January 31, 2023: “We will switch off the three Ps” is what the Move Forward Party promises in one of its election campaign posters, which could put its major ally in an awkward position.
While Pheu Thai has refused to completely rule out a future alliance with one of the Ps, Move Forward has declared that any of the Ps is a no-no, and the contentious campaign poster does put the ball in the former’s court.
Government politicians are realigning themselves for fun and Prayut Chan-o-cha and Prawit Wongsuwan are also poised to fight for premiership, but frenemy politics is intensifying on the other side, too.
The Prayut versus Prawit contest appears to be more of a character showdown, but the Pheu Thai versus Move Forward case seems more ideological. For the two opposition parties to remain best friends, maybe Pheu Thai needs to be toughened up a bit ideologically, whereas Move Forward can loosen up a notch as bitterly and perhaps sarcastically suggested by Piyabutr Saengkanokkul.
January 30, 2023: The future of the relationship between the Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties may have become more uncertain, especially after one comment in particular.
Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto patriarch of the Pheu Thai Party, has given a major hint on how his camp perceives, and will proceed with, Article 112, which hardcore activists want to do away with. With ideological stance of the activists considerably mirrors that of the Move Forward Party, Article 112 will primarily factor in the future of the two parties’ ties, which have been good on the surface although cracks are believed to be appearing. All of these are amid rumours about an unlikely alliance between Pheu Thai and Palang Pracharath.
Thaksin’s latest Facebook post was telltale. It was written in response to some activists’ plan to show up at the Pheu Thai headquarters to demand the party’s commitment against Article 112.
Here’s a word-for-word translation of Thaksin’s post:
“I would like to propose to the party’s executives that they should invite our young brothers to the Pheu Thai library where the history of (our) fights going back to the days of Thai Rak Thai is kept.
“I have talked about Article 112 many times and my message remains that the problem is with the enforcement that disregards true justice or fairness, and such enforcement has irked people in high places. I’m confident that if Pheu Thai becomes the government, there won’t be such a problem and we will no longer feel the law is the problem. Solving problems through (fair and) internationally-accepted enforcement of the rule of law is lot easier and quicker than changing the law.
“Let’s not go anywhere else except Government House, so fairness will return to Thailand and we can begin to see our children’s future.”
January 29, 2023: Most people would not be surprised if Ruam Thai Sang Chart joins hands with Palang Pracharath to form the next government, according to the latest NIDA poll.
The survey, conducted on 1,310 eligible voters last week, has found that more than 46% of them believed it was a tactical competition common in a democracy, while 29% agreed with the saying that there were no permanent friends and foes in politics. More than 20% welcomed it as the two men in two different parties would “spice up” Thai politics and about 12.5% thought Prayut would be “freer” politically.
Only some 9% say it was an absolute break-up.
It was close when it came to who would prevail. Almost 43% predicted a narrow contest, with both parties securing similar numbers of seats. More than 25% favoured Palang Pracharath while almost 25% felt Ruam Thai Sang Chart would edge the former.
About 38% thought it was “highly likely” that the two parties would be in the same bloc seeking to form a government whereas 30% considered it a “likely” scenario. More than 18% ruled that out completely and almost 12% said it was “unlikely”.
January 28, 2023: What you said or did comes back to haunt you. Cue politics, social media and ordinary men’s current editing capabilities, the trend will be fast and furious.
That Move Forward MP Amarat Chokepamitkul once announced on her Facebook that she won’t be in the next Parliament did not mean she would not share a video compilation of Thaksin Shinawatra’s promises to the red shirts during their uprising in 2010.
The video, which should be viral by now, brought together statements like “When/if the first shots are fired, I will (go home and) lead your march to Bangkok myself.”
With Pheu Thai widely tipped to score a massive election victory, pretty much at the expense of Move Forward, which shares the same political market, Amarat won’t be the last prominent figure between the two parties to try to discredit the frenemies.
January 27, 2023: “I don’t know how or when” was what Thaksin Shinawatra’s youngest daughter, who may have a big say over national matters very soon, said when asked about the possibility of the end of his long political exile overseas.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra might just be telling the truth. When most people link his return to Thailand to the Pheu Thai Party’s return to power, a few others see the exact opposite. The doomed amnesty bill supported by the Yingluck government at the peak of its power did not only fail to bring him back, but also brought down the apparently-invincible administration in a matter of weeks and in the most tumultuous way.
To many associated with Pheu Thai, the painful experiences must still be fresh.
In an interview today, Paetongtarn said only Thaksin knows how and when he would be able to come back. It was the closest thing to date to her saying publicly that bringing him home would not be Pheu Thai’s political priority.
