https://www.scmp.com/rss/519568/feed The latest news, in-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion about Paetongtarn Shinawatra. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Anutin Charnvirakul sailed through a lower house vote on Thursday to become Thailand’s new prime minister, as the conservative establishment emerges on top after years of bitter struggle with pro-democrats. But Anutin’s vow to reset from years of slumping growth and political crisis has been complicated by the US-Israeli war on Iran, which is costing Thailand tens of millions of dollars each day to prop up fuel prices, with ominous queues forming at petrol stations. Addressing lawmakers before... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3347127/pm-anutin-takes-charge-thailand-mideast-chaos-pressures-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3347127/pm-anutin-takes-charge-thailand-mideast-chaos-pressures-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:16:20 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung marked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s state visit with an AI-generated video animating their shared past as factory workers, before the two men embraced as heads of state. Lula arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a three-day trip – his first to South Korea in 21 years – with the two countries agreeing at a summit on Monday to elevate ties to a strategic partnership. The 11-second clip, posted to Lee’s social media account on Monday, begins with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344566/south-koreas-lee-uses-ai-video-honour-shared-factory-worker-past-brazils-lula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344566/south-koreas-lee-uses-ai-video-honour-shared-factory-worker-past-brazils-lula?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 07:06:55 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Nationalism, a deep network of local patronage and a promise to safeguard Thailand’s faltering economy catapulted Anutin Charnvirakul back into the prime minister’s office. By his own admission, the win exceeded expectations. His Bhumjaithai Party secured 193 of the 500 parliamentary seats, according to early unofficial tallies late on Monday – “even more than I asked for”, Anutin told reporters – albeit from what looks likely to be one of Thailand’s lowest voter turnouts in decades. Analysts... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343006/thailand-rejects-radical-change-anutins-right-wing-turn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343006/thailand-rejects-radical-change-anutins-right-wing-turn?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 04:08:15 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s conservative Bhumjaithai Party won Sunday’s election as its stability message cut through with the electorate, while the reformist People’s Party failed to convince voters it had the remedy to years of economic drift and political turbulence. Caretaker prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai was forecast to win nearly 200 seats by Channel 3 on the basis of results from the parties. The progressive People’s Party trailed far behind, just above 100 seats, ahead of jailed former... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342794/thailand-votes-reformists-challenge-conservatives-amid-political-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342794/thailand-votes-reformists-challenge-conservatives-amid-political-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 02:10:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A sign hanging from a rusty shipping container installed by Thai forces on what they say is the border with Cambodia proclaims: “Cambodian citizens are strictly prohibited from entering this area.” On opposite sides of the makeshift barricade, fronted by coils of barbed wire, Cambodians lamented their lost homes and livelihoods as Thailand’s military showed off its gains. Thai forces took control of several patches of disputed land along the border during fighting last year, which could amount... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342765/cambodians-lose-homes-thailand-makes-gains-following-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342765/cambodians-lose-homes-thailand-makes-gains-following-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 09:28:53 +0000 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 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 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s ruling party, which is seeking to retain power in next month’s election, has vowed to resolve the country’s conflict with Cambodia and clean up its image as a transit hub for trafficked scam victims. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party, which took power in September, has cast itself as the most suitable defender of Thai sovereignty during the border dispute between the two Southeast Asian countries. Clashes erupted for five days last July and reignited in December before a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340252/thai-ruling-party-courts-voters-vowing-end-cambodia-conflict-close-scam-hubs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340252/thai-ruling-party-courts-voters-vowing-end-cambodia-conflict-close-scam-hubs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 07:30:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia said on Friday that Thai forces had taken control of a disputed border village, accusing Thailand of “annexing” the area after a truce halted deadly fighting along their contested frontier a week ago. The decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than one million on both sides. The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, pledging to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338613/cambodia-accuses-thailand-annexing-chouk-chey-border-village-despite-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338613/cambodia-accuses-thailand-annexing-chouk-chey-border-village-despite-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 09:02:42 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Campaigning for Thailand’s February 8 general election has begun with a frenetic three-way battle defined by corruption allegations, a tense border conflict with Cambodia and the emergence of a new frontman for the once all-conquering Shinawatra political dynasty. But the caravans of politicians criss-crossing the nation and blitzing social media have so far failed to inspire a public, which has seen its electoral choices repeatedly nullified by courts and coups, as conservatives find ways to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338090/thai-election-border-row-aids-anutin-shinawatra-clan-fights-survival-reformists-chase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338090/thai-election-border-row-aids-anutin-shinawatra-clan-fights-survival-reformists-chase?