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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UK police condemed for arresting anti-monarchy activists
Labour MP Zarah Sultana and a number of civil liberties campaigners have conveyed their dismay after heavy-handed police officers this week cracked down on anti-monarchy activists following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Several peaceful protestors were seen holding up placards with “Not my King” and “Abolish the Monarchy” written on them in Edinburgh, London, and Oxford causing police to…
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Thailand’s nonpartisan stance sensible in China-US Cold War
Thailand yesterday was urged to maintain its neutrality as tensions between the globe’s two economic giants, China and the United States, continue to gather pace. Thailand last week was criticized for maintaining a neutral stance regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict as the West continues to impose sanctions on the former Soviet state. The kingdom has been also condemned in the past…
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2 female Thai party leaders emerge as strong PM candidates
While King Charles III effortlessly ascended to the throne upon the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II this week, the path to the prime ministership in Thailand will be a bit more protracted and messy. Two women have emerged as top candidates for Prime Minister, with Thai Sang Thai Party’s Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan so far polling above Pheu Thai Party…
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Hong Kong speech therapists jailed over children’s books
Five speech therapists in Hong Kong have been accused of brainwashing children after they wrote children’s books involving sheep and wolves. The five therapists, who are all between 25-28 years old, have been sentenced to 19 months each in prison. The books tell stories about a village of sheep trying to stop a pack of wolves from invading their home.…
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2nd of 3 statements to court may support PM Prayut until 2025
The ongoing saga continues of whether suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will be able to extend his tenure more than the eight years he has already served, with speculation rife about a court document suggesting his constitutional eight years ends in 2025. The Constitutional Court is currently considering a pitch by Prayut himself as well as documents from two legal…
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Constitutional Court may make prime minister decision Thursday
The decision on Prayut Chan-o-cha’s future and the prime ministership may be decided this week as the Constitutional Court scheduled a special meeting on Thursday to discuss it. Last Thursday his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. The court will review this document,…
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Super Poll: Most Thais welcome acting PM Prawit as the next PM
A Super Poll research centre survey has revealed that the majority of Thai people trust the judicial administration of Thailand and are willing to give a chance to caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to serve as the kingdom’s next PM. Super Poll research centre director Noppadon Kannika yesterday announced the result of the survey titled Trust the Court, the Peaceful…
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Maid abuse case shines light on layers of corruption
On the surface, the policewoman who beat her maid is appalling enough, but as details unfold, they uncover multi-layered rotten corruption laying bare countless cases of abuse of power all the way to the top and connected to the acting prime minister. Not only did the maid endure the abuse in exchange for a pass into the Royal Thai Army,…
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Prayut submits 30-page defence to court to remain PM
In the ongoing battle for Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay on as prime minister of Thailand, the suspended PM and current Minister of Defence had his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. While the Constitutional Court is still considering whether Prayut can remain as…
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UPDATE: German activist gets a warning from Thailand police
The German activist, who earlier this week held a one-man protest against acting Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, acknowledged that his visa might not be extended if he continues his protest against the Thai government. Moritz Pfoh and his Thai wife arrived in Bangkok today in preparation for a protest in the capital tomorrow and revealed that police officers visited him…
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Prayut returns PM’s car to Government House
Thailand’s now former PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has returned the prime minister’s car and three motorcade vehicles to Government House. Prayut’s driver returned the vehicles. From now on, Prayut is using his car, a Mercedes Benz, to get around. This news comes after Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prayut from his position as PM on August 24. Out of the nine people…
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Prayut shows up to work unannounced, as Defence Minister
After being removed from his position as Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha didn’t miss a beat and quietly showed up to work yesterday at his other job, as Minister of Defence. The former PM made a low-key – and unannounced – entrance, arriving at the Ministry of Defence in his car at around 10am. While the Constitutional Court has yet to…
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Thai Deputy Education Minister accused of encroaching on national park, suspended
Thailand’s Deputy Education Minister has been accused of encroaching on a national park in central Thailand. Today the Supreme Court has suspended the deputy minister, Kanokwan Wilawan, from her duties, Thai media reported. The country’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said that Kanokwan obtained a deed in 2002 for 30 rai of land in the central province of Prachin Buri, in…
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Thai authorities search for graffiti activists insulting ex PM Prayut
Authorities are searching for a group of political activists who spray-painted offensive words disparaging Thailand’s suspended prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in a number of public places throughout the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The media reported that the activists held a public expression of solidarity at several spots in Nakhon Ratchasima without permission on Wednesday, August 24. The activities were…
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Who is Thailand’s new acting Prime Minister, Prawit Wongsuwan?
Today, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan was asked to step in as acting PM of Thailand after the Constitutional Court voted to suspend PM Prayut Chan-o-cha from his duties. The court has suspended PM Prayut until they make a final verdict about whether his premiership hit the constitutional eight-year limit today, August 24, 2022. The court’s decision is expected to…
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Is time up for Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha?
