Thailand is set to become the first Southeast Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage after the country’s House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill yesterday. The legislation was passed by 400 of the 415 lawmakers present, with only 10 voting against it, according to Reuters. The decade-long Thai campaign for same-sex marriage has … Read more
Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday began a three-day visit of his northern hometown of Chiang Mai, less than a month after his release on parole. According to Reuters, the 74-year-old leader arrived by private jet with his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the head of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, and an entourage of dozens. … Read more
Through the twists and turns of Thai politics, the impact of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra looks enduring. To recap, billionaire businessman-turned-politician Thaksin comfortably won two elections in the early 2000s. He achieved brisk economic growth following the Asian Financial Crisis but faced criticisms of meshing business interests with politics. Thaksin was toppled in a … Read more
On Sunday, Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole from a police hospital in Bangkok, bringing a two-decade-long political conflict to a close. The billionaire former leader, who returned from self-imposed exile last August, has spent the past six months in a hospital bed serving time for corruption-related offenses dating from his … Read more
Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who last year returned from more than a decade of self-imposed exile to serve a prison sentence for misdeeds committed while in office, has been granted parole and could be released this weekend, the country’s justice minister announced Tuesday. Parole for Thaksin would be a symbol of reconciliation between … Read more
Thailand’s justice minister has confirmed that jailed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is on a list of 930 elderly inmates approved for parole, increasing the possibility that the popular ex-leader could be freed as early as this weekend. Tawee Sodsong confirmed that Thaksin’s name was on the list of inmates, who are aged over 70 … Read more
On December 26, 2023, the Thai Cabinet approved a 2.37 percent hike in the minimum wage, sparking a nuanced discussion about its economic implications and associated concerns regarding competitiveness. As Thailand navigates this contentious issue, a forward-looking strategy involves comprehensive long-term planning to adapt to evolving economic landscapes. Beyond numerical figures, the debate centers on … Read more
Advertisement Thailand has a long history of rural and peripheral citizens concentrated in the country’s north and northeast voting into government political parties and politicians, only for these later to be removed by the conservative royalist establishment with the support of the large Bangkok middle class. Thaksin Shinawatra and his political parties won every Thai … Read more
Advertisement Yesterday, Reuters published a report based on a draft of a policy speech that Thailand’s new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is due to give next week, outlining some of the main elements of the economic policy that the incoming government is set to pursue. As expected, the policy is heavy on populist measures. According … Read more
Advertisement Thailand’s new government has officially taken office, finally bringing a nearly four-month-long post-election interregnum to a close. In a ceremony yesterday, incoming Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the 34 members of his Cabinet, dressed in gleaming white uniforms, took their oaths of office in front of King Vajiralongkorn at Dusit Palace in Bangkok. Srettha, … Read more