Nepal Police Shoot and Kill At Least 17 People Protesting a Social Media Ban

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8 September 2025, 21:58

Nepal Protest — Riot police use water cannon on protesters during clashes outside parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Police in Kathmandu opened fire Monday on protesters demonstrating against a government ban on social media, killing at least 17 people and wounding 145, officials said.

The death toll was announced by police official Shekhar Khanal. He said that 28 police officers were among the wounded, as smaller protests continued into late Monday evening.

Rallies swept the streets of Kathmandu around the Parliament building, which was surrounded by tens of thousands of people angry over the decision by authorities to block most social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube. Officials said the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.

Protesters pushed through barbed wire and forced riot police to retreat inside the Parliament complex. Police eventually opened fire at the protesters.

AP25251332100224 — Protesters shout slogans as they gather outside the Parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The situation remained tense and the government announced a curfew for Monday around Parliament, the government secretariat, presidential house and key parts of the city.

Seven of those killed and scores of wounded were received at the National Trauma Center, the country’s main hospital located in the heart of Kathmandu.

“Many of them are in serious condition and appear to have been shot in the head and chest,” said Dr. Badri Risal, a physician. Families waited anxiously outside for news of their relatives while people lined up to donate blood.

“Stop the ban on social media, stop corruption not social media,” the crowds outside parliament chanted, waving the red and blue national flags. Monday’s rally was called the protest of Gen Z, generally referring to people born between 1995 and 2010.

AP25251340998892 — Protesters shout slogans in front of an armored vehicle outside the Parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

About two dozen social network platforms that are widely used in Nepal were repeatedly given notices to register their companies officially in the country, the government said. Those which failed to register have been blocked since last week.

TikTok, Viber and three other platforms have registered and operate without interruption.

The move by the authorities came as the government sent a bill for a debate in Parliament that wants to ensure that social platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable.” It includes asking the companies to appoint a liaison office or point in the country.

The bill has been widely criticized as a tool for censorship and punishing government opponents who voice their protests online. Rights groups have called it an attempt by the government to curb freedom of expression and violate fundamental rights.

Nepal in 2023 banned video-sharing app TikTok for disrupting “social harmony, goodwill and diffusing indecent materials.” The ban was lifted last year after TikTok’s executives pledged to comply with local laws. They include a ban of pornographic sites that was passed in 2018.

AP25251355019551 — Protestors clash with the riot police outside the Parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

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Bangkok, Northern Provinces Declared PM2.5 Control Zones

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Khaosod English

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8 September 2025, 19:40

BANGKOK — Final environmental policy move by outgoing Paetongtarn government targets chronic air quality crisis

The National Environment Committee has officially declared pollution control zones in Bangkok and four northern provinces to combat Thailand’s persistent PM2.5 air pollution crisis, marking one of the final policy initiatives under Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s administration.

Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Jantarawongtong chaired the committee meeting that approved the designations, aimed at addressing air quality problems that have plagued Thailand’s major urban centers and northern regions for years.

Bangkok Gets Emergency Powers

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt announced the decision following discussions at the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s Government Complex. The capital’s designation as a pollution control zone grants authorities enhanced powers to implement emergency measures during peak pollution periods, particularly in winter and dry seasons when PM2.5 levels typically spike.

Officials project the initiative will generate over 20 billion baht in annual economic benefits for Bangkok through improved health outcomes, enhanced quality of life, and boosted eco-tourism appeal.

Northern Haze Crisis Addressed

The committee simultaneously designated Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, and Mae Hong Son provinces as pollution control zones to tackle the region’s chronic haze problems. These areas regularly experience dangerous air quality levels due to forest fires, agricultural burning, and transportation emissions.

chiangmai dust1 — A sign in the middle of a road in Chiang Mai states that PM2.5 levels on March 18, 2024, are at an unhealthy level.

The northern designation enables coordinated action between central government agencies, provincial authorities, and local communities to implement systematic pollution control measures.

Comprehensive Action Plan

Both designations authorize agencies to deploy integrated strategies including:

Stricter controls on open burning
Promotion of clean fuel alternatives
Expanded air quality monitoring networks
Enhanced public awareness campaigns
Emergency response protocols during pollution episodes

AP24169733301588 — A thick layer of smoke covers the city of Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand, Monday, April 22, 2024.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Political Timing

The announcements come as Thailand prepares for a government transition, with the Paetongtarn administration using its final weeks to address one of the country’s most pressing environmental and public health challenges.

