Free Republic

Respected fellow Thai citizens and dear rice farmers, I wish to begin by reaffirming that over the past two years since being appointed Prime Minister, I have been committed to serve the people of Thailand with honesty, integrity and every determined effort, as I have always been conscious of the mandate entrusted to me by the Thai people. I shall therefore not let them down; in particular the responsibility to protect the interests of the Thai people and uphold our democratic system with His Majesty the King as the Head of State. [snip] My fellow Thai citizens, I wish to...

President Obama is practicing a new brand of foreign relations, appearing to flirt with Thailand’s attractive prime minister on his first stop of his three-day tour of Southeast Asia. The president and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra could be seen laughing together and exchanging playful glances throughout a state dinner at the Government House in Bangkok on Sunday night.

THAILAND’S new military leaders yesterday moved to tighten their grip on power, restricting political activities and taking over legislative powers as former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra broke his silence on his ousting, saying that he would be taking a “deserved rest”. With Thaksin laying low in London after his Tuesday night overthrow, the coup leaders moved to place the tycoon-turned-politician’s vast assets under scrutiny, amid mounting calls for his prosecution for alleged corruption. In Bangkok, a spokesman for the coup group — which yesterday released the official English translation of its name, the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy...

Thaksin: ''I will not accept premiership'' Caretaker prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced on TV pool Tuesday night at 8.30 p.m. that he will not accept premiership in the upcoming formation of the government after the election is completed. He said he wants to keep peace in the country which is celebrating HM the King's 60 years on the throne. He will remain caretaker prime minister until the new government is formed. ''I would like to thank 28 million people who came to the poll and the 16 million who voted for him and his Thai Rak Thai party,'' he said.

Countdown is on: Will December 9 bring a wind of political change, or the end of the road for critic’s bandwagon? The countdown is on to the clash of the titans. Come December 9 the series of ongoing rows between two former best friends – Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul – is expected to reach boiling point. With both sides having so much at stake, many believe that the climax may reshape Thai politics. The question is, if the head-on collision is really inevitable, to what extent it will it be reshaped. Sondhi, in his last...

SO here's the scenario. A conservative prime minister, much reviled by the liberal press and disliked personally by all the left-wing intelligentsia, sends hundreds of his country's troops to Iraq in support of the US operation there and in the next general election wins a victory far beyond expectations. John Howard, right? No, the scenario was played out by Thaksin Shinawatra in Thailand last weekend. The Thai election should have received a lot more attention. Thailand is important to us. With 65 million people, it is as big as any European Union member except Germany. Its economy, the second largest...

Thailand Premier Thaksin Shinwatra has vowed to "go it alone" in forming the next government if he wins the 6 February general election. Thaksin dashed the Chart Thai party's hopes of joining a coalition with his Thai Rak Thai party, saying his former ally can no longer be trusted. Thailand has never before had a single party government. Text of report in English by Thai newspaper Bangkok Post web site on 5 February - Thai Rak Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra has vowed to "go it alone" in forming the next government, abandoning his most loyal ally, the Chart Thai...