25/12/2025

THURSDAY | DEC 25, 2025

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Vietnam Communist Party chief stays in top job

Less than 100 days after he was elected premier, Anutin dissolved parliament earlier this month when his minority government faced the threat of a no-confidence vote. Speaking to party members and supporters yesterday, Anutin said he and his Bhumjaithai party were ready to return to power, describing the Feb 8 election as “the most consequential poll” for the conservative political outfit since its formation in 2008. “Today we are sure and ready to enter the election race to serve Thailand and its people,” Anutin said. “This is the first time the Thai people has high expectations from the Bhumjaithai Party.” If re-elected, Anutin said that key executives of his government will keep their roles, including Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun. Anutin stands to gain from growing nationalist sentiment generated by the conflict with Cambodia, which reignited on his watch. However, analysts say the election could be close and grant no clear majority for any of the parties involved. Yodchanan Wongsawat, a leading prime ministerial candidate with the Pheu Thai Party, told Reuters in an interview that he is open to join a coalition government. HANOI: Vietnam’s Communist Party on Tuesday endorsed General Secretary To Lam to remain in the top job for the next five years, according to two sources briefed on a meeting where senior officials agreed to a slate of candidates to be announced at the party congress in January. Lam, who became party chief after the death of his predecessor in August last year, has enacted reforms described by officials as “a revolution”, slashing the bureaucracy and cracking down on corruption as he seeks to boost economic growth. “No change. The party chief remains in his position to ensure stability,” a source briefed on the meeting told AFP. A second source confirmed he will continue as general secretary and also be nominated to serve simultaneously as president, as Chinese President Xi Jinping has done. “On behalf of those entrusted with the nomination to the (party) Central Committee and leadership positions for the next term ... we would like to thank the Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat for their trust in assigning us this task,” Lam said in a speech on Tuesday, appearing to thank delegates for nominating him. “We will continue to work together in unity and with a high sense of responsibility and efficiency, meeting the expectations of the party and the people.” The leadership decisions must be finalised at the party congress which

slashed from 30 to 22. State media, the civil service, the police and the military all faced cuts. Roughly 147,000 people were made redundant or took early retirement as Hanoi sought to streamline bureaucracy and boost the economy. Slashing the bureaucracy has been a Communist Party goal for nearly a decade, but Lam intensified the drive. Lam also pushed to reduce the country’s 63 provincial and city administrations to just 34. The reforms to the structure of government follow a high-profile anti-corruption campaign in recent years. The drive has swept up dozens of business leaders and senior government figures, including two presidents and three deputy prime ministers since 2021. The radical reforms piloted by Lam come after a long period in which change came slowly, with the government emphasising stability and calm to build a reputation for predictability and court foreign investors. – AFP

o Leadership decisions to be finalised next month runs from Jan 19 to 25, when key policy plans will also be outlined for the next five years. Lam, who served briefly as president last year, stepped up as the top leader two weeks after the death of former general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong last year. Lam’s rise to the top job followed a long career with the secretive Public Security Ministry, which deals with the monitoring of dissent and surveillance in Vietnam, a one-party state. In his short tenure, he has accelerated administrative reforms and announced vast infrastructure investments – aiming to meet aggressive growth targets that underpin the party’s claim to legitimacy. The reforms saw the number of government ministries and agencies

Lam will continue as general secretary and also be nominated to serve simultaneously as president. – REUTERSFILEPIC

Anutin picked as prime ministerial candidate BANGKOK: Thailand’s caretaker leader Anutin Charnvirakul was picked by his party yesterday to stand as its candidate for prime minister in a general election in early February, as he bids to benefit from a wave of nationalism arising from an ongoing border conflict with Cambodia.

Cambodia slams Thai demolition of Hindu statue in disputed area PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian official accused Thailand of destroying a Hindu statue in a disputed border area, after more than two weeks of military clashes between the neighbours. “The statue was inside our territory in the An Ses area,” said Kim Chanpanha, a government spokesman in the border province of Preah Vihear. He said the demolition of the Vishnu statue, built in 2014, occurred on Monday about 100m from the border with Thailand. A Google Maps search showed the statue’s location was around 400m from the border line. “We condemn the destruction of ancient temples and statues that are worshipped by Buddhist and Hindu followers,” Chanpanha said. Videos showing the demolition of the Vishnu statue using a back-hoe loader circulated on Thai social media pages and in local media on Monday. AFP analysed the footage using AI detection tools, which found no signs of AI manipulation. AFP also independently verified the location of the statue. A spokesperson for the Thai army has not replied to a request for comment. One post featuring the video clip, by a pro-Indian X account, racked up more than two million views by yesterday. A media representative at the Indian embassy in Bangkok said New Delhi had not yet issued a response regarding the incident. – AFP

Anutin ... ready to return to power at the next election. – REUTERSPIC

request by Cambodia to hold bilateral talks in a neutral country to negotiate an end to the skirmish. Thai officials said the four-day meeting would begin as scheduled in Chanthaburi province, but Phnom Penh has yet to confirm attendance. “We guarantee Chanthaburi is safe. This province is the original plan for hosting the GBC (General Border Committee) even before the fighting started,” Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said on Tuesday. Surasant said officials from the border committee would meet from Wednesday to Saturday. – Reuters

between then minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Paetongtarn was later dismissed by the Constitutional Court in August, opening the door for Anutin. A savvy political operator, Anutin manoeuvred his way to the top job through a parliamentary vote in September after striking a deal with the opposition People’s Party, the largest force in parliament. That agreement, however, fell through earlier this month, setting the stage for February’s earlier-than expected snap election. Thailand on Tuesday rejected a prime

In a nationwide survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration, Bhumjaithai is polling at 9.92%, fourth among the major parties competing in the vote. But the survey also indicated that some 32.36% of voters had yet to decide which party they will back, leaving space for Bhumjaithai to gain ground in the coming weeks. Bhumjaithai came third in the 2023 election, joining a Pheu Thai-led ruling coalition, with which it stayed until June this year. The party withdrew its support following a leaked phone call