The pollution control zones represent a shift toward more systematic environmental governance, balancing health protection with economic development in regions where air quality has become a chronic concern affecting millions of residents and the tourism industry.

The designations are expected to provide legal framework for more aggressive pollution control measures that previous administrations struggled to implement effectively.

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Thailand Outlines Universal Coverage for Transgender Hormone Therapy

By

Khaosod English

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8 September 2025, 16:56

Transgender patients seeking treatment must first undergo a comprehensive consultation with specialists to determine whether gender dysphoria is actually present and to ensure that they fully understand the benefits and risks of hormone treatment.

BANGKOK — Thai health authorities have reaffirmed their recognition of gender diversity and outlined the benefits of a new “gender-confirming hormone therapy” for transgender people that covers both male-to-female and female-to-male cases.

Dr. Nithiwat Saengrueang, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), explained the details of this benefit package after the NHSO Board approved it in July 2025 as part of universal health coverage.

The NHSO has allocated a budget of 140 million baht ($4.4 million) to support this benefit package, which covers the cost of blood tests, cholesterol screening and other scheduled health check-ups at 3-month, 6-month, 1-year or 2-year intervals. If the number of beneficiaries exceeds the target, the budget will be increased the following year.

He explained that recipients must undergo comprehensive counselling by a multidisciplinary team consisting of doctors, nurses, social workers and psychologists.

Dr. Nithiwat said the hormone therapy package developed by the NHSO included both oral and injectable options, depending on the suitability of the individual.

In male-to-female transition, younger patients may not need injections and can take medications that block male hormones. Older patients or those who have already received hormones may only need tablets, which can cause changes such as wider hips, less facial hair and a softer voice.

For female-to-male transition, most receive injections that can deepen the voice, increase facial hair and build more muscle mass.

Patients seeking treatment must first undergo a comprehensive consultation with specialists to determine whether gender dysphoria is actually present and to ensure that they fully understand the benefits and risks of hormone treatment.

These risks include allergic reactions, cardiovascular disease, stroke and an increased risk of breast cancer, as well as the possibility of partial reversibility of physical changes. A thorough health check is also required to rule out other medical or psychological conditions that may need to be treated beforehand.

Dr. Nithiwat explained that the development of this benefit package had its origins in a meeting of transgender groups with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and was later developed further under the Paetongtarn Shinawatra government. The policy was the result of collaboration between transgender communities, the medical profession and the NHSO, with extensive studies and public consultations helping to drive the initiative forward.

AP25016237332702 — A group of LGBTQ pose for a picture as a part of celebration of a marriage equality bill at Government house in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak jivawavatanawanit)

The procurement of medicines is currently underway. In Bangkok, the existing clinics will continue to offer their services until the NHSO supplies arrive. In the provinces, the Ministry of Health is developing service models, starting with facilities that already offer hormone treatment, many of which are located in the major provincial medical faculties. Telemedicine will also be used for consultations and follow-ups, particularly for patients receiving stable, long-term hormone treatment.

“This package of services is good news and a source of hope for all transgender people in Thailand,” Dr Nithiwat said, adding that the NHSO will soon publish the list of hospitals and clinics offering the service on its website.

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Thaksin Returns to Bangkok a Day Before a Court Ruling that Could Lead to Imprisonment

By

Associated Press

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8 September 2025, 16:01

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Bangkok on Monday after his surprise departure to Dubai, a day before a court ruling that could open him up to imprisonment.

Thaksin could be seen walking out of the private jet terminal of the Don Mueang International Airport from a livestream video Monday afternoon.

Last week, Thaksin said he intended to travel to Singapore for a medical checkup, but had to change the destination to Dubai instead because he was delayed by Thai immigration. He said his plane wouldn’t be able to land at Singapore’s Seletar Airport, which serves small aircraft, before its 10 p.m. closing time.

Thaksin lived in Dubai during his self-imposed exile starting in 2008. He said that he had regular physicians there.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to rule whether officials mishandled his return to Thailand in 2023, to begin an eight-year sentence for three cases involving graft and abuse of power.

At the time, Thaksin was sent to a suite at Bangkok’s Police General Hospital, reportedly for medical reasons, after spending less than a day in prison. His sentence was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and he was released on parole after six months.

The circumstances raised questions about whether he received special treatment. Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling will determine if the Corrections Department acted legally in its handling of his case.

