Author: Ken Lohatepanont
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New Bangkok Governor Challenges Government’s Grip on Power
On 1 June 2022, Chadchart Sittipunt officially assumed office as Governor of Bangkok. In doing so, he became the first figure identified with Thailand’s opposition camp to enter a prominent executive position since the military coup of May 2014. Click here to read the full piece at East Asia Forum. (Cover image credits.)
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Dissecting Prayut’s Speech on His New Economic Strategy
On July 8th, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha released a video on his Facebook page entitled “A Three-Pronged Strategy to Build the Future.” The prime minister, tieless and standing at an angle, looked more relaxed than in his usual speeches. Given that he last posted a video on his page one year ago, this content certainly […]
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On Innovation and State Capability
Today is my last day as a researcher at the Thailand Development Research Institute, and I wanted to write up some of my thoughts to wrap up my time here. The year that I spent at TDRI has also been very impactful in shaping how I approach the problems that face Thailand. In particular, I […]
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Thailand in the Age of Deglobalization and Great Power Competition
“We are living in a world that is not an extension of the past,” a Japanese policy statement recently declared. “The novel coronavirus infection,” it observes, “has transformed the world,” while “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shaken the very foundations of the international order.” This is a common theme from Japan’s policymakers. Its prime minister, Kishida […]
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The Government’s Inflation Woes
The leader of the Thai Pakdee Party, Warong Dechgitvigrom, recently posted a photo of himself at a gas station in Australia. “Gas prices in Australia are not cheap,” he said. “In Thailand, the government is still helping reduce the price.” Netizens swamped his post, pointing out that even if gas prices are higher in Australia, […]
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Political Minefield Awaits Prayut Government
Note: This piece was published on June 1st. The government has since survived the first reading of the budget. As the dust settled on the Bangkok gubernatorial elections, Captain Thammanat Promphao wrote a curiously phrased post on his Facebook page. “Congratulations to everyone in our family who won council seats in several districts” he wrote. […]
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No New Dawn of ‘Moderate Politics’ in Thailand
In the days since Chadchart Sittipunt overwhelmingly won the Bangkok gubernatorial election, it has become fashionable for pundits to say that this represents a victory for moderate politics in Thailand. A Bangkok Post editorial announced that “the result serves as a huge victory for people of a moderate political stance…voters made it clear they are […]
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Five Takeaways from the Bangkok Elections
Bangkok held its first local elections since 2013, with voters casting their ballots for Bangkok governor and the Bangkok Metropolitan Council. Here are five takeaways from the results. Click here to read the full piece at Thai Enquirer. (Cover image credits)
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Closing Thoughts on the Bangkok Elections
This is not really a coherent piece, but I wanted to jot down some of my closing thoughts now that we are entering the last leg of the Bangkok gubernatorial election. Firstly, if you’re still undecided, I’d like to humbly point towards the voter guide that I put together for Thai Enquirer last month. Thai […]
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Don’t Overlook the Bangkok Metropolitan Council Elections
With only a few more days to go before the Bangkok gubernatorial election, the candidates for governor have, understandably, monopolized media attention and public interest. These candidates, after all, are the heavy-hitters — the big names who are running to be the city’s chief executive. Of comparatively little interest is the down-ballot race (or, to […]
Ken Mathis Lohatepanont 