Thailand Politics

Politics Back in Fashion in Thailand Despite Poll Delays

A pro-democracy protester wearing a mask mocking Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan performs in a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, February 6, 2018. – Photo Athit Perawongmetha

–

BANGKOK – Thai junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha rowed a boat across a pond dotted with lotus leaves, planted some rice stalks in a field and turned to villagers who had come to meet him in Baan Saladin village in central Thailand.

Speaking of an oft-delayed general election, the 63-year-old Prayuth, who led a 2014 coup that ousted the last elected government, simply said: “Elect a good person.”

Prayuth was in Nakhon Pathom province last month not to campaign for an election, but to roll out his “Long-lasting Thainess” plan, which involves sending soldiers and social workers to meet with people across Thailand to listen to their problems.

But the “Thainess” undertaking is widely seen as the unofficial launch of Prayuth’s own campaign to stay on as prime minister. Prayuth had promised to hold an election in November, but said last week the vote would take place “no later” than February 2019.

“Those in the government and the junta … think that the situation in the country is still unsettled,” said a government minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, about the series of election delays.

ANTI-JUNTA PROTESTS

In Bangkok, young, middle-class Thais, have led a series of anti-junta protests, including one on Feb. 24 at Thammasat University – which Thai troops stormed in 1976, killing dozens of students in an earlier coup.

Than Rittiphan, a member of the New Democracy Movement, which has helped to organize the protests, said the movement is mainly aimed at holding a general election sooner.

The movement transcends the red-yellow divide in Thai politics and “has actually spread into a conflict between generations and values”, he said. The students say they are pushing for a Thai meritocracy to replace what they see as corruption and nepotism in the system.

A pro-democracy protester wearing a mask mocking Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan performs in a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, February 6, 2018. Picture taken February 6, 2018. – Photo Athit Perawongmetha

–

The latest protests are too small to be a factor in any election timing, said Kan Yuenyong, a political analyst and executive director of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank told Reuters. “But they do increase public awareness about the vote.

“The underlying politics of Thailand is still about class – the upper, middle and the working class. People try to say that we’ve moved on from color politics but we haven’t,” Kan said.

New King Maha Vajiralongkorn is contributing to some of the political uncertainty. The king, who’s been married three times and lives much of his time in Germany, has moved quickly to consolidate power since taking the throne in December 2016, following the death of his father, the much beloved Bhumibol Adulyadej.

He made changes to the Privy Council, which advises the monarchy, and has made appointments himself, taking some of the control away from the military. He made his own amendments to the military-drafted constitution and gained control of the Crown Property Bureau, which runs the more than $30 billion assets of the monarchy.

The king has yet to set a date for his official coronation and some analysts think an election would not be held before then.

RED-YELLOW DIVIDE

The junta’s four-year moratorium on politics was aimed at stamping out the intransigent red-yellow divide in Thai politics.

The “yellow shirts” tended to support the Democrat Party, popular with middle-class voters with strong support in Bangkok and the Muslim-dominated south.

The “red shirt” movement of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister, Yingluck appealed to poorer voters, particularly in the populous northeast. It has won every election in Thailand over the past two decades.

Yingluck herself was overthrown by Prayuth in the 2014 coup and last year fled Thailand before the verdict in a corruption trial – eliminating a charismatic party figurehead who might also have rallied opposition to Prayuth.

Although he cannot stand for election, the constitution offers a way for Prayuth to continue serving as prime minister.

According to the constitution, both houses of parliament can consider an alternative candidate as prime minister if the 500-member lower house fails to approve a nominee for the post.

The candidate would need majority support from both houses – all 250 senators in the upper house are appointed by the junta.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, right, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan greet government officers before a weekly cabinet meeting at Government House in Bangkok on 4 January 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

–

Prayuth told reporters on Tuesday he had not been approached by any political party to be its candidate for the prime minister role.

“It is not time yet. Nobody has contacted me so don’t use this issue to attack me. Give me time to work,” Prayuth said in reply to a question about whether he had been approached.

Outside the legislature, Prayuth appears to have some support already.

Representatives of 114 political groups met this month with the election panel, with many pledging support for Prayuth as prime minister.

The two main parties, however, the Democrat Party and the Thaksin-allied Puea Thai Party, have openly criticized Prayuth’s election postponements and will field their own candidates for the prime minister job.

“The military wants to ensure that it can convince political parties to support it and that’s why it needs more time,” said a senior government aide, referring to the repeated postponements of the election.

Thaksin and his sister Yingluck held meetings in Hong Kong and Singapore last month with members of his party, prompting some to comment that he was readying Puea Thai for an election.

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Panarat Thepgumpanat
Reuters, Thailand

___

Additional reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Editing by Bill Tarrant

Thailand Politics

Thai Prime Minister’s Popularity Declines as Move Forward Party dominates

(CTN News) – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continues to make local and international visits to try to solve problems and promote Thailand, but he has failed to impress most voters, according to a Nida poll. The poll also revealed the declining popularity of Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the rise of the Move Forward Party.

