Follow Thai politics in English — government policy, elections, parliament and political developments, with reporting and analysis from Thai PBS World.
A draft law seeking to repeal the post-coup junta’s executive orders is the latest attempt by civil society to uproot the legacy of the military government which ruled from May 2014 until just after the March 2019 general election. The bill is due to go before the House of Representatives this Wednesday (Dec 8), after
Police have released 36 Jana District protesters without bail, but on the condition that they must refrain from holding a similar protest again. Rattanamanee Polkla, a human rights lawyer, said today (Tuesday) that the police have also instructed all the protesters to report back to the Dusit district police on December 20th to acknowledge the
While defending the arrests of 36 protesters, from Jana district in Songkhla province, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced today (Tuesday) that his government is willing to listen to the protesters’ concerns. He promised to assign senior officials from the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre and the Prime Minister’s Office to meet with representatives of the
Environment advocacy and community rights groups slammed the Thai government today (Tuesday) over the arrest of about 36 protesters, from Songkhla’s Jana district, who were rallying at Government House in Bangkok on Monday night. Bangkok’s riot police broke up the protest at about 9pm last night after the protesters set up camp in front of
After 29 years with the Democrats, Thailand’s oldest political party, Nipit Intharasombat, the party’s deputy leader and eight-term former MP for Phatthalung province, has decided to call it quits, effective today (Monday). In his Line post on Sunday, Nipit said he never thought the day would come when he would leave the party for good.
Former transport minister in the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Chadchart Sittipunt, is leading the Bangkok gubernatorial race among eligible voters, with the election to be held early next year, according to a poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA). The survey gauged the opinions of voters of various different educational backgrounds
Concerns over possible state-sponsored cyber-spying have been raised after at least six critics of the Thai government were reportedly warned by Apple Inc that their smartphones were being targeted. It is no secret that authorities and governments around the world are capable of spying on suspected terrorists, human traffickers and other criminals, using sophisticated spyware
Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled on November 10 that Section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code defining marriages as only between men and women is constitutional, following a petition filed by two LGBT persons seeking same-sex marriage. The ruling has been met with some frustration, with LGBTQI+, feminist and pro-democracy groups gathering in Bangkok on
A member of Thailand’s “United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration” anti-establishment group, Natchanon Pairot, was sentenced to two months in prison without suspension today (Thursday), after he was found guilty of contempt of court for verbally abusing the court on April 30th. The Criminal Court also fined another protest leader, Benja Apan, 500 baht for a
Governing coalition parties today (Wednesday) successfully blocked an attempt by the opposition Move Forward party to have a debate in the House of Representatives over the blocking, by anti-establishment protesters, of a royal motorcade carrying Her Majesty Queen Suthida and HRH Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti in Bangkok on October 14th last year. Move Forward MP Wanwaree
After 17 days behind bars, Thai anti-establishment protest leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul was released from the Central Women’s Correctional Institute at about 8pm tonight (Wednesday) into to the embrace of her parents and a warm reception from her supporters. The Bangkok South Criminal and Ayutthaya Provincial courts granted temporary release on bail to Panusaya, until
A former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Suthep Thaugsuban, was granted bail by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders after malfeasance charges were filed against him, by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), in connection with a 5.3-billion-baht project for the construction of 396 police stations when he was in office just over
