Los Angeles, United States – Clashes broke out on Wednesday at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, as dozens of universities around the United States struggle to contain similar protests. Protesters and counter-protesters were seen clashing with sticks, and tearing down metal barricades, TV footage showed. Others were seen launching fireworks or hurling objects at each other in the dark — lit up with laser pointers and bright flashlights. The Los Angeles police department said on social media platform X that “officers have been deploy ..read more

Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara bade farewell to Foreign Ministry officials today, after resigning as foreign minister. A number of officials were seen gathering and taking photos with him in the main hall of the ministry. They presented flowers to Parnpree, who was appointed to the position in September last year. He also paid respects to the monument of HRH Prince Devawongse Varopakarn, the father of Thai diplomacy, located within the ministry. Parnpree decided to resign from the Srettha Thavisin government after losing his deputy prime ministership, while retaining his position as foreign minist ..read more

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin today says he will take responsibility for the consequences of his decision to remove Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara from the position of deputy premier, which was followed by Parnpree’s resignation as foreign minister. “I have already sent my apologies to Khun Parnpree via a Line chat group, saying I’m sorry if my decision upset him,” the prime minister told reporters. He emphasised his respect for Parnpree’s decision to resign, noting their long acquaintance and that there is no personal conflicts between them. Srettha added that dissatisfaction with cabinet reshuff ..read more

The first cabinet reshuffle under the Srettha Thavisin administration has officially been announced this morning (Sunday). Here are the new comers. Pichai Chunhavajira – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance A former chairman of Bangchak Corporation and former president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Pichai has been active as an advisor to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on business and the economy. As the new Finance Minister, he will be expected to oversee and push for the success of the “digital wallet” scheme, a flagship policy much touted by the Pheu Thai-led government.   ..read more

A Royal Decree was issued Saturday, announcing Cabinet reshuffle which saw the departure of four cabinet members and the entry of six newcomers and the shuffling of some cabinet posts. The four ministers who were removed from the cabinet are Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew, PM’s Office Minister Puangpetch Chunlaiad, Deputy Agriculture Minister Chaiya Promma and Deputy Agriculture Minister Anucha Nakasai. The six new faces in the cabinet are Pichai Chunhavajira who is appointed deputy prime minister and finance minister; Pichit Chuenban, PM’s Office Minister; Jiraporn Sindhuprai, PM’s O ..read more

The auditor-general has been asked by Democrat party-list MP Phisit Li-atham to examine and advise the government on its plan to implement the digital wallet scheme. In a letter to the auditor-general, the former deputy finance minister warned that the scheme, under which about 50 million Thai nationals aged 16 and over will each receive 10,000 baht in digital money, will seriously impact the Thai economic system and the country’s financial status. He said he would like to call on the audit committee to advise the government as to what it should do to ensure that the money is worth the spendin ..read more

The Bank of Thailand (BoT) has sent an urgent letter to the government advising it to downsize the “digital wallet” scheme by only providing the 10,000 baht benefit to about 15 million so-called “financially fragile” people, instead of the 50 million people as currently planned. This would enable the plan to be implemented immediately and would only cost 150 billion baht, according to the BoT. The government has, however, shrugged off the central bank’s last-minute call, saying that there is nothing new in its recommendations. The central bank reasoned that these “fragile” people, who include ..read more

The cabinet approved an ad hoc committee proposal today that three referenda will be held to approve a new Constitution, which is yet to be drafted, with the first set to be held between July 21 and August 21. Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said that, in the first referendum, the electorate will be asked “Do you agree with the drafting of a new Constitution that will leave Chapter 1 and 2 of the current charter, concerning general provisions and the monarchy respectively, intact?” The first plebiscite is expected to cost about 3.2 billion baht, said Chai, adding that the electorate ..read more

The application deadline for those interested in running in the Senate election is set for May 13, three days after the current senators complete their terms. Today, the Cabinet agreed to the timeline for the election, which has been criticised as being overly complex as proposed by the Election Commission (EC), and an additional 227 million baht from the Central Fund for the EC to stage the Senate elections on top of about Bt1.2 billion allocated to the EC for the election purposes, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Twenty professional groups are eligible to apply for candidacy. These inc ..read more

The Move Forward party is leading the Pheu Thai party by a wide margin in terms of popularity, especially among people aged under 20 and those aged 20-29, although the majority say they will not vote for either of the two parties in the next election, according to Super Poll. Meanwhile, a NIDA Poll shows 39.4% of respondents reject the claim that Pheu Thai is the leader of change, while 18.85% say they don’t believe in Pheu Thai either, compared to 33,67% who believe Pheu Thai is the leader of change in Thai society. The Super Poll Research Centre gauged the opinions of 1,154 people in various ..read more