“My father doesn’t want to politicise it.” she said in Loei, responding to a question about Thaksin’s possibly tongue-in-cheek statement that if big news was to happen, it would be her who would announce it. “I’m here to help the party promote its policies for the people. Helping the people is what I’m here for.”
Paetongtarn did repeat something she had said earlier about Palang Pracharath. It was too soon to discuss whether the party would join Pheu Thai in forming the new government, she said. According to her, the focus is firmly on an election landslide.
January 26, 2023: If things continue to go at this rate, Thailand and Cambodia may have to settle their argument in the ring.
Currently, the fight is taking place on the cyberspace. Just as a former Muay Thai boxer claimed that he was one of the two fighters demonstrating the “Bokator” martial art (an ancient battlefield martial art used by ancient Khmer military) seen in a Cambodian social media post promoting the sport, it has been noticed that Wikipedia content is in Cambodia’s favours when it comes to the origin of Muay Thai (the Thai kickboxing).
In that particular Wikipedia piece, which infuriated Thai readers, it seemed Muay Thai, one of Thailand’s biggest prides, is something that has morphed from Kun Khmer, a combat sport originating in Cambodia. The two countries’ squabbling over the origins of their martial arts is likely to intensify in the weeks or months to come with the next SEA Games in Cambodia drawing near.
The Thai readers think Cambodia’s propaganda machine has a hand in the Wikipedia “distortions.”
To people wanting to follow the issue, the first thing that needs to be done is getting used to the different names of the same or similar sports. Familiarising yourselves with the histories of the likes of Judo and Karate as well as the caged boxing in America would be nice.
January 25, 2023: That Japan is a critically old nation is no news, but lingering anxiety is being intensified by latest remarks of its prime minister.
Fumio Kishida has warned that Japan was now “on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions” due to the falling birth rate, according to CNN.
He used terms like “Now or never” and “We simply cannot wait any longer” as the prime minister discussed the ageing society issue in a policy address to lawmakers.
Though boasting one of the highest life expectancies, Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and it is about to record fewer than 800,000 births in 2022 for the first time since the keeping of such data began in 1899, CNN said. The looming crisis affecting workforce and social welfare was caused by several factors including expensive costs of living, limited living space and insufficient child care support especially for working parents. Couples also find it difficult to turn to grandparents of children for help. Reportedly, fears about future uncertainty are making young couples think twice about having kids.
Kishida insisted that child-rearing support must stand as one of the most important government policies, for economic and social sakes.
January 24, 2023: The man who fought along side Jatuporn Prompan during the turbulent red-shirt uprising in 2010 and is drifting away from him has said that the biggest opposition party won’t allow the latter to distract it from the goal of an election landslide.
Jatuporn has become increasingly aggressive just as Nuttawut Saikua, now a senior Pheu Thai mouthpiece, tried to play down his dramatic outburst, directed primarily at Thaksin Shinawatra. Jatuporn’s latest Facebook Live, titled “There Are No Liars Who Don’t Sin”, followed up on his previous attack on the man in Dubai.
Jatuporn now claimed ex-commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and ex-deputy commerce minister Phum Saraphol were “duped” into staying in Thailand to face court verdicts sentencing them to long jail terms, the only high-profile imprisoned convicts of the rice pledging case, whereas ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra went into overseas exile.
Jatuporn suggested the jailed politicians had been planning to bolt, but somehow were convinced by lies and decided to stay and face the court verdicts.
Nuttawut said senior Pheu Thai members had discussed Jatuporn and agreed that the party would not fight back. Pheu Thai, according to Nuttawut, is aware, though, that Jatuporn’s claims might affect red shirts’ feelings toward the party.
“We won’t let things snowball from the way they currently are,” Nuttawut, who supervises the “Pheu Thai Family” campaign. “A lot of people want to hear explanations from our side, but we won’t respond (to Jatuporn’s attacks). We want to maintain our focus on an election landslide which could allow Thailand to have a government that truly belongs to the people.”
January 23, 2023: If the definition of mass shootings is a shooting that kills or injures four or more people, then there have been more mass shootings in America than there have been days in 2023.
Today marks the 23rd day of the new year, but the United States has recorded 36 gun incidents each of which has killed or injured four or more people, according to CNN, quoting statistics from the non-profit Gun Violence Archive. The definition was agreed upon by GVA and CNN.
In the latest widely-known case, authorities say a 72-year-old man suspected of the shooting that left 10 people dead on Saturday night at a dance studio near a Lunar New Year festival celebration in Monterey Park, California, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after officers approached his vehicle. The man had reportedly been a regular presence at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio and allegedly visited another studio after the attack.
