Politics

24 August 2024
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra attends a news conference in Bangkok on Aug.16. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives for a nationally televised speech on his vision for Thailand.
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand's Thaksin says U.S. to toughen trade stance after election

Protections needed against cheap Chinese goods, ruling party boss argues

23 August 2024
Departures: Japan's Fumio Kishida, Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, and Srettha Thavisin of Thailand. (Source photos by Wataru Ito and Reuters)
Opinion

Rash of departing Asian PMs shows how parochial politics stifles economies

Region's leaders need to draw lessons from departures in Japan, Thailand and Bangladesh

21 August 2024
The nine Senate-approved judges of Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin with a 5-4 vote and no chance of appeal. (Screenshot from Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand's YouTube channel)
Turbulent Thailand

Thai court rules against elected politicians, not coup makers

Dismissed Srettha Thavisin only the latest in long list of political scalps

20 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra has risen to Thailand's prime ministerial post on the strength of her father Thaksin's influence, but with that influence weakening, tough challenges lie in store for the 37-year-old as she takes up her first role in government. (Photo by Shinya Sawai) 
Asia Insight

Thailand's latest Shinawatra PM walks the same economic, political tightrope

Paetongtarn takes office with growth the key issue as father Thaksin calls party shots

20 August 2024
Thailand Prime Minister-elect Paetongtarn Shinawatra, right, arrives with her father and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the Pheu Thai party headquarters ahead of a royal endorsement ceremony in Bangkok on Aug. 18.
Turbulent Thailand

Thai king endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister

Ex-PM Thaksin's daughter becomes youngest leader of Thailand

18 August 2024
Vietnam's new leader To Lam, a former police officer, was appointed Communist Party general secretary in August. 
Your Week in Asia

Japan-India 2+2, Thai GDP, Vietnam leader in China

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

18 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks during a press conference after she was elected Thailand's new prime minister on Aug. 16. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Turbulent Thailand

Paetongtarn Shinawatra 'ready to work hard' as Thailand's new PM

37-year-old daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra to form the next government

16 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is set to become Thailand's 31st prime minister.
Turbulent Thailand

Paetongtarn Shinawatra rises to become Thailand's second female PM

37-year-old novice leader under shadow of father Thaksin's influence

16 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the leader of Thailand's ruling Pheu Thai Party and a daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, speaks to reporters during a press conference in Bangkok on Aug. 15. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Turbulent Thailand

Thai ruling coalition backs Paetongtarn Shinawatra for prime minister

Conservative allies unite behind Thaksin's daughter in bid for stability

15 August 2024
Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday ousted Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from his post, citing a serious ethics violation. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Getty Images)
Opinion

Thai PM Srettha is out. Was this constitutional overreach?

Court blurs line between legal adjudication and political maneuvering

15 August 2024
Dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin speaks to reporters after the Constitutional Court's verdict on Aug. 14.
Politics

Thai Constitutional Court removes PM Srettha Thavisin from office

House of Representatives to select new prime minister on Friday

14 August 2024
Thai authorities are purchasing blackchin tilapia at above market prices in an effort to control the population. (Thailand Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives)
Fisheries

Thailand grapples with invasive tilapia from Africa as CP deflects blame

Conglomerate brought in nonnative fish for research, pledges cooperation

13 August 2024
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries pose for a photo in Vientiane on July 25. ASEAN now faces significant centrifugal forces amid the reshaping of global orders. 
Comment

OECD or BRICS? Key members' differences might weaken ASEAN unity

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand all pursue different 'diversification' strategies

12 August 2024
People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, second from left, and other members pose for a photo during a press conference in Bangkok on Aug. 9. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Politics

Thailand's disbanded Move Forward reborn as People's Party

New group becomes largest opposition in parliament with over 140 lawmakers

11 August 2024
Former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat speaks as he walks on the day Thailand's Constitutional Court delivers its verdict on a case seeking the dissolution of the opposition group.
Politics

Thai Constitutional Court orders Move Forward Party to dissolve

Largest opposition group accused over its policy to amend lese-majeste law

7 August 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris could become the first female U.S. president.
U.S. elections 2024

Harris could become the 1st female U.S. leader; Asia's had several

Over 13 Asian countries and regions including Australia and Taiwan have had women heads

4 August 2024
Supporters of the Move Forward Party let off smoke bombs outside the parliament on the day of the second vote for a new prime minister in Bangkok on July 19, 2023. 
Opinion

Thailand's establishment silences voices of change

A reset is taking place to preserve the autocratic power of royalist-conservative forces

4 August 2024
Thai Vice Foreign Minister Russ Jalichandra meets Qatari Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, a chief negotiator in the Gaza conflict, on July 25. (Thai Foreign Ministry)
Interview

Thailand laments Mideast escalation with 6 citizens in captivity

'Hard to be optimistic' about farm workers held in Gaza, says vice foreign minister

2 August 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi last month.
Opinion

New coalition governments in Asia must embrace compromise

Thailand, Malaysia, and India have to balance policy and voter expectations

26 July 2024
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is likely to stay in power until the next general election, expected in 2027.
Opinion

Malaysia sheds short-termism to become Asia's comeback kid

Investors embrace political stability as alarms sound over Thailand's fragility

24 July 2024
Thailand's Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira says the government's ($14 billion) digital wallet program is needed to raise incomes in the countrty. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Economy

Thailand sets $14bn digital wallet registration for August 1

Srettha government stands firm on handout to revive flagging economy

24 July 2024
Meth seizures in Thailand like this one have become commonplace as more drugs from Myanmar flow into and through the country.
Crime

Myanmar crisis pushes Asian meth seizures to new highs

Flow of drugs increases as armed rebels use sales to fund war efforts

23 July 2024
Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pave the way for Thailand to join the BRICS grouping. (Photo from Maris Sangiampongsa's X)
International relations

Thailand attempts to strike a balance with BRICS and OECD bids

New foreign minister makes first visits to China, India and Saudi Arabia

18 July 2024
A U.N. expert's report says companies registered in Thailand are utilizing Thai banks to transfer weapons and related materials to Myanmar's military regime. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Myanmar Crisis

Thai banks say they lack staff to fully probe Myanmar weapon payments

Lenders respond to criticism, say they 'do not have this kind of investigators'

11 July 2024