Political Pulse

It’s hard not to politicise crackdown on top police, but Thailand has to

April 19. 2024: Take away behind-the-scenes politics, charges against deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn warrants everything that has happened to him including the suspension order. Thorough and transparent investigation…

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File photo

Super Poll unveils curious findings

March 31, 2024: Thais are anticipating digital wallet and the biggest section of the population is politically neutral, according to the latest Super Poll survey. Almost 1,400 Thais were covered…

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US President Joe Biden / AFP

SOB, Michigan and Hail Mary

February 29, 2024: It may be sacrilegious to put SOB and Hail Mary in the same sentence, but the whole thing is nothing orthodox. For US President Joe Biden to…

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Court ruling puts brakes on many things including extreme charter amendment

January 31, 2024: The futures of the Move Forward Party and Pita Limjaroenrat are in greater doubts now, and so is the course of the entire Thai politics. The Constitutional…

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Jamese Webb Space Telescope

Welcome probably most unpredictable year ever

December 31, 2023: Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and other late renowned theorists of everything would have to rewrite what they discovered, or assumed as facts, or used as bases for…

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(FILES) US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gives a speech at his arrival at the Orly airport, on September 6, 1976.//AFP

Some things to remember him by

November 30, 2023: Henry Kissinger divided opinions, but to be fair every man does. He could be anything, but from his famous quotes he also sounded like a humorous yet…

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This is illustration photo unrelated to Move Forward cases

Two Move Forward MPs may be penalised heavily

October 31, 2023: Two lawmakers of the biggest party might be staring at expulsion if it holds a disciplinary meeting on Wednesday (November 1) following conclusion of an investigation into…

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In this file photo, a person places flowers and a US flag on the 9/11 Memorial on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in Manhattan, New York/ AFP

US may have a highly-controversial presidential candidate and it’s not Trump

September 30, 2023: The man once tipped to challenge Joe Biden in the primary of America’s Democratic Party has made a curious comment on 9/11, signaling the possibility that what…

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Rangsiman Rome

Move Forward MP accuses Cholanan of playacting

August 31, 2023: The biggest party seems to want Cholanan Srikaew to show a bit more sincerity in addition to resigning as the Pheu Thai Party’s leader. “Is this the…

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More cross into “delusional” side of the fence

July 31, 2023: If Thaksin Shinawatra returns to Thailand on August 10 as announced by his daughter Paetongtarn, he will be able to laugh in the faces of those who…

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Grab your seatbelt now, as climax will come sooner

June 30, 2023: Have they or have they not? News and rumours about Move Forward and Pheu Thai having reached _ or still trying to find _ a compromise over…

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AI warning issued yet again

May 31, 2023: Elon Musk has sounded the alarm over and over, but the tycoon is anything but a western media darling, so the wake-up call must come in the…

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Britain’s King Charles III takes part in the procession following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard, on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London on September 19, 2022, after the State Funeral Service of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. – Leaders from around the world attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The country’s longest-serving monarch, who died aged 96 after 70 years on the throne, was honoured with a state funeral on Monday morning at Westminster Abbey. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)

England encourages unprecedented pledge of allegiance

April 30, 2023: As one of several striking “firsts” of the ancient ceremony, people watching the upcoming Coronation in England will be invited to join a “chorus of millions” to…

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump greets fans as he arrives before the finals during the sixth session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. March 18, 2023. Joseph Cress/USA TODAY Sports via REUTERS

America now faces very treacherous uncharted waters

March 31, 2023: The United States has crossed the line, and what lies ahead is a bad, lose-lose situation. Before Donald Trump, no sitting or former president had ever been…

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Some fun psychological facts about election campaign posters

February 28, 2023: They are an eyesore, dangerous to commuters and harmful to the environment, but it is never an election without posters. Reasons behind that are obvious, and here’s…

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Campaign poster that says a thousand words

January 31, 2023: “We will switch off the three Ps” is what the Move Forward Party promises in one of its election campaign posters, which could put its major ally…