Debate on gun control is raging, traditionally. It will also go away quickly, also traditionally, just like many times last year which set several mass shooting records.
January 22, 2023: Orchestral music is fascinating Gen Z and young millennials in the UK, a survey shows, and the trend is most likely spreading across the borders thanks to the social media and easy accessibility of the content.
BBC reported that a recent survey by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) found that 74% of UK residents aged under 25 were likely to be tuning into the previously-elite musical content at Christmas time, compared with a mere 46% of people aged 55 or more.
Analysts believe the trend is growing beyond Christmas and family now. BBC said the figures reflect not only the RPO’s finding that under 35-year-olds are more likely to listen to orchestral music than their parents, but also the widespread surge in popularity of classical music in general, particularly among younger generations.
Why? Classical music is a lot easier to find and appreciate now. And the surging popularity and the birth of new artists feed on each other. Young artists use the social media to garner big followings and promote their work. New movies or TV series are turning to orchestral songs more than before. The COVID-19 pandemic made a lot of people in lockdowns find solace in music of their choices. Last but not least, classical music is beautiful, and something that is both beautiful and cool at the same time can get popular very easily.
January 21, 2023: The former best-known red-shirt warrior has launched the most stinging assault to date on the red-shirt patriarch.
Make no mistake, Jatuporn Prompan is attacking Prayut Chan-o-cha as well, but the activist said that because of the likes of Thaksin, there would still be “an endless stream of Prayuts” in the future.
The spectacular outrage came during Jatuporn’s Facebook Live just hours ago. He said Thaksin made people wear the red shirts when it suited him, made them remove them when it suited him, and made them wear them again when it suited him.
According to Jatuporn, the controversial rice-pledging scheme was truly fishy, nepotism was plaguing Thaksin-supporting governments and Thaksin used false promises to come back and fight alongside his belligerent supporters to maintain their loyalty.
“The most important thing today is that you must be honest with all the Thai people and your country,” Jatuporn said. “Without that, a victory means nothing. I’m not trying to get in the way of your victory or prevent your victory. You will get it anyway. My point is that if it’s the same old victory and same old aftermath, it will be the same old disaster.”
January 20, 2023: Good news is that, thanks to improving technology, we are seeing a lot more stars than ever before.
Bad news is that, due to improving technology, we are seeing fewer and fewer of them with naked eyes.
These past two days have been both uplifting and discouraging at the same time when it comes to the numbers of stars humans can “see”. A galactic photo shoot has given us an enhanced idea of how mind-numbingly tiny we are, but another scientific discovery shows that most of us can no longer feel that way by simply looking at the night sky.
While awe overwhelmed our ancestors when they looked up at night and saw an endless number of glittering diamonds decorating a dark expanse, all today’s humans living in cities or suburbia can see is a dark expanse. Man-made light is blocking most starlight.
The diamonds are still there, but we can’t see most of them with naked eyes. On-going “civilization” means “light pollution” (artificial light that is preventing humans and animals from seeing the stars) is ballooning inexorably. In the latest scientific study published, if you could see 250 stars at one location 18 years ago, you would be lucky to see 100 of them now standing at the same place. The reduction, depending on the degrees of “civilization” in each specific place, could be more and is too fast for comfort, especially for purists, who are aware that the beauty of city lights is like “rainbow colours that gasoline produces.”
The star-counting study is simple, although it takes years. Danger of “light pollution” is slow but sure. It gradually affects sleep patterns and impacts behaviours of nocturnal animals. If you care about insects, some species are facing declines in population due to the disappearing stars and increasing artificial lights.
January 19, 2023: People quit their jobs all the time, but few, especially in high-level politics, would be brave enough to cite burnout as the key reason.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is one of them. She has announced she would give way for a new leader within weeks. Some leaders do that, but we are more familiar with face-saving reasons.
What surprises the world is not her intention to step aside, but her openness regarding her decision. She said she didn’t believe she still had the energy to seek re-election in the October polls.
Speaking at a news conference, Ardern said her term would end by February 7, and expected a new Labour prime minister to be sworn in. It could yet be earlier depending on the process.
“The decision was my own,” Ardern said. “Leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also the most challenging. You cannot and should not do the job unless you have a full tank, plus a bit in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges.”
“I no longer have enough in the tank to do the job justice,” she added.
“I no longer have enough in the tank to do the job justice.” How often do we hear that anywhere, let alone in politics?
January 18, 2023: The unthinkable possibility remains somewhat wide open as of today, although the people who matter still decline to say it out loud.
