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☆ Thailand's Thaksin lauds 'disruptors' Move Forward for election triumph
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Chayut Setboonsarng | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Before Sunday's vote, Thaksin's populist political juggernaut had won every election since 2001, despite being ousted from office three times. Move Forward had strong appeal and organisation in university towns, Thaksin said, adding many young people convinced their parents to vote for Move Forward. "Pheu Thai got hammered because we did not disrupt ourselves enough. Move Forward's trend overcame Pheu Thai and the other parties that had money," he said. Thaksin also pledged loyalty to the palace and stressed Pheu Thai would not back any actions by Move Forward that would impact the monarchy.

Move Forward's main coalition partner would be the Pheu Thai party, backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family that was - until now - the main challenger of the conservative, military-backed royalist establishment that has held power for the last decade. Pheu Thai, which won the last five general elections but got pushed out of power each time, secured 141 seats, according to the latest projections, only 10 fewer than Move Forward. "There are many obstacles that Move Forward and Pheu Thai have to overcome." Full-time politics came in 2019, when Pita entered parliament with 80 other members of the Future Forward Party. To become prime minister, Pita must also navigate the upper house.

☆ Thai Q1 GDP grows 2.7% y/y, beats expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BANGKOK, May 15 (Reuters) - Thailand's economy expanded 2.7% in the first quarter from a year earlier, official data showed on Monday, faster than expectations, as private consumption and tourism rebounded. On a quarterly basis, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy grew a seasonally adjusted 1.9% in the March quarter, data from the National Economic and Social Development Council showed. Economists in a Reuters poll had expected gross domestic product (GDP) to expand 2.3% year-on-year and 1.7% quarter-on-quarter. Reporting by Orathai Sriring, Kitiphong Thaichareon and Satawasin Staporncharnchai; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thai opposition parties look to form government
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Thai voters seen casting votes during the General Election at a polling station on May 14, 2023. Thailand's political heavyweights were set for an intense round of deal-making on Monday after an election that delivered big gains for the opposition over parties allied to the military but with no clear indication of alliances taking shape. Sunday's election showcased an extraordinary surge by the progressive Move Forward party that almost had a clean sweep of the capital Bangkok, followed closely by the populist Pheu Thai party, which had been the dominant force in every Thai election this century. Between them the two opposition parties decimated parties with ties to the royalist army but it is far from certain the opposition will form the next government, with parliamentary rules drafted by the military after a 2014 coup skewed in favor of its allies. To govern, agreements may need to be struck with multiple camps, including rival parties and members of a junta-appointed Senate with a record of favoring conservative parties led by generals.

☆ Deals to be done as Thai opposition parties look to form government
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Chayut Setboonsarng | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sunday's election showcased an extraordinary surge by the progressive Move Forward party that almost had a clean sweep of the capital Bangkok, followed closely by the populist Pheu Thai party, which had been the dominant force in every Thai election this century. Between them the two opposition parties decimated parties with ties to the royalist army but it is far from certain the opposition will form the next government, with parliamentary rules drafted by the military after a 2014 coup skewed in favour of its allies. To govern, agreements may need to be struck with multiple camps, including rival parties and members of a junta-appointed Senate with a record of favouring conservative parties led by generals. [1/2] Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, looks up at the crowd during the general election in Bangkok, Thailand, May 14, 2023. Pita said on Sunday he was ready to partner with Pheu Thai but Paetongtarn Shinawatra, one of her party's prime ministerial candidates, said it was too soon to discuss.

Investors are awaiting more tangible outcomes of Sunday's general election, after preliminary results showed the country's pro-democracy parties secured a strong majority. A calculation by Reuters based on data from the country' Election Commission suggests the anti-military Move Forward party, led by Thai businessman Pita Limjaroenrat, would win the most seats, followed by the Pheu Thai party. If confirmed, this would represent a resounding rejection of pro-military parties led by former prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, ending nine years of pro-military rule. The Pheu Thai party has put forward Paetongtarn Shinawatra — the daughter of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra — as its candidate for prime minister, while Reuters reported that Limjaroenrat also has "set his sights set on being prime minister." First quarter GDPSeparately, Thailand's gross domestic product for the first quarter grew 2.7%% year-on-year, beating expectations of a 2.3% rise.

