UDON THANI — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s recent campaign speeches have reignited tensions between Thailand’s “Red Shirt” Pheu Thai Party and the “Orange” political movement, which has evolved from Future Forward Party to Move Forward Party and now to the People’s Party, turning a local election in Udon Thani into a national spotlight event.
Making his first public campaign appearance in 18 years, Thaksin spoke at rallies supporting Pheu Thai’s candidate for the Udon Thani Provincial Administrative Organization chief position.
The event gained national attention not for the local candidate, but for the political sparring between major figures including Thaksin, Pita Limjaroenrat (the former Move Forward Party leader), and Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit (co-founder of the now-disbanded Future Forward Party), who is widely regarded as the de facto leader, or at least the spiritual leader, of the now-disbanded Move Forward Party and People’s Party.
Thaksin’s Controversial Return
Critics have accused Thaksin of re-entering politics despite his earlier statements about wanting to return to Thailand primarily to be close to his grandchildren. His campaign appearance coincided with his daughter Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s attendance at the APEC Summit in Peru.
During his two-day campaign in Udon Thani, traditionally considered a Red Shirt stronghold, Thaksin addressed various issues including the government’s drug suppression policies and regional economic development initiatives.
Growing Political Tensions
The situation became more heated when Thaksin criticized the People’s Party (the newest iteration of the orange-colored political movement), suggesting they needed help from Pita Limjaroenrat, the former Move Forward Party leader whom he compared to a “Korean drama star,” to boost their campaign.
He also recounted that when he met with Thanathorn, they discussed the party dissolution issue, noting that Pheu Thai Party itself had been dissolved three times. Therefore, he advised against focusing too much on proposing to dismantle existing structures, because many Thai people respect the royal institution, so it needs to be preserved. His stance is that it’s best not to touch the lese majeste law (Article 112) and focus on other issues.
Thaksin expressed confidence that under PM Paetongtarn’s leadership, Pheu Thai would secure over 200 parliamentary seats in the next general election, recovering from what he called a “slight accident” in 2023 when they finished second to the Move Forward Party.
Response from Opposition
Leaders from the orange political movement quickly responded to Thaksin’s comments.
Thanathorn criticized Thaksin’s reluctance to reform Thai society’s structures despite understanding the issues while Pita pointed out the contradiction in Thaksin’s stance against coups while forming a government with parties that had supported previous military takeovers.
Pita also stated that he’s not afraid of losing in the election because he has lost many times before. However, the party’s defeats have actually shown that their popularity has been steadily increasing, including in Udon Thani.
Government Optimism
Meanwhile, Pheu Thai Party members echoed Thaksin’s analysis that the party would regain more than 200 seats in parliament. For instance, Phumtham Wechayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, said this was possible and would depend on how successfully the government could implement its policies.
Phumtham said that former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had laid the groundwork, and Prime Minister Paetongtarn has continued the work, such as with the Digital Wallet project which faced resistance but has now completed two rounds of implementation, and the serious commitment to drug suppression.
“Looking at the government’s momentum, including the party’s local election candidacies where we’ve been winning consistently, as well as the by-election victory in Phitsanulok province, it shows that people are beginning to understand the reality more and aren’t just listening to narratives that don’t match the facts,” Phumtham said.
The Udon Thani Provincial Administrative Organization election is scheduled for November 24, but observers expect the political rivalry between the reds and the oranges, to continue well beyond the local contest.
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