The mandate for the court’s investigation is broad and it is unclear if Thaksin could be liable for the Corrections Department’s actions, though if he was found to be complicit in their wrongdoing, he might face charges that could result in a new prison sentence.

Thailand’s Parliament voted Friday to confirm Anutin Charvirakul as new prime minister to replace Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was unseated after a court found her guilty of an ethics violation for a politically compromising phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.

Many see this as a major blow to the political influence Thaksin has wielded for more than two decades.

Thaksin was prime minister from 2001 until a military coup ousted him in 2006 while he was abroad. He briefly returned to Thailand in 2008 but left again, skipping bail ahead of a court verdict on a corruption case. After leaving office, he faced a barrage of lawsuits and criminal charges he claimed were politically motivated.

Last month, a criminal court acquitted him of royal defamation, an offense also known as lese-majeste, which could have resulted in a 15-year prison sentence.

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Over 300 Cambodian Workers Caught Illegally Crossing into Thailand

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Khaosod English

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8 September 2025, 15:08

cambodia back1 — Officials escort detained Cambodians to vehicles for legal proceedings at Khlong Nam Sai Police Station, Sa Kaeo Province on September 7, 2025.

SA KAEO — Thai authorities have arrested more than 300 Cambodian migrant workers attempting to illegally cross the border in Sa Kaeo Province since mid-June, highlighting the human cost of ongoing border restrictions despite a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.

On September 8, the Aranyaprathet Special Task Force and 12th Ranger Regiment detained 50 people attempting to cross on foot through Kud Hin village. The exhausted and hungry workers were trying to slip back into Thailand to find employment.

Workers forced home, then abandoned

During questioning, the detained workers revealed they had previously worked legally in Thailand but were forced to return to Cambodia in early August when both countries tightened border controls. Upon returning home, however, they found no job opportunities and received no government assistance.

cambodia back2 — Officials arrest some of the 50 Cambodians who attempted to enter through Kud Hin village, Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province on September 8, 2025.

Facing destitution, they paid Cambodian smugglers 5,000-6,000 baht each to guide them back across the border through remote jungle routes. When Thai authorities moved in during the September 8 operation, three guides escaped into nearby sugarcane fields while all 50 workers were arrested.

The workers have been charged with illegal entry and sent to Khlong Nam Sai Police Station for processing.

Daily arrests since June closure

Colonel Chainarong Kasee, commander of the Aranyaprathet Special Task Force, said his unit has conducted 84 arrest operations since border closures began June 17, detaining 329 Cambodian workers in total.

“These arrests reflect the desperation of Cambodian people who must struggle to survive on their own, lacking care from their home government that pressured citizens to return but provided no assistance,” he said.

The colonel noted that smuggling operations remain active despite the risks, partly because current penalties are relatively light—often just fines before deportation back to Cambodia.

cambodia nigeria back1 — Officials arrest 3 Nigerian men and their Cambodian guide while attempting to illegally enter Thailand at Ban Non Khi Lek, Phan Suek Sub-district, Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province on September 7, 2025.

International smuggling networks

The scope of cross-border smuggling extends beyond Cambodian workers. On September 7, authorities arrested three Nigerian men who had paid approximately $1,000 each (32,000 baht) to smuggling networks for passage to Thailand. The men said they wanted to reach the Nigerian embassy for help returning home.

Their Cambodian guide admitted to receiving 300 baht per bag for carrying the Nigerians’ luggage across the border.

The arrests underscore how border restrictions, while aimed at security concerns, have created a lucrative market for human smugglers preying on desperate migrants seeking economic opportunities or consular assistance.

To Return or Not Return: Thaksin’s Impossible Decision

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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8 September 2025, 10:20

thaksin wins -3 — FILE - Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives at Criminal Court for a verdict for allegedly defaming the monarchy in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (KHAOSOD Photo/Chavalit Panyong)

Khaosod English reported this morning that the private jet of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, which left Dubai, arrived in Singapore early this morning instead of Bangkok. According to Thai media reports, at 11:45 PM (local time 8:45 PM) on Sunday, Thaksin Shinawatra’s Bombardier Global 7500 aircraft was found to have departed from Dubai. It was originally expected that Thaksin was travelling back to Thailand to attend the Supreme Court’s verdict reading for his appeal case on September 9, or tomorrow.

My take:

Thaksin is wavering again. Instead of flying directly from Dubai to Bangkok, his plane went to Singapore this morning. It’s not easy for a super-rich and elderly person like Thaksin to risk spending years in prison.

