https://www.scmp.com/rss/523110/feed Anutin Charnvirakul: The leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, which recently withdrew from the ruling coalition government, moved into opposition in the Thai parliament. He previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior until June 2025. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Aidan Jones Aidan Jones A Thai undertaker’s extreme mission to prove he was not hoarding fuel went viral over the weekend after he brought a coffin containing a body to a petrol station to convince attendants the extra fuel he needed was for cremation, not black market resale. Thais have been pressed into energy-saving mode by the US-Israel war on Iran, which has throttled oil and gas supplies to much of Asia. Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul insists there is enough fuel for over three months, while the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348358/thai-undertaker-brings-corpse-petrol-station-prove-fuel-need?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348358/thai-undertaker-brings-corpse-petrol-station-prove-fuel-need?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:50:34 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Daniel Gech looks at prices on a board at a Sokimex petrol station in Phnom Penh and winces. Four weeks into the war in the Middle East, the ripple effects of a faraway conflict are beginning to threaten the Cambodian teenager’s ability to earn and learn. The 16-year-old uses his moped to travel between his home and school, and for his work in the evening. It now costs him an extra US$2 a day to fill up his tank – or US$14 a week – and the price is rising, a significant surge in a country where... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347608/why-southeast-asian-nations-are-vulnerable-fuel-crisis-iran-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347608/why-southeast-asian-nations-are-vulnerable-fuel-crisis-iran-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:14:21 +0000 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 Reuters Reuters ⁠Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn formally opened the new parliament on Saturday, as last month’s general election result faces court scrutiny over bar codes on the ballots that may have violated the law. The bar codes might undermine the secrecy of the ‌ballot, said the country’s Office of the Ombudsman, which petitioned the Constitutional Court to consider the case. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai party won a clear victory in the February 8 election, but the ombudsman said... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346612/thailands-parliament-opens-amid-scrutiny-over-bar-codes-election-ballots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346612/thailands-parliament-opens-amid-scrutiny-over-bar-codes-election-ballots?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 12:00:13 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has finalised his coalition partners and tapped allies for cabinet posts, but the spillover from the war in the Middle East is already diluting the economic momentum his new government hopes to take into office. Anutin’s in-tray was already bulging with promises to address domestic woes, including high household debt and a slowdown in growth that has led to an anaemic 2026 forecast of between 1.5 and 2.1 per cent. But the unexpected spike in energy... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346157/iran-war-shock-derails-thailands-economic-reboot-under-pm-anutin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346157/iran-war-shock-derails-thailands-economic-reboot-under-pm-anutin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 03:02:48 +0000 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 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s state-backed energy giant PTT will freeze pump prices for 15 days as war in the Middle East disrupts oil and gas shipments through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, spurring panic buying and some fuel rationing across parts of the Mekong region. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas, whose flows have been choked since the weekend after the US and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran retaliated by striking tankers and energy facilities across the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3345373/thailands-ptt-freeze-pump-prices-iran-attacks-spur-panic-buying-mekong-area?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3345373/thailands-ptt-freeze-pump-prices-iran-attacks-spur-panic-buying-mekong-area?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 06:43:32 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones With memories still raw from the deaths of scores of its nationals during the Gaza war, Thailand has issued an alert to its estimated 110,000 citizens working across the Middle East as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran rages across the region. Around 60,000 Thais are working in Israel’s fields, factories and shops, drawn by “danger money” wages higher than those available at home or in competing markets. Thai authorities have said an additional 250 Thais are believed to still be in Iran, while... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345108/thailands-workers-israel-hunker-down-iran-strikes-targets-across-gulf?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345108/thailands-workers-israel-hunker-down-iran-strikes-targets-across-gulf?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 07:16:03 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Two weeks after an election that was called to cut through Thailand’s political stalemate, much is still in doubt. The threat of annulment hangs over the entire vote, while the final shape of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s governing coalition is still being formed. The February 8 poll, called by Anutin’s caretaker government to seek a fresh mandate, aimed to halt the revolving door at Government House that saw three prime ministers come and go in just two years. In that time, an economy... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344188/will-thailands-election-be-voided-bar-code-blunder-threatens-tear-results?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344188/will-thailands-election-be-voided-bar-code-blunder-threatens-tear-results?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 03:00:28 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand and Cambodia are battling for narrative control over their border dispute, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet alleging truce violations during a Washington trip – and Bangkok accusing its neighbour of spreading “distorted” information to the international community. The two nations intermittently clashed over demarcation points along their 817km (508-mile) border from last July until December 27, when a second ceasefire was reached. The fighting killed 149 people and displaced... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343975/thailand-and-cambodia-fight-worlds-ear-over-deadly-border-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343975/thailand-and-cambodia-fight-worlds-ear-over-deadly-border-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:25:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s economy grew faster than expected last quarter, prompting the government to raise its 2026 outlook and bolstering hopes for a gradual recovery despite lingering economic challenges. Gross domestic product grew 2.5 per cent in the October-December quarter from a year ‌earlier, boosted by stronger domestic demand and investment, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said on Monday. That outstripped annual growth of 1.2 per cent in the September quarter and beat a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343736/thailands-economy-rebounds-despite-tourism-decline-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343736/thailands-economy-rebounds-despite-tourism-decline-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:51:18 +0000 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 Allegations of irregularities in Thailand’s election – including vote-buying, uncounted ballots and tallies greater than the names on electoral lists – have gathered momentum, increasing the pressure on polling authorities to hold recounts. Protests across the country have been aimed squarely at the Election Commission (EC). While any potential recounts are unlikely to change the overall result of Sunday’s election, they threaten to slow the formation of a new government. Sunday’s vote saw... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343185/vote-recount-calls-grow-thailand-amid-claims-election-irregularities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343185/vote-recount-calls-grow-thailand-amid-claims-election-irregularities?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:30:08 +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 Bloomberg,Agence France-Presse Bloomberg,Agence France-Presse More than three dozen former lawmakers of a pro-democracy party in Thailand face a lifetime ban from politics after the nation’s anti-corruption agency found them in breach of ethical standards over a failed bid to amend the royal insult law. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said on Monday that 44 former lawmakers from the now-dissolved Move Forward Party had “failed to uphold and maintain the democratic system of government with the king as head of state” by submitting a petition... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342963/double-blow-losing-thai-reformist-party-44-members-face-lifetime-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342963/double-blow-losing-thai-reformist-party-44-members-face-lifetime-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:55:24 +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 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 From the principled and the populist to the outright eccentric, Thailand goes to the polls on February 8 with its main prime ministerial candidates wielding lofty promises to turn the country’s flagging fortunes around. Here are the main contenders and some of their policies. Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut – People’s Party Better known as “Teng”, the former tech executive took over leadership of the People’s Party in 2024 aged just 37. He leads them into the election as the most popular candidate to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341884/thailand-election-who-are-pm-contenders-vying-lead-nation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341884/thailand-election-who-are-pm-contenders-vying-lead-nation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 04:00:13 +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 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng An outbreak of the highly fatal Nipah virus in India’s eastern state of West Bengal has sparked widespread attention and public concern in China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday when millions will travel. While the virus has infected at least five people in West Bengal, including one in critical condition, Chinese health experts say it is difficult to transmit and less likely to cause an outbreak in China. With a fatality rate of up to 75 per cent and no effective treatment or vaccines... