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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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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Hopefuls assess and prepare to run for prime minister
While the Constitutional Court is mulling over when Prayut Chan-o-cha’s term as prime minister officially ends, with the suspended PM submitting his defence on Thursday, several hopefuls eyeing the premiership have assessed their chances and taken steps in preparation. The Sang Anakhot Thai Party (translating to “Building Thailand’s Future”) intends to nominate former Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and has…
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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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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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German’s one-man protest against the government of Thailand
A foreigner held a one-man protest against the government of Thailand today in the central province of Rayong. The German man, Moritz Pfoh, was spotted walking on an island in the middle of Sukhumvit Road in Tapong sub-district, Mueng district, holding a portrait of acting Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan with a red cross on his face. The 35 year old,…
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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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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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BREAKING: Constitutional Court suspends Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha from his duties until the court makes a final verdict on his eight-year term limit. The 77 year old Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan will step in as PM for the time being. Out of the nine people on the voting committee, five voted to suspend Prayut from his duties. The…
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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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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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Sri Lanka’s exiled president to head home after Thailand stay
Sri Lanka’s exiled president is planning to finally head home next week after staying in Thailand. The ousted leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has been on quite a journey ever since 100,000 angry protesters forced him to flee Sri Lanka on July 14. He first travelled to the Maldives and then to Singapore, where he was granted a temporary residence but without…
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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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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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Amnesty International urges Thailand to free activists and return bail rights
Amnesty International is urging Thailand to free all political prisoners, drop all current allegations made against activists and return bail rights to activists who get arrested. The requests are detailed in a letter signed by 4,701 people addressed to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin. Amnesty International UK ran a campaign to gain support for the letter. Amnesty International Thailand gathered at…
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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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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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Prayut confesses it’s not easy being Thailand’s leader
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha admitted yesterday that being Thailand’s prime minister is not easy amid the kingdom’s cost of living crisis. Gen Prayut made the confession at a royally-initiated groundwater project aimed at addressing water shortages during the dry season in Kanchanaburi’s Huay Krachao district. The Thai PM was questioned about the kingdom’s cost of living crisis during the visit. The…
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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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YOU can voice your opinion on Thailand in PR online survey
If you ever wanted a chance for your voice to be heard about Thailand – and judging from our comments section, a lot of you really, really do – now is your chance! Simple click here and fill out the impressively-catchy named survey “Foreigners’ Awareness, Confidence in Important Government Policies, and Perceived Image of Thailand.” The thoroughly titled survey was…
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Political activists demand Thai PM quits at the end of his tenure
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha may have survived the vote of no confidence just over a week ago but the pressure is still on for him to stand down after a political activist group cranked up more opposition to his tenure. PM Prayut and 10 other cabinet ministers rode the political storm at the censure debate between July 19 and…
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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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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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Thailand deny Uyghurs deportation to China
Fears Thailand is in the process of deporting asylum-seeking Uyghurs back to China have been denied by the government. News broke yesterday that dozens of Uyghurs from all around Thailand had been rounded up and impounded in a detention facility in Bangkok, raising fears among non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that the government plans to deport them back to China. It sparked…
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