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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Man from central Thailand accused of lese majeste over Facebook posts
A man from central Thailand has been accused of violating Thailand’s lese majeste law, a human rights organisation reported this week. The law prohibits criticism of Thailand’s royal family. The man, 34 year old factory worker Udom was initially accused of violating the law based on Facebook posts that he wrote between October 2021 and January 2021, according to Thai…
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Thailand Cabinet appoints a moral guardian
Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda probably breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as the Cabinet embarked upon a mini reshuffle. There was something of a mini coup against Anupong from within his party at last week’s censure debate and it was expected he would be replaced by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha after he received the most no-confidence votes with 212. But…
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Thai pop star flees to UK after fearing for her safety in Thailand
A controversial pop star from Thailand has relocated to the relative safe haven of the UK after fearing for her life. Constant fears of being incarcerated because of the clash between the kingdom’s conservatism and her contentious musical lyrics have driven Peeralada Sukawat from her homeland. It’s been something of a meteoric rise for the 29 year old musician, known…
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Tenfold tourist increase due after Thailand-Saudi route opens
Thailand is expecting a tenfold increase in visitors from Saudi Arabia after the launch of the Bangkok to Jeddah route on August 19. Deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek estimates that the upcoming launch of the direct air route between the holy city of Mecca and the Kingdom of Thailand’s capital city will push up the number of visitors from 30,000…
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Irony of mini coup not lost on Thailand’s Interior Minister
The irony doesn’t appear to be lost on Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda that there was something of a mini coup against him from within his party at last week’s censure debate. Gen Anupong, of course, is one of the three generals at the centre of the military coup which took place in Thailand in May 2014 along with Prime Minister…
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Bangkok governor vows to root out government corruption
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday revealed he is to introduce five new policies in an attempt to wipe out corruption in the capital. The 56 year old City Hall leader announced the scheme at a press conference sitting alongside members of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT). Chadchart acknowledged that Bangkok citizens do not fully trust City Hall in issues…
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“Payments” made to “buy” support of independent MPs – Thammanat Prompau
After surviving another censure motion against him and the members of his government, the Thai prime minister now faces a more serious accusation – making alleged payments of up to 100,000 per month to parliamentary members from smaller independent political parties to secure their votes in parliament. The Setthakij Thai Party leader Thamanat Prompau alleged that some of the smaller…
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11 ministers beat no-confidence vote, including PM Prayut
After intense censure debate over the past three days, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and 10 other cabinet ministers have scraped by and survived a vote of no-confidence, maintaining their positions and avoiding censure again. The opposition had mounted a fierce three-day debate that The Thaiger has been covering each day, but the government leaders have come out unscathed. Minister of Commerce…
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Thai opposition calls out Prayut over military spending
A leader of Thailand’s opposition has called out PM Prayut Chan-o-cha over military spending. The deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, Yuttapong Charasathien, criticised the government’s plans to purchase submarines and F-35 fighter jets. He said that Prayut should have scrapped a submarine deal when it became obvious that the Chinese manufacturer, China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co, couldn’t…
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Sri Lanka’s military raids protest camp outside president’s office
Ever since Sri Lanka descended into chaos, protesters have been camping outside of the presidential office in Colombo. But police and military aren’t having it, and today, they pulled down tents and arrested protesters. A police spokesperson confirmed that nine men were arrested, and would appear in court today. Following the raid, the area around the office has been calm,…
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Day Three – no confidence debate. Luxury watches, dodgy bomb detectors and the coup leader
Day three of the no-confidence motion and parliamentary debates revealed that then-General Prayut, the Commander in Chief of the Thai Army, was the brains and instigator behind the 2014 military coup that ousted the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra. It also had the Energy Minister defending the government’s current power development plan, fending off accusations of corruption. It was also…
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Thaksin hints he lives rent free inside Thailand PM Prayut’s head
Exiled Thaksin Shinawatra poked fun at Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha hinting he is living rent free inside the Thai premier’s head. The former Thailand PM took a humorous swipe at the current prime minister on a social media platform saying he is “obsessed” with him after PM Prayut mentioned Thaksin on the first day of the censure debate on Tuesday.…
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Sri Lanka former PM now president, some protesters still aren’t happy
Sri Lanka’s parliament yesterday elected former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country’s new president. He won 134 votes from a possible 223. This news comes after protesters set fire to Ranil’s house on July 9, and also stormed the presidential palace in Colombo. After over 100,000 enraged protesters stormed the palace, former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and has…
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Plan underway to screen Thailand’s no-confidence vote
Four universities and four free TV channels in Thailand are working together to find a way to screen this week’s censure debate for the public. The idea is to give the nation’s citizens a vote on each cabinet member’s performance from 6pm on Friday, the last day of the censure motion. The vote result won’t be taken into account, but…
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Thai PM hits back at opposition “try and bring back Thaksin”
“I know you may admire some people who previously held this position and praise them for doing a better job than me. That’s fine. Just bring them back if you can.” The first day of the no confidence debate saw some fiery exchanges between the PM and the opposition MPs goading him on his record and time as premier. Prime…