The much-derided post-election scenario of Pheu Thai joining hands with Palang Pracharath to form a government is a rumour that has refused to go away, simply because their leaders are yet to bang the table and say “No, it’s not going to happen.” That Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew has come out to deny the alleged existence of a pre-election pact with Palang Pracharat was anything but an outright rejection of the unlikely alliance that would upend Thai politics.
When Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Pheu Thai’s flag-bearer and the party’s potential prime ministerial candidate, was asked about it during a door-to-door campaign in Nonthaburi today, she said it was “too soon” to think about it. “We want a landslide, and that’s what we are thinking of right now,” she said. Her suggestion is that speculation about Pheu Thai forming an alliance with this or that party would weaken voters’ desire to give her party a massive landslide.
Earlier, Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan said his party was ready to work with anyone if it would bring Thailand harmony.
Yes, the scenario is extreme and highly improbable. But one thing about politicians is that they always keep their options open, and Paetongtarn’s words today that “Let’s forget about any drama and concentrate on what’s best for the people” is a handy statement that can be used in any circumstances.
Januaray 17, 2023: For Thai football to emerge from the mud of regional supremacy and go further, the country simply needs 10 other Theerathon Bunmathans in the starting XI, and the last thing it needs is another Theerathon Bunmathan.
It’s not a pun. It’s the main challenge of Thai football. By that, fans and the media are included.
The thunderbolt that sealed the win and the Asean Championship title was remarkable, but the post-game interview was equally _ if not more _ important, because it displayed an attitude that can make the Thai team become another Morocco, who play without stars but have managed to go far in the World Cup.
The whole interview was dedicated to teammates and coaching staff, without whom, he said, he wouldn’t have stood a chance of becoming the man of the tournament. He was also thankful towards fans.
Thailand needs 10 others like him in the line-up, ones who deeply realize football is a team game. Individual talent is aplenty, and any great footballer can strike that match-winning screamer, but a team playing as one is rare, because ego and personal glory often get in the way and sometimes disrupt overall development.
But the Theerathon hype has begun immediately. The Thai football was there before, worshipping occasional heroes and taking them up so high only to feel incredibly let-down when they could not deliver.
Theerathon the hero is the last thing Thailand wants. The man said himself that all his teammates are, and he is right. His words, not just Monday’s scorcher, must be taken seriously. Thailand must play like Morocco, not France or Belgium.
January 16, 2023: If there is such a thing as unwanted loyalty, it’s probably on show today.
Thammanat Prompow of the Thai Economic Party has made it rather clear that his political camp will move left, or right, or go straight at the instruction of Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan.
Prawit will publicly welcome the news. Behind the smile, though, it may be something else. Thammanat is an effective lightning rod, meaning that unless he could offer a dozen or more House seats, any government leader will have to think twice.
Prayut Chan-o-cha will be extremely hesitant, too, as there is a very plausible post-election scenario where he and Prawit can form a government together. The prime minister abhors Thammanat for obvious reasons. The latter constantly drew the opposition’s bombardment over the past few years and turned against the prime minister in a dramatic fashion last year.
Will Pheu Thai take him? Very unlikely, and definitely not if Move Forward and/or Seri Ruam Thai are with it in the next government. Thammanat joining a coalition that demonised him repeatedly when it was the opposition would be beyond ridiculous.
From Thammanat’s own words, if Prawit wanted Thai Economic to join a Palang Pracharath-Ruam Thai Sang Chart government, it would.
“I’m a man of gratitude,” Thammanat said. “I have always told Gen Prawit that I would still listen to him where he wants me to go next.”
On Prawit drifting apart from Prayut, he said: “I don’t see it that way (Prawit and Prayut forgetting about their friendship and ready to kill each other for House seats). I see it as a normal thing in a democracy.”
Asked to discuss Palang Pracharath more, including the possibility of his return, Thammanat said: “I’m a Thai Economic member now and I love this home. But whatever Gen Prawit wants, I will give.”
Even comments by non-MP Jatuporn Prompan, a politician-turned-street-activist, sound more democratically sensible. In a hard-hitting statement online, he lashed out at both Prayut and Thaksin Shinawatra. For Jatuporn to attack Prayut is no news, but harsh criticism against the latter, “who is also responsible for Thailand’s misery and wasted opportunities over the years”, has raised a few eyebrows.
The statement warns Pheu Thai and “the man who still thinks he’s innocent” that parliamentary majority won, something called “mandate”, would be constructively meaningful only when it was used rightly.
“The party must really think about the people,” Jatuporn said. “If the mandate given by the people is used to serve conflicts of interests like always, the power will once again have low immunity.”
