Sustainable development or eco-disaster? Locals battle govt over Chana mega-project

Despite recent arrests and legal threats, environmentalists from Songkhla province have refused to let a state-led mega-project transform their hometown into an industrial hub without proper scrutiny and local participation….

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Anti-establishment protest in Bangkok Sunday November 15, 2021. (Photo by Thai PBS)

Verdict against monarchy reformers lights fuse for new round of Thai conflict: experts

Last week’s controversial Constitutional Court verdict is likely to rekindle Thailand’s political conflict and fan the flames among anti-establishment groups already furious over legal action stemming from the lèse-majesté law,…

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(Photo by Thai PBS)

Is Talugas part of two-pronged strategy by anti-government protesters?

Recent weeks have seen the emergence of youth-led violent protests at Bangkok’s Din Daeng intersection – in what observers view as a strategy to help support the mainly peaceful anti-establishment…

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(Photo by Thai PBS)

Tanat Thanakitamnuay – the royalist rich kid turned ‘wounded hero’ for democracy

Tanat Thanakitamnuay was addressing a crowd of anti-government protesters in Bangkok on August 13 when he was hit by a projectile that his family says permanently blinded him in one…

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Credit: Amnesty International Thailand Website

32 anti-government protesters arrested, Amnesty calls the move ‘climate of fear’

32 anti-government protesters, belonging to the “Talu Fah” group, were arrested yesterday, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Pol Maj-Gen Piya Tavichai confirmed today (Tuesday), while Amnesty International (AI)…

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Thailand Politics protest

From friends to foes: How former yellow-shirt leaders have turned against Prayut

Thai politics has taken a surprising twist amid the worsening COVID-19 crisis, with supporters of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha now joining loud calls for him to quit. Previously seen as…

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Thai pro-democracy activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak flashes a three-finger salute as he arrives at a Bangkok court for a hearing on Lese-Majeste charges, March 15, 2021.

Court drama as Thai protest leader’s life ‘hangs in balance’

An icon for the youth-led movement seeking to topple General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government, detained protest leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak is gambling with his life by refusing to consume solid food…

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Anti-establishment protest leaders (from L to R) Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, Shinawat Chankrachang, Panupong “Mike” Jadnok and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak give the three-fingered salute to supporters before handing themselves in to the police to hear lese majeste charges at Nonthaburi Police Station just north of Bangkok on December 8, 2020. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Protesters on hunger-strike put Thai legal system in spotlight

After 46 days on hunger strike, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak failed again on Thursday (April 29) to secure bail release for himself and several other anti-establishment protest leaders. This was the…

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LINE chat circulated at the weekend a complete fabrication – US Embassy

The LINE chat between someone, said to be a US Embassy official, and a Thai political activist, is a complete fabrication and the US government is not funding or providing…

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How hunger strikes became a powerful tool against oppression

Supporters of the anti-establishment movement are calling on two detained protest leaders to end their hunger strike as concerns for their health grow. The calls are mounting as Parit “Penguin”…

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Tiny, scattered protests can be Prayut’s bad news

More names are joining the fray thick and fast. They make the complex picture of Thai politics even more incomprehensible, compensating for the fact that street protests at the moment…

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Anti-establishment protest on October 14, 2020

Thailand’s path to a democratic charter becoming vicious circle

The push to change the junta-sponsored Constitution is back at square one after the amendment bill paving the way for a charter rewrite was shot down in its final reading…

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Thai police brace for fresh protests at Government House this afternoon

Police have set up barricades, using cargo containers, and blocked road access to Government House again, in anticipation of another protest this late afternoon by followers of the anti-establishment Ratsadon…

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Meet the ‘accidental’ protest leader keeping Thailand’s monarchy reform push alive

An “accidental leader” of the anti-establishment reformist movement, Patsaravalee “Mind” Tanakitvibulpon, has boldly made its first direct address to His Majesty the King.  On Wednesday night (March 24), Patsaravalee made…

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A pro-democracy protester holds a sign while calling for the release of anti-government protest leaders outside Bangkok Remand Prison in Bangkok on March 9, 2021. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Days of dread and terror at Bangkok Remand Prison

Anti-establishment protest leaders imprisoned on charges of lese majeste and sedition claim their lives may be in danger behind bars. They recently voiced fears of being assaulted or even killed…

