Thais might still want Prayut as PM
Late last year, the media was buzzing with news of another possible coup should Thailand return to democracy.
The enemy of my enemy
It’s now mere weeks away until Thailand’s long-awaited general elections take place on 24 March 2019. The date was set by the Election Commission on 23 January 2019, only hours after a royal decree was issued authorising the poll.
Maverick Thai tycoon decries political attacks
A 40-year-old tycoon who has become the darling of Thai millennials thanks to his sharp social media messaging on Wednesday decried efforts to "kick out his legs", as his upstart pro-democracy party soars in profile ahead of next month's election.Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the scion of a billionaire auto-parts maker, is the charismatic frontman of Future Forward, a new party targeting the urban youth vote with a staunchly anti-junta platform.He has disrupted the Thai politi
Thai junta won’t slash defence spending
Thailand's junta defended its US$7 billion defence budget and annual draft this week after political opponents proposed slashing military spending by 10 percent and ending conscription after the upcoming general elections.
Thai junta pegs economic fortunes to China
After generals seized power in Thailand in a 2014 coup, they turned to Beijing to kickstart growth and buff up their vision of an innovative, developed country steered by wise leaders and buoyed by China-backed infrastructure.Thailand's economy sagged in the first years after the power grab but the junta is staking its hopes for an economic turnaround on the Asian giant.Yet concerns are mounting of an over-reliance on Beijing and the opacity of deals cemented by the generals.
Thai Junta chief's bid for PM still intact
Junta chief Prayut Chan-o-cha's grip on power was tossed into doubt by the political cameo of a princess, but a week later his ambitions to rebrand as a civilian leader appear back on track, a survivor – for now – of Thailand's treacherous politics.Princess Ubolratana's candidacy for premier for a party aligned with billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, appeared to have kicked over a totem of Thai politics: that the military alone is the unassailable partner of the monarch
Thaksin turns campaign to Thai economy
Allies of Thailand’s exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra are seeking to woo voters with a plan to revive economic growth after a failed bid to run King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s sister as a prime minister candidate in next month’s election.Kittiratt Na Ranong, a former finance minister and deputy leader of Pheu Thai – one of several parties backed by Thaksin along with Thai Raksa Chart – said his colleagues are “going forward in full gear” ahead of the 24 March vote.
Unpredictable politics in Thailand
Thailand was recently taken by surprise when news broke that its princess, Ubolratana Rajakanya, had been announced as prime ministerial candidate for the Thai Raksa Chart Party – a party reportedly affiliated to Thaksin Shinawatra.
Army-aligned party says its respectful of Thai law
Opponents of the Shinawatra political clan campaigned triumphantly in the Thai capital on Sunday, after a weekend of high political drama when a Thai princess' bid to be premier provoked a rare royal rebuke.Thai Princess Ubolratana's unprecedented attempt to become prime minister of Thailand was scuttled after her party agreed to comply with a command from her brother King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Friday, opposing her move to contest the upcoming election.The Thai Raksa Chart party, a
Can the Future Forward Party shift Thai politics?
The upcoming Thai election has got everyone excited. Everyday there are new twists and turns in the unfolding drama. Most recently, the elder sister of Thailand's king Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya was announced as leader and Prime Minister candidate for the Thai Raksa Chart Party – a party reportedly affiliated to Thaksin Shinawatra.
Will Thai elections be fair?
On 24 March this year, at long last, Thais will finally be able to head to the polls to elect a government after more than four years of military rule. The current ruling military junta – also known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NPCO) led by Prayut Chan-o-cha came into power in 2014 after it carried out a coup against the then caretaker government led by Yingluck Shinawatra. Ever since seizing power, the military junta promised to return the country to proper democracy.
ASEAN leaders and the Chinese zodiac
In the coming month of February, we will usher in the Chinese Lunar New Year, otherwise known as the Spring Festival. As most readers are aware, part of the fun during this festive season involves looking at our horoscopes for the new year based on the Chinese zodiac calendar. Horoscopes follow a classification scheme that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. Last year was the year of the dog, and this year will be the year of the boar.