According to a poll released on Sunday, only 12.85% of people supported the prime minister, down from 17.75% in the previous survey. The daughter of convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin, currently on parole, saw her popularity drop from 6% to 4.85%.

The National Institute of Development Administration conducts a quarterly survey of the public’s preferred political leaders. The last survey was released at the end of March.

According to the survey, supporters of the prime minister described Mr Srettha as a resolute decision-maker determined to address their problems. Ms Paetongtarn was complimented for her vision, leadership, knowledge, and grasp of the country’s difficulties.

This weekend, the prime minister will be in the northeast region listening to citizens’ concerns. The journey occurred only a few days after he had visited northern provinces earlier in the week.

Despite criticism, he has reduced his abroad trips, citing the need to showcase Thailand to investors and traders.

Pita Limjaroenrat, the chief advisor of the Move Forward Party, remained the top candidate for prime minister with 45.50% of the vote, up slightly from 42.75% in the previous quarter’s poll.

Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was the huge winner. The leader of the United Thai National Party saw his popularity nearly quadruple from 3.55% to 6.85%.

The sampled voters stated they appreciated Mr Pita’s political beliefs and thought he had broad knowledge. They praised Mr Pirapan’s credibility, claiming he was clean and honest.

Two other probable prime minister candidates were Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party and Anutin Chanvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai. However, they were less popular than others.

About 20% of voters still did not believe any candidate was qualified to lead the country, which is the same percentage as in the last survey.

Move Forward Party was the most popular party with 49.20%, up slightly from three months ago, while Pheu Thai fell around five percentage points to 16.85% from 22.10%.

The poll, issued on Sunday, surveyed 2,000 ineligible voters between June 14 and June 18.

Thailand Politics

Move Forward Party MP Jirat Thongsuwan Appeals Suspended Jail Sentence for Defamation

(CTN News) – Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward Party MP, says he would appeal his one-year suspended jail sentence for defaming a former senior defense ministry official concerning the state’s procurement of bogus bomb detectors.

The Criminal Court also fined Mr Jirat 100,000 baht for falsely accusing ACM Tharet Punsri, a former Air Force chief-of-staff who later became the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, of being the chairman and shareholder of a company that supplied the military with the infamous GT200 bomb detectors.

The Chachoengsao MP claimed a July 20, 2022, no-confidence vote against cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. ACM Tharet was not a cabinet member.

Jirat Thongsuwan also identified ACM Tharet as a key figure in the 2006 coup headed by then-army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, which overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra.

ACM Tharet told the court that Jirat Thongsuwan’s charges were false and harmed his reputation. He denied involvement with the bomb detection company and said he was not the company’s senior chairman or shareholder.

In addition to the suspended jail term and fine, the court ordered Jirat Thongsuwan to pay $ 500,000 baht in damages to ACM Tharet and publish an apology in three newspapers for five days.

Jirat Thongsuwan later announced on his X account that he had challenged the verdict with the hashtag “An injustice is infuriating”.

The MP has also been accused of dodging required military conscription. He admitted to the accusation on May 8.

A British business promoted the GT200 as a “remote substance detector” and sold it in several countries. Between 2004 and 2009, fourteen Thai government organizations, most of which were military, were projected to spend 1.4 billion baht on the units.

Concerns about the GT200 and related gadgets arose after the National Science and Technology Development Agency discovered they lacked electronic components.

The devices were later revealed to be “divining rods”.

Thailand Politics

Thaksin Shinawatra Files 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit Against Warong Dechgitvigrom

(CTN News) – Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, has launched a defamation action against Warong Dechgitvigrom, the head of the Thai Pakdee Party, accusing him of paying a bribe to be released on bail in a lese majeste case.

Thaksin’s attorney, Winyat Chartmontree, filed a lawsuit against Warong, seeking 100 million baht in damages.

Warong, a long-time Thaksin Shinawatra critic, gave a public statement and posted on social media, saying that 2 billion baht was paid to judicial officials in exchange for release on bail in the lese majeste case.

Thaksin Shinawatra Granted Release on 500,000 Baht Bond

Thaksin was granted release on a 500,000 baht bond last week and told not to leave the country without court authorization after pleading innocent to charges of defaming King Rama IX in a 2015 interview with South Korean media.

Winyat stated that, while Warong did not identify Thaksin Shinawatra by name in his speech or post, he did include a hashtag with Thaksin’s name as well as the date Thaksin must appear in court, allowing readers to connect Thaksin to the allegations.

Winyat further stated that he was investigating the fact that Warong mentioned the specific aircraft and automobiles utilized by Thaksin Shinawatra to violate the Personal Data Protection Act.

“I have requested Mr Warong to provide proof as to where he received the data. “If it turns out that it came from state officials, there will be legal consequences,” he warned.

The Criminal Court has scheduled the case’s preliminary hearing for September 30.