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Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak gives the three-finger salute to the protesters during an anti-government rally at Lat Phrao intersection in Bangkok on December 2, 2020. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

How protest leader ‘Penguin’ continues ruffling feathers

No anti-establishment protest activist has been more effective at grabbing media attention than Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak.  The tubby 23-year-old Thammasat University student has even managed to make headlines from behind…

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Thailand politics

Embattled Thai protest movement awaits new “sparks”

March has been a bad month for the anti-establishment network, so far at least. Its public support has continued to decline, the royal portrait burning incident has planted more doubts…

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Anti-government protesters march during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Photo)

Ban on public assemblies and protests declared in Bangkok

Ahead of planned protests in Bangkok on Saturday, by various activist groups, Supreme Commander General Chalermphol Srisawat, in his capacity as the security chief of the current emergency situation, issued…

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Anti-establishment protesters take part in a demonstration as they prepare to march toward the residence of Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha in Bangkok on February 28, 2021. (photo by Jack TAYLOR / AFP)

Confusing picture of Thai protests

A moderate question to the increasingly splintered anti-establishment movement is where Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul was on Sunday. A harder question is whether ideologies that clashed many times in the history of…

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Thai police vow decisive legal action over torching of King’s portrait at Khlong Prem prison

Metropolitan police deputy commissioner Pol Maj-Gen Piya Tavichai has vowed to “prosecute to the fullest extent of the law” the three suspects responsible for torching His Majesty the King’s portrait…

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Anti-establishment protesters gather at a barrier in front of police during an anti-government rally in Bangkok on November 17, 2020. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)

Increasingly weak, violent and leaderless protests may be short-lived

Inspired by the ongoing anti-coup protests in Myanmar, and enraged by the indictment and detention of four protest leaders on lèse majesté charges, Thailand’s anti-establishment protests resumed after a pause…

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Prison terms for PDRC protest leaders send shockwaves through Thai politics

The Criminal Court’s recent decision to send leaders of the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) to jail over their street rallies against Yingluck Shinawatra’s government has deep political implications…

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Police deny using teargas against anti-establishment protesters on Saturday

Pol. Lt. General Pakkapong Pongpetra, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, insists that police did not use teargas, rubber bullets or high pressure water cannon at the protest site yesterday…

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This photo taken on December 7, 2020 shows actress Inthira “Sine” Charoenpura sitting on an inflatable duck, associated with the anti-establishment movement, at her home in Bangkok. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)

“That which cannot be questioned is always a problem” said the fairy godmother of the anti-establishment protesters

“Humans are a nation’s most important resource. Nowadays, everyone is equal, equally neglected as a human resource,” said Inthira Charoenpura, nickname “Sine.” The 40-year-old actress has often been in the…

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Law and the virus fail to halt Thailand’s ‘guerrilla’ protest movement

The new wave of COVID-19 has forced leaders of the anti-establishment movement to break from street rallies and focus instead on legal cases stemming from their campaign. As a result,…

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Red ‘general’ Jatuporn no longer marching to Thaksin’s tune

The old saying “there are no permanent friends or foes in politics” has been proven true once again. Jatuporn Prompan, an activist/politician and a long-time loyal ally of the Shinawatra…

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Thailand Politics Protest

The movers and shakers behind Thailand’s 2020 protests

After 12 months of tumult and tragedy, 2020 will go down as the “worst year ever” for millions in Thailand. Along with a global contagion that almost shut down the…

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Goodbye 2020, year of eerie silence and alarming tumult

To Thai people, 2020 was a year of two halves, and nobody had seen either half coming. The first featured surreal and scary scenes of empty streets, quiet city nights…

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Prayut cements power in 2020 after fending off eviction effort

The anti-establishment movement’s dream of seeing Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha ousted from office was shattered at the Constitutional Court in December. The premier was at the centre of a…

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2020 sees one small step towards a new, democratic charter

The pro-democracy movement’s push for charter amendment inched forward in 2020, but at the expense of injuries and violent clashes. At least 55 protesters were injured by tear gas, chemical-laced…

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Why year of the ‘Bad Student’ could be tipping point for Thai education

School students were both busy and brave this year, mustering unprecedented courage to challenge authority figures much older and more powerful than themselves over decades-long rules on hairstyles and uniforms….

