https://www.scmp.com/rss/522340/feed Pheu Thai Party: A major political party in Thailand, with its headquarters in Bangkok, the Pheu Thai Party is dedicated to improving the quality of life for its citizens and protecting national sovereignty. It is the third iteration of the Thai Rak Thai Party, founded by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The party’s main areas of focus include populist economic policies, such as digital wallets and minimum wage increases, alongside social reforms and constitutional amendments. Pheu Thai... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thai caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s conservative party, which won a stunning election victory at the weekend, agreed to form a coalition with jailed ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s party, both announced on Friday. Anutin’s pro-military and pro-monarchy party had its best electoral performance ever in polls that took place after two rounds of deadly border clashes with Cambodia last year. Thailand’s most successful party of the 21st century, Pheu Thai had its worst election result... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343502/thai-pms-winning-party-form-coalition-thaksin-backed-pheu-thai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343502/thai-pms-winning-party-form-coalition-thaksin-backed-pheu-thai?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 10:09:29 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s rival parties held final rallies late on Friday in a last-ditch push to win over undecided voters among a public craving change but still deeply split over the remedy for years of ulcerous political and economic decline. The People’s Party and Pheu Thai packed out their respective stadium venues in Bangkok on Friday, pumping music to encourage supporters as leaders delivered appeals for every last vote. In contrast, the Bhumjaithai Party’s rally in a convention centre in the capital,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342662/thailand-prepares-vote-can-election-deliver-change-it-needs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342662/thailand-prepares-vote-can-election-deliver-change-it-needs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:05:56 +0000 Reuters Reuters Passersby stopped Thailand’s former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva every now and again to ask for selfies ‌as the salt-and-pepper-haired leader walked through a bustling market in Bangkok, campaigning for general elections on Sunday. “Good to see you again, still handsome just like before,” said ‍one noodle vendor, reflecting voters’ persisting warm feelings for the Oxford-trained economist, who is making an unexpected comeback to frontline politics. Abhisit’s return has fuelled a revival of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342303/former-thai-prime-minster-abhisit-vejjajiva-returns-lead-democrat-revival-ahead-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342303/former-thai-prime-minster-abhisit-vejjajiva-returns-lead-democrat-revival-ahead-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:13:58 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones It was a policy meant to ignite a golden age of infrastructure development and put Thailand at the heart of Southeast Asia’s trade and investment for decades to come. Three years – and three prime ministers – after it was first proposed, a multibillion-dollar “landbridge” across Thailand’s southern neck to slash transport times between Asia’s main shipping lanes has now hit a dead end, entangled in the kingdom’s intractable political crisis. As Thais prepare to vote on February 8 for yet another... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341880/thailand-election-looms-voters-seek-national-reset-end-decade-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341880/thailand-election-looms-voters-seek-national-reset-end-decade-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:12 +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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Agencies Agencies Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday withdrew a draft law for casinos and entertainment complexes, citing the need for more time to engage with the public and create more understanding about the issue. The government earlier set its sights on building a major gaming industry that will complement tourism, a key economic driver for the country, with a draft bill to legalise gambling slated to be deliberated on by parliament on Wednesday. But the suspension of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317410/thailand-delays-controversial-casino-legalisation-bill-amid-pm-suspension-political-instability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317410/thailand-delays-controversial-casino-legalisation-bill-amid-pm-suspension-political-instability?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 10:18:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s billionaire Shinawatra dynasty has dominated the kingdom’s politics for 25 years, but its rule has been hit by coups and court cases – including this week’s suspension of the prime minister. Thaksin Shinawatra amassed a telecoms fortune before driving the family’s entry into politics, elected to power in 2001 and again in 2005, when he led the first Thai party ever to secure an overall majority alone. His populist policies won the devotion of rural voters but the ire of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3316572/thailands-dynasty-distress-shinawatras-quarter-century-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3316572/thailands-dynasty-distress-shinawatras-quarter-century-power?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 02:38:07 +0000 Maria Siow,Aidan Jones,Agencies Maria Siow,Aidan Jones,Agencies Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday pending an investigation into a leaked call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Paetongtarn’s powers will be suspended from Tuesday while the nine-member court considers a petition by a group of 36 senators accusing her of breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution. The decision to suspend her duties was backed by seven out of nine judges, the court said in a statement. Deputy Prime... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316486/thai-court-suspends-pm-paetongtarn-shinawatra-over-leaked-phone-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316486/thai-court-suspends-pm-paetongtarn-shinawatra-over-leaked-phone-call?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:39:48 +0000