☆ Political analysts, business groups react to Thailand election results
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAK, CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY"The top two parties will be Pheu Thai and Move Forward. "Pheu Thai fought the wrong war, the populism war that it already won. That's the new battleground in Thai politics. KEN MATHIS LOHATEPANONT, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN"Since 2001, Pheu Thai has won the largest number of seats at every election comfortably. After two decades, this certainty of Thai politics has been overturned.

☆ Thailand opposition on course to crush military parties in election rout
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Thailand's opposition secured a stunning election win on Sunday after trouncing parties allied with the military, setting the stage for a flurry of deal-making over forming a government in a bid to end nearly a decade of conservative, army-backed rule. To rule, the opposition parties will need to strike deals and muster support from multiple camps, including members of a junta-appointed Senate that has sided with military parties and gets to vote on who becomes prime minister and form the next administration. Move Forward came top, followed closely by Pheu Thai, the preliminary results showed. He said he remained open to an alliance with Pheu Thai, but has set his sights set on being prime minister. "It is now clear the Move Forward Party has received the overwhelming support from the people around the country," he said on Twitter.

☆ Thailand elections: Opposition parties won a landslide in elections but forming a government is not guaranteed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Pheu Thai, the main opposition party that has been a populist force in Thailand for 20 years, came second. “This is an unmistakable frontal rebuke, a rejection of Thailand’s military authoritarian past. Move Forward’s predecessor the Future Forward Party won the third most seats in the 2019 election. In the short term, that decision ended the threat from the Future Forward Party. But some also went on to create the Move Forward party that swept to victory in the popular vote on Sunday.

☆ Southeast Asia hit with record-breaking heat and heavy air pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Several cities in Southeast Asia experienced sweltering temperatures over the weekend, with some areas hitting new all-time highs as global climate change intensifies both heat waves and air pollution in the region. Luang Prabang, a city in Laos, saw a record-high temperature of 110.3 degrees Fahrenheit (43.5 degrees Celsius) Saturday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, also experienced a record-high temperature of 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) over the weekend. Singapore hit 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) Saturday, matching its all-time record, which was recorded 40 years ago, the National Environment Agency said. Southeast Asia is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, which has fueled more frequent and severe heat waves and worsened the region's air pollution.

The NESDC kept its 2023 GDP growth forecast unchanged at between 2.7% and 3.7%. It also kept its forecast for 2023 foreign tourist arrivals at 28 million. Thailand beat its tourism target in 2022 with 11.15 million foreign visitors. Pre-pandemic 2019 saw a record of nearly 40 million foreign tourists, who spent 1.91 trillion baht ($56 billion). The NESDC also kept its 2023 forecasts for goods exports to drop 1.6% and headline inflation to be between 2.5% and 3.5%.

☆ Thai Q1 GDP growth beats forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Southeast Asia's second-largest economy grew 2.7% in the January-March period from a year earlier, data from the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) showed. Economists in a Reuters poll had expected gross domestic product (GDP) to expand 2.3% year-on-year in the January-March period after increasing 1.4% in the previous three months. On a quarterly basis, GDP rose a seasonally adjusted 1.9% in the March quarter, versus a forecast rise of 1.7%. Fourth quarter GDP in 2022 was revised to a 1.1% contraction, from a earlier 1.5% fall. The NESDC kept its 2023 GDP growth forecast at 2.7% to 3.7%.

