Politics News

Thailand politics news, government updates, policy changes, and election coverage—stay informed on key political events, leaders, and decisions shaping the nation. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for political news in Thailand.

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  • Thanathorn says Future Forward by-election win in Nakhon Pathom will start a domino effect

    Thanathorn says Future Forward by-election win in Nakhon Pathom will start a domino effect

    PHOTO: Facebook/Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit says that, if the opposition bloc wins the by-election in Nakhon Pathom on October 23, it will be the first domino to fall and set the stage for a change of government. Nakhon Pathom is directly north-west of Bangkok. The Future Forward party is fielding Pairatchote Chantharakachorn to contest the by-election, while other opposition parties,…

  • Thanathorn dares Prawit to have a face-to-face meeting over NY protests

    Thanathorn dares Prawit to have a face-to-face meeting over NY protests

    Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is daring Deputy PM and luxury watch enthusiast Prawit Wongsuwan to summon him for questioning, whether the party might be linked to anti-government protests in New York last week. The protesters, waving placards like “Stop the human rights abuses” and “We want fair elections”, was held out side Pm Chan-o-cha’s hotel in New York…

  • Convicted of murder, sentenced to death, now stripped of MP status

    Convicted of murder, sentenced to death, now stripped of MP status

    PHOTO: Nawat Tohcharoensuk MP “Nawat’s request for bail pending an appeal was refused. He was jailed immediately. Once bail was denied, he lost his status as an MP as per Sections 101 and 98 (6) of the Constitution.” A Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen in the north-east yesterday sentenced to death by the provincial court after being found guilty…

  • Thai pro-democracy body calls on UN to investigate ‘military government in disguise’

    Thai pro-democracy body calls on UN to investigate ‘military government in disguise’

    PHOTOS: Facebook: Jaran Ditapichai/Kritsada Akkhapracha Jaran Ditapichai, the president of the Association of Thai Democrats without Borders’ has written to the UN yesterday asking the international body to investigate the government of Thai PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha. The Nation reports that Jaran personally dropped the submission at a letterbox near the UN headquarters in New York and recorded the action with…

  • Thai MP rich list

    Thai MP rich list

    PHOTO: The Nation The National Anti-Corruption Commission has published a who’s who list of Thailand’s richest politicians. The NACC has reported the personal finances of 80 MPs. The personal finances report is an addition to the NACC’s previous report of 415 MPs who had earlier submitted their asset lists in July. Notable MPs whose assets and debts have been revealed…

  • Future Forward secretary-general floats idea of another debate

    Future Forward secretary-general floats idea of another debate

    PHOTO: Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, Party leader of Future Forward Party – AFP Future Forward secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul says the Opposition will consider the option of holding another parliamentary debate over the next 3 months. His statement comes after what was generally considered an unsatisfactory response from the PM and other cabinet members during Wednesday’s debate. Piyabutr is not ready to let the matter…

  • PM leaves debate, refusing to answer Opposition queries on oath gaffe

    PM leaves debate, refusing to answer Opposition queries on oath gaffe

    PHOTO: www.bangkokpost.com PM Prayut Chan-o-cha didn’t stay until the end of yesterday’s Opposition debate, departing to attend a Royal religious ceremony at Dusit Palace. He left without answering MP’s questions about his incomplete oath-taking, saying he had the right not to respond. The PM says he asked Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngarm to respond to queries on his behalf, saying…

  • “We could move the capital”, says Thai PM

    “We could move the capital”, says Thai PM

    PHOTO: Bangkok.com PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says that one possible solution to overcrowding in Bangkok would be to move the capital. He floated the idea yesterday, while speaking at a seminar called, “Connecting Thailand with the World”, hosted by the Office of the National Economics and Social Development Council in Muang Thong Thani, just outside Bangkok. “There are two possible approaches…

  • No nerves here, says Thai PM, in advance of oath grilling

    No nerves here, says Thai PM, in advance of oath grilling

    PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha says he’s not at all nervous about today’s debate on his oath-taking gaffe and is well prepared for a grilling from the opposition. “I don’t feel nervous at all. I am at the stage where I no longer feel rattled.” The Bangkok Post reports that those taking part in the debate are set to include the…

  • Thammanat Prompao misses cabinet meeting today, calls in sick

    Thammanat Prompao misses cabinet meeting today, calls in sick

    Controversy-prone deputy agriculture minister for the Prayut government, Thammanat Prompao, isn’t feeling well today and has called in sick. He’s even provided a photo of himself in bed as proof of his need for a day off. After weathering a week of questions about his dodgy degrees and heroin-trafficking days back in Sydney in the 90s, he’s now succumbed to…

