s below-par economic performance. To get the nation – crawling at an average growth rate of 1.87 per cent for the last 10 years – running as fast as its peers, he has chosen to break conventional norms. Srettha became the first leader in some four decades to take on the dual role of finance minister. Not so formally, he is also acting as the nation’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3241140/open-business-thailands-salesman-pm-srettha-travels-globe-woo-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3241140/open-business-thailands-salesman-pm-srettha-travels-globe-woo-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Nov 2023 06:00:24 +0000 Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has backed a revised deal to buy a frigate from China instead of a submarine as the decision faced scrutiny from an opposition-controlled parliamentary panel which said the trade-off was not worth the investment. State-run China Shipbuilding & Offshore International signed an agreement with Thailand’s navy in 2017 for the Yuan class S26T submarine worth 13.5 billion baht (US$373 million). The project struggled to make progress after the manufacturer... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3239025/thai-pms-pick-frigate-elder-brother-china-over-submarine-sparks-probe-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3239025/thai-pms-pick-frigate-elder-brother-china-over-submarine-sparks-probe-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Oct 2023 11:30:20 +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 Lars Hamer Lars Hamer Hong Kong should strengthen economic and trade ties with Thailand, as well as maintain its close relationship with the nation, city leader John Lee Ka-chiu said during a meeting with the country’s prime minister on Monday. “Hong Kong can serve as an important hub connecting mainland China with other economies and make contributions to promoting regional economic development to achieve mutual benefits,” Lee said in the meeting with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. The chief executive, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3237243/thai-prime-minister-hong-kong-meet-business-leaders-officials-bid-promote-country-and-encourage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3237243/thai-prime-minister-hong-kong-meet-business-leaders-officials-bid-promote-country-and-encourage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:31:48 +0000 Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will meet Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu as part of a three-day visit to the city starting on Sunday, with one analyst saying the trip underscores the city’s importance as a regional hub for investment. The Hong Kong government on Friday said Thavisin would meet Lee at Government House on the second day of his visit. Gary Ng Cheuk-yan, a senior economist for Asia-Pacific at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank, said the visit showed the city... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3237123/thai-prime-minister-srettha-thavisin-meet-hong-kong-leader-john-lee-during-3-day-trip-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3237123/thai-prime-minister-srettha-thavisin-meet-hong-kong-leader-john-lee-during-3-day-trip-city?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2023 14:38:15 +0000 Thailand expects to attract 2.9 million arrivals and billions of dollars in revenue from a Chinese tourism boom as a result of a new five-month holiday period visa exemption programme, part of a bid to help strengthen the nation’s wobbly economic recovery. The Southeast Asian nation has already seen a strong response after temporarily waiving visas for mainland visitors from September 25 until the end of next February: More than 22,000 Chinese travellers entered Thailand in the programme’s first... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3236446/thailand-revenue-us4-billion-china-tourism-after-visa-waivers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3236446/thailand-revenue-us4-billion-china-tourism-after-visa-waivers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Oct 2023 11:18:58 +0000 Thailand’s capital city will add a third passenger terminal to its biggest airport as the Southeast Asian nation prepares for a surge in tourist arrivals under a visa waiver programme for Chinese visitors during the peak holiday season. Airports of Thailand Pcl, which operates Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport, on Friday opened for trial the satellite terminal built at a cost of about 35 billion baht (US$1 billion). Airlines including Thai units of AirAsia X Bhd and Vietjet Aviation... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3236265/bangkok-airport-gets-new-terminal-thailand-braces-visa-free-chinese-tourist-rush?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3236265/bangkok-airport-gets-new-terminal-thailand-braces-visa-free-chinese-tourist-rush?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Sep 2023 07:18:03 +0000 Thai police have swooped on the home of one of the kingdom’s most high-profile officers as part of a series of raids targeting an illegal online gambling network dubbed “Betflix”. Most forms of betting are illegal in Thailand, with authorities striving recently to shut down the illicit gambling sites, often foreign-owned, that have sprung up. A sprawling investigation across six provinces saw SWAT teams raid some 30 locations on Monday – including Deputy National Police Chief Surachate Hakparn’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235768/top-thai-police-officers-home-raided-over-betflix-gambling-ring-suggests-internal-politics-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235768/top-thai-police-officers-home-raided-over-betflix-gambling-ring-suggests-internal-politics-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Sep 2023 23:00:17 +0000 Chinese tourists landing in Bangkok got a VIP welcome on Monday, as Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin personally greeted the first batch of visitors to arrive in Thailand after it waived visas for Chinese nationals to boost the key tourism industry. Dancers in traditional costume and puppeteers also put on performances for the bemused visitors, who came in on a flight from Shanghai. Many stopped to take selfies with Srettha. Tourism is a crucial driver of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235693/thailand-celebrates-chinese-tourists-first-day-visa-waiver-scheme-vip-welcome-pm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235693/thailand-celebrates-chinese-tourists-first-day-visa-waiver-scheme-vip-welcome-pm?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Sep 2023 06:03:16 +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 Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been in office for less than a month, but the United States already sees its best opportunity in two decades to get its alliance with Thailand back on track after ties were strained under the previous military-backed regime. Srettha is in New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly and is reportedly bringing his incoming military chief for security talks with the US. While he is seeking an audience with President Joe Biden, he has indicated that... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235164/us-thailand-relations-washington-spots-rare-chance-reset-under-new-pm-srettha-thavisin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235164/us-thailand-relations-washington-spots-rare-chance-reset-under-new-pm-srettha-thavisin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Sep 2023 06:02:10 +0000 Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is eyeing holidaymakers from India to boost tourism days after the Southeast Asian nation unveiled visa waivers for travellers from China and Kazakhstan starting next week. Srettha said he plans to make a trip to India this year to meet his counterpart Narendra Modi and discuss increasing flight frequency between the two countries, including more services by flag carrier Thai Airways International Pcl. “There aren’t that many incoming flights from India yet... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235003/thailand-awaits-us1-billion-chinese-tourism-boost-amid-outreach-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235003/thailand-awaits-us1-billion-chinese-tourism-boost-amid-outreach-india?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Sep 2023 02:32:17 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s new government is set to unveil a number of fiscal stimulus measures next week that will include debt suspension for millions of farmers and small businesses, and a cut in energy prices to bolster growth in an economy still reeling from the pandemic. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a former property mogul, will reveal his coalition’s policy priorities to the parliament on Monday. The main highlight will be a planned cash handout of 10,000 baht (US$280) each through a so-called... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3233615/new-thai-pm-unleash-stimulus-bolster-economy-still-reeling-pandemic-thailand-sick-person?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3233615/new-thai-pm-unleash-stimulus-bolster-economy-still-reeling-pandemic-thailand-sick-person?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Sep 2023 09:29:05 +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 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 parliament will hold another vote for a prime minister next week which cannot include the leader of election winners Move Forward, a deputy speaker said on Thursday, after his renomination was blocked. Parliament’s move to deny Pita Limjaroenrat after a marathon debate on his eligibility on Wednesday triggered angry street protests, as a post-election crisis deepens two months after his party trounced military-backed rivals in an election. “A candidate can only be nominated once in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3228312/deputy-speaker-says-pitas-pm-bid-over-thailand-braces-more-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3228312/deputy-speaker-says-pitas-pm-bid-over-thailand-braces-more-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jul 2023 05:50:36 +0000