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341299/nipah-virus-outbreak-india-sparks-worry-china-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341299/nipah-virus-outbreak-india-sparks-worry-china-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 02:00:21 +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 Thailand’s election season has triggered a dizzying array of cash giveaway offers from parties vying for votes, from a US$2,000 payment for newborns to debt write-offs and US$100 monthly top-ups for the poorest households to combat pay worth US$6,300. But economists warn that in a slowing economy saddled with debt amid political gridlock, such lavish pledges are highly unlikely to revive growth. Many Thais, like 34-year-old Ton, see the handouts as a distraction from the deeper problems... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339715/thailand-election-cash-splash-pledges-aiming-win-votes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339715/thailand-election-cash-splash-pledges-aiming-win-votes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:00:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Assailants detonated bombs at nearly a dozen petrol stations in Thailand’s south early Sunday, injuring four people, the army said, the latest attacks in the insurgency-hit region. A low-level conflict since 2004 has killed thousands of people as rebels in the Muslim-majority region bordering Malaysia battle for greater autonomy. Several bombs exploded within a 40-minute period after midnight on Sunday, igniting 11 petrol stations across Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339487/4-injured-bombings-thailands-south-amid-ongoing-insurgency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339487/4-injured-bombings-thailands-south-amid-ongoing-insurgency?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 08:31:53 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s government is planning to further rein in thousands of cannabis dispensaries that have sprung up in the wake of decriminalisation by limiting sales of the plant mostly to licensed medical facilities. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022, but has since tightened its regulation in a series of policy changes. According to a draft of an amended Health Ministry regulation on “controlled herbs”, sales of cannabis will only be allowed at medical... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338951/thailand-tightens-cannabis-sales-dispensaries-face-closure-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338951/thailand-tightens-cannabis-sales-dispensaries-face-closure-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 12:09:20 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s army said on Tuesday its Cambodian counterpart claimed fresh cross-border fire was an accident, after Bangkok accused Cambodian forces of violating a 10-day-old truce with a strike that wounded a soldier. The decades-old dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing around 1 million on both sides. The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, ending three weeks... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338871/thailand-says-cambodia-violated-border-ceasefire-after-strike-wounds-soldier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338871/thailand-says-cambodia-violated-border-ceasefire-after-strike-wounds-soldier?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 06:08:25 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones For any party that wants to change Thailand, bitter experience has shown that winning an election and taking power are two entirely different things. Conservatives hold the keys to government in the kingdom, where politicians, tycoons and generals serving the apex power of the monarchy allow elections, but conjure up coups and other political manoeuvres to take down winners perceived as a threat to their power. But this time could be different, says Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the leader of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338561/thailand-election-2026-can-orange-wave-break-conservative-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338561/thailand-election-2026-can-orange-wave-break-conservative-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 02:30:09 +0000 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 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Economic and political stakes continue to rise from the Thai-Cambodian border conflict as the crucial high season for tourism begins for both countries. Thailand has imposed an overnight curfew in parts of Trat, the southern Thai province abutting Cambodia and a gateway to several popular resort islands. Late on Monday, Thai immigration police also announced extra screening of all air arrivals to prevent foreign “mercenaries” from slipping into the country. Meanwhile, Cambodia alleged the Thai... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336604/thai-cambodian-border-conflict-disrupts-holiday-high-season-tourists-shy-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336604/thai-cambodian-border-conflict-disrupts-holiday-high-season-tourists-shy-away?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 07:21:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia accused Thailand on Monday of striking deep inside its territory, bombing areas less than a two-hour drive from the country’s main tourist draw, the centuries-old Angkor temples, in a reignited border conflict. Dozens of people were killed in five days of fighting in July before a truce was brokered and then broken within months, part of a long-standing conflict rooted in the colonial-era demarcation of the countries’ 800km (500 miles) frontier. Renewed fighting between the Southeast... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336482/thailand-bombs-siem-reap-province-home-ancient-angkor-wat-temple-says-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336482/thailand-bombs-siem-reap-province-home-ancient-angkor-wat-temple-says-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:05:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand’s military has said it is considering blocking fuel exports to Cambodia, as fighting between the two countries spread to coastal areas of a disputed border region two days after US President Donald Trump said the sides had agreed to a new ceasefire. The Southeast Asian neighbours have resorted to arms several times this year since a Cambodian soldier was killed in a May skirmish, reigniting a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Thai... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336415/thai-pm-anutin-says-no-cambodian-ceasefire-first-civilian-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336415/thai-pm-anutin-says-no-cambodian-ceasefire-first-civilian-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 23:05:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand on Sunday announced its first civilian death in a week of fighting with Cambodia, as international efforts fail to stop violence that has forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. The latest killing comes a day after Bangkok denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce had been agreed between the Southeast Asian neighbours. The border clashes, rooted in a colonial-era demarcation dispute along the two nations’ 800km (500 miles) border, have displaced around 800,000 people,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336374/cambodia-thailand-border-clashes-persist-despite-trumps-intervention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336374/cambodia-thailand-border-clashes-persist-despite-trumps-intervention?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 07:11:28 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Cambodia suspended all of its border crossings with Thailand on Saturday, as the two countries remained locked in a deadly military conflict. “The Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to fully suspend all entry and exit movements at all Cambodia-Thailand border crossings, effective immediately and until further notice,” Cambodia’s interior ministry said in a statement. A spokesman justified the move with the protection of the country. Fighting between the two nations along their shared... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336294/thailands-pm-says-no-ceasefire-cambodia-yet-after-trump-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336294/thailands-pm-says-no-ceasefire-cambodia-yet-after-trump-call?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 17:10:47 +0000 Bloomberg,Aidan Jones Bloomberg,Aidan Jones Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved parliament on Friday, setting the stage for an early election after a major political party backing his minority government threatened to withdraw its support. Anutin said in a Facebook post late on Thursday that he would “return power to the people”. Hours later, King Maha Vajiralongkorn endorsed Anutin’s recommendation to dissolve the 500-member House of Representatives – a formality under the Thai constitution. Under Thai rules, an election... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336125/thai-pm-sets-stage-election-saying-he-will-return-power-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336125/thai-pm-sets-stage-election-saying-he-will-return-power-people?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 17:03:33 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Three Thai civilians were killed as heavy combat continued along the country’s border with Cambodia, the Thai military said on Thursday, marking the country’s first civilian fatalities since the fighting resumed. The latest large-scale fighting was set off by a skirmish on Sunday that wounded two Thai soldiers and derailed a ceasefire pushed by US President Donald Trump that ended five days of combat in July over long-standing territorial disputes. About two dozen people have been reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336038/thailand-cambodia-border-clash-deaths-rise-trump-seeks-put-out-little-flame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336038/thailand-cambodia-border-clash-deaths-rise-trump-seeks-put-out-little-flame?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 07:50:57 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military positions on Monday after a Thai soldier was killed, pushing a shaky US-brokered truce to the brink of collapse as it vowed to cripple its neighbour’s ability to fight back over the shared frontier. Each side accused the other of shattering the peace by mounting attacks on border bases and personnel over the weekend, in the fiercest eruption of hostilities for months between the Southeast Asian neighbours. The violence has forced thousands of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335559/thailand-launches-air-strikes-cambodia-after-soldier-killed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335559/thailand-launches-air-strikes-cambodia-after-soldier-killed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 04:54:48 +0000 Aidan Jones,Don Pathan Aidan Jones,Don Pathan Taking a short cut through Pattaya’s “Scammer Alley”, a neon maze of bars, hotpot restaurants and 24-hour Korean barbecue joints, taxi driver May shakes her head. The money washing around this Thai resort is so thick with fraud that even her own bank account has been frozen. “They pay with QR codes linked to mule accounts,” she said, referring to bank accounts legally registered under Thai names but secretly controlled by the foreign cybercriminals who have turned this part of Southeast Asia... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335392/southeast-asias-billion-dollar-scam-industry-refuses-die-everyone-gets-cut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335392/southeast-asias-billion-dollar-scam-industry-refuses-die-everyone-gets-cut?