  • Wissanu admits Thammanat Prompeo’s educational credentials were not checked

    Wissanu admits Thammanat Prompeo’s educational credentials were not checked

    Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngarm admits that the Office of the Secretary-General of the Cabinet had not vetted the educational background of Captain Thammanat Prompao, before he was appointed deputy agriculture minister, because the vetting process might have delayed the appointment of the cabinet. But he says the embattled deputy agriculture minister might be replaced “if there is an ethics problem”.…

  • “The fake university degree is irrelevant if Thammanat has a genuine BA degree” – Wissanu

    “The fake university degree is irrelevant if Thammanat has a genuine BA degree” – Wissanu

    PHOTO: Thai PBS World “Wissanu refused to give a direct answer to a reporter’s question about whether Thammanat would still be considered qualified if the higher-level degrees were proven to be fake.” Key leaders of the coalition continue to back the embattled deputy agriculture minister Thammanat Prompao despite a week were his drug past has been revealed in a Sydney…

  • Proposal: New law that will allow six cannabis plants per Thai household

    Proposal: New law that will allow six cannabis plants per Thai household

    PHOTO: Campaign posters before the last election for the Bhumjaithai Party who continue to push further legalisation of cannabis The Bhumjaithai Party, a party in Thailand’s coalition government, is now proposing a law that would allow Thais to grow a limited amount of cannabis at home. This takes laws, passed less than a year ago that legalised the drug for…

  • Seri Ruam leader says he told Sydney Morning Herald to investigate Thammanat Prompao

    Seri Ruam leader says he told Sydney Morning Herald to investigate Thammanat Prompao

    PHOTO: Seri Ruam Thai party leader Gen Seripisut Temiyavet “The Seri Ruam Thai party leader said that he was not afraid that he might be sued for providing information to the Australian media.” Seri Ruam Thai party leader Gen Seripisut Temiyavet claims that he was the source who tipped off the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in Australia to investigate the…

  • Government loses another MP as member heads to prison

    Government loses another MP as member heads to prison

    Another blow to the ruling Palang Pracharath party and coalition after the MP for Kamphaeng Phet province, Pol Lt-Col Waipote Arpornrat, lost his Member of Parliament status after the Supreme Court upheld the 4 year prison sentence handed down by the Appeals Court for his involvement in the disruption of the ASEAN Summit in Pattaya back in 2009. As the…

  • MP formally breaks away from the coalition over Thammanat Prompao remarks

    MP formally breaks away from the coalition over Thammanat Prompao remarks

    PHOTO: “Hello?! Did someone ask me something? Mr. Pichet Sathirachavan, leader of Prachatham Thai party, has formally announced they have decided to break away from the governing coalition to join the independent opposition camp with the New Civilized party. Yesterday PM Prayut Chan-o-cha covered one of his ears with his hand as he pretended not to hear one of many…

  • Thai Government fails to properly address flood victims – Thanathorn

    Thai Government fails to properly address flood victims – Thanathorn

    FILE PHOTO Embattled Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has slammed the government for its handling of the current flood situation in the north-east and central Thailand. Speaking in a panel debate on amendment of the Constitution at Khon Kaen University on Sunday, he said he had visited people in Yasothon and Roi Et provinces in past days. He found…

  • Opposition says Thammanat should not have been appointed minister

    Opposition says Thammanat should not have been appointed minister

    PHOTO: Bangkok Post “It is old stuff from the opposing political group. I know all of them. Don’t pay any attention to them. I do not give them any importance.” A government opposition spokesman, Adisorn Piangkate, says he would not have appointed Captain Thammanat Prompow as deputy agriculture minister if he were the PM due to the minister’s “tainted record”. He…

  • Government not tackling Thailand’s economic woes – poll

    Government not tackling Thailand’s economic woes – poll

    Most people regard the government of Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha as lacking the capacity to tackle economic woes – this, the latest results from yesterday’s NIDA poll. The NIDA Poll, prepared by the National Institute of Development Administration, asked 1,260 respondents nationwide about their opinions on the current state of political play. The Nida Poll found that 46.7%t of the…

  • Government spokeswoman says sorry after posting photo of PM eating from plastic container

    Government spokeswoman says sorry after posting photo of PM eating from plastic container

