Follow Thai politics in English — government policy, elections, parliament and political developments, with reporting and analysis from Thai PBS World.
Former Transport Minister Suthep Thaugsuban filed a defamation lawsuit with the Criminal Court today, against opposition chief whip Suthin Klangsaeng, for implicating him incausing 26 billion baht in damage to the state over the termination of the contract for the Hopewell elevated rail project. Accompanied by his lawyer, Suthep told the media at the court
Outspoken Palang Pracharat MP Sira Jenjakha was today summoned for a private meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also the Palang Pracharat party leader, over the former’s gold medallion, featuring Prawit’s image. Informed sources said that General Prawit was not happy about Sira using his image on the medallion without his prior
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has defended the Royal Thai Navy’s 22 billion baht procurement of three Yuan-class submarines from China as being worth the taxpayers’ money, compared to the 24 trillion baht in maritime interests that Thailand is expected to gain. Maintaining that the decision to purchase the submarines was based on national and public
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in parliament today (Wednesday) that he is fully aware that opposition MPs are trying to provoke him with unfounded allegations of involvement in the human trafficking of migrant workers from Myanmar. He said that he is not, however, the kind of person who is easily provoked, as he challenged
Three core leaders of the anti-establishment Ratsadon group and 15 followers have heaved a sigh of relief after they were told that public prosecutors handing their cases will decide on March 8th whether to indict them on charges related to the protests at Sanam Luang and Thammasat University on September 19th and 20th. All 18
Thailand’s opposition chief whip Suthin Klangsaeng admitted today (Wednesday) that the censure speeches yesterday by opposition MPs were not direct enough and promised that today will be different. “Yesterday’s debate was just a prelude and the audience didn’t feel anything, but today we will go into details and it will be worth the wait,” said
Three more core leaders of the Ratsadon group and 15 other protesters have been summoned to appear before public prosecutors on Wednesday, to be indicted for alleged crimes committed during the protests at Thammasat University and Sanam Luang on September 19th and 20th. Noraseth Nanongtoom, a lawyer at the Centre for Human Rights Lawyers, said
Likening the government to a parasite that is eating away at Thailand’s future, opposition leader Sompong Amornvivat fired salvoes at Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, accusing him of lacking vision and leadership, mismanagement, corruption and other failures. In his opening speech on the first day of the censure debate, he said that today marks the beginning
Opposition leader Sompong Amornvivat started the four-day censure debate against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and nine of his cabinet ministers in Thailand’s parliament on Tuesday morning. He read out the text of the censure motion, until he said “the monarchy”, which immediately prompted a protest from Palang Pracharat party-list MP Paiboon Nititawan, who demanded that
Metropolitan police deputy commissioner Maj-Gen Piya Tavichai reaffirmed on Monday that the injured man, seen in video footage lying on the road among police, was not a medical volunteer. Responding to an allegation, which went viral on social media, that the police had attacked the unidentified medical volunteer during a protest by Ratsadon followers in
The Appeals Court upheld the Criminal Court’s decision to reject the bail requests of four Ratsadon leaders today (Monday). The four Ratsadon leaders, namely Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Somyos Prueksakasemsook and Patiwat Sarainaem, sought bail from the Appeals Court after being charged with lèse majesté and other offences. The court turned down their bail
Over 250 academics from 31 institutions are demanding that the courts release four Ratsadon leaders, currently detained at Bangkok remand prison on lèse majesté and other charges, following the September 19th and 20th protests at Thammasat University and Sanam Luang. The academics have signed a petition seeking the court’s review of its earlier decision to
