Follow Thai politics in English — government policy, elections, parliament and political developments, with reporting and analysis from Thai PBS World.
The opposition Pheu Thai party today (Thursday) issued a statement reconfirming its call for the creation of a Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) and amendment of Section 256 of the Charter, to pave the way for wider changes to the supreme law, without touching the issues of the Monarchy or Thai sovereignty. Key party members, led
An MP, from the opposition Kao Klai party, raised a three-finger salute in Thailand’s Parliament on Wednesday morning, as she sought permission from House Speaker, Chuan Leekpai, for a discussion about alleged police intimidation of student and other political activists. Ms. Yanthida Buaphuen of Chanthaburi province cited an incident, which occurred on August 21st
The general assembly of Supreme Court judges today (Thursday) upheld the one-month suspended jail term, imposed on Bhumjaithai party-list MP, Mrs. Nathee Ratchakitprakarn, for making a false declaration of her assets and liabilities. In July last year, the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office found her guilty of giving false statements about
The royalist Thai Pakdee group has urged its supporters and the public to join a rally this Sunday, at a venue yet to be decided, to protest against alleged intimidation by the Free People and Free Youth movements. Leader of the pro-Monarchy group, former Democrat MP Dr. Wawrong Dechgitvigrom, said on Facebook today that the
Debate on whether Thailand needs submarines is raging again after a House subcommittee on budget scrutiny last Friday voted 5-4 along party lines to back the Navy’s Bt22.5-billion plan to buy two more China-made subs. That was in addition to the Yuan Class S26T submarine the Royal Thai Navy ordered from China in 2017
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said today that the Government is ready to fight Facebook in the courts, as he dismissed the social media giant’s accusation that he used dictatorial power to block access to an anti-Monarchy webpage. He said that this coin has two sides, with one side being the Thai law, which everyone
Two prominent Hong Kong opposition lawmakers were arrested on Wednesday in a police operation focused on last year’s huge anti-government protests, the latest move in a widening crackdown against the city’s democracy camp. Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui were detained after raids on their homes early Wednesday morning according to their Democratic Party and statements on their
As Thailand’s deep political divide cracks even wider, celebrities, businesses and media outlets are learning the hard way that harsh consequences lie in wait for those who take sides. The latest celebrity to fall into this deep chasm is famous transgender TV personality Ornapa “Ma” Krisadee. On Monday, Ornapa was forced to give up her
The opposition Pheu Thai party has rejected the Kao Klai party’s proposal to amend Section 272 of the Constitution, on the grounds that it is not the right time for such a move. Pheu Thai decided today, by an overwhelming majority, not join fellow opposition party Kao Klai in its attempt to limit the Senate’s
Facebook said on Tuesday it was planning to legally challenge the Thai government after being “compelled” to block access within Thailand to a group with 1 million members that discusses the monarchy. The social media giant late on Monday blocked access to the “Royalist Marketplace” group after the Thai government threatened legal action over failure
A core member of Thailand’s main opposition Pheu Thai party has defended their stand of not touching chapters 1 and 2 of the existing Constitution, regarding Thai sovereignty and the Thai Monarchy, in its attempt to write a new Constitution. In an apparent snub to the opposition Kao Klai party and anti-Monarchy groups, Watana Muangsook
The Royal Thai Navy’s top brass lined up on Monday to defend the 22.5 billion baht procurement of two Chinese-made submarines and accused the opposition Pheu Thai party of politicizing the issue, to cause public misunderstanding and enmity towards the military. “We reaffirm that the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has done everything transparently. The fake