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Brazilian soccer legend Pele waves during the international friendly soccer match between Algeria and Slovenia in Algiers, Algeria March 5, 2014. REUTERS/Louafi Larbi

Fun mystery of nickname “Pele”

December 31, 2022: Some reports say Pele would get into scuffles with friends while playing football as a child if someone called him Pele. That’s a legend of the late…

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REUTERS’ file photo

No quick fix for “toxics” plaguing democracies

November 30, 2022: Democracy’s greatest paradox is that sooner or later the “economic freedom” the system provides will come back to haunt itself big time. Capitalism, the idea that “free”…

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People look at the scene there the October 29 Halloween stampede occured in the capital’s popular Itaewon district in Seoul on October 30, 2022. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

How many in North Korea know about Itaewon?

October 31, 2022: While the rest of the world absorbed the tragic news as it happened, South Korea’s nearest neighbour that even shared its ancestral roots has yet to comment…

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Up from eight-count, but will he give up?

September 30, 2022: Prayut Chan-o-cha is a badly-bruised boxer, who can either have a second wind or become too disheartened to go on after picking himself up from the canvass….

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Thaksin’s risky Prayut tease

August 31, 2022: “Come here and rent my place if you have to”. That was how Thaksin Shinawatra is mocking the ordeal of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and risking embarrassing…

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 30, 2022. (Photo by Mikhail Klimentyev / SPUTNIK / AFP)

Energy issue heats up as Europe faces terrible cold

July 31, 2022: One of the most famous Game of Thrones phrases _ Winter is coming _ is being used by various news websites as Europe braces itself for potentially…

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

COVID-19 updates by WHO chief

June 30, 2022: There has to be a lot of reading between the lines when latest comments of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are concerned. The director general of the World Health…

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Opposition leader attacks the budget bill

Budget debate: Govt trades corruption jibes with opposition

May 31, 2022: The opening statement had been expected, but so had the response. Parliament began deliberation of the budget bill for the new fiscal year today in conventional fashion….

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©Pheu Thai Party

Pheu Thai’s increasingly-uneasy ties with allies

April 30, 2022: An exiled anti-government extremist’s latest comment has underlined the progressively awkward relationships between Thailand’s biggest opposition party and its friends. Somsak Jeamteerasakul, an Article 112 suspect now…

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(AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Trump amplifies US divide with strange message to Putin

March 31, 2022: Puzzling politics is materializing in America, with a former president asking Russia to help dig up dirt on a sitting president. After virtually calling Vladimir Putin a…

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Late Bhichai integral to Democrat Party’s “good side”

February 28, 2022: One commendable thing about Thailand’s oldest political party is that  it always has a great leadership transition process that minimises monopoly of power, and Bhichai Rattakul, who…

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Palang Pracharath clearly crushed, but low turnout affects celebrations

January 31, 2022: Practically everybody should be delighted except the ruling party, which was basically humiliated in the Constituency 9 by-election. A closer look at Sunday’s low voter turnout and…

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Bye-bye 2021, year of COVID-19 roller coaster

December 31, 2021: It has been 365 days of facing the bad, fearing the worst and hoping for the best. Many experts believe that 2022 will be more or less…

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A vial and a syringe are seen in front of a displayed stock graph and words “Omicron SARS-CoV-2” in this illustration taken, November 27, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/file photo

Omicron raises possibility of another New Year countdown cancellation

November 30, 2021: The United States stresses that there’s no reason to panic now, and the Thai Public Health Ministry hopes to see a semblance of festivities on December 31,…

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Photo from Pita Limjaroenrat Facebook

Pita’s popularity jumps

October 31, 2021: Champagne must be flowing among those in the opposition bloc who have read the latest Dusit Poll findings, but what probably took the gloss off the results…

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Cajoling Prayut appears confident about one thing he shouldn’t trust _ nature

September 30, 2021: The prime minister is continuing his double-edged-sword approach to the flooding crisis, using sweet words and giving affected villagers as well as fearful others hope that the…

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(Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

Tragic drone strike marks end, hopefully, of longest US war

August 31, 2021: Never mind the “hectic, humiliating but sometimes heroic” plastered here and there in western reports of the final hours of America’s troop pullout from Afghanistan, about 10…

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Is Thaksin’s comment blasting others as “stupid” smart?

