THAI.NEWS - Thailand Breaking News

Election Commission Chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong unveiled the unofficial results of the general election in Thailand on Monday. This major event was observed closely by international audiences, including US Ambassador Robert Godec who issued a statement recognizing the vast participation of Thai citizens in the voting process. As Thailand’s longtime friend and ally, the United States is eager to learn the election’s final results. According to Boonpracong, after counting 99% of the ballots, the Move Forward Party has emerged as the winner with the highest number of seats. Among the 52,238,594 eligible voters in the kingdom, a record-breaking 75.22% voter turnout was observed on Sunday, resulting in 39,293,867 total ballots cast. This percentage surpasses the 75.03% turnout of 2011 and exceeds the 74.87% turnout in the 2019 polls. This impressive voter turnout demonstrates the political engagement of Thai citizens, who participated in various roles such as election observers, poll workers, media…

Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat recently encountered opposition from two senators who expressed their doubts about supporting him for the position of prime minister. They cited concerns over his attitude towards the monarchy. Senator Jadet Insawang, one of the dissenting voices, reminded the public that upon assuming office, he had sworn to uphold the constitution and protect the constitutional monarchy. Insawang pointed out that both the Move Forward Party and Limjaroenrat had previously declared their intentions to repeal Section 112, which pertains to the protection of His Majesty the King. The senator argued that such a move would undermine the royal institution and, as such, was unacceptable. Section 112 falls under the lese majeste laws defined in the Criminal Code. Jadet further stated, “If Mr. Pita is nominated [for prime minister], I will reject it because I will observe the constitution and keep my oath.” He questioned Limjaroenrat’s intentions…

In the historic Ubon Ratchathani province, a political underdog emerged victorious as the Peu Thai Rumphalang Party managed to secure not one, but two seats in the recent elections. This small yet ambitious party, which bears a striking resemblance to the well-known Pheu Thai Party in terms of its name and logo, succeeded in toppling long-standing local MPs and capturing the hearts of the constituents. The triumphant candidates from the Peu Thai Rumphalang Party, in a surprising turn of events, claimed victory in Constituency 3 and Constituency 10 of Ubon Ratchathani province. Phimphakan Phonsamak, a former president of the Ubon Ratchathani’s provincial administrative organization (PAO), amassed a total of 31,218 votes, which translated to 31.35% of all votes in Constituency 3. Her closest rival, Chuwit Phithakphonphanlop, managed to secure only 22,020 votes. Chuwit had previously aligned with the Democrat Party in the 1990s and later represented the Pheu Thai Party…

In a shocking incident in Bangkok’s Bang Kolaem district, a 25-year-old Polish man was arrested for the alleged murder of his Ukrainian girlfriend in a high-rise condominium. The suspect, identified as Jan Filippow, reportedly tried to dismember the body before hastily attempting to flee the scene. Filippow caught a taxi at the condominium building on Monday afternoon, evidently in such a hurry to leave that his suspicious behavior caught the attention of the taxi driver. The driver attempted to stall Filippow and alerted the condominium staff to his strange demeanor. However, Filippow insisted that the driver take him away from the building immediately. On receiving the information from the driver, building staff notified the condominium room owner and subsequently discovered the lifeless body of the 27-year-old Ukrainian woman. She was found lying face up in her bed on the 32nd floor, with her body slashed from the neck to the…

Deputy leader of the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, extended his gratitude to the party’s supporters for their votes in the recent election. Speaking at Government House on Monday, after the election results were announced, Thanakorn expressed his appreciation for every vote cast in favor of the party and its candidates, particularly those from Nakhon Si Thammarat, his hometown. “UTN MPs from the South have managed to achieve their goals, and I would like to thank the voters in Nakhon Si Thammarat for making that possible,” said Thanakorn. He acknowledged that losing an election is a normal occurrence and congratulated the parties that secured more votes than UTN. Regarding the formation of the next government, Thanakorn remarked, “We’ll have to wait and see what the next cabinet will look like.” He informed that UTN’s leaders had convened to discuss the election outcome and that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha…

Ballot papers have been torn in various provinces during the recent election, yet it seems that most violators, the majority of which were elderly and had health issues, insisted they had no ill intentions and acted out of confusion. Following the closing of the polls, the Royal Thai Police’s election coordination center received reports that around 20 voters had torn up ballot papers across the nation. In Hat Yai, in the province of Songkhla, a 76-year-old retiree accidentally tore her green ballot for the party-list system into two pieces, as she did not see a purple ballot and assumed only one was used. Her eyesight issue led her to ask the election officials for help, and she subsequently faced a charge of violating the election law. Meanwhile, in Thalang district of Phuket, a 77-year-old man tore his marked ballot papers under the impression that he was meant to do so.…

Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a candidate for the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) list-MP, recently leveled accusations against Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader and prime ministerial candidate for the Move Forward Party (MFP). Mr. Ruangkrai claimed that Mr. Pita held shares in the media company iTV Plc as of April 27th of the previous year. If the Election Commission agrees with this assertion, Mr. Pita could face disqualification from running for parliament, as Section 98(3) of the constitution forbids media company shareholders from participating in a general election. Mr. Ruangkrai announced his intentions to petition the commission for a formal investigation into Mr. Pita’s alleged ineligibility to defend the House seat he won in the 2019 election. According to Mr. Ruangkrai, when Mr. Pita was sworn in on May 25, 2019, the 42,000 iTV shares he held at the time of registration were not included in the 45 assets that he declared to the…

Concerns have been raised over Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project by the Thai Sang Thai (TST) Party, suggesting that it only benefits a select number of large companies, leaving small local businesses at a disadvantage. The EEC is designed to focus on 12 S-curve industries, such as new-generation car production and smart electronics, aiming at transforming it into a high-tech industrial hub. TST prime ministerial candidate, Supan Mongkolsutee, argues that very few small businesses have the ability to meet the EEC’s criteria and become part of the corridor, and calls for increased government support to give small and medium-sized enterprises a competitive edge in the area. In response to the lack of support for some communities within the bureaucratic system, the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) has pledged to resolve the issue. During a campaign session in Ban Sap Hin Kaew, PPRP’s candidate Wirat Warich-alangkarn encountered citizens who complained about…

As the countdown to Sunday’s general election continues, the Election Commission (EC) is working hard to increase voter turnout and ensure a smooth voting process. With a large billboard near Victory Monument announcing the upcoming election, the EC, led by Chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong, has launched the “Big Day” campaign to encourage citizens to make their voices heard at the polls. According to City Hall, the voter turnout for Bangkok’s advance voting on the previous Sunday reached an impressive 91.81%, surpassing the 87% recorded during the March 2019 poll. Mr. Ittiporn expressed his hope that the Big Day campaign will stimulate even more participation in the election, and urged voters to familiarize themselves with the election rules to minimize invalid ballots. The EC is aiming for a rejection rate of no more than 2% of all ballots cast this Sunday. While some mistakes occurred during the advance voting stage last weekend,…