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Rubber ducks to hammer and sickle – how the Thai protest movement evolved in 2020

2020 brought a completely new kind of protest to Thailand – anti-establishment rallies that truly belong to the digital age. Tech-savvy young protesters relied on social media to spread their…

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The long and controversial history of Thailand’s law against royal insults

The draconian lèse majesté law is back in the spotlight after at least 41 people were slapped with royal defamation charges in relation to anti-establishment protests over the past few…

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PMO ministerial assistant to negotiate with Chana locals on 4th day of protest

The government sent the assistant to the minister to the prime minister’s office, Suporn Attawong, to negotiate with the Chana residents, who have camped in front of government house for…

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Protest against Chana Industrial project entering its 3rd day

The protesters from Chana district, in Thailand’s southern province of Songkhla, have already been camped in front of government house for two nights. They are asking government to scrap the…

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Protesters close Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue for demonstration

Protesters have closed Bangkok’s Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue outbound and erected several small stages for speakers. The protest site covers the area around the Democracy monument and all the way to…

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A pro-democracy protester gives the three-finger salute during a march to Bang Na intersection in an anti-government rally in Bangkok on November 28, 2020. (Photo by Jack TAYLOR / AFP)

Court ruling in favour of Prayut adds fuel to protesters’ fire

Wednesday’s court verdict in favour of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha increases the likelihood of him staying in power at least until his term ends. The Constitutional Court unanimously ruled…

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A closer look at the King’s 2 Regiments now in protesters’ sights

Anti-establishment protesters have raised the ante in their ongoing protests for reform of the monarchy, by targeting HM the King’s finances and links with the Army. On November 25, they…

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Thailand Education Politics Reform

Thailand’s strict school dress code tested as students ditch uniforms on first day of semester

Students have been grumbling about school uniforms for ages in Thailand. But few people imagined they would be brave enough to challenge strict dress-code rules by wearing casual clothes to…

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Charter Court finds Prayut not guilty of ethics breaches

The Constitutional Court has dismissed charges of ethics breaches and conflict of interests against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in connection with his continued stay at a property owned by the…

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No end in sight as both sides refuse to shift their stance

Thai politics has arrived at a dead end as neither side shows any sign of stepping away from the tug-of-war they have been playing for nearly five months. Analysts say…

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Social media attacks fail to bring down protest movement’s ‘fairy godparents’

Donations are flooding into the bank accounts of the two main providers of protest supplies ranging from food to inflatable rubber ducks, in a sign of ongoing public support for…

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Thailand Protest

Verdict on Prayut’s Army residence may be a ‘fire exit’ for govt to escape ongoing conflict

The country is counting down to December 2, when the Constitutional Court is scheduled to rule if Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha should lose his post for violating the charter….

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Constitution protest

The rocks and roadblocks on Thailand’s path to a new Constitution

The road to democracy is never easy, but the path is particularly steep for Thailand in its journey to amend the Constitution and eradicate the legacy of the junta. Analysts…

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Bangkok protest location changed from Crown Property Bureau to SCB HQ

Last evening, the leaders of protest groups United Front for Thammasat and Demonstration and Free Youth Movement announced a location change for today’s 3pm protest, from the Crown Property Bureau…

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Thailand Politics Protest

If future generations feel no obligation to respect, “it’s just a question of when”

The American online magazine “The Diplomat” said the most striking thing about the current anti-government movement has been its willingness to identify the monarchy as the central question in Thai…

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Quote of the week

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Humble rubber duckie stands tall as protector of Thai demonstrators

Giant rubber ducks are generally cute and harmless, good for a few laughs in the pool with friends. But in certain circumstances, they have the power to shake governments and…

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Prayut’s ‘lawfare’ risks blowing Thailand’s political divide wide open

Fear is growing that Thailand’s ongoing political conflict will intensify, with no visible way out, after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared that “all existing laws” would be wielded against anti-establishment…

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Protesting the Thai way: with pork barbecue

BANGKOK (Reuters) – In the midst of thousands of Thai anti-government protesters, one man made his own statement – with barbecued pork. Joined by onlookers, he made an impromptu picnic…

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Anti-government protesters disperse after rally at Ratchaprasong

Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied at Ratchaprasong intersection in the heart of Bangkok Wednesday evening during which many of them also descended on the national police headquarters nearby and spray-painted its…

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Duck and cover: Blow-up mascots star at Thai protests