July 31, 2021: People slam one another as “stupid” all the time, except senior rival politicians who are very careful about their choice of words. Which is why Thaksin Shinawatra’s…

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People dine separated by dividing screens at a street food corner in Bangkok’s Chinatown a few months ago, before Thai authorities imposed stricter restrictions . (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)

Singapore’s idea, anyone?

June 30, 2021: COVID-19 is depressing news, but there’s a way to live more happily with it and, according to some Singaporeans in power, here’s how: “Open up but enforce…

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Boris Johnson not so long ago, when he was constantly in public urging COVID-19 restrictions. (Justin Tallis / Pool via AP)

More worrying signs for Thailand

May 31, 2021: The continued rise of local COVID-19 numbers should not be the only thing to worry Thais, as England, a country many view as a benchmark comparison to…

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File photo of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

As cremations take place everywhere in India, deaths rise in Brazil, too

April 30, 2021: Brazil has surpassed 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, and more Brazilians have died in the first four months of this year than in the entire 2020. As bodies are…

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(File photo of coronavirus vaccine injection) Handout via REUTERS

List of first vaccine recipients clearly shows govt motives

February 28, 2021: Cabinet members and top health officials lined up to receive the newly-arrived COVID-19 vaccines today to help underline the Prayut administration’s key message: Look. It’s safe. Prime…

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This kind of gathering, at the beginning of 2020, did not look controversial back then.

Happy New Year…and celebrate safely

December 31, 2020: At this time last year, much of the world was only vaguely aware of an unknown virus bothering China, and ones could have been laughed at if…

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Thaksin yields more clues on his future ties with Jatuporn

December 12, 2020: The roller-coaster relationship between Thaksin Shinawatra and his top red-shirt warrior, Jatuporn Prompan, normally had major conflicts fade away like they never happened. This time, though, things…

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Prawit pours cold water on speculation about Narumon’s role

Tuesday, June 30, 2020: Newly-elected Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan is sounding very vague to say the least on government spokeswoman Naruemon Pinyosinwat’s future role, saying she will oversee “writing…

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Photo from Twitter @SAHINOP

Chuan on Senate: Don’t overthrow it; improve it

Tuesday, December 31, 2019: House Speaker Chuan Leekpai has not been popular among opponents of the military and his latest comment on the Senate will most likely do him no…

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Anti-fake news centre likely to divide opinions

Thursday, August 29, 2019: Whenever a government campaigns against “fake news”, heavy politicisation is bound to follow. Just ask Donald Trump, whose attempts to ward off criticism were often laughed…

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New Pheu Thai ally unveils itself

Wednesday, October 24, 2018: The Pheu Thai Party looks certain to get another ally in the Seri Ruam Thai Party, whose executives include many former Pheu Thai figures and ardent…

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“Dissolution” threat looms against Pheu Thai

Tuesday, October 23, 2018: What triggered a new “party dissolution” threat against Pheu Thai all of a sudden? Analysts believe that the Election Commission has come out to threaten to…

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Another woman steps onto stage

Monday, October 22, 2018: Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan made a few comments on Thaksin Shinawatra today. Much of what he said was expected, and most significantly perhaps was his…

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Suthep steps into lion’s den

Sunday, October 21, 2018: It can be said that Suthep Thaugsuban was in “the lion’s den” today. Actually, he was in Khon Kaen, a northeastern political hotbed where many certainly…

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Prayut declares Belgium trip successful

Saturday, October 20, 2018: Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha returned from Belgium today and joined Thaksin Shinawatra and new Army chief Apirat Kongsompong in saying predictable things. The participation in Asia-Europe Meeting…

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Thaksin, Army chief slammed for trying to be logical

Friday, October 19, 2018: It was a relatively calm day in politics, despite statements by the new Army chief and Thaksin Shinawatra getting angry feedbacks from those opposed to them….