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Pro-Prayut James Bond “008” posters mocked by opposition
A pro-government Facebook page, Priang News, (เปรี้ยง) which created several James Bond-type 008, No Time to Die posters, in support of Cabinet members during this week’s censure debate, has been mocked by the opposition. Priang News created posters saying PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will not be “killed” stating the Bond movie No Time to Die and using the hashtag #FightEveryProblem. Pheu…
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Human Rights Watch calls on Thai protesters on hunger strike to be released
From Human Rights Watch… (Published as provided) Thai authorities should immediately drop the charges and release pro-democracy activists detained for insulting the monarchy (lese majeste), Human Rights Watch said today. Two of the activists, Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom and Nutthanit “Bai Por” Duangmusit, have been on a hunger strike since June 2, 2022, to protest their pretrial detention at Bangkok’s Central…
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Thai PM faces uncertain outcome as censure debate kicks off today
The four day censure debate kicks off today, with the Thai PM and his cabinet ministers, targeted for censure, confident they will emerge unscathed. The actual no confidence motion will be put to the vote on Saturday after four days of drilling from opposition MPs. The weekly Cabinet meeting was moved back to yesterday to accommodate the week of parliamentary…
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Pegasus spyware found on phones of activists in Thailand
A new report has revealed that dozens of Thai democracy activists were targeted by an Israeli spyware programme called Pegasus during the height of intense anti-government protests over the past two years. The joint report, by the Thai NGO iLaw, Digital Reach, and The Citizen Lab, claims that the phones of 30 activists, academics, lawyers, and NGO workers, mostly connected to civil…
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Citizens party after Sri Lanka president resigns
Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has now officially resigned, following mass protests against him. The now former president fled the country to Maldives on Wednesday, and flew from there to Singapore yesterday, an unnamed security source told CNN. After Gotabaya arrived in Singapore, parliament speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced that Gotabaya had tendered his resignation. Mahinda said the country’s PM Ranil…
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Thai political parties told to check candidates more carefully
After a Move Forward Party Bangkok city councillor, Arnuparb Tarntong, was accused over sexual misconduct, a number of civil groups have ramped up their demandings for political parties to strengthen the candidate screening process. Arnuparb, a councillor for the Sathorn district, came forward to the police to reject the allegations of sexual harassment made by four young girls, who are…
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UPDATE: Sri Lanka president reportedly plans to fly to Saudi Arabia
UPDATE Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reportedly plans to fly to Saudi Arabia, after he flies to Singapore. The Associated Press reported the development today, citing an unnamed Maldivian official. An unnamed security official in Colombo told CNN that Gotabaya was flying from Maldives to Singapore, as Sri Lanka’s rage has grown over his refusal to formally resign. Gotabaya is expected to reach…
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State of emergency declared in Sri Lanka as president flees country
A state of emergency was declared in Sri Lanka as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled for his life on a military jet amid mass protests over the nation’s economic crisis. The 73-year-old president left the country on a jet heading for Maldives with his wife and two security officers. He plans to travel to a third country, yet unnamed, the Sri…
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Ex Democrat MP probed for part in alleged 30 million baht graft
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) yesterday reported former Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party, Witoon Nambutr, could face prosecution for allegedly demanding 30 million baht in backhanders related to a state utility construction project in 2013 and 2014. Department secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol revealed the commission found grounds for the allegations against Witoon, a former Democrat MP for Ubon Ratchathani, when…
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Sri Lanka PM offers to resign amidst enraged protests
Sri Lanka’s PM offered to resign yesterday, even though he only took office in May, 2 months ago. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s offer to resign comes after protestors set his home on fire yesterday. Neither the PM nor the president were inside the house when the protestors set the fire. Meanwhile, over 100,000 enraged protestors also stormed the presidential palace yesterday.…
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Thai PM promises to speed up projects if he’s re-elected
The unofficial election campaign continues as Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha promises to accelerate existing projects if re-elected. He said that, if re-elected as prime minister after the next election he will “speed up projects.” The Thai PM has never stood for election as an MP in Thailand and won a vote for the prime ministership in a joint sitting in…
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UPDATE: UK PM Boris Johnson’s resignation speech in full
UPDATE: Boris Johnson today resigned as Britain’s prime minister. The 58 year old gave a speech outside of 10 Downing Street at 1pm UK time. Here is the full resignation speech: “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister, and I’ve…
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UPDATE: Boris Johnson has agreed to resign as UK prime minister
UPDATE: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there will be “a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end” as and when Boris Johnson resigns as Conservative leader. But the SNP leader questions the sustainability of Johnson staying on until the autumn, and says he was always “manifestly unfit…
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Thai MP and brother get 2 years jail for election fraud
Former Democrat Party MP Theptai Seanpong and his younger brother, Manoch Seanpong, were sentenced to a prison term of 2 years and political disqualification for 10 years after being found guilty of election fraud during the provincial administrative organization election in 2013 in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Seanpong family is well-known among residents of Nakhon Si…
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Thaksin predicts the opposition parties will win election in a landslide
Talking on a social media chat program this week, fugitive and former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra says the opposition parties, or as he described them, the “pro-democracy” parties, will win. And win with an absolute majority. The interview was conducted on ‘Care Talk’ on the Clubhouse app on Tuesday this week. Thaksin was speaking online from his house in Dubai.…
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