“They say the momentum of history was ever thus, the empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide.” So states the first line of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. We are used to thinking about Thai politics as divided between two camps. But the momentum of history is pointing to new unions and divisions that are shaping our new political landscape. 

Pheu Thai leader Cholanan Srikaew, in an interview, recently explained that the “largest party” in the current parliament is actually the current conservative bloc, composed of 188 votes. Move Forward, on the other hand, has 151 seats, making it the second biggest party, while Pheu Thai has 141, meaning that it is third. He was immediately criticized online for faulty logic — the conservative camp, after all, is composed of several parties. But it perhaps illustrates how Pheu Thai itself views the three-camp nature of Thai politics, and the choice it must make between the other two. 

Click here to read the full piece at Thai Enquirer.