However, if he doesn’t return, it would be like a magnitude 8 earthquake hitting the Pheu Thai Party. Still, his supporters will likely be sympathetic because they believe this court case was political from the start.

What does the future hold for the Pheu Thai Party? Will it simply be Thaksin’s party, destined to disappear along with his demise? Or can it successfully transition into a right-to-centre party without Thaksin in the future? Who will take over the party from him in the next 5 to 10 years, now that his daughter, PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was removed from office just over a week ago by the Constitutional Court?

These are the questions that need answers. Thaksin is now 76, and even if he doesn’t retire anytime soon, his health and age will probably only allow him to be active in politics from home—or Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore or London—for another 10 to 15 years.

The thing is, Thaksin already has everything: wealth, fame, and a still considerable political clout. He could have just retired happily in Dubai. But he would be just another Asian billionaire in Dubai, where 99 per cent of the population do not recognise him, and sees him as just another super-rich elderly Asian walking in Dubai Mall or past Dubai Creek. Apparenty, this is not enough for Thaksin.

On the contrary, in Thailand, 99 per cent, if not 100 per cent, of adults recognise him. He craves adoration and power, and probably revenge too. All of these could only be properly done if he is in Bangkok.

That is why the decision whether to fly back to face the music or not is excruciating for the 76-year-old Thaksin.

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Vietnamese Man Arrested at Bangkok Airport for Smuggling $200,000 Worth of Rhino Horn

By

Khaosod English

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7 September 2025, 17:14

BANGKOK — Thai customs officials arrested a Vietnamese man at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday evening for attempting to smuggle rhino horn worth 6.9 million baht (approximately $200,000) through Thailand to Laos.

The arrest came as part of intensified efforts by the Thai Customs Department to crack down on illegal wildlife trafficking under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Panthong Loykulnan, spokesman for the Customs Department, said the operation reflects Director-General Thirat Attanavanich’s policy to strengthen enforcement against wildlife smuggling to protect endangered species both in Thailand and globally.

The Vietnamese passenger was traveling from Luanda, Angola, with a connection through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before arriving at Bangkok’s main international airport. His final destination was Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Customs officers at Suvarnabhumi flagged the passenger using advanced screening systems and intelligence data that identified him as high-risk for wildlife smuggling. During the search conducted around 7:45 PM on September 6, officials discovered five pieces of rhino horn weighing a total of 6.86 kilograms concealed in his luggage.

Wisanu Watcharavanich, Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s Passenger Inspection Customs Office, had instructed officers to strictly enforce anti-trafficking policies to intercept smuggling networks operating through Thailand’s airports.

The suspect faces charges under Thailand’s Customs Act of 2017, Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019, and Animal Epidemics Act of 2015.

The customs spokesman emphasized that the department continues to work closely with partner agencies to analyze data and intercept CITES-regulated wildlife trafficking operations to maintain social and environmental security.

Rhino horn remains highly valued in some Asian markets despite international bans, with criminal networks frequently using transit routes through Southeast Asia to move contraband from Africa to consumer markets

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Resigns

By

Associated Press

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7 September 2025, 16:41

Screenshot_20250907_173603_Chrome — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 7, 2025. (Kyodo)

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Sunday he will step down following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election.

Ishiba, who took office in October, had resisted demands from mostly right-wing opponents within his own party for more than a month, saying such a step would cause a political vacuum when Japan faces key challenges in and outside the country.

The resignation came one day before his Liberal Democratic Party was to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved.

Ishiba said during a televised press conference he would start a process to hold a party leadership vote to choose his replacement and that there was no need for Monday’s decision.

If the prime minister had stayed on, he would have inevitably struggled to manage his divided party and minority government.

In July, Ishiba ’s ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house in a crucial parliamentary election, further shaking the stability of his government. The loss added to an earlier election defeat in the lower house, where the party-led coalition also had lost a majority.

Anutin Charnvirakul Becomes Thailand’s New PM After Royal Endorsement

By

Associated Press

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7 September 2025, 14:02

Thailand Politics — Thailand's new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul pays respect to a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, as he receives the royal endorsement ceremony at Bhumjai Thai party Headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (Thai government spokesman office via AP)

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI

BANGKOK (AP) — Anutin Charnvirakul, a veteran politician best known for successfully lobbying to decriminalize cannabis in Thailand, became the country’s prime minister after receiving a royal endorsement Sunday, two days after he was chosen by Parliament following a court order that removed his predecessor.

