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Thailand’s Prominent Pheu Thai Party Hold First Rally in Bangkok Since 2014 Coup

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party Prime Ministerial candidate Sudarat Keyuraphan was on stage in Bangkok as the party held its first rally in the capital, as campaigning heats up for the first election since the Gen. Prayut’s 2014 military coup.

Thousands of Pheu Thai supporters gathered outside Bangkok’s city hall, waving signs of support as they listened to hours of speeches seeking to fire up the faithful for the March 24 polls.

“We will lead a green revolution, everything will be green,” said Plodprasop Suraswadi, a former chief of the Royal Forestry Department who also was a deputy prime minister in the Yingluck Shinawatra government.

“The only green we don’t want is the army. Go back to your barracks!” he shouted, to enthusiastic applause.

A speech by party leader Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan capped the evening. She accused the military government of hurting the economy and said Pheu Thai could bring prosperity “as we have done before”.

“The time is up for the tank government,” she said, in a reference to the tanks the army traditionally rolls out when it stages a coup. “It’s time for professional economists. It’s time for Pheu Thai to save the economy.’”

“I will always vote for them,” said 74-year-old Buay Saeiam, who attended the rally. “They always have practical policies whose results we can see.”

Another in the crowd, Reungsak Benjapan, said he also has voted for the party many times.

“There is always an attempt to get rid of this party, using all sorts of methods,” he said. “But for those who love this party, it will be hard to get rid of it from our hearts. I have given my faith to them long ago.”

Pheu Thai, the flagship party of the political machine of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has won every national election since 2001.

Thaksin was accused of abuse of power and disrespect toward the monarchy and deposed by a 2006 military coup.

Since then, the conservative establishment, fearful of his populist appeal, has sought to oppose his comeback. The 2014 coup ousted Yingluck’s government.

Team Thaksin faces an uphill battle because the military overlords for the past five years enacted legislation virtually ensuring that no single political party can win a majority of parliamentary seats and that the next prime minister has to have the backing of pro-military lawmakers.

Its efforts make Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha the odds-on favourite to keep his job.

Thaksin’s forces suffered a setback last week with the spectacular failure of a plan by another of its affiliated parties to make Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, sister of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, its candidate for prime minister.

The monarch slapped down the attempt as inappropriate and unconstitutional, and now the Thai Raksa Chart Party has suspended campaigning and faces possible dissolution by a court. The failed effort is likely to eat into the number of House seats Thaksin’s side can accumulate.

Thaksin has denied involvement with Pheu Thai because election rules forbid parties from being led by outsiders. But he said in March last year during a reception in Tokyo that he believes the party is led by many good people that should be able to lead the party to another landslide victory”.

The Associated Press

Thailand Politics

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

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.

More in: Move Forward Party

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

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”.

 

 

 

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Thaksin Shinawatra Files 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit Against Warong Dechgitvigrom

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.

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