The statement seeks to remind the man who Jatuporn refuses to name that “Nobody is big forever.”
January 15, 2023: Can democracy go hand in hand with top secrets? The answer is a heavy-hearted yes, because both Republican and Democratic ex and sitting presidents are being deeply embroiled with highly-classified documents and their country seems fine with that.
This part of US political culture is extremely confusing, not least because we all grow up being taught by America that democracy is all about openness as well as fairness to the enemies and the rest of the world. Secrets, after all, should be associated with tyrants only, shouldn’t they?
But here we are. Donald Trump and Joe Biden are being investigated for their handling of classified documents. That’s the least weird part, though. The most glaring question is how the country has secret documents in abundance in the first place.
The next most glaring question has to do with the country’s attitude toward secrecy. Discovery of classified documents at Biden’s private residence will, in CNN’s words, will give the White House “a headache.” Interpretation: State cover-up is fine as long as it stays covered up. Leaks, no matter how small, will cause problems.
January 14, 2023: A famous military slogan dictates that practitioners shall not sell their friends out. This is a focus of debate on Prawit Wongsuwan’s online statement which many view as indirect yet obvious criticism of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The whole slogan (not official but widely observed) says something along the lines of one must never kill his/her own brothers, never snitch on comrades and never betray friends. It goes without saying that those principles must hold sway no matter how ones are treated by the others.
Did Prawit’s much-talked-about “letter” violate those principles because it made Prayut look ungrateful and inexperienced and it was written when the two men are direct political competitors now?
Ruam Thai Sang Chart will say “Yes” and Palang Pracharath will say “No”.
January 13, 2023: Women scorned are certainly not nice, but at least they don’t go public and make headlines like Prawit Wongsuwan.
The “letter” he posted online, purportedly for only Palang Pracharath members to read, made him sound like a ditched lover and Prayut Chan-o-cha comes across as a cold-hearted, manipulative and exploitative man. All these without a single curse.
It was world-class writing. One can sense Prawit’s heart was bleeding when he wrote about the coup, the aftermath of it, Palang Pracharath’s unconditional backing of Prayut in the 2019 election and the formation of the Prayut government. It was polite yet it was so subtly bitter that some Palang Pracharath people took one look at it and decided that the “letter” had to be fake.
Subtle or not, Prawit and Prayut turned on their full modes of text-book politics today. By “text-book politics”, they declared that they still loved and respected each other and there was nothing personal. (That’s Politics 101. Before you attack anyone, start by saying you love him/her.)
January 12, 2023: So far, the sex scandal involving a former deputy prime minister looks like just a political subplot in Thailand, but don’t bet against it snowballing to take the centre stage.
The public have been divided into several groups. Some believe the “he” who is senior, well-known and wealthy enough to be a target of blackmailers. Some others believe the other “he”. This one claims his wife was having an affair with the former and is equipped with pictorial evidence that many admit seems suspicious. And there are people who say that, blackmailing or not, for an old man to get involved with another man’s woman who is young enough to be the former’s grandchild, it is wrong.
The last group of sceptics has chosen to stay on the fence, sensing that there is something fishy in the whole saga but they could not pinpoint where. The photos are suspicious but the accused also has all the power to tell a powerful counter-story.
That the first “he” is a former high-ranking Pheu Thai member is one of the spicy parts, although the alleged affair took place after he left the party. To add to that, the other “he” is being backed to the hilt by famous lawyer Sittra Biabangkerd, who has stirred up social storms a couple of times before.
The old politician has reportedly filed what appeared to be blackmailing charges against the man, the woman (his own alleged lover), and her two parents. Obviously, a case of “conspiracy” is being built. But Sittra took the younger guy to the police today to file counter charges.
“We file charges today that the former deputy prime minister had filed false charges,” said Sittra, who has gone all-in on this one. The lawyer himself has a reputation of taking up “risky” cases that could go either way.
There are claims about unlawful intimidation as well. The date of divorce of the old “he” is very curious, according to Sittra.
January 11, 2023: BBC calls it the weirdest book ever written by a royal, and other media outlets are having a heyday over “Spare”, leading the elite writer to complain about dangerous distortions and blatant “lies” seen in reviews. Truth is that UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book will sell more _ a lot more to be exact.
Be honest, you didn’t anticipate Spare that much. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you had not been interested at all, particularly if you aren’t a Briton. But you want to read the autobiography now, don’t you?
There are such things as “negative promotions” in today’s world. It’s about making something look so bad you want so much to experience it yourself. Movie projects or planned concerts few people had talked about have embraced this strategy.
