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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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…
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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…
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Prayut meets up with Thai expats in New York ahead of UN meetings today
PHOTOS: ศ.ดร.นฤมล ภิญโญสินวัฒน์ Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has been meeting Thai expats in New York before his attending the UN Climate Summit and other meetings this week. Prayut and his entourage, including Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, arrived at the Plaza Athenee Hotel on the 64th street yesterday around midday on a sunny New York day. Prayut was welcomed by Nipon…
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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…
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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…
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“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…
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Charter Court clears PM’s to be head of government
The Thai Constitutional Court has ruled that the former head of the NCPO was not an “other official of the state”, clearing the way for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay on as head of the government. The ‘clarification’ comes as no surprise to political pundits who predicted the outcome long before it came to an official hearing with the country’s Constitutional Court.…
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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…
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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”.…
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“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…
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Embattled Thammanat Prompao considers 100 defamation lawsuits against accusers
PHOTO: Reuters The high-profile deputy Agriculture Minister, and government ‘fixer’, Thammanat Prompao says he will file about 100 defamation lawsuits against individuals and organisations who have dug up his criminal past, including his reported heroin-trafficking past in Australia, including a four year jail term, and people questioning his educational credentials. He claims they are all a plot to discredit him.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Coalition considers demoting clumsy deputy agriculture minister, Thammanat Prompow
Key members of Palang Pracharath are now discussing the future of deputy agriculture minister Thammanat Prompow’s as ‘fixer’ or coordinator of the coalition’s minor parties. The coalition’s smaller parties, some of them just single MPs, are in uproar following the controversial minister’s “monkey keeper” weekend remarks, potentially causing new rifts in the shaky coalition government. At the weekend the minister…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Constitutional court turns down request to lift Thanathorn’s suspension
Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has hit another hurdle with the Constitutional Court rejecting his requests to rescind an earlier court order suspending him from performing his duties as an MP. According to yesterday’s Constitutional Court’s bulletin, the court had not found “any change in behaviour on the part of Mr. Thanathorn that would justify the court lifting the suspension”. The…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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South Korean President to visit Thailand next week
The South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Madame Kim Jung-sook have accepted an invitation to visit Thailand for three days from September 1. During the visit, President Moon will deliver a keynote speech at the Thailand-Korean Business Forum. The president will meet PM Prayut Chan-o-cha in general discussions to strengthen the strategic partnership between the Republic of Korea and Thailand.…
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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.…
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“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…
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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…
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Nine minor parties convinced to stick with government
PHOTO: Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao, somehow negotiated the dissident MPs back into the coalition Nine disaffected smaller parties in the governing coalition, who earlier threatened to break away to form an independent opposition bloc, have been convinced to stay in the Palang Pracharat coalition and have vowed to support the government. Ten single-MP parties showed signs of a rift…
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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…
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Thai PM visits the South amid tight security
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha visited the southern border province of Yala yesterday (Thursday). During the visit, he opened the Southern Border Provinces Government Complex and the One Start One Stop for Development Centre, and met with local people amid tight security. Soldiers were assigned to keep a close watch for suspicious objects as well as people acting suspiciously at…
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Serbian government grants citizenship to Thailand’s former PM Yingluck
The Serbian government has granted citizenship to Thailand’s former PM Yingluck Shinawatra. Yingluck fled Thailand in 2017 just days before the Court handed down its findings on negligence charges against her and her government. 52 year old Yingluck, now a fugitive, fled to Dubai to join her brother Thaksin, another former Thai PM who fled in 2006 to avoid a…
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