Yesterday, several emotive but peaceful protests were held around Bangkok calling for Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to stand down. One protestor with a painted face stood outside Bangkok City Hall last night holding a sign that read… “Let it stop at 8 years. The Prime Minister is unconstitutional! Prayut, get out.” Protestors insist that Prayut’s time in office runs…
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Activists start days of protests urging Prime Minister to step down
With Government House fortified like a war post, covered in barbed wire and shipping containers, protesters gathered in heated but peaceful demonstrations vowing to camp out until PM Prayut Chan-o-cha steps down, ending his eight-year reign as prime minister. Hundreds gathered outside the building yesterday and the numbers are expected to grow as today marks what many believe is legally…
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Massive poll finds over 93% want PM Prayut to leave office now
With just one day before PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s premiership expires, the Constitutional Court still has not ruled if he can continue as Thailand’s leader or not, but the court of public opinion has spoken. A new phone survey from a group of universities, TV stations, and online media found that a whopping 93.17% of people do not want PM Prayut…
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Election Commission discussing prime minister term limit today
With what many believe to be the end of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s eight-year term limit just three days away, the Election Commission will discuss today the legal debate over if he can remain in the prime minister seat in any capacity beyond August 24. That date marks eight years since PM Prayut took office, and the current constitution allows a…
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Exiled Sri Lanka President warned to stay in his hotel in Bangkok
With many opposing Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s arrival in Thailand, police are advising the ousted Sri Lanka president to stay in his hotel in central Bangkok for his safety. He arrived in Bangkok Thursday evening at about 8pm after diverting a flight planned to land in Phuket. Fearful of an information leak, the privately chartered plane carrying the exiled ex-president along with…
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Anupong says he will leave government with PM Prayut & Prawit
If the Constitutional Court decides, as many polled believe, that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s eight years in charge are at an end, Minister of Interior Anupong Paochinda says that he and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan would also depart the government. The trio sometimes referred to as the Three Por Generals or the 3 Ps have run the country since the…
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‘Democracy Must Go On:’ Protestors have three demands for Thailand’s government
Hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered at the Naga Courtyard at Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus in Pathum Thani province, central Thailand, yesterday to join a peaceful rally hosted by the student council entitled ‘Democracy Must Go On.’ Protestors demand three things from the Thai government… Resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha A people’s constitution Reformation of the monarchy under a democratic…
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UPDATE: Sri Lanka’s exiled president allowed temporary Thailand stay, with conditions
UPDATE Sri Lanka’s exiled president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be allowed to stay in Thailand for 90 days, according to Thailand’s Deputy PM Don Pramudwinai. Don is also Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Don told Thai media that he understands Sri Lankans are angry at their former president, and he stressed that Gotabaya will only be allowed to stay for a…
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Exiled Sri Lanka president expected to arrive in Thailand tomorrow
After angry mobs of protesters drove him out of Sri Lanka and into exile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is now planning to seek safe harbor in Thailand. According to two sources, he’s expected to arrive tomorrow after taking up temporary residence in Singapore for the past few weeks. Last month, party leaders in Sri Lanka met and agreed to ask both…
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Red Shirts lead rally against Thailand PM on August 23
The leader of the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, or Red Shirts, yesterday invited people to protest against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on August 23, the day before he officially stands down as Thailand’s PM. The 68 year old prime minister is expected to resign on August 24 after two concurrent four year terms. In Section 158 of…
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Anutin: “If I have to be the prime minister, I will be.”
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says that, if people want him, he is willing to step in as the next prime minister of Thailand. Anutin, who also has been serving as the Minister of Public Health throughout the tumultuous Covid-19 pandemic and response, said that if the citizens of Thailand want him to be their next leader, he is willing…
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NIDA Poll: PM Prayut should not extend term after August 24
A new poll from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) showed that the majority of people want PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to finish his role as prime minister at the end of his eight year term on August 24. There have been different interpretations of the current constitution and whether the prime minister is eligible to continue his role or…
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Thai university students to hold protest on August 10 despite government ban
Students of Thammasat University will hold a protest on August 10 at the university’s Rangsit campus, just north of Bangkok in Pathum Thani province, despite the Thai government’s ban on protests. A new ban on public gatherings was published in the Royal Gazette on Monday to “prevent the spread of Covid-19.” The controversial ban on protests is permitted under the…
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Thailand backs ‘One China’ policy amid US Taiwan PR disaster
Thailand called for restraint between China and the United States amid Nancy Pelosi’s brief visit to Taiwan on Tuesday. It is unclear why the US House of Representatives Speaker met with Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-Wen in Taipei, other than yet another shit-stirring exercise by the US to provoke China into doing something rash. It almost had the desired effect. China’s…
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