A woman holds up placards featuring Thai candidate for prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra at the Thunder Dome Stadium in Nonthaburi, north of the capital Bangkok | AFP-JIJI

 

BY SUI-LEE WEE AND MUKTITA SUHARTONO
THE NEW YORK TIMES

BANGKOK – For nearly two decades, the military and conservative establishment in Thailand has sought to keep former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his supporters out of power. Thaksin, a populist politician and a business tycoon, was ousted in a coup in 2006 before he fled the country. Several years later, his sister succeeded him as prime minister and then suffered the same fate.

 

Now, conservatives are watching warily as his political party looks set to dominate next month’s election. The party’s star campaigner is Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter and a strong contender for prime minister.

 

With a formidable last name but little in the way of political experience, Paetongtarn, 36, has revived the prospect of her father’s return from exile and the resurgence of the most politically polarizing dynasty in Thai politics. Critics have tried to seize on her family’s past scandals — and on her current pregnancy, eight months along — but she has galvanized crowds during campaign events and fueled nostalgia for her family’s legacy.

 

Full story: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/04/25/asia-pacific/politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific/thailand-polarizing-family-election/

 

This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 

© 2023 The New York Times Company

 

-- 2023-04-25

 

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More proof that Thailand is a third world country hopelessly mired in corruption.

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

little in the way of political experience

Just goes to show how lucky Thailand's been with a currupt general as PM who had little in the way of political experience but gained power through a coup d'etat and remained in power by changing the constitution, shifting the goal posts during an election and having supprt from his paid off cronie generals etc in the Senate.

Go Paetongtarn....I want you as my PM. You will be as good as Yingluck was.....brilliant.

As much as Thaksin stole from the Thai people, they were much better off when he was in office.

 

It's kind of like Clinton in the US. He may have been screwing everything in sight, but he got the job done.

3 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

As much as Thaksin stole from the Thai people, they were much better off when he was in office.

 

It's kind of like Clinton in the US. He may have been screwing everything in sight, but he got the job done.

As were we all!

Certainly falangs tenure wasn't mired then in the endemic bureaucratic BS of today 

2 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Go Paetongtarn....I want you as my PM. You will be as good as Yingluck was.....brilliant.

The famers who killed themselves as they didn't get paid for their rice might disagree.

36yo. Better than a 76yo. Get some youth in there.

21 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

The famers who killed themselves as they didn't get paid for their rice might disagree.

Pure BS just propaganda and lies spread spread by opposite party.  Funny how farang continue to believe and spread them also.  Weak minded people are in every society 

3 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Go Paetongtarn....I want you as my PM. You will be as good as Yingluck was.....brilliant.

Yeah the rice pledging scheme was a beauty... 

Most polarizing family...that can be talked about publicly ????

the junta dont like any opposition ,,just like pootin and his thugs ,who now chair the united nations ,how weird is that

5 hours ago, webfact said:

With a formidable last name but little in the way of political experience, Paetongtarn, 36,

Since the coup which started the close down of the Shinewatra political clan was 16 years ago, and the older generations are in exile, it is inevitable that Paetongtarn has little in the way of political experience.

 

Mind you, few if any of the others have experience of actually fighting and winning elections on policies or past performance - Prawit and Prayut anyone?

2 hours ago, bignok said:

36yo. Better than a 76yo. Get some youth in there.

But is a PM with a newborn baby a good idea?

Very few Thai politicians are good at their job. They didn't learn anything about how to make the country prosperous and some think that moving from the military to politics is so easy. But they accomplish nothing.

I don't think anyone in their 30s should be called immature. Leave that for the 20-year-olds. Give young bloods a chance either to prove they can do no better than soldiers, or cheer them on to move the country upward and onward. 

Thailand deserves better. 

 

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

But is a PM with a newborn baby a good idea?

Look at NZ... she did the same. And they have money for a squadron of Nannies...

6 hours ago, Keep Right said:

More proof that Thailand is a third world country hopelessly mired in corruption.

Yet, we tend to conveniently ignore the omnipresent corruption, criminal/unethical and grafted activity that has always existed throughout the most civilised first world [whatever that is].

 

When dumbing down, and the acceptance thereof, becomes a hard-wired facet of life it all becomes rather moot to use surface superlative and comparatives. 

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

But is a PM with a newborn baby a good idea?

Nannies are cheap in Thailand

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

But is a PM with a newborn baby a good idea?

Why would it not be a good idea?

The conservatives know they're going to get hammered in the election yet they still hope Prayuth or Pravit can be PM.

How?

The constitution doesn't limit the length of time that a new government must be formed within post election.

