Advertisement Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin arrived in China yesterday for his first official visit to the country, hoping to solicit a fresh wave of Chinese investment that can help support the country’s green transition and high-tech industries. During the four-day visit, Nikkei Asia reported that Srettha will pay a courtesy call to President Xi … Read more
Advertisement Srettha Thavisin’s appointment as Thailand’s prime minister in August, after a three-month post-election deadlock, brought forth a wave of controversy and intrigue. A former real estate developer with limited political experience, his rise was marked by an unusual alliance between his Pheu Thai Party and the country’s military-backed and monarchy-supporting political establishment. This partnership … Read more
The Debate | Opinion Despite vowing respect for human rights at the U.N. General Assembly, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been largely silent on the issue of marriage equality. Participants hold signs during the annual Pride Parade in Bangkok, Thailand, June 5, 2023. Credit: Facebook/Bangkok Pride Advertisement When Thailand’s new prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, addressed the U.N. … Read more
Advertisement Thailand’s new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin today voiced his opposition to the legalization of marijuana by his predecessor’s administration, but stopped short of calling for a full repeal of the policy. In an interview with The Standard, a Thai online news portal, Srettha said that he did not agree with the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration’s … Read more
Pacific Money | Economy | Southeast Asia Eight months after the end of Beijing’s strict “zero COVID” policy, tourist arrivals to Thailand remain sluggish. Advertisement Thailand’s new government announced yesterday that it will temporarily waive tourist visa requirements for visitors from China, in an attempt to revive the country’s economically pivotal tourism industry. In a cabinet meeting yesterday, Nikkei … 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 After months of political maneuvering, negotiations, coalition-building, and the return of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s new government is starting to settle in and unveil some of its actual policy plans. And if recent announcements by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin are any indication, this governing coalition has some very bold and (for Thailand) … Read more
ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia Thailand’s new prime minister prioritized domestic political duties over attending to the troubled regional organization. Advertisement The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is in crisis and it appears that key foreign leaders, despite the twin challenges of Myanmar and the South China Sea, are passing on this week’s ASEAN Summit and … 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