Napon Jatusripitak - South China Morning Post https://www.scmp.com/rss/519198/feed Napon is a visiting fellow and coordinator of the Thailand Studies Programme at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. He is also the managing director of the Bangkok-based Thailand Future Institute and director of its Centre for Politics and Geopolitics. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png Napon Jatusripitak - South China Morning Post https://www.scmp.com Napon Jatusripitak,Duncan McCargo Napon Jatusripitak,Duncan McCargo An iconic “Gang of Four” poster defined the Bhumjaithai Party’s 2026 rebrand. Tailored to project an image of professionalism, signal managerial competence and court the votes of Thailand’s urban middle class, the poster featured party leader and current Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul fronted by three recently recruited technocrats: Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas – all of whom Anutin pledged to reinstate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3345740/how-win-election-thailand-stage-rebrand-rely-rural-votes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3345740/how-win-election-thailand-stage-rebrand-rely-rural-votes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 How to win an election in Thailand: stage a rebrand, rely on rural votes 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 Is Thaksin’s return to Thailand’s ‘red-shirt capital’ a play for national influence? 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 Is Thailand’s grand compromise between Thaksin and his political foes at risk of collapse?