22/01/2026

THURSDAY | JAN 22, 2026

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Thai People’s Party tests new playbook

lawmaker, resigned from the party earlier this month, arguing that the appointment of outsiders meant long-term members were overlooked. “You can bring in hundreds more technocrats, professors, PhDs, and elites, but none of them are worth as much as a single idealist who has to leave,” she wrote on social media. The People’s Party unveiled its team of experts on Jan 11, presenting them as potential cabinet ministers, alongside their slate of prime ministerial candidates including leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut and key economic strategist Sirikanya Tansakun. Among the new inductees were former Thai envoy to the US Pisan Manawapat, former law dean at Bangkok’s Thammasat University Munin Pongsapan and Peangpanor Boonklum, a veteran corporate lawyer and former PTT executive. “The move allows the party to present their own alternative to Bhumjaithai’s team of technocrats, which could help the party pull wavering voters, especially middle class urbanites,” said independent analyst Mathis Lohatepanont. Bhumjaithai, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, has named Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow as one of its prime ministerial candidates. If it returns to power, the ruling party has said business executive Suphajee Suthumpun and former bureaucrat Ekniti Nitithanprapas will continue as commerce and finance ministers. Although it is still too early to gauge the overall impact of the People’s Party’s new strategy, the softening of its position on contentious issues gives it more elbow room after the votes are counted, said Lohatepanont. “This could be seen as an election strategy to broaden the base and to ensure options are kept as open as possible in forming a government,” he said. – Reuters

Thailand’s royal insult law in 2021. The groundwork for the People’s Party popularity has been carefully engineered, particularly after the progressives’ anti-establishment stance left its forerunner unable to form a government despite winning the last general election. Move Forward picked up 151 seats in parliament in 2023 on a platform that included reforming the royalist military and breaking up business monopolies. But a military-appointed Senate blocked its prime ministerial candidate in a parliamentary vote, opening the way for Pheu Thai to govern Southeast Asia’s second largest economy. It was another round in the decades-long tussle between popular political movements and Thailand’s conservative establishment, backed by the military, that has triggered bouts of instability, including violent protests and coups. Around a year after the election, a Thai court ordered the dissolution of Move Forward, ruling that its campaign to amend a law that protects the monarchy from criticism risked undermining the democratic system. Within hours of the ruling, its leaders announced they had formed the People’s Party. This time around the progressives appear to be moderating their position, including dropping their call to amend the royal insult law and softening their stance on the military. Four People’s Party members told Reuters that its campaign would double down on promoting detailed governance plans and a new team of experienced professionals. “We think that it could help restore people’s faith and trust in the People’s Party,” one of them said. But the strategy of bringing in outside talent has caused upset within the grouping. Kalyapat Rachitroj, a former

parliament to secure a clear majority. It is at 30% to 34% in most opinion polls, so even if the momentum carries the party to victory, its ability to govern may still be stymied by its rivals. A surge in nationalism following a fierce border conflict with Cambodia is providing ammunition to the campaigns of Thailand’s conservatives, who are using the dispute to attack the People’s Party agenda. The party also faces potential legal action from an anti-graft agency that could suspend dozens of its members and ban them from politics for attempting to amend

2023. Two surveys released in mid January showed the People’s Party and its prime ministerial candidate as the overwhelming favourites, trouncing the ruling Bhumjaithai party and the populist Pheu Thai, which led a previous ruling coalition. “We are at the best position we’ve ever been in,” Deputy Leader Rangsiman Rome told Reuters, saying its detailed policy proposals were pulling in support alongside efforts to woo the undecided. “For those that accused us of not being ready to run the country, we are showing them the opposite: that we have the team.” The People’s Party will need to win at least 250 of the 500 seats in

BANGKOK: Three years ago, a party of reform-minded progressives swept Thailand’s election in the wake of mass anti-establishment protests only to be blocked from taking power and forced to disband. Now reborn as the People’s Party, Thai voters are once again backing the progressives’ promises of change, making the party the clear frontrunner for the Feb 8 polls, ahead of rivals that joined forces against its predecessor after the last election in o Progressives seen as election favourites

Rangsiman ... We are at the best position we’ve ever been in. – REUTERSFILEPIC

Over 1,400 Indonesians left Cambodian scam groups recently PHNOM PENH: More than 1,400 Indonesians have left cyberscam networks in Cambodia in the last five days, Jakarta said yesterday, after Phnom Penh pledged a fresh crackdown on the illicit trade. Some foreign nationals have evacuated suspected scam compounds across Cambodia this month as the government pledged to “eliminate” problems related to the online fraud industry, which the United Nations says employs at least 100,000 people in Cambodia. Between Jan 16 and 20, 1,440 Indonesians left sites operated by online scam syndicates around Cambodia and went to the Indonesian embassy in Phnom Penh for help, the mission said in a statement. The “largest wave of arrivals” occurred on Monday when 520 Indonesians came to the embassy, it said. Law enforcement measures against scam operators meant more citizens would likely continue showing up at the embassy, it said. “The main problem for them is that they do not possess passports and they are staying in Cambodia without valid immigration permits,” according to the embassy. It urged Indonesians leaving scam sites to report to the embassy, which could assist them with securing travel

documents and overstay fine waivers in order to return home. Indonesia said its embassy in Phnom Penh handled more than 5,000 consular service cases for citizens in Cambodia last year, more than 80% of which were related to Indonesians who “admitted to being involved with syndicates”. – AFP

28 firms lose licences after Sumatra floods JAKARTA: Indonesia has revoked the licences of 28 forestry, mining and plantation companies found to have violated prevailing laws and caused environmental damage, in the wake of severe floods and landslides that hit parts of Sumatra in November last year. State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the decision was made after holders for natural and plantation forests and six companies operating in the mining and plantation sectors, as well as holders of Timber Forest Product Utilisation Business Permits,” he said. The meeting on Monday was also attended by several ministers and senior officials, including Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Attorney General ST Burhanuddin.

S’pore opposition left leaderless SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party said yesterday it will not nominate another of its lawmakers to be Leader of the Opposition.

within forest areas. Of this total, he said around 900,000ha have been returned as conservation forests to safeguard biodiversity. Prasetyo reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that all natural resource based businesses comply with the law. “All of this is carried out for the greatest benefit and prosperity of all Indonesian people,” he said. Prabowo is on a working visit to the United Kingdom and Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum. – Bernama

The party said: “In other Westminster systems, the title of the Leader of the Opposition is established by law and is not the prerogative or choice of the Government of the day or the Prime Minister. This approach expresses the authority and sanctity of the people’s vote.” In Singapore, the Leader of the Opposition role is designated by the head of government and not provided for in the constitution or parliament’s standing orders. The post comes with certain privileges, staff support and an allowance. – Reuters

It said the leader should be the head of the largest opposition party in parliament. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong last week stripped party secretary-general Pritam Singh of the post, saying his position had become untenable after his lying conviction. Wong asked the party, which has 10 of the 97 seats, to nominate a lawmaker to take Singh’s place.

President Prabowo Subianto received a briefing from the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force during a meeting held via video conference from London. “The 28 companies consist of 22 Forest Utilisation Business Permit

Prasetyo noted that within one year, the task force had succeeded in reclaiming and taking control of 4.09 million hectares of plantations located