This is not to say that Prince Harry was behind the “dangerous lies” suggesting he was disrespectful toward military enemies he killed, or behind a conclusion by a BBC correspondent that the now-famous memoir, in places, “feels like the longest drunk text ever sent”. This is to say that the war of words between him and the media book reviewers is a win-win for Spare’s sales volume.
That he, according to CNN, “rips open old wounds in UK royal family, will add to the profitable public curiosity nicely.
Copies are flying off the shelves in the UK, but they are stirring somewhere else, too, thanks to the publicity.
January 10, 2023: The prime minister uttered a lot of clichés on Monday evening, but good news is they are widely-used political clichés, and his quip that politics is more fearsome than military duties at the front line is in fact the main proof that he will be all right.
Politicians love to talk about unity or reunification _ their most popular topic _ but everyone knows who were responsible for divisiveness in the first place. Politicians often pledge reform _ their second-most popular piece of advertisement _ but there is no doubt who usually took advantage of legal loopholes, were corrupt and set bad examples. Politicians always say the country belongs to the citizenry _ their election-time favourite _ but “mandate” is often used where they see fit.
After a few years of “aloof” politics, Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday took another step closer to “normalcy”, which is not necessarily good. The bold and blunt statements that reporters and many among the public apparently did not like but distinguished him from mainstream politicians disappeared at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center and threatened to be gone forever. (The dilution began some time ago but it was obvious on Monday.)
But he should be fine. His coup will still be haunting him, but there are signs it can fade into irrelevancy particularly if he has to sit on the opposition bench after the next election. In spite of the Senate, Prayut has officially entered a new territory still.
There’s no need for “Good luck”. Politicians often make their own luck, although it matters little how they make it.
January 9, 2023: The most important question has apparently been solved in the reportedly on-going merger talks between the Thai Sang Thai and Sang Anakot Thai parties.
In a tentative scenario, both Somkid Jatusripitak and Sudarat Keyuraphan would represent the emerging party as prime ministerial candidates, it has been reported by Thai Post. Somkid’s name would come first but the public would be informed that it had to do with the Thai alphabetical order, not importance or seniority.
As for party positions, the man would be chairman of the new camp while the woman would be its official “leader”. Sontirat Sontijirawong would be party secretary-general whereas Uttama Savanayana would be the chief strategist.
Now, the new party’s name. It has been reported that “Sang Thai” could not be used because someone associated with the Pheu Thai Party has hijacked it by registering it with the party registrar. Somkid allegedly wants the new party to have a new name while the Sudarat camp apparently is insisting that voters are more familiar with “Thai Sang Thai” so this name should be used.
(Enough already for words “Sang” and “Thai” in political parties’ names.)
Coming back from family vacations overseas, Somkid and Sudarat are expected to either settle the differences this week or walk out of the deal. If negotiations collapse, they would remain close allies going into the general election, it is said.
January 8, 2023: That the Pheu Thai Party comes out on top in the Super Poll’s latest popularity ratings can be expected, but few people could have predicted the first runner-up.
The Bhumjaithai Party was all but breathing on Pheu Thai’s neck in the Super Poll survey, supported by 21.9% of 1,114 eligible voters questioned. The biggest opposition party was the most popular with 23.4%. Bhumjaithai had been 14.2% last July, when Pheu Thai got 26.9%.
The Democrat Party, which was Pheu Thai’s biggest rival for a long time, scored just 9.9% this time, followed by Palang Pracharath at 8%. Move Forward received 5.8% support and, despite the much-publicised Prayut factor, Ruam Thai Sang Chart had only 4.8% backing.
The survey was conducted between January 2-7 this year, when talks about Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha joining Ruam Thai Sang Chart were in full swing. Among the samples, 30.3% live in the Northeast, 26.9% in the Central Region, 17.8% in the North, 16.2% in the South and 8.8% in Bangkok. About 51% were between 25-39 years old and about the same percentage had education lower than the bachelor degree. There are 46.4% bachelor-degree holders in the survey.
January 7, 2023: With Palang Pracharath in decline, the Democrats apparently yet to pick themselves up, and Prayut Chan-o-cha in Ruam Thai Sang Chart just “old wine in new bottle”, the second biggest opposition party is hoping to better itself in the Thai capital.
Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat said his party could win “at least” 15 seats, compared with 9 in 2019, in Bangkok. Also, he did not think that current political developments concerning Prime Minister Prayut and the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party would affect Move Forward, which did well in the City Assembly elections in May although it’s debatable if its Bangkok gubernatorial candidate could have beaten the government side had the latter fielded just one runner.