    PHOTO: Scmp.com Thai PBS World reports that a government spokeswoman has had to apologise to the PM after posting a photo on social medial that showed him eating from a plastic container. Narumon Pinysinwat says she shouldn’t have posted the image and that she has apologised for her negligence. The PM was served the food after boarding a plane for…

  • Thai PM willing to take part in debate on oath-taking controversy

    Thai PM willing to take part in debate on oath-taking controversy

    PHOTO: Asiaone.com PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha has indicated his willingness to take part in a parliamentary debate over his oath-taking ceremony, in which he omitted a key sentence. A date of September 18 is being proposed for the session, according to Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong, this currently being the only date that fits the PM’s busy schedule. It’s understood the…

  • PM’s oath-taking ruled unconstitutional

    PM’s oath-taking ruled unconstitutional

    PHOTO: South China Morning Post The PM’s omission of an important sentence when taking his oath of office has been ruled unconstitutional by Thailand’s ombudsman. The matter is now being referred to the Constitutional Court to rule on whether the government was legally established. The controversy began on July 16, when PM General Prayuth Chan-o-cha left out a key sentence…

  • Thai Army chief writing a thesis about the spread of ‘fake news’

    Thai Army chief writing a thesis about the spread of ‘fake news’

    Thailand’s Army Commander-in-Chief, General Apirat Kongsompong, says he has “serious concerns” over the spread of fake news in Thailand, “some of which seems intended to discredit the government and the military”. General Apirat is also finishing a thesis about the change of political behaviour in Thailand. He said that, while he did not want to describe the use of fake news as “mind manipulation”, he had observed that some people, when repeatedly exposed to fake…

  • Message from His Majesty the King of Thailand to be read to cabinet today

    Message from His Majesty the King of Thailand to be read to cabinet today

    PHOTO: The Nation In what is being seen by some as a correction of his oath-taking gaffe, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and cabinet ministers will receive a written message from His Majesty the King today. A copy of the planned itinerary mentions the cabinet swearing-in ceremony of July 16, where General Prayut omitted the final sentence of Section 161 of the…

  • Thai finance minister confident GDP will pick up next quarter

    Thai finance minister confident GDP will pick up next quarter

    Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak says he is confident Thailand’s gross domestic product will pick up in the fourth quarter as a result of the launch of 316 billion baht economic stimulus package from the Thai government. He claims the new rice price guarantee scheme will also assist the agricultural sector. The Cabinet approved the new packages at its Tuesday meeting.…

  • Thai coalition government may not last more than two years, experts caution

    Thai coalition government may not last more than two years, experts caution

    PHOTO: The Nation Economic concerns and doubts over the government’s legitimacy may mean it only maintains a grip on power for two years, according to academics. The situation is not helped by Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan being made chief strategist of the Phalang Pracharat party. According to Titipol Phakdeewanich, Dean of Ubon Ratchathani University’s Political Science faculty, this only…

  • “Government stimulus package for Thai economy is unsustainable”

    “Government stimulus package for Thai economy is unsustainable”

    PHOTO: Wikipedia Anusorn Tamajai, an economist from Rangsit University, says he expects the proposed package to make little difference and has declared it unsustainable. The package, which should be approved this week, is worth 370 billion baht and includes cash handouts for farmers and low-income earners, grants for children, incentives for domestic travelers, and tax incentives for small businesses. It’s…

  • PM calls for Thai Army’s support on drought, security and tourist safety

    PM calls for Thai Army’s support on drought, security and tourist safety

    The Thai PM has chaired the first Defence Assembly session in his role of Minister of Defence, urging the armed forces to support the government’s work in realising policies such as cybersecurity enhancement, drought mitigation, and tourist safety. In the first Defence Assembly session, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha urged leaders of the armed forces and related departments to work in unison…

  • Thai coalition will meet with disgruntled MPs today

    Thai coalition will meet with disgruntled MPs today

    PHOTO: Thai PM praying he can glue back all the pieces of the Palang Pracharat coalition after weekend defection threats With defections threatened from disgruntled minor coalition partners, Palang Pracharat has been shocked into coming up with packages of party positions to try and ‘keep them happy’ amidst threats to the coalition’s majority. The Palang Pracharath Party is looking to…

  • Government faces no-confidence vote with loss of five independent MPs

    Government faces no-confidence vote with loss of five independent MPs

    The Government was sworn in less than a month ago on July 17, but already faces the prospect of a no confidence motion on its ability to control the lower house majority after five MPs pulled out of the 19-party coalition bloc. Last week the ruling Government lost a vote on the floor over the role of the House Speaker.…