By Out-Crowd THE PRIVILEGED DE FACTO PHEU THAI boss-cum-convict at large Thaksin Shinawatra is currently speculated to be returned home from Police Hospital shortly and be held in sort of a “house arrest” there. The privileged patient who has been staying for the secrecy-shrouded “illnesses” in a tight-security, private ward at Police Hospital since
Analysis
FEATURE: The fourth generation of Soi Rajakrue figures has quietly come of age
IT HAS BEEN A QUARTER of a century since senior members of the Soi Rajakrue elite clique completely stopped playing the roles of a powerhouse over Thailand’s complicated, cloak-and-dagger politics due to the passing of former prime minister Chatichai Choonhavan in 1998. Now the fourth generation of Soi Rajakrue figures has virtually come of
Read moreAnalysis: Upheavals in Xi’s world spread concern about China’s diplomacy
By Greg Torode and Martin Quin Pollard – Reuters and published by Yahoo!News Beijing – The disappearance of China’s defence minister, the latest in a string of upheavals in the country’s top ranks, is stoking uncertainty about President Xi Jinping’s rule as an internal security clampdown trumps international engagement. The growing unpredictability could affect
Read moreFeature: Move Forward’s novel campaign style attracts Bangkokians
By Thai Newsroom Reporters Bangkok – Move Forward candidates running in constituency-based mode for MP of the capital are applying a novel campaign style to literally get closer than usual to prospective voters on the city streets. The Move Forward constituency-based contestants for the May 14 general election stand on a chair or a
Read moreFEATURE: Trees literally turned into structures for roadside campaign signs
By Thai Newsroom Reporters Sisaket – Farmers in the capital district of the lower-northeastern Isaan province are tending to a special occupation with an optimum use of towering, sturdy trees grown in their backyards in peculiar relation to an upcoming general election. A variety of indigenous hardwood trees, mostly of Yangna and Payom genuses,
Read moreFEATURE: Electoral campaign catchphrases, who cares?
By Thai Newsroom Reporters MAJOR PARTIES HAVE COINED pithy, striking catchphrases which they keep repeating whilst delivering electoral campaign speeches in public venues throughout the country. Huge signs on the backdrop of raised platforms and roadside placards ostentatiously advertise their respective slogans. According to former election commissioner Gothom Arya, various catchphrases of those contesting
Read moreAnalysis: Like it or not, Prawit most likely to become PM
By Out-Crowd LIKE IT OR NOT, PALANG Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan will be the most likely person to become prime minister after an upcoming general election despite the likelihood of a failure on his own part to win most MP seats. That Prawit will likely have the largest chance of winning the top post
Read moreAnalysis: Thaksin’s homecoming bid may fall through without help from kingmaker
By Out-Crowd THE LONG-COVETED DESIGN OF de facto Pheu Thai Party boss Thaksin Shinawatra to return home after years in self-exile overseas alongside his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, both having been previously deposed as prime ministers in separate coups, may entirely fall through without help from kingmaker Prawit Wongsuwan. Thaksin and Yingluck who have been reportedly
Read moreFear of F-35 stealth jets may be why N.Korea is firing so many missiles, analysts say
By AFP and published by CNA Seoul – North Korea has fired more missiles in the last 24 hours than it did during the whole of 2017 – the year of “fire and fury” when leader Kim Jong Un traded barbs with then-US president Donald Trump. What has triggered the record-breaking blitz of weapons
Read moreAnalysis: Prayut will survive censure motion, major cabinet reshuffle tipped to follow
By Out-Crowd PRIME MINISTER PRAYUT Chan-o-cha will likely survive next month’s censure/no-confidence motion which might probably be followed by a major cabinet reshuffle since the Palang Pracharath-led coalition government’s four-year term is scheduled to end next March. The approaching censure debate and subsequent no-confidence votes against Prayut and 10 other cabinet members will not
Read moreAnalysis: Chadchart, Wiroj remain top favourites for Bangkok governor
By Out-Crowd FORMER TRANSPORT MINISTER Chadchart Sittipunt and former Move Forward MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn have so far appeared as top favourites with relatively good chances of grabbing a victory among all candidates vying in Bangkok’s gubernatorial election scheduled for the upcoming Sunday. The other contestants who will merely come out as also-rans will likely
Read moreAnalysis: Conspiracy hatched to turn kingmaker into PM
By Out-Crowd IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN whether a fresh conspiracy to turn Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan into head of government in place of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha following an approaching censure debate/no-confidence vote will ever bear fruit. Prawit who concurrently heads the ruling Palang Pracharath Party is being openly pitted by some coalition
Read moreAnalysis: Prayut will not dissolve House only to dodge no-confidence bid
By Out-Crowd IT WILL BE VERY UNLIKELY for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a general election, let alone step down, to avoid a censure debate and no-confidence vote, speculated in an upcoming May or June, no matter what the consequences will be. What was essentially understandable to
Read moreFeature: From cassava to Okinawa Purple
By Thai Newsroom Reporters OKINAWA PURPLE has quickly become the highest-priced sweet potatoes grown on parched, rainless farmland in the western region of Thailand which may not be very friendly to other types of subterranean food plants. Given an ex-farm price of no less than 60 baht per kilogramme today, the Okinawa Purple sweet potatoes
Read moreAnalysis: Many more Palang Pracharath MPs bound to leave disintegrated party
By Out-crowd MANY PALANG PRACHARATH MPs are quietly looking to desert for other parties following last month’s surprise exodus of MP Thammanat Prompow and 20 fellow lawmakers. Those politicians would undoubtedly cringe at the probability of being defeated in the next general election if they continued to stay with the disintegrated party and were
Read moreAnalysis: Southern by-election spiced up with Move Forward underdogs
By Out-Crowd THOUGH MOVE FORWARD PARTY’S men running for the first time for MP in Sunday’s by-election in Chumphorn and Songkhla are virtually viewed by southern constituents as underdog contenders with very slim chances of winning, they have been considerably spicing up the mini-races to parliament. The opposition party’s rank and file undoubtedly anticipate
Read moreAnalysis: 2 opposition candidates bound to steal each other’s votes in Bangkok’s by-election
By Out-Crowd CANDIDATES OF THREE MAJOR parties are vying in a by-election for MP in Laksi/Chatuchak constituency of Bangkok which might probably lead to sweeping victories in many other constituencies for a certain party in the next general election. Though Palang Pracharath Party appears as yet undecided as to whether Saranrat Techajirasin, the spouse
Read morePheu Thai Party’s strategy of ‘trying to beat ’em and looking to bow to ’em’ just won’t work
By Out-Crowd GIVEN THEIR REPEATED STRATEGY OF ”trying to beat ’em and looking to bow to ’em”, Pheu Thai Party will likely lose many MP seats to Move Forward Party though the former might probably win more MP seats than Palang Pracharath Party in the next election nationwide. As long as Pheu Thai Party, with
Read moreCommentary: Running in the family
By Out-Crowd SEVERAL PROMINENT PARTIES have already pitted certain persons, mostly being their respective top leaders, as candidate for head of a post-election government though nobody could yet rest assured as to how soon the race to parliament may take place. Strange but true, only one major party, namely the Pheu Thai Party, remains
Read moreAnalysis: Palang Pracharath Party’s new secretary general coming in from outside
By Out-Crowd THE POST OF SECRETARY GENERAL of the Palang Pracharath Party, the largest coalition partner supposedly bound to continually lend solid support for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, might probably be occupied by the likes of an outsider named Chatchai Promlert only if the current one, namely Thammanat Prompow, happened to quit or be deposed
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