Anutin, 58, succeeds Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party, dismissed last week after being found guilty of ethics violations over a politically compromising phone call with neighboring Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen before a border dispute between the two nations turned into a deadly five-day armed conflict in July that raised fears of a full-blown war in the region.

Thailand’s new prime minister had served in Paetongtarn’s Cabinet as a deputy prime minister and an interior minister, but resigned his positions and withdrew his party from her coalition government after news of the leaked phone call caused public uproar.

Letter of appointment

Anutin received the letter of appointment in a ceremony at his party Bhumjaithai’s headquarters in Bangkok, attended by senior members of parties expected to join his coalition government. They wore white civil servants’ uniforms used for royal and state ceremonies.

“I’d like to take an oath that I determine to perform my duties to my fullest capabilities, with honesty and virtue,” he read out a statement after receiving the endorsement.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Anutin said his government will seek to address the country’s urgent problems, including the economy, the border conflict with Cambodia, natural disasters and crimes.

He also reiterated he will commit to a promise to rewrite the constitution and call an early election “to return power to the people to decide on the future of the country.”

AP25250203005624 — Thailand’s new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, left, talks to Bhumjai Thai lawmakers at Bhumjai Thai party Headquarters after receiving a royal endorsement in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (Thai government spokesman office via AP)

A conditional win

He won the vote in Parliament on Friday with support from the main opposition People’s Party. In exchange for their votes, Anutin has promised to dissolve Parliament within four months and organize a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution by an elected constituent assembly.

The People’s Party said it would remain part of the opposition, leaving the new government potentially a minority one. The party, which runs on progressive platforms, has long sought changes to the constitution, imposed during a military government, saying they want to make it more democratic.

Pheu Thai said after Anutin won the vote that it would become an opposition party.

An experienced policymaker

Anutin successfully petitioned for the decriminalization of cannabis, a policy that is now being more strictly regulated for medical purposes. He was also a health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was accused of tardiness in obtaining vaccine supplies.

During the Pheu Thai-led government, he has been embroiled in scandals, including suspected collusion in last year’s Senate election to give an unfair advantage to some candidates, and a land dispute involving property claimed by the state that has belonged to the family of his Bhumjaithai mentor, Newin Chidchob.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reacts during news conference Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at the Public Health Ministry in Nonthaburi, Thailand, after signing a measure that drops cannabis from his ministry's list of controlled drugs. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP — Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reacts during news conference Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at the Public Health Ministry in Nonthaburi, Thailand, after signing a measure that drops cannabis from his ministry’s list of controlled drugs. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP

Anutin became the third prime minister of Thailand in two years after the 2023 general elections. The People’s Party, then named the Move Forward Party, won the most seats but was kept from power when military-appointed senators, who were strong supporters of Thailand’s royalist conservative establishment, voted against the party’s candidate because they opposed its policy seeking reforms to the monarchy.

The Senate no longer holds the right to take part in the vote to elect a prime minister.

The Pheu Thai Party, which at the time came second in the elections, later had one of its candidates, real estate executive Srettha Thavisin, approved as prime minister to lead a coalition government. But he served just a year before the Constitutional Court dismissed him from office for ethical violations.

Srettha’s replacement, Paetongtarn, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, also lasted just a year in office. Her government was already greatly weakened when the Bhumjaithai Party abandoned her coalition in June.

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The Unacknowledged Bad-Blood Factor that Pushed the People’s Party to Support Anutin as PM

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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7 September 2025, 13:32

The mutual hatred between the Orange and Red camps stems from the Pheu Thai party’s repeated betrayals of the People’s Party (which was known as the Move Forward Party before). This started with the government formation attempts for Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party, who later penned a memoir entitled “The Almost Prime Minister” after a failed bid as a result of the Pheu Thai Party outmanoeuvring the young party.

It continued when former PM Thaksin Shinawatra went on stage in the north earlier this year and disparaged Natthapong Ruengpanyawut, the People’s Party leader, as “a young dumb man” in the Northern dialect.

More recently, a Pheu Thai House committee member, including former Prachatai editor Chuwat Ruksiri, infamously refused to vote in support of pushing for the granting of amnesty to those under the age of 18 charged with lese-majeste.

This while Bhumjaithai committee members, knowing they are from an ultra-conservative royalist party and will never vote for such a move, accepted the People’s Party’s request to leave the room in order for the rest to stand a better chance to push for this in the draft amnesty bill, thus winning the PP’s trust, as recalled by Progressive Movement co-leader Pannika Wanich recently with bitterness.