So Prayut continues as a caretaker government, he's got the senators, the MPs from the present government. All he has to do is 'persuade' enough PT MPs to switch sides, as they've done before, and hey! Bob, or rather Tu, is your uncle again.

I hope I'm wrong but the deliberate loophole of no time limit to form a government is a worry.

 

I saw a long interview conducted in English with this lady on Thai TV in March - attractive but little in the way of ideas and with a new-born baby. The back seat driver(s) will be dictating events.

 

And for the record, I think the current incumbents are equally rubbish/corrupt! Future Forward were the only people who sounded semi-credible and we all know what happened to them.

8 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Go Paetongtarn....I want you as my PM. You will be as good as Yingluck was.....brilliant.

And if her baby is born into office, it will be an early start for the Thaksin premier for the next generation. ????

35 minutes ago, bannork said:

The conservatives know they're going to get hammered in the election yet they still hope Prayuth or Pravit can be PM.

How?

The constitution doesn't limit the length of time that a new government must be formed within post election.

So Prayut continues as a caretaker government, he's got the senators, the MPs from the present government. All he has to do is 'persuade' enough PT MPs to switch sides, as they've done before, and hey! Bob, or rather Tu, is your uncle again.

I hope I'm wrong but the deliberate loophole of no time limit to form a government is a worry.

 

Or even easier......just initiate another soft coup. 

46 minutes ago, bannork said:

The conservatives know they're going to get hammered in the election yet they still hope Prayuth or Pravit can be PM.

How?

The constitution doesn't limit the length of time that a new government must be formed within post election.

So Prayut continues as a caretaker government, he's got the senators, the MPs from the present government. All he has to do is 'persuade' enough PT MPs to switch sides, as they've done before, and hey! Bob, or rather Tu, is your uncle again.

I hope I'm wrong but the deliberate loophole of no time limit to form a government is a worry.

 

I thought Pheu Thai were the conservatives

10 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

Since the coup which started the close down of the Shinewatra political clan was 16 years ago, and the older generations are in exile, it is inevitable that Paetongtarn has little in the way of political experience.

 

Mind you, few if any of the others have experience of actually fighting and winning elections on policies or past performance - Prawit and Prayut anyone?

She has lived, practically her entire life, dead centre of Thai politics. She will no doubt be one of the best connected individuals in the country, she will know the true backstory and major players in every significant political event of the past 25 years. She has 3 family members who have been PM… that is 3 trusted (for blood is thicker than water) advisors she can rely on who have “been there, done that”. Additionally, her opposition, the old guard right wing elites are weaker and more divided than they have ever been. Long story short, after winning the election and becoming PM, she will go on to win re-election in a far more devastating and crushing landslide than Thaksin’s huge 2005 re-election win.

3 hours ago, MrMojoRisin said:

She has lived, practically her entire life, dead centre of Thai politics. She will no doubt be one of the best connected individuals in the country, she will know the true backstory and major players in every significant political event of the past 25 years. She has 3 family members who have been PM… that is 3 trusted (for blood is thicker than water) advisors she can rely on who have “been there, done that”. Additionally, her opposition, the old guard right wing elites are weaker and more divided than they have ever been. Long story short, after winning the election and becoming PM, she will go on to win re-election in a far more devastating and crushing landslide than Thaksin’s huge 2005 re-election win.

Oh I hope you are right.

16 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

The famers who killed themselves as they didn't get paid for their rice might disagree.

When Suthep Thausugban unleashed his very carefully planned comprehensive plan to destroy the election and prepare the ground for the coup, he also issued a number of not so subtle threats to the state owned banks to ensure that the pledges would never be met.

4 hours ago, MrMojoRisin said:

She has lived, practically her entire life, dead centre of Thai politics. She will no doubt be one of the best connected individuals in the country, she will know the true backstory and major players in every significant political event of the past 25 years. She has 3 family members who have been PM… that is 3 trusted (for blood is thicker than water) advisors she can rely on who have “been there, done that”. Additionally, her opposition, the old guard right wing elites are weaker and more divided than they have ever been. Long story short, after winning the election and becoming PM, she will go on to win re-election in a far more devastating and crushing landslide than Thaksin’s huge 2005 re-election win.

Maybe, but the fly in the soup will be what she does to try and bring her father back without him facing judicial process or doing prison time.

That alone might trigger another coup. Don't forget the outcry when auntie tried the same thing.

20 hours ago, webfact said:

a formidable last name but little in the way of political experience,

Prayuth did not have a formidable name; nor political experience and he made it to the top.  You just need more guns than the opposition.

11 hours ago, bignok said:

I thought Pheu Thai were the conservatives

The book on PT might suggest not, but wiser souls understand there's not much difference [if any] in comparison to the traditional ruling clique.