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 04:30:08 +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 It was a year defined by war with Cambodia, but also the unravelling of cyber scams around Thailand’s borders, the rise and demise of political dynasties and another period of musical chairs in the prime minister’s office. There was also national mourning with the death of Queen Mother Sirikit, a towering figure over recent Thai history, and the omnipresence of Lalisa Manobal – or Lisa of South Korean girl group Blackpink – who rapped, acted, gyrated and produced content that seized the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337879/thailands-2025-turmoil-border-war-scam-crackdowns-and-pm-musical-chairs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337879/thailands-2025-turmoil-border-war-scam-crackdowns-and-pm-musical-chairs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 05:30:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s caretaker leader Anutin Charnvirakul was picked by his party on Wednesday to stand as its candidate for prime minister in a ‌general election in early February, as he bids to benefit from a wave of nationalism ‍arising from an ongoing border conflict with Cambodia. Less than 100 days after he was elected premier, Anutin dissolved parliament earlier this month when his minority government faced the threat of a no-confidence vote. Speaking to party members and supporters on Wednesday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337626/thailand-election-2025-anutin-named-pm-candidate-february-poll-amid-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337626/thailand-election-2025-anutin-named-pm-candidate-february-poll-amid-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:49:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse More than half a million people in Cambodia have been displaced by two weeks of deadly border clashes with Thailand, Phnom Penh said on Sunday, ahead of regional talks aimed at easing tensions. The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours this month, including with tanks, drones and artillery, has killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia, officials said. The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800 kilometre (500... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337238/cambodia-thai-border-clashes-displace-half-million-ahead-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337238/cambodia-thai-border-clashes-displace-half-million-ahead-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 11:37:50 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Cambodia and Thailand have expressed willingness to de-escalate and cease fire following recent border clashes, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, also the country’s deputy prime minister, and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow made the comments in separate phone conversations with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday, according to the ministry. The Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers briefed Wang about the latest... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336944/china-sends-special-envoy-mediate-thailand-and-cambodia-exchange-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336944/china-sends-special-envoy-mediate-thailand-and-cambodia-exchange-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:55:11 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A female bodyguard, assigned by the Chinese government to protect the French first lady during her official visit with her husband to China in early December, went viral on social media for her tough and professional demeanour. Known by her pseudonym, Yan Yuexia is referred to by Chinese internet users as “the most beautiful bodyguard,” although her appearance is one of many strengths, as reported by the news portal The Paper. While Brigitte Macron took part in public events in Beijing and... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3335870/china-most-beautiful-shaolin-trained-bodyguard-spotlight-during-french-president-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3335870/china-most-beautiful-shaolin-trained-bodyguard-spotlight-during-french-president-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:00:09 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thai authorities have suspended a prison chief in Bangkok over allegations that high-profile Chinese inmates were granted access to women in a private cell and other privileges, the justice ministry said. The scandal erupted last week after local media reported two Chinese women were allowed into the Bangkok Remand Prison to visit inmates, allegedly to provide sex services, raising questions over who authorised their entry. The prison detains more than 4,000 men awaiting trial, and has held some... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3334134/thailand-suspends-prison-boss-over-chinese-inmate-sex-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3334134/thailand-suspends-prison-boss-over-chinese-inmate-sex-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:19:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s Supreme Court ordered jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday to pay back taxes over the sale of his telecoms firm, the judiciary said, with reports putting the sum due at around half a billion dollars. In 2006, Thaksin was dogged by corruption allegations and mired in controversy over the tax-free sale of shares in his company, Shin Corporation. Later that year he was ousted as prime minister in a coup and then went into exile for more than a decade. The 76-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333153/thai-ex-pm-thaksin-faces-us540-million-bill-over-shin-corporation-sale-singapores-temasek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333153/thai-ex-pm-thaksin-faces-us540-million-bill-over-shin-corporation-sale-singapores-temasek?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:00:15 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has threatened to derail a fragile peace deal with Cambodia – signed just last month – after a landmine explosion injured two Thai soldiers near their shared border. The soldiers stepped on what the Thai army suspects were newly laid mines while on routine patrol Monday in Si Sa Ket province. It was the seventh such blast in four months, following a wave of explosions in July that sparked the deadliest border clashes in years. As a result, Thailand... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332191/thailand-suspends-trump-backed-peace-deal-cambodia-after-landmine-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332191/thailand-suspends-trump-backed-peace-deal-cambodia-after-landmine-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:48:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand and Cambodia have begun withdrawing heavy weapons and conducting demining operations along their contested border as part of steps to de-escalate tensions following last week’s signing of an extended truce, Thai officials said on Monday. The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia signed an enhanced ceasefire deal last week in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of US President Donald Trump, three months after border tensions between the two countries exploded into a deadly five-day... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331340/thailand-and-cambodia-begin-border-demining-after-trump-backed-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331340/thailand-and-cambodia-begin-border-demining-after-trump-backed-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 10:18:08 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro For a country known as the “land of smiles”, Thailand has had little reason to be cheerful this year. While export-dependent economies in Asia have had a rough time since US President Donald Trump launched his assault on the global trading order, the headwinds buffeting Thailand have been multifaceted and more severe. HSBC said Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy has suffered “a rare misalignment of events” and has been “swimming against the tide for quite some time now”. This is putting it... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3329623/why-thai-property-investors-can-find-reason-cheer-dismal-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3329623/why-thai-property-investors-can-find-reason-cheer-dismal-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan US President Donald Trump has asked to preside over the signing of a peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand when he attends the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month, according to four government and diplomatic sources. Southeast Asia is hoping to negotiate concessions to punishing tariffs imposed by Washington when they meet in the Malaysian capital from October 26 to 28, adding significance to Trump’s request for a peace signing ceremony. At least 43 people were killed over five days... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328148/trump-wants-thai-cambodian-peace-deal-photo-op-asean-summit-boost-nobel-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328148/trump-wants-thai-cambodian-peace-deal-photo-op-asean-summit-boost-nobel-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:07:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Thai court jailed 11 former leaders of the “red-shirt movement” protest on Tuesday over their role in 2010 anti-government demonstrations which culminated in an army crackdown that left scores dead. The supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, were found guilty of violating state of emergency rules imposed during the protests, which sought to oust then prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Tens of thousands of red-shirt movement protesters, known by the colour of their attire, took... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328126/thai-court-jails-11-thaksin-supporters-over-2010-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328126/thai-court-jails-11-thaksin-supporters-over-2010-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 10:18:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen on Monday blasted a social media video of a man shooting at his image during a carnival in Thailand, amid simmering tensions over the nations’ disputed border. Territorial tensions spiralled in July into the deadliest military clashes between Cambodia and Thailand in decades, killing more than 40 people and forcing around 300,000 to flee their homes. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire after five days of fighting, and have since repeatedly traded... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328039/cambodias-hun-sen-blasts-immoral-thai-game-targeting-his-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328039/cambodias-hun-sen-blasts-immoral-thai-game-targeting-his-image?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:16:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s influential former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has submitted a petition for a royal pardon for his one-year jail sentence, his lawyer said on Monday. The former premier was jailed earlier this month after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that he did not serve his initial prison sentence after spending six months in a VIP wing of a hospital following his return from 15 years of self-exile in August 2023. Thaksin, 76, was initially sentenced to eight years in jail for conflicts... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327247/thailands-ex-pm-thaksin-seeks-royal-pardon-1-year-jail-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327247/thailands-ex-pm-thaksin-seeks-royal-pardon-1-year-jail-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 09:37:39 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s new prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, presented his policy platform on Monday, with quick-fix measures to ease the rising cost of living as well as promises to win back tourists, while committing to dissolving parliament in just four months to end the country’s political stalemate. The country’s third prime minister in two years faces twin challenges: economic woes exacerbated by a stubbornly strong baht and a security threat as the ceasefire with Cambodia threatens to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327234/thailands-pm-anutin-pledges-swift-action-economy-and-tourism-amid-political-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327234/thailands-pm-anutin-pledges-swift-action-economy-and-tourism-amid-political-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 08:55:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s prime minister said on Friday that his government will propose a referendum on whether to revoke two agreements on the demarcation of its border with Cambodia as part of a plan to address a simmering dispute with its neighbour. Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817km (508 mile) land border. Tensions exploded into a deadly five-day conflict in July – the worst fighting between the two countries in over a decade – that killed at least... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327053/thai-pm-proposes-referendum-revoke-cambodia-border-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327053/thai-pm-proposes-referendum-revoke-cambodia-border-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:13:43 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be assigned a role overseeing sewer-cleaning crews from Bangkok’s Klong Prem Central Prison, his daughter Paetongtarn said following a visit to the facility. “The prison director said Dad will be assigned to supervise sewer cleaning,” she told reporters outside the prison on Thursday, according to Thai news outlet The Nation. She added that his health is “OK”. If confirmed by authorities, the position would allow Thaksin, 76, to leave... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3327007/former-thai-prime-minister-thaksin-has-new-job-prison-overseeing-sewer-cleaning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3327007/former-thai-prime-minister-thaksin-has-new-job-prison-overseeing-sewer-cleaning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 09:33:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Wednesday that he planned to dissolve parliament by the end of January, with a general election to be held in March or early April. Anutin won a parliamentary vote in early September to become Thailand’s third prime minister since August 2023, after pulling his Bhumjaithai party out of a ruling coalition led by the Pheu Thai party. To win power, he secured the backing of the largest grouping in parliament, the opposition People’s Party, which put... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3326739/thai-pm-anutin-charnvirakul-dissolve-parliament-end-january?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3326739/thai-pm-anutin-charnvirakul-dissolve-parliament-end-january?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 17:30:50 +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 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Thaksin Shinawatra is being held under the same conditions as other inmates and has not received any special privileges during his first week back in prison, his lawyer has said, amid speculation over whether Thailand’s former prime minister may request to serve his sentence outside jail. Attorney Winyat Chartmontree on Monday said Thaksin’s family had not sought any special treatment and that his client had only requested rights afforded to other inmates. “People can say what they like, but... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325772/thailands-thaksin-detained-under-normal-conditions-no-special-privileges-lawyer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325772/thailands-thaksin-detained-under-normal-conditions-no-special-privileges-lawyer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2025 14:35:43 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones In Thailand, elections do not necessarily decide who governs. Over the past few weeks, that paradox has played out once more, with a prime minister ousted, the country’s best-known political dynasty sidelined and a new leader taking the reins. For young Thai activist Aitarnik Chitwiset, the endless chaos feels like it has no off-ramp. “I’m disillusioned and exhausted by our politics,” she told This Week in Asia. At just 28, Aitarnik is deeply invested in her country’s future. But like many young... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325372/whats-next-thailand-unpacking-rise-anutin-charnvirakul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325372/whats-next-thailand-unpacking-rise-anutin-charnvirakul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 00:29:53 +0000 Aidan Jones,Agencies Aidan Jones,Agencies Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire tycoon who once dominated Thai politics, spent his first night behind bars on Tuesday after the Supreme Court sentenced him to a year in prison. The verdict was a stunning blow for the former prime minister, whose political dynasty has, for now, been pushed aside. Thailand’s top court found on Tuesday that Thaksin, 76, knowingly exaggerated illness in 2023 to secure a lengthy stay in a VIP ward of a police hospital rather than in a prison cell. Judges ruled... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324827/thailands-thaksin-shinawatra-ordered-serve-1-year-jail-supreme-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324827/thailands-thaksin-shinawatra-ordered-serve-1-year-jail-supreme-court?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 04:15:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s influential former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived back in the country on Monday, his political party said, a day before a Supreme Court verdict that could potentially send the tycoon to prison. Thaksin left Thailand unannounced on Thursday, prompting frenzied speculation he had fled into exile to avoid possible jail amid a scramble for power. On Friday, the government led by the Pheu Thai party he backs fell after it lost a vote in parliament to a rival party. “He has... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324709/thailands-thaksin-flies-singapore-all-set-return-bangkok?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324709/thailands-thaksin-flies-singapore-all-set-return-bangkok?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 05:37:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s next prime minister on Saturday pledged to make good on his promise to lead the fractured interim government to new polls. Conservative tycoon Anutin Charnvirakul was confirmed by parliament on Friday, ending a week-long power vacuum following the ousting of his predecessor Paetongtarn Shinawatra. The construction magnate cobbled together a coalition of opposition blocs to shut out Pheu Thai, the electoral vehicle of the once-dominant Shinawatra dynasty’s patriarch Thaksin. Anutin... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324610/thailands-next-pm-anutin-reaffirms-promise-hold-fresh-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324610/thailands-next-pm-anutin-reaffirms-promise-hold-fresh-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 11:14:51 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Anutin Charnvirakul, a prominent construction tycoon and political conservative, has been chosen as Thailand’s next prime minister, capping a week of extraordinary political upheaval that saw the removal of his predecessor and the sudden flight of divisive billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra. Anutin, 58, secured a clear majority in Friday’s parliamentary vote, surpassing the 247-vote threshold required for victory in the lower house. His triumph was bolstered by the unexpected support of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324496/anutin-charnvirakul-elected-thailands-new-pm-ending-political-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324496/anutin-charnvirakul-elected-thailands-new-pm-ending-political-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 09:01:11 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a sudden and surprising departure from the country on Thursday, just five days before a court ruling that could open him up to a new prison sentence. Thaksin told Thai immigration authorities at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport that his private jet was headed for Singapore. A police statement confirmed his plane was allowed to take off shortly after 7pm because he had no arrest warrant or court order preventing him from leaving the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324428/thaksin-leaves-thailand-dubai-ahead-court-ruling-could-see-him-jailed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324428/thaksin-leaves-thailand-dubai-ahead-court-ruling-could-see-him-jailed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 03:56:04 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s acting prime minister has moved to dissolve parliament, his party said on Wednesday, after the largest opposition party backed a rival candidate to lead the country. The decision – a potentially legally fraught one – could see the kingdom hold fresh elections before the year’s end, just two years after it last went to the polls in May 2023. A power vacuum has consumed Thailand’s top office since Friday, when prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was ousted by the Constitutional Court... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324131/thailand-acting-leader-moves-dissolve-parliament-block-rivals-pm-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324131/thailand-acting-leader-moves-dissolve-parliament-block-rivals-pm-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 03:31:52 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand remained in a political deadlock on Tuesday, as the Pheu Thai party hinted it could dissolve parliament and set the course for a general election, while the opposition People’s Party refused to back either the caretaker government, or the arch-conservatives who blocked them from power just two years ago. The kingdom’s protracted political crisis has taken another messy turn since Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of the divisive billionaire Thaksin, was removed as prime minister last... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324080/thai-ruling-party-moves-dissolve-parliament-bid-end-political-crisis-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324080/thai-ruling-party-moves-dissolve-parliament-bid-end-political-crisis-report?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:27:15 +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 dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister on Friday for breaching ethics in a call with Cambodia’s former leader, a ruling that tips the country into uncertainty and lands a hammer blow to the ambitions of her political dynasty. Paetongtarn, 39, the daughter of divisive but influential billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, becomes the second leader in two years from the Pheu Thai-led coalition to be removed for an ethics breach by the same bench. The nine-judge... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323640/thai-court-ousts-suspended-pm-paetongtarn-shinawatra-over-leaked-cambodia-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323640/thai-court-ousts-suspended-pm-paetongtarn-shinawatra-over-leaked-cambodia-call?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:51:12 +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 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire deal on Thursday aimed at de-escalating a deadly border conflict, agreeing to maintain their current troop deployments along their shared frontier and to prevent any “unprovoked firing” by either side. The deal, finalised after four days of intensive meetings in Kuala Lumpur, builds on a truce established by the leaders of both countries last week. The truce follows five days of fighting that killed at least 43 people and displaced over 300,000 on both... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321112/deadly-thai-cambodia-border-conflict-ends-new-ceasefire-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321112/deadly-thai-cambodia-border-conflict-ends-new-ceasefire-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:34:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand approved the purchase of four Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets on Tuesday, the air force said, a week after reaching a ceasefire in deadly border clashes with Cambodia. The US$600 million agreement for the Saab JAS 39 Gripens was first announced in June as part of a long-term plan to modernise the air force’s combat capabilities. During five days of clashes with Cambodia that left more than 40 people dead, Thailand used its fleet of F-16s to strike military targets across the border. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320828/us-f-16s-lose-out-thai-air-force-seals-us600-million-deal-swedish-gripen-jets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320828/us-f-16s-lose-out-thai-air-force-seals-us600-million-deal-swedish-gripen-jets?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 09:31:53 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones For days, the piercing whistle of Cambodian rockets sent 69-year-old Kantapong Prakaew scrambling for cover in his makeshift bunker – a frail fortification against the conflict in Thailand’s Surin province. He is one of the few elderly residents who refused to flee, holding out as artillery fire ravaged the fields and wrecked the livelihoods of a long underdeveloped region. Across the borderlands, the recent flare-up of violence between Thailand and Cambodia has claimed dozens of lives and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3320489/thailands-conflict-hit-economy-running-out-luck?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3320489/thailands-conflict-hit-economy-running-out-luck?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2025 04:00:22 +0000 C. Uday Bhaskar C. Uday Bhaskar The unconditional ceasefire agreed to by Thailand and Cambodia that came into force from midnight on Monday is to be cautiously welcomed, and current Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) chair Malaysia is to be commended for enabling this truce. China and the United States also played a role in nudging the two Southeast Asian neighbours to end the unexpected escalation in a military conflict over a disputed border that saw the use of fighter jets, drones, tanks and artillery guns. The... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3320083/cambodia-thailand-ceasefire-welcome-festering-grievances-must-be-tackled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3320083/cambodia-thailand-ceasefire-welcome-festering-grievances-must-be-tackled?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification The recent escalation at the Thai-Cambodian border, marked by deadly clashes, air strikes and the evacuation of over 130,000 civilians, is a grave reminder that Southeast Asia’s unresolved tensions... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3319815/whats-really-stake-between-thailand-and-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3319815/whats-really-stake-between-thailand-and-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 03:30:13 +0000