Follow Thai politics in English — government policy, elections, parliament and political developments, with reporting and analysis from Thai PBS World.
Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) has been urged to speed up its approval of requests from international organizations to send observers to monitor the upcoming general election. Mr. Aekkapant Pinthavanich, director of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University, said today that the election is only two weeks away and the EC
The lead–up to the March–24 general election sees an unprecedented clash of populist policies. Absent in the debate, however, are convincing ideas as to how they would be financed. They may be on the different side of aisles when it comes to politics, but Thai political parties seem to share a number of economic
Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva made it clear today that he will definitely not support Prayut Chan-o-cha as the post-election prime minister. In a short video clip, uploaded on social media today, Abhisit explained that supporting General Prayut’s return as prime minister would create political conflicts. After five years under Prayut’s premiership, he said that the nation’s economy is in bad shape
Over 4,000 Thai nationals working in Malaysia turned up at the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur today to cast their ballots in early voting. The long queue of waiting voters spilled out of the embassy compound. One of the voters, Mr. Sunpet Boonraeng who works as a cook in KL, said he had waited for about six hours to cast
Despite the overwhelming news coverage given to on-going political bickering dominating the current election campaign, several politicians still manage to make their voices heard on crucial – yet under-reported — issues, especially the environment. An election debate organized by Thai PBS on Thursday night was one forum for them to put forth their vision of
Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has been dealt another blow after a website has withdrawn its support, claiming that the firebrand politician had stooped to gutter politics by promising to bring fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra back home to face new and “fair”trial. The administrator of the website said “for the past several months, we have been fighting for justice, we
Core members of the disbanded Thai Raksa Chart party vowed today to carry on with what they claim to be a fight for democracy and to launch campaign rallies across the country against the National Council for Peace and Order. The group, which includes former TRC’s electoral strategy chief Chaturun Chaisaeng, former campaign manager Natthawut Saikua, Weng
Pheu Thai party’s chief election strategist Sudarat Keyuraphan has questioned the credibility of the selection of 194 senators by the military junta, officially called the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). She pointed out that a large group of active and retired military officers, closely linked to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, were among the 400 shortlisted
Members, as well as former executive committee members of the disbanded Thai Raksa Chart, may help campaign for other parties and candidates, Election Commission secretary-general Jarungvidh Phumma said today. However, he warned that the party executives must take extra caution and make sure that their electoral campaigning is not seen as attempting to dominate the
The 194 senators to be handpicked by the Thailand’s military junta, which is officially known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), are expected to be dominated by active and retired generals with close links to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda. Deputy Prime
scheduled. The retired general, who is in charge of national security, also dismissed concerns that the spat between Seri Ruam Thai party leader Pol Gen Seripisut Temiyavej, a former national police chief, and Army Commander-in-Chief General Apirat Kongsompong might spiral out of control and culminate in yet another coup. Coup fears were fueled by a
The Constitutional Court this afternoon ordered the pro-Thaksin Thai Raksa Chart Party dissolved as a punishment for its failed nomination of Princess Ubolratna, a member of the Royal Family, as its prime minister candidate in the March-24 general election. The court ruled that Thai Raksa Chart’s nomination of the princess was an act that undermines
