Thailand’s triangular political equilibrium rests on many things, and one of the most important foundations can be the most unpredictable. Thaksin Shinawatra, wielding one of the country’s biggest political influences according to an opinion poll, spawns theories. The first is what “appears” to be publicly but is gaining skepticism left and right. In the first theory, he is sincere about stepping away from politics, about giving political advice to the Pheu Thai-led government from time to time, about helping the Shinawatra grownups maintain relevance in Thai politics as long as that does not ..read more

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will hold talks with leaders of coalition parties to discuss a cabinet reshuffle, noting that it is necessary to make adjustments in line with the changing situation after about seven months in office and to make sure that the right people are in the right jobs. The prime minister said that there is no fixed timeframe as towhen the cabinet reshuffle will take place, adding that all coalition parties will be consulted and treated with respect. He also said that, at this stage, it remains unknown whether the shakeup will be limited or extensive, which depends on s ..read more

Convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will visit the Pheu Thai party on Tuesday, to provide an opportunity for the party’s MPs to meet with him, but he will not attend a party meeting. An informed party source said today that it will be more convenient for the MPs than visiting Thaksin’s private residence in Bangkok and it will be an opportunity for the MPs to offer him their moral support, while maintaining his and his family’s privacy. The source said that not all MPs will see him at the same time, but arrangements have been made for them to meet with him one at a time. The sour ..read more

More than 30 senators have expressed a wish to take part in the no-confidence debate against the government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, tentatively before the end of this month. Initiated by a group led by Senator Seri Suwanpanont, a motion, seconded by 98 of his peers, was submitted to the Senate Speaker, seeking a censure debate on seven key issues, in accordance with Section 153 of the Constitution. No vote will be taken after the debate, which will take about 12 hours for the senators to speak and three hours for rebuttals by the government. Economic and cost of living problems wil ..read more

The opposition Move Forward party announced today that it never had and has no future intention whatsoever to undermine the monarchy and claimed that the Constitutional Court’s ruling today will not only impact the party, but rights, liberties and democracy in Thailand as well. Party leader Chaithawat Tulathon and former party leader Pita Limjaroenrat jointly made the statement in response to the court’s ruling that the party’s campaign to amend the lèse majesté law (Criminal Code Article 112) constitutes an attempt to topple the Constitutional Monarchy and ordered the party to cease all activ ..read more

“Democracy, freedom and people’s right are among the legacies of the October-14 Uprising.  They were inherited by the new generation of Thais who are rebellious and dare to challenge things. They may use different methods in expressing themselves but the “October spirit” is still there. They used force to eradicate people with opposing views in those days. Today, those in power use legal instruments and political mechanisms against their opponents. It’s a big question mark whether the democratic forces can overcome these challenges. The post “October spirit” is still around first appeared ..read more

“The October-14 Uprising gave birth to “songs for life”. We joined in the struggle in the name of “Artists Alliance for the People”.  After almost 20 years under military rule, there were no elections and the young people were fed up. I don’t think there has been much change since then. We have been caught in a vicious cycle of democracy and military coup.”       The post Still caught in vicious cycle first appeared on Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world ..read more

“The enduring legacy of October-14 Uprising is the empowerment of young people as seen in their political participation these days.   They were fed up with the military which was in power for 8-9 year. There was an election and yet senators still call the shots.  Now we are seeing a political awakening of young people who have become a “new wave” which is much bigger that what we saw in the aftermath of the October uprising. There were elections after the uprising, but they did not create the kind of wave we see today.” The post Political awakening and the “new wave” first appea ..read more

“You can tell from their uniforms that they (protesters) were students who skipped class to rally for democracy.  The result was an end to the long-reigning dictatorship dating back to the military coup in 1947 – altogether 26 years.  October 14 ushered in an era of rights and freedom for the people. It was a pity that democracy flourished for only 3 years before the October-6 event took place – right at this very same spot (Thammasat University).  Though we were able to wrestle back a constitution, three more coups followed.  One of them in 1991 which led to another popula ..read more

“The uprising ushered in an unprecedented era of freedom.  It was an explosion of desire for rights and freedom of expression by students and members of the public, giving them political bargaining power. For the first time, minimum wage for unskilled workers was introduced. It was a result of people’s revolt. Just imagine how powerless farmers could stand up to bargain. Even though Thailand has been under dictatorship from time to time, no one can exercise absolute power like in the past. This is a result of the October-14 Uprising.”   The post Absolute power is no more first appear ..read more