☆ Record turnout projected as Thais vote in battle of old rivalries
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A voter casts their vote into a ballot box at a polling station on May 14, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thais were forecast to vote in record numbers on Sunday in an election expected to deliver big gains for opposition forces, testing the resolve of a pro-military establishment at the heart of two decades of intermittent turmoil. Elsewhere in the capital, prime ministerial hopefuls for the ruling party and opposition groups cast their votes, including incumbent Prayuth Chan-ocha and Pheu Thai's Paetongtarn Shinawatra. "People need change," Paetongtarn said after casting her vote, expressing "high hopes" for a landslide victory. In 2006 the military toppled Thaksin, who fled into exile.

☆ Thai PM candidate casts vote in marijuana-print shirt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The 56-year-old is the prime ministerial candidate for the Bhumjaithai Party, which has campaigned on a promise to promote medical marijuana after successfully pushing for the substance to be decriminalised last year. Without associated regulations in place, recreational use surged, angering the Southeast Asian country's conservatives. Anutin has promised that if re-elected, he will tighten regulations to curb recreational use and restrict cannabis use to medical purposes only. Anutin flashed a smile as he emerged from a voting booth and declined to answer reporters' questions about the symbolism of his shirt. Prayuth faces off against the populist platform of the opposition Pheu Thai party, backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family, which has won every election in Thailand since 2001.

☆ Thai election: Opposition parties deliver surprise challenge to military leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Kocha Olarn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Bangkok, Thailand CNN —Thai voters have dealt a surprise blow to the ruling military-backed government in the country’s general election, throwing their support behind progressive anti-establishment parties that could change the course of the kingdom’s politics after years of military rule. Before counting paused, the Bhumjai Thai party was in third position, projected to win around 70 seats, while Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s party potentially would grab about 12 seats. Thai Prime Minister and United Thai Nation Party's candidate Prayut Chan-o-Cha leaves after casting his ballot at a polling station in Bangkok on May 14, 2023. Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty ImagesPrayut’s rise from military coup leader to prime minister has been marred with controversy, growing authoritarianism and widening inequality. It’s the party of the billionaire Shinawatra family – a controversial political dynasty headed by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

[1/2] Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, looks up at the crowd during the general election in Bangkok, Thailand, May 14, 2023. Move Forward has shaken the political landscape, long dominated by military-backed parties or the opposition Pheu Thai party driven by the billionaire Shinawatra family. Move Forward's charismatic prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat was jubilant. A chunk of Move Forward's support has come from young voters, including 3.3 million eligible to vote for the first time. "I feel like my vote has improved the country," she said, dressed in orange, Move Forward's colour, at party headquarters.

☆ Thai prime ministerial candidates cast their votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsThai prime ministerial candidates cast their votesPostedThai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and two of his rival candidates, Pita Limjaroenrat and Paetongtarn Shinawatra, cast their votes in Bangkok.

☆ Thailand’s Election: What to Watch and What’s at Stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Thai voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a hotly contested election that will determine whether Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the general who seized power in a coup in 2014, is unseated by his rivals. An observer of Thai politics has called the election the most consequential one in his lifetime. Opinion polls show that many voters want change, backing opposition parties that have promised to restore democratic rule in Thailand and roll back some of the authoritarian policies introduced by Mr. Prayuth. There is a broad sentiment that Mr. Prayuth has done little to boost the economy after nine years in power. His harsh crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Bangkok in 2020 has also alienated many voters.

☆ Factbox: Preliminary results of Thailand's election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, meets with the media members on the day of the general election in Bangkok, Thailand, May 14, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge SilvaBANGKOK, May 14 (Reuters) - Thailand's opposition parties Move Forward and Pheu Thai won the most seats in Sunday's election, paving the way for a challenge to the military-backed government, which has been in power for nearly a decade. Parliamentary seats are distributed based on 400 open constituency seats and 100 'party-list' seats - or seats won by parties based on their share of national votes. Below are preliminary results of Sunday's ballot, according to the Election Commission of Thailand, with 97% of the vote counted. The tabulation of party-list seats is based on a Reuters tally of voting data made available by the election commission.