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Prayut off to a great social media start

Thursday, October 18, 2018: If following on the social media is any indication, military-backed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is not doing too bad. Actually, of all prime ministerial candidates, the…

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New Army chief elusive on soldiers and politics

Wednesday, October 17, 2018: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is planning a Facebook live after “good” public responses to his newly-announced online presence, the government said. In what could lead to…

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Prayut and Sudarat have their first showdown

    Tuesday, October 16, 2018: The first showdown between Prayut Chan-o-cha and Sudarat Keyuraphan as unofficial front-running candidates for the premiership has focused on how to dignify Thailand’s poor…

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PM Prayut goes online

    Monday, October 15, 2018: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha may be playing his cards close to his chest when it comes to whether he will enter mainstream politics, but…

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EC: Reward plan will scare vote buyers

   Sunday, October 14, 2018: The Election Commission said today it’s counting on a Bt100,000 reward to stop vote-buying. According to EC Secretary-General Jaroongwit Phumma, evidence of vote-buying leading to…

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Sudarat a possible message of defiance

Saturday, October 13, 2018: A few reports today named Sudarat Keyuraphan as one of the Pheu Thai Party’s three candidates for the prime minister post. Crucially, she is reportedly backed…

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Millions “can vote” in Democrat primary

Friday, October 12, 2018: Up to 2.5 million people can vote in the Democrat “primary”, a virtual survey on who party members want as the next leader of Thailand’s oldest…

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Can Pheu Thai cope with party dissolution?

Thursday, October 11, 2018: Key political figures provided no major development today, but sources within Pheu Thai explained a very interesting strategy to cope with possible dissolution of the party….

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Plot thickening

Wednesday, October 10, 2018: The noose seems to be tightening around Thaksin Shinawatra’s neck, with his son, Panthongtae, being indicted in connection with the Krungthai Bank scandal. The development is…

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Sondhi’s son: Leave my dad alone

Tuesday, October 9, 2018: It was a day of verbal wars. Suthep Thaugsuban, who led massive street protests against the Yingluck government and is a key member of the Action…

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Should he stay or should he go?

Monday, October 8, 2018: Was it a good-natured welcoming roar or were Buriram people booing Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan? He thought it was the former but anti-military critics insisted…

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Will Bhum Jai Thai deliver for Gen Prayut?

The medium-sized Bhum Jai Thai Party can be another beneficiary of a new electoral rule which essentially makes sure that every vote cast will not be lost. The party stands…

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File photo: Palang Pracharath at its peak before the last election.

Palang Pracharat: Lightning rod or effective tool?

On the one hand, the newly–formed Palang Pracharat Party can be military–backed Prime Minister Prayut Chan–o–cha’s formidable weapon going into his most politically critical period since the 2014 coup. On the…

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To get ahead in upcoming election, first try to understand its mathematics

The majority of Thais may hate mathematics, but they will be forced to be constantly engaged with it in the upcoming months. If they are to follow the crunch time of …

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All eyes on Prayut, and just a bit on Democrats and Pheu Thai

The new laws on elections and structures of the House of Representatives and the Senate have set the ball rolling for Thailand’s first democratic exercise at ballot boxes since the…

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Gen Prayut and the military junta are believed to stand to benefit more from an early election.

Reasons why Thai election can be sooner rather than later

Critics of the military government always suspect that it will keep dragging its feet on the election. However, prolonging the ballot exercise is not necessarily a good idea strategically. Here…

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The how and why of “primary” flip-flop

The planned scrapping of the “primary” screening of election candidates has the two major mainstream parties laugh cynically.   Although they don’t like the “primary” idea, the biggest mainstream parties — Pheu Thai and Democrat to be exact — are well equipped to follow the proposed…

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