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai police have water cannon and teargas to fire at protesters. The answer: Inflatable yellow pool ducks. The giant ducks starred on Wednesday as thousands of protesters…

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Parliament adopts 2 charter bills, rejects iLaw’s version

Parliament today voted in favour of two bills in their first reading that would pave the way for drafting of a new constitution but threw out the one proposed by…

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At least 55 hurt in Thailand’s most violent protests since new movement emerged

The Reuters reports at least 55 people were hurt, some with gunshot wounds, when demonstrators marching on the Thai parliament clashed with police and royalist counter-protesters, in the worst violence…

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The monument at the heart of Thailand’s battle for democracy

Bangkok’s Democracy Monument has long been the site of political protests in Thailand, most recently on Saturday, when the grand structure was wrapped in a white banner featuring pro-democracy demonstrators’…

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34 injured in parliament rally, protesters to return to Ratchaprasong Wednesday

At least 34 people were injured in scuffles with police during a rally in front of the parliament Tuesday while protesters vowed to return for another major demonstration at Ratchaprasong…

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Thailand Protests in Pictures

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Protesters to return to Ratchaprasong for major rally Wednesday

Anti-government protesters vowed to return for another major rally at Ratchaprasongintersection in the heart of Bangkok on Wednesday evening to await the result of the Parliament’s vote on the constitutional…

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Protesters break through police barriers to reach parliament gate

Thousands of anti-government protesters have forced their way through police barriers to rally at the main gate of the parliament where parliamentarians are debating bills seeking to amend the constitution….

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Police battle protesters as Parliament debates charter bills

As parliamentarians debated the bills seeking to amend the constitution, police battled anti-government protesters trying to break through barriers outside the Parliament at Kiakkai intersection. At one point scuffles also…

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If the education system is good, other things would follow

“I feel it is about education. I think, if the standard of education were good, other things would follow. If the infrastructure were good, other things can improve,” said Issadaorn…

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“Doing parliamentary duties” is a divisive term

What to expect inside (and outside) Parliament during charter-change debate this week

With political temperatures rising close to boiling point, lawmakers head to Parliament today and tomorrow (November 17-18) to deliberate seven motions seeking amendments to the Constitution. The move comes after…

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Monks and novices barred from joining the protest

The director of the National Office of Buddhism, Narong Song-ar-rom, said that the Sangha Supreme Council has issued urgent letters, to the temples around the country, barring monks and novices…

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Thailand police protest

Police to review the content of letters to the King, before pressing charges

The letters and the four red post boxes from the protest in Bangkok yesterday are in police possession, at the Chanasongkram police station. Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner, Police Major…

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One of Thailand’s protest leaders and 3 activists released last night

Protest leader Anont Nampa and three anti-establishment activists were released from Bangkok Remand Prison just after midnight last night. Anont, Aekkachai Hongkangwan, Somyot Prueksakasemsook and Suranart Paenprasert were released after…

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Thai royalists end rally at German Embassy

Pro-monarchy demonstrators have ended their rally at the German Embassy, after they handed a letter, explaining the political situation in Thailand, to an embassy official. Nitithorn Lumlua, one of the…

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Protesters to return to Rajprasong after PM Prayut ignores resignation deadline

Anti-government protesters have vowed to return to Rajprasong intersection Sunday evening after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ignored their demand for him to resign by tonight. The 10-pm deadline set by…

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File photo

Thailand’s protests set to resume as 10pm deadline for PM to resign approaches

Anti-government protesters have set the deadline for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to quit at 10pm tonight, before escalating their protest. One of the protest leaders, Chatupat Boonpathararaksa, alias Pai Daodin,…

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Will special Parliament session be a time-buying tactic?

Most observers hold little hope that next week’s extraordinary parliamentary session will lead to concrete solutions satisfactory to both sides in Thailand’s ongoing political conflict. Critics said the move to…

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Anti-government protesters gather at Rajprasong commercial area. Octber 15, 2020

Protesters occupy Rajprasong in defiance of state of emergency

A large number of protesters are occupying the Rajprasong intersection, the commercial centre of Bangkok, in defiance of the state of emergency which bans public gathering of five people or…

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State of emergency declared in Bangkok, protest leaders arrested

Police arrested some of the key anti-government protest leaders early Thursday morning shortly after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency in Bangkok. The state of emergency took…

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