Follow Thai politics in English — government policy, elections, parliament and political developments, with reporting and analysis from Thai PBS World.
Thailand’s controversial Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao, who was sentenced to four years in an Australian prison in 1994 for drug trafficking, was elected secretary-general of the country’s ruling Palang Pracharat Party (PPRP) today, replacing Prime Minister’s Office Minister Anucha Nakasai. When asked about his conviction and imprisonment, he claimed that the heroin, which he was
The attempt by Thailand’s opposition parties to craft a new Constitution, through the establishment of a Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA), has been dealt a setback, after parliament’s legal advisory committee president rejected one of their key draft amendments. The draft in question, initiated by the Pheu Thai Party, seeks to amend Section 256 of the
Pheu Thai Party’s advisor Phumtham Wechayachai has explained the rationale behind the party’s strategy to amend the current Constitution, by proposing amendment of Section 256, to set up a Constitution Drafting Assembly to craft a new charter, and proposing drafts to amend several other sections. Phumtham’s explanation, offered in his Facebook post today (Thursday) is,
The draft bill for a national referendum on charter change is back in the spotlight, with Parliament due next week to resume deliberations that were suspended in April. The government-sponsored bill would open the door to the rewriting of a Constitution that has been criticized as undemocratic and designed to extend the military’s grip on power. The bill authorizes
Three government coalition parties, Democrat, Bhumjaithai and Chart Thai Pattana, have submitted eight draft constitutional amendments to Thailand’s House Speaker Chuan Leekpai, only hours after the Opposition submitted five of their own. Mirroring some of the Opposition’s amendments, Democrat and Bhumjaithai, which are main government parties besides Palang Pracharat (PPRP) which leads the coalition, are
Today (Wednesday), Thailand’s opposition parties, led by the Pheu Thai Party, submitted five drafts of proposed constitutional amendments to House Speaker Chuan Leekpai for debate in parliament. Pheu Thai Party Secretary-General Prasert Chanruangthong told the media that not all five drafts were signed by all the opposition parties, namely Pheu Thai, Move Forward, Pheu Chart,
Politics is a game where there are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests. The old saying was proved true again recently when veteran politician Ruangkrai Leekitwattana switched from the opposition camp to join the ruling Palang Pracharath Party. The former Pheu Thai member defected over a month ago and was quickly
House Speaker Chuan Leekpai has given an assurance that parliament will proceed with the debate on the Referendum Bill next Tuesday, June 22nd, as scheduled, after a reported attempt by pro-government parties to delay the bill and to progress a motion to amend the Constitution. He said today that he decided to schedule the debate
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told senators today (Monday) that he will stay in office until the end of his four-year term, even though he faces calls for his removal on daily basis. He made the statement during a parliamentary session to explain to senators the need for the Executive Decree to authorize 500 billion baht
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s younger brother, General Preecha, has become the first member of the premier’s immediate family to be charged by Thailand’s anti-graft agency. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has accused General Preecha of concealing his assets while serving in the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA). The NLA was set up after the May
Thailand’s House of Representatives approved an executive decree today (Thursday), authorizing the Finance Ministry to borrow up to 500 billion baht for the fight against COVID-19, assistance for people affected by the disease and for economic rehabilitation. The decree passed the first reading in the House, after two days of debate, with 270 votes in
Exiled Former Thai Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her cabinet, have been cleared of any wrongdoing by an investigative panel of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), in connection with the approval of about 1.9 billion baht in compensation for victims of violent political protests and the crackdown on red-shirt protesters by troops between 2005 and
