The latest upheavals in Thai politics might look like a victory for Thaksin Shinawatra, but they place him in a straightjacket and at the mercy of conservative forces, writes Mathis Lohatepanont. Stability has never been a quality one would use to describe Thailand, but even by the standards of Thai politics two weeks in August…

“When we see men of a contrary character,” Confucius once wrote, “we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.” In the wake of the Constitutional Court ruling that former prime minister Srettha Thavisin committed an ethics violation and should be removed from office, it appears that advice along the lines of Confucius’ is being taken to…

Something that’s puzzling to essentially everyone in Thai politics right now is how and why exactly Paetongtarn Shinawatra became prime minister. And I don’t mean the obvious (“she’s Thaksin’s daughter, duh”), but more the specific process that happened. Part of why all of this seems so mysterious, I think, is because the number of people…

In a landmark case, the Constitutional Court has ruled by a 5-4 vote that Srettha Thavisin is to be removed as prime minister due to breaching ethical guidelines in appointing a minister. In a cabinet reshuffle, Srettha had appointed Pichit Chuenban, who previously served a prison sentence for attempting to bribe a court, as minister…

I wanted to write up some thoughts here on what I think about whether or not Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin could see his premiership come to a premature end on Wednesday. The Constitutional Court is due to rule on the petition submitted by a group of (now former) senators which alleged that the prime minister…

The Move Forward Party, previously the largest party in the current Thai parliament, has now been dissolved. This follows a previous Constitutional Court ruling that the party’s actions in seeking amendment of Section 112 of the Criminal Code constituted an attempt to overthrow the Thai political system. The party’s executive members, including the former prime…

For the first time since Thailand officially returned to democratic rule after the 2014 military coup, the country has chosen a new Senate after the previous upper house’s five-year term expired. However, a uniquely complicated process for the selection of new senators and constitutional changes ensures that this Senate will be both less powerful but…

Dr. Napon Jatusripitak and I wrote an ISEAS Perspective on the causes and effects of Pheu Thai’s “grand compromise” with the conservative parties. We also created a system to classify Thailand’s political parties. Executive Summary: Click here to read the piece.

Three major cases went before the Constitutional Court last week. Of the most anticipated cases — the potential dissolution of the Move Forward Party and ouster of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin — we received word that the court will need more time for deliberation next month.  The Constitutional Court did make one major ruling, however,…

Being the Governor of Bangkok and pleasing everyone is an impossible task. Being a designer and pleasing everyone is an impossible task. Put the two together, and one wonders whether or not there is a mathematical equation to multiply impossible with impossible. For years, looking up from the skywalk near Pathumwan intersection, you would see…