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +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 The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Southeast Asia climbed past 370 on Saturday as clean-up and search and rescue operations got under way in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Heavy monsoon rain overwhelmed swathes of the three countries this week, killing hundreds and leaving thousands stranded, many on rooftops awaiting rescue. Rescuers in Indonesia were struggling to reach the worst-affected areas of Sumatra island, where more than 100 people were still missing. Flooding... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3334625/death-toll-climbs-above-370-flood-hit-thailand-indonesia-malaysia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3334625/death-toll-climbs-above-370-flood-hit-thailand-indonesia-malaysia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 12:01:40 +0000 Bloomberg,Associated Press Bloomberg,Associated Press The death toll from flooding and landslides in Thailand climbed steeply on Friday, heaping misery on a country struggling with a deep economic slump and triggering criticism of the nation’s roughly 10-week-old government. There have been 145 fatalities across southern Thai provinces, with 110 deaths in Songkhla province alone, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in a briefing in Bangkok. That’s almost double the toll reported early on Friday. More than 1.25 million households and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3334534/thailand-flood-death-toll-doubles-government-faces-mounting-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3334534/thailand-flood-death-toll-doubles-government-faces-mounting-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:59:50 +0000 Aidan Jones,Joseph Sipalan Aidan Jones,Joseph Sipalan Floodwaters began to recede on Thursday in parts of southern Thailand including Hat Yai, a major city entirely submerged for five days, revealing grim finds of bodies and unprecedented damage to homes and farmland. The death toll of more than 80 appears certain to rise from a week of flooding that has hit well over 2.5 million people across the entire southernmost provinces of the country. Images shared on social media by stranded residents in Hat Yai alone, showing bodies tied to lamp posts to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3334345/floods-ease-thailand-first-time-1-week-malaysia-braces-new-deluge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3334345/floods-ease-thailand-first-time-1-week-malaysia-braces-new-deluge?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:25:01 +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 Is silence safer than thought? Increasingly, the answer appears to be yes. The controversy surrounding Malaysian scholar Solehah Yaacob’s theory about Roman shipbuilding and Malay seafarers reveals a crisis facing academia globally. What began as scholarly hypothesis became public... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3334024/academic-theories-deserve-rigorous-scrutiny-not-public-shaming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3334024/academic-theories-deserve-rigorous-scrutiny-not-public-shaming?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Aidan Jones,Ushar Daniele Aidan Jones,Ushar Daniele Thailand’s navy will deploy an aircraft carrier to the flood-stricken south, as public outcry mounts over the government’s response to a crisis that has hit about 2 million people and left an entire southern city under water. Heavy late monsoon rains, compounded by the La Nina climate pattern, have battered Southeast Asia for weeks, with scores killed in floods and landslides in central Vietnam and Thailand, and floods now striking south into Malaysia. Five days of continuous rains have pounded... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3334123/thailand-scrambles-aid-residents-floodwaters-rise-stranded-desert-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3334123/thailand-scrambles-aid-residents-floodwaters-rise-stranded-desert-island?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:20:30 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Thailand’s insistence that trade negotiations with the US can proceed separately from talks over a fractious border dispute with Cambodia has been met with deep scepticism given Washington’s increasing use of economic policy as a political instrument and US President Donald Trump’s personal stake in the ceasefire deal. Bangkok announced on Saturday that tariff talks with the United States would “remain separate from border issues”, a pledge government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333223/why-trump-wont-let-thailand-keep-tariff-border-talks-separate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333223/why-trump-wont-let-thailand-keep-tariff-border-talks-separate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 06:24:45 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The resurgence of hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia, just weeks after US President Donald Trump brokered a truce over a violent border row, threatens to complicate the Philippines’ turn as Asean chair. Thailand last week announced it was suspending the peace deal with Cambodia, signed on October 26 at the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur. Bangkok accused its neighbour of laying new mines after several Thai soldiers were injured while patrolling the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332959/philippines-takes-asean-helm-thailand-cambodia-dispute-be-significant-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332959/philippines-takes-asean-helm-thailand-cambodia-dispute-be-significant-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 02:30:29 +0000