☆ Old rivalries, new battle as Thailand goes to the polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Chayut Setboonsarng | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Electoral workers prepare ahead of the upcoming general election, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 13, 2023. The election again pits Pheu Thai's driving force, the billionaire Shinawatra family, against a nexus of old money, military and conservatives with influence over key institutions that have toppled three of the populist movement's four governments. We will change from a dictatorship to a democratically elected government," Paetongtarn told cheering crowds on Friday at Pheu Thai's final rally. The United Thai Nation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the coup against Pheu Thai's last government, has pledged debt relief, cheaper electricity for low-income groups and subsidies for transport and crop harvesting. ($1 = 33.8500 baht)Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thai opposition take on kingdom’s conservative cliques in challenge to military’s power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The junta-era constitution gives the establishment-dominated upper house a significant say in who can ultimately form a government so opposition parties must win by a strong margin. It’s the party of the billionaire Shinawatra family – a controversial political dynasty headed by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Paetongtarn only entered politics three years ago but has presented herself as hailing from a new generation to connect with young Thais. To be prime minister, a candidate must have a majority in both houses – or at least 375 votes. That means an opposition party or coalition need almost three times as many votes in the lower house as a military party to be able to elect the next leader.

☆ Thai candidates parade through Bangkok before Sunday vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Chayut Setboonsarng | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha faces an uphill battle to retain power in Sunday's general election, with opposition parties including Pheu Thai and Move Forward surging in popularity, according to opinion polls. On the back of a bright red car, Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Srettha Thavisin - two prime ministerial candidates for Pheu Thai - waved to onlookers. "I would like to ask first time voters to choose Pheu Thai," Paetongtarn told reporters as she stepped off the vehicle. [1/7] Thailand's incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha greets supporters at the United Thai Nation Party's (Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party) rally event ahead of the upcoming general election, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 12, 2023. Across town, a truck carrying members of Prayuth's United Thai Nation party stopped occasionally as supporters took selfies and gave flowers.

☆ Thailand’s election could be a lose-lose scenario
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, May 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Thailand’s elections on Sunday might return opposition parties to power for the first time since 2014, or alternatively deliver a stitched-up military-backed government. Assuming one of these opposition parties wins, it will need to control 376 seats out of the combined 500-seat House of Representatives and the 250-seat Senate to choose a prime minister. Pheu Thai claims it can lift annual economic growth to around 5% so long as is in power, which would be nearly double 2022’s low base. Higher incomes might ease Thailand’s household debt, which at 87% of GDP is the third-highest in Asia. HSBC analysts expect revenue at major Thai corporations to grow by only 2% next year – again, well behind neighbours – and Pheu Thai is mulling a 20% tax on private company profits, per a report in the Bangkok Post.

☆ These maps show how far China's freight railways are stretching across Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — In the last two years, China has announced the opening of new freight train lines, while cross-border railways have become a feature in President Xi Jinping's meetings with regional leaders. Here's a look at where the rail lines are being built across the Asian continent. In the last six months, China also opened freight train lines to Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, according to state media. Those freight lines are in addition to China's relatively older rail network through central Asia — connecting Yiwu in eastern China to London. While it's difficult to verify how operational all the rail lines are, official reports offer a glimpse at how China's Belt and Road ambitions are panning out.

This time, Pheu Thai is polling strongly along with the progressive, youth-oriented, Move Forward party. 'LOOKING FOR A DEAL'But bringing her father home may ultimately be the deciding factor for Pheu Thai, and that would force it into a deal with the establishment. "Post election, Pheu Thai will be biding its time and looking for a deal. That's why I think the likelihood of Pheu Thai going with Move Forward is very slim." He said he could envision a deal that allowed Thaksin to return in exchange for minimal jail time and a promise not to run for office.

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