These are but some of the grievances that the People’s Party supporter in the social media video I viewed described with bitterness and Schadenfreude that his party eventually chose Anutin, an agent of the deep state, instead of Pheu Thai’s PM candidate Chaikasem Nitisiri.

This is the level of animosity that the People’s Party and its leaders would never publicly admit to. The bad blood between the two sides exists both at the party level and among supporters. They’ve left it to their supporters, particularly the man in the video I watched, to lay bare the perceived truth about both parties in the video.

This video was heartfelt and raw. It exposes the dark side of both Pheu Thai and the People’s Party: the deep grudges held by PP supporters who were heartbroken when Pita was outmanoeuvred and when insult was added to injury with needless public boasting by the talkative and megalomaniac Thaksin.

In the end, this was an unacknowledged factor as to why the People’s Party didn’t vote for Chaikasem Nitisiri, the Pheu Thai PM candidate. Not only do they not trust the Pheu Thai Party, they likely hate them too much.

As someone who doesn’t align with either political colour so I can say whatever I think, instead of becoming their mouthpiece or tool, it can be stated that mutual disrespect and contempt between the two pro-democracy political camps, and among their supporters, have reached a new low and have created a deeply toxic political environment, making cooperation between the two parties increasingly difficult.

Both sides can’t even stand to look at each other. In the end, both parties are more comfortable working with conservative parties and the deep state – and in the case of the People’s Party, they chose Anutin as a more “credible” alternative.

The victor who reaped the benefits of the fallout between the two parties and their supporters is the deep state, the extra-parliamentary power, however.

Of course, Thaksin’s loose mouth was a factor. Thaksin should have known better but couldn’t help but publicly and needlessly disparage Natthapong, the People’s Party leader, as a “kid”, “clueless” and “dumb.” It’s understandable if Natthapong, his fellow MPs and supporters, would harbour deep resentment but won’t admit that this is one of the main reasons the party chose to slap Thaksin in the face by voting for Anutin, an agent of the extra-parliamentary power, or the deep state—a move which this writer strongly disagrees with and must condemn as myopic, desperate even, despite them insisting that Anutin will dissolve the House within four months months and push for a referendum on a new constitution.

As I type these words, former deputy junta leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwan is a leading contender for the post of Defence Minister under the new Anutin administration. (Let’s hope Prawit won’t make it)

Earlier this morning, prominent human rights activist Sunai Phasuk made the following forecast on social media about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Anutin administration, regarding how it will handle the use and abuse of the draconian and anarchistic lese-majeste law.

“The new Foreign Minister will likely have to work as hard as they did during the NCPO [military junta] era, when they publicly defended the use of Section 112 (the royal defamation law) and various dictatorial laws to suppress dissent and restrict rights and freedoms. The Bhumjaithai Party has a clear policy of prosecuting those accused of lese-majeste strictly, without any chance of amnesty. We will likely see the number of political prisoners increase.”

Bad blood between the People’s Party and Pheu Thai also means some will resort to any measures to make the other side suffer.

Shortly after PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra was removed from office by the Constitutional Court a little over a week ago, former Move Forward MP Amarat Chokepamitkul performed a naked dance to deities for granting her wish. Her supplication was to see Paetongtarn removed from office by the Constitutional Court. This is despite the People’s Party saying they do not support the decision made by the Constitutional Court, which is viewed by some as an organ of the deep state.

Also, today, the local press report that the House Speaker is preparing to file a petition from 60 MPs to the Constitutional Court against the Anutin-Natthapong Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Monday after at least one-tenth of the Members of Parliament (MPs), including many Pheu Thai MPs, had jointly signed a petition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to forward its petition to the Constitutional Court.

The petition seeks a ruling on whether the MP membership of Anutin and Natthapong Ruangpanyawut has been terminated according to the Constitution.

I strongly disagree with the move. No matter how much mutual animosity exists between Pheu Thai and the People’s Party, we should not support the use of power that’s not truly answerable to the people and cannot be scrutinised.

In the end, on September 5, 2025, the Thai deep state won a crucial battle. They have divided and now rule over the democracy movement. Faith in both the Pheu Thai and the People’s Party is no longer the same. It may take another decade for the democracy movement and civil society to recover and unite.

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Letter of appointment

A conditional win

An experienced policymaker

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