🇹🇭 Move Forward's future hangs in the balance

Hello friends!

It’s a big few weeks in Thailand beginning tomorrow, so a little sneak under the paywall for non-premium readers.

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June and July will be an enormous few months in the region so would be very happy to have you!

Last week on Reformasi, we chatted with Titipol Phakdeewanich about all things Thai politics and it was both perfect timing and really illuminating. I learnt a lot and also vowed to one day write about how young Thais went Move Forward in 2023 and young Indonesians went the elite path. One day!

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Let’s crack in
Erin Cook

🇹🇭 Constitutional Court to Move Forward tomorrow

Move Forward is not going anywhere. That’s the message from sidelined former leader Pita Limjaroenrat on Sunday to supporters and the media after the Constitutional Court last week announced it would rule on a dissolution move. 

After receiving the defence statement from the party, the court confirmed it would hear the matter tomorrow. It follows a petition from the Election Commission to dissolve the party the agency claims is invalid due to its policies surrounding lese-majeste and the monarch and suggesting the party wants to ‘overthrow’ the monarchy. In its defence, the Move Forward party says it wants reform but says it recognises and respects the monarchy. The EC has pointed at 44 of the party’s 151 MPs, including Pita. All accused face being barred from participating in political life for years. 

Dissolving the party is about more than the future of the MPs, Pita said Sunday: “This will affect confidence in the country, its democratic system and political parties. It should not be considered something normal.” 

There are bigger things to worry about: “The party's popularity is up to the people, but it's not the main point of our work. Right now we are thinking about the referendum and budget debate. The economy is still in bad shape, while the budget is not ready and government spending is still troublesome … We want to focus on our straightforwardness and ideology, not the party's name, colour or logo. I believe, in the long run, our party will still be in the Thai political landscape,” he said, as reported by Nikkei Asia. 

Important to note here, as Nikkei does, that the similar forced dissolution of the predecessor party, Future Forward, led to widespread protests in 2020 that were only slowed down by public health measures. And, I’d add, Future Forward did not have the enormous people’s mandate that Move Forward was given in last year’s vote. 

If Thaksin’s down, he’s certainly not out

Former prime minister and lese-majeste suspect Thaksin Shinawatra isn’t phased. “It's nothing. The case is baseless,” he told reporters on Saturday, as per Reuters. He’ll be facing court June 18, but spent the weekend drumming up support among the base. Thaksin attended a Pheu Thai party event in Pathum Thani Province, flanked by daughter and PTP boss Paetongtarn Shinawatra, on Saturday.

“Today, I’m back. I want the Red Shirt brothers and sisters to come back together. This return is a matter of gratitude to many people, especially those who have never forgotten me and have never forgotten me no matter how many elections there are,” he said at the event, referring to his supporters. 

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