As important as the recent decision by the Electoral Commission to seek a dissolution of the Move Forward Party is, it is not surprising in the least. If anything, this decision had seemed inevitable after the ruling by the Constitutional Court that the Move Forward Party, by calling for an amendment of the lèse-majesté law,…

Of the policies that the various political parties campaigned on during the 2023 general election in Thailand, one that especially raised my eyebrow was Pheu Thai’s “One Family, One Soft Power” policy. It described a proposal where at least one family member from every household have the chance to enter a “creative skills incubation center”…

Political tensions in Thailand have escalated following a court ruling that could potentially lead to the dissolution of the Move Forward Party over charges stemming from its campaign to amend the country’s lèse majesté law. (Co-authored with Dr. Napon Jatusripitak) Click here to read the full piece at Fulcrum.

Back in October, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin argued that he does not merely want people to see him as a prime minister, but as a businessman. “I’m a salesman. I have to sell Thailand’s great products and build investors’ confidence. It’s my duty and mission as the No 1 salesman of the country,” he told…

In a new article published in Contemporary Southeast Asia, Prof. Allen Hicken, Dr. Napon Jatusripitak and I take a new look at Dr. Anek Laothamatas’ famous theory of Thailand being “a tale of two democracies.” Rural and urban voters have now converged in significant ways, but there is still a distinct divide between densely populated…

When Prayut Chan-o-cha was prime minister, he penned at least ten singles. None, of course, was more famous than his debut with “Returning Happiness to the People,” a song that was endlessly played on the airwaves in the aftermath of the 2014 military coup.  His other singles garnered relatively little attention. One of those relatively…

Thailand’s election season is notorious for bringing out a tsunami of election banners that are stuck on every possible tree and electrical pole. But in the past election, a voter might be forgiven for feeling lost while trying to digest this potentially rich source of information for voter preferences. Thailand’s 2023 banners were interesting because…

Thailand’s scores on the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams, which measure reading, mathematical skills, and science knowledge in 15-year olds have never been strong. In 2019, Thailand’s PISA scores ranked 66th among 79 countries. It reflects an education system that everyone knows is broken and that no one has been able to…

The chosen slogan that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has adopted for his administration is “Chance of Possibility.” In English it is an awkward slogan, to say the least. In Thai it is slightly better: “this is the opportunity for every possibility.”  In his first few months, however, one possibility has seemed to have little opportunity…