PDF Version Summary Discord between red shirt factions and the Phue Thai party carry on and the result was made clear during the mayoral election in Chiang Rai this week, which saw Phuea Thai lose to the Bhumjaithai Party. Also in the political headlines is the death of Ampon Tangnoppakul, a.k.a. “Uncle SMS”, the [...]

PDF Outline Summary Dissent within the United Front for Democracy (UDD) is threatening to split the group apart, as hardcore members continue to voice displeasure over the perceived direction of the current reconciliation process and compromising attitudes of the Phuea Thai-led government. Additionally, with the coming end of the five-year ban on Thai Rak Thai [...]

PDF Outline Summary In a move that has attracted significant attention, speculation, and even revulsion, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited General Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the royal Privy Council, to pay respect to the elder statesman in the post-Songkran rod nam dam hua ceremony. The two reportedly met for thirty minutes afterward, signaling what could [...]

PDF File Summary Almost all was quiet on the political front this week due to the Songkran holiday. Nevertheless, the polemical former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, while celebrating the water festival in Laos and Cambodia, stirred waves once more when he told journalists he would like to return to Thailand in time for his July [...]

PDF Link HDFF would like to wish our readers a happy Songkran! Summary Wading deeper into controversy, the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT) has called for reforming the lese majeste law to foster reconciliation and prevent abuse for political gains. Meanwhile, Thailand’s two largest political parties continue to exchange rhetorical attacks on one [...]