Prayut Chan-O-Cha

End of an era as Prem Tinsulanonda dies

Former prime minister and close advisor to Thailand's revered royals Prem Tinsulanonda died early Sunday aged 98, a senior parliamentarian said, ending a decades-long career of unrivalled influence over Thai politics.Hailed as a stabilising force by allies but loathed by critics as a conservative underminer of democracy in the kingdom, Prem was a top aide to the late beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej and helped cement the unshakeable bond between the monarchy and the military.Prem "pa

27 May 2019
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Thailand set for a pro-junta government

Thailand’s official election results due this week are set to boost a push by a pro-military party to form a governing coalition, unless an imminent court ruling complicates the picture.The party, Palang Pracharath, is a proxy for the military government and is duelling for power with an anti-junta alliance.

7 May 2019
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Thailand elections: What could happen next?

A coup leader triumphs as a civilian prime minister, an alliance of parties unite to stop him, or a parliamentary deadlock forces another political crisis – the outcome of Thailand's disputed election remains undecided a week after the poll.So, what next?

1 April 2019
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Thaksin says junta 'rigged' Thai election

Thailand's election was "rigged" to ensure the military retain their grip on power, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a towering behind-the-scenes figure in the politically turbulent kingdom, said on Monday.Junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha, an arch foe of ousted billionaire tycoon Thaksin, appears poised for victory after his army-linked party made a strong showing in Sunday's poll, aided by a new constitution that gives him a head start.Election officials delayed without e

26 March 2019
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Junta party takes shock lead in Thai election

Thailand's ruling junta took an unexpected lead in the country's first election since a 2014 coup with more than 90 percent of ballots counted, election authorities said late Sunday, putting it on course to return to power at the expense of the kingdom's pro-democracy camp.The election, which saw an insipid 64 percent turnout, was held under new laws written by the military to smooth its transformation into a civilian government.While it had set the rules of the game in its fav

25 March 2019
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Thai King warns people on eve of elections

Polls opened Sunday for the first Thai election since a 2014 coup, with a high turnout expected among a public who received a cryptic last-minute warning from the Thai king to support "good" leaders to prevent "chaos."All television stations repeated the rare statement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn moments before polls opened across the politically turbulent country.Sunday's election pits a royalist junta and its allies against the election-winning machine of billionair

24 March 2019
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Thais face a tough choice tomorrow

Tomorrow, 24 March 2019, is a day that will forever be etched in the history books. Tomorrow, Thais will choose who they want to lead them to glory or perhaps drag the country down to damnation. While some pundits believe that victory is already in the hands of general turned prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and that whoever wants to taste victory should align themselves to the military; the ultimate choice still lies in the hands of those who will make their mark on the ballot papers.

23 March 2019
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Its election crunch time in Bangkok

Parties for and against Thailand's military junta rallied across Bangkok on Friday, as election fever gripped the country ahead of its first poll in eight years.The boisterous final push before the 24 March showdown was infused with rarely seen levels of excitement and backlit by symbolism from afar, with the family of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra holding a politically star-studded wedding in Hong Kong on the same night.The generals who seized power in 2014 are hoping to hold on through

23 March 2019
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Major players in Thailand’s election

With elections mere days away, the number of parties contesting for the hearts and minds of Thai voters is overwhelming. The Pheu Thai Party has formed several splinter parties with all of them vying for seats.

22 March 2019
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Thai PM looking to keep his job

Thailand’s junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha has had absolute executive power since toppling the government five years ago. Now he’s looking to keep his job after an election – something previous military leaders in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy have struggled to do.The former army chief, who turns 65 this week, seized power after a coup in May 2014 and has led the longest period of army rule in modern Thai history.

21 March 2019
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Is Thailand becoming Myanmar?

The military in Myanmar, also known as the Tatmadaw, is guaranteed 25 percent of parliamentary seats under the country’s constitution. If the National League of Democracy (NLD) - the party under Aung San Suu Kyi that won the general elections in 2015 - wants to implement any constitutional changes, it would need more than a 75 percent majority.

16 March 2019
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