Follow Thai politics in English — government policy, elections, parliament and political developments, with reporting and analysis from Thai PBS World.
Army Sergeant Narongchai Intharakavee, aka “Moo Arm”, who exposed alleged corruption in the Army Ordnance Department, is due to appear before judge advocate officers on Monday, to face a desertion charge for failing to report to work for more than 15 consecutive days. “I want to see the hearts of those who cherish righteousness, justice
The ruling Palang Pracharat party won another House seat in the by-election in Constituency 4 of Thailand’s northern province of Lampang on Sunday, increasing its majority in the House of Representatives. The party’s chief strategist, General Prawit Wongsuwan, thanked the people of Lampang for electing Mr. Wattana Sitthiwang, whose 61,806 votes saw off his main
Members of Thailand’s ruling Palang Pracharat party will go to Government House on Tuesday to invite Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to become the new party leader, replacing Mr. Uttama Savanayana. The acting executive board met on Friday and agreed to hold the general assembly of the party on June 27th, to elect a new
CARE, Thailand’s latest political outfit, is being presented as an alternative to existing parties and their constant infighting, but in the eyes of political analysts, the group will find it difficult to evolve into a political party with serious impact. CARE was launched on Wednesday, but has failed to impress observers, offering little that distinguishes
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump “pleaded” with China’s Xi Jinping during a 2019 summit to help his reelection prospects, according to a scathing new book by former Trump adviser John Bolton that accuses the president of being driven by political calculations when making national security decisions. The White House worked furiously to block the
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has accepted for consideration a petition, filed by a group of opposition MPs, challenging the parliamentary status and ministerial post of Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao. The Court, however, rejected the demand, by the 51 petitioners, to suspend Thammanat from performing his duties as an MP and Cabinet Minister on the grounds
Thailand’s Labour Minister, M.R. Chatumongol Sonakul, has quit as leader of the Ruam Palang Prachachart Party, effective Tuesday, after he failed a performance assessment by the party’s executive board. Well-informed sources said the board met on today, to assess his work over the past year, and agreed that he had under-performed, citing his slow response
Thailand’s opposition Pheu Thai party has blamed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as the main reason for the postponement of local election. Opposition chief whip Mr. Suthin Klangsang today accused the Government of intentionally delaying local elections, pointing out that the existing Constitution does not have a chapter on decentralization. He demanded that the Government clarify
Thailand’s lèse-majesté law has not been invoked against anyone in Thailand in the past few years, because of the wishesof His Majesty the King, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday. Admitting that breaching the law is a matter of serious concernto him, he said he didn’t understand why there are people, especially some students,
After three months of almost no political activity due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Thai politicians have wasted no time getting back to “business as usual”. A fierce fight has broken out within the core coalition Palang Pracharath Party as factions vie for coveted posts in the party’s executive leadership and in Cabinet. The main target
Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s chief advisor, M.L. Somchai Chakrabhand, has been appointed to head a committee investigating allegations that 186 hospitals under the Ministry’s supervision have accepted donations from pharmaceutical companies. The Minister said Thursday that the probe team will report directly to him. Mr. Anutin said that he is handling the
Former leader of Thailand’s ruling Palang Pracharat Party,Uttama Savanayana, is under heavy pressure from rebel MPs to call a general assembly of the party to elect a new executive committee. Acting deputy party leader Mr. Paiboon Nititawan said, after a meeting of executive committee members today, that Mr.Uttama must schedule the general assembly for June