Future Forward (which reincarnated as Move Forward) and Pheu Thai won 9 seats each in Bangkok in 2019, being joint second after Palang Pracharath, which won 12 seats. According to Pita, Future Forward could have done even better but for some narrow defeats.
“We expect to win at least 15 seats this time,” Pita said. “We got this confidence from the good records of Future Forward, our strong showing at the City Assembly elections and the growing weaknesses of our rivals who don’t look totally united.”
On Prayut and Ruam Thai Sang Chart, he said: “It’s no surprise, because we’ve seen conflicts on the government side all along. (Realignment regarding Prayut) is just old wine in new bottle.”
January 6, 2023: Coup leaders joining political parties or even leading one is nothing new, so when Prayut Chan-o-cha officially becomes a member of the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party on Monday, irony is not the most important thing.
A lot more significant in the grand scheme of things is what can be “missing”. He will take away much of the sting he “provided” over the past few years to anti-military street activism. This is not to mention how the Pheu Thai Party will dread political violence in the next few months.
Prayut has been somewhat a proxy in the ideological war, but becoming a member of a political party means he may feature less in the rallying cry of anti-military activists. The “opportunist” label will still be used, but to less effect.
Prayut will be given the microphone on Monday to talk about his plans or wishes. The media will put his speech under the microscope and give a lot of attention to guests from other parties. Ruam Thai Sang Chart is recruiting, and defection rumours are spreading across much of the political landscape, particularly among government parties.
A video presentation of Prayut’s “achievements” will be a highlight at the Ruam Thai Sang Chart function, much to the dismay of his opponents, some of whom are even calling it a violation of the electoral law.
January 5, 2023: Unless there is some kind of last-minute intervention, a major ceremony will take place in the northeastern province of Sakon Nakhon on Monday and be hosted by Thailand’s most celebrated criminal suspects.
Hundreds or even thousands of people are expected to take part in the highly controversial ceremony to worship a reconstructed giant naga statue, despite legal, cultural and ethical questions plaguing the hosts and provincial authorities.
Supporters of Chaiphol Wipa and his wife Somporn, who are suspects in the death of three-year-old Orawan Wongsricha in 2020, insist that the couple must be presumed innocent as long as the court doesn’t say otherwise and must be free to exercise their religious faith. Prospective attendees also have freedom to do what they religiously stand for, it is claimed.
Yet the ceremony is contentious on many levels, and the controversy encompasses various government agencies. The statue was built in Mukdaharn, removed under a court order because it was situated on a piece of forest land, and reassembled in Sakon Nakhon _ all with donation money, so the couple having the final say on who could and could not attend the ceremony is not right, the critics say. To add to that, a complaint has been filed with the authorities over alleged lack of supervision by a certified engineer during the reconstruction process.On top of that, the critics ask whether criminal suspects on trial should hold a major ceremony that could influence public opinions about them or affect authorities’ judgement regarding their other activities. Also, several court witnesses are yet to testify in the couple’s on-going criminal case. In short, Monday’s gathering could further complicate a trial that is already highly-complicated.
During the last Loy Krathong festival in Sakon Nakhon, provincial invitation for the couple to join a fashion show was abruptly cancelled. Before that, however, Chaiphol became a guest of honour at a school sport event and reportedly presented awards to students.
What looked like initials of the couple’s nicknames, “P” and “T”, has been inscribed on the back of the statue’s head. Following an uproar, the letters have been covered up but the attention of cultural, religious and provincial authorities has been drawn. Residents of Sakon Nakhon have been divided over the upcoming ceremony but those purportedly having the final say are still silent as of now.
January 4, 2023: Move Forward and Seri Ruam Thai must capture Cholnan Srikaew’s press statement today denying that his hot-favourite political camp could form the next government with this or that party.
The statement insisted that Pheu Thai could form a single-party government if it won a landslide victory in this year’s general election. It did not name any group in particular but Cholnan was understood to try to distance his party from the government bloc, specifically the Palang Pracharath and/or Bhumjaithai parties.
Move Forward and Seri Ruam Thai might not be totally happy, though, because the statement mentioned the possibility of a single-party government. But at least the two current allies of Pheu Thai can thrust today’s statement in Cholnan’s face if the unthinkable happens after the election.
“We would like to deny news reports about (secret) agreements to form the next government with any other party,” the statement said. It added that such rumours must be part of a misinformation campaign to discredit Pheu Thai.
Perhaps the most touching part of the statement was Pheu Thai’s declaration that pre-election pacts were not totally democratic, because they could force voters’ hands or even can go against the wills of the majority of voters after they make their decisions.
January 3, 2023: Believe it nor not, a Pheu Thai-Palang Pracharath-Bhumjaithai coalition government has become one of the post-election scenarios, no matter how unlikely or even absurd it sounds.
While Pheu Thai’s conflicts with Bhumjaithai have intensified lately over the cannabis affair and electoral territories and candidates, the latter’s latest signal was that it was not anybody’s “sure thing.” That curious message has been amplified by Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul’s insistence the other day that despite their power, senators would not dare rejecting what the majority of MPs want.
Anutin was saying that any camp that can gather the support of 251 MPs should be allowed to form the next government. In effect, he was belittling the government side’s key “advantage”, the Senate.
To add to that, there have been whispers many senators are leaning toward Pheu Thai.
But Anutin’s comments on the Senate have not been along the same line. In his latest interview today, he was asked what would happen if Bhumjaithai emerged a bigger party than Palang Pracharath and Ruam Thai Sang Chart after the general election, in which case he would be the camp’s main prime ministerial contender. (The question somehow left out the Democrats, who still have solid support in the South and could take advantage of Palang Pracharath’s apparent decline in both the region and Bangkok.)
Anutin looked flattered, but his reply was that a lot would be up to who the Senate wants as the next prime minister.
So, Anutin seems to be fighting with himself over the significance of the Senate. To be fair to him, he was not totally wrong on both occasions.
January 2, 2023: The majority of the world must have found it funny, but a few professionals may not be laughing.
Calling Thailand Taiwan and vice versa is one thing if you are a tourist, but it’s another if you are a news correspondent, or commentator, or a graphic man at an international network. At CNN, one mistake could be forgiven, two might still be understandable, but three in rapid succession?
Taiwan Times quoted someone as tweeting that the person has seen Thailand-Taiwan mix-ups all his/her life, “but never ‘Bangkok, Taiwan’/”
That was the third CNN mishap in a short period of time. According to Taiwan Times, the first occurred when, at around 1 am Taipei Time on Sunday, CNN Hong Kong correspondent Kristie Lu Stout asked the news agency’s Taiwan correspondent in Taipei about what was happening in Thailand, which is one hour behind. Whether it’s CNN or a rural radio station, asking someone at the other end of the line a Thailand question when he or she was talking about Taiwan or having a Taiwan line of work was a bad idea. It courts disaster.
In an unfortunate labeling mishap, a headline appeared at 1:03 am that read “Thailand’s Capital Welcomes 2023” as the screen show fireworks exploding at Taiwan’s Taipei 101 tower, Taiwan Times said.
Next, at the 1:09 am mark, the screen continued to flash a wrong caption. This time it was “Bangkok celebrates 2023,” while the screen still displayed fireworks from Taipei. The next one probably takes the cake, as the screen capture taken at 3:37 a.m. did show an actual image of fireworks in Thailand, but CNN labeled the location “Bangkok, Taiwan.”
Screenshots of the snafus quickly went viral, of course. New Year mood ensured the incident was laughable and it was not a military crackdown or something. But there must have been red faces at CNN as many people watching the fireworks and CNN at the same time were interviewed and their pretended confusion was priceless.
One tweet brings a serious international affair into it. “They can’t offend China when they talk about Thailand.” Another said the capital of Thailand must be Taipei.
January 1, 2023: If our star completed its orbit of the core of the Milky Way galaxy today, its next “New Year” would be 250 million earth years from now.
The sun will have approximately 20 “new years” to come before it leaves the “main sequence”, which could be extremely hectic. (The science world is still reluctant to call it “death”, so the term “leaving the main sequence” sounds more like it. To put it simply, the sun has about 20 “new years” left before it stops being the sun as we know it.)
As our planet has to follow the sun everywhere, its fate could be our fate, unless humans by that time are capable of escaping it or seeing it with a totally different viewpoint.
The sun as we know it is more or less half way through. It has made about 18 orbits around the Milky Way galaxy since it was formed. It has celebrated 18 “new years”, so to speak. Of course, it has about 20 more new years to come before it leaves the main sequence, but things can get even more unpredictable after that.
When it evolves off the main sequence into a red giant star, it could make as many as 20 more orbits around the Milky Way. (All these are scientific estimates, subjected to more detailed studies or argument or what scientists of tomorrow discover.)
By all means, we seem to have plenty of time. It’s also noteworthy, however, that although one orbit around the Milky Way is an unimaginably long time for humans, the entire age of the sun is quicker than one blink of an eye in cosmic sense.
Happy New (Earth) Year, everyone.
Daily updates of local and international events by Tulsathit Taptim
