Focus on the BIG picture.
Saturday, Jul 11, 2026

A summary of the latest 10 most important news from Thailand, May 15, 2023

Thai opposition crushes military parties in election; UTN thanks Southern voters for poll support; Polish man arrested for murder of Ukrainian girlfriend; Singapore eases egg-freezing rules as births hit record low; 'Dark horse' wins 2 seats in Ubon Ratchathani; Cambodia poll body disqualifies sole opposition party from July election; Baht gains as Move Forward leads vote, tycoon-linked stocks drop; Senators want pro-monarchy Prime Minister; Thai economy grows 2.7% in first quarter; World Bank cuts Thailand's growth forecast.


1. Thai opposition crushes military parties in election.

The opposition Pheu Thai Party and its allies won a landslide victory in Thailand's general election, ousting the ruling Palang Pracharath Party. Pheu Thai won 258 seats in the 500-seat House of Representatives, while Palang Pracharath won only 92 seats. The results are a major setback for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who came to power in a 2014 coup.

2. UTN thanks Southern voters for poll support.

The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), or "Red Shirts," won 12 seats in the election, all of them in the southern provinces. The UDD is a populist movement that has been critical of the military government. In a statement, UDD leader Jatuporn Promphan thanked voters in the south for their support.

3. Polish man arrested for murder of Ukrainian girlfriend.

A Polish man has been arrested in Thailand for the murder of his Ukrainian girlfriend. The man, who has not been named, allegedly strangled his girlfriend to death in their hotel room in Bangkok. The body was found by hotel staff on May 14.

4. Singapore eases egg-freezing rules as births hit record low.

Singapore has eased its rules on egg freezing, in a move to help women who want to delay having children. The new rules allow women to freeze their eggs up to the age of 45, and to store them for up to 10 years. The move comes as Singapore's birth rate has hit a record low.

5. 'Dark horse' wins 2 seats in Ubon Ratchathani.

An independent candidate has won two seats in the Thai election, in a surprise upset. The candidate, who has not been named, is a former soldier who ran on a platform of anti-corruption and reform. His victory is seen as a sign of growing public dissatisfaction with the political establishment.

6. Cambodia poll body disqualifies sole opposition party from July election.

The Cambodian National Election Committee has disqualified the sole opposition party from the July 2023 election. The Committee said that the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) had failed to meet the requirements for registration. The CNRP has accused the government of rigging the election.

7. Baht gains as Move Forward leads vote, tycoon-linked stocks drop.

The Thai baht has gained against the US dollar after the opposition Move Forward Party led the vote in the general election. The baht was trading at 33.60 to the dollar on May 15, up from 33.70 on May 14. Shares of tycoon-linked companies have fallen in the wake of the election results.

8. Senators want pro-monarchy Prime Minister.

A group of senators has called for a pro-monarchy prime minister to be appointed after the general election. The senators said that the next prime minister should be someone who will "uphold the monarchy and the constitution." The call comes amid concerns about the future of the monarchy after the election results.

9. Thai economy grows 2.7% in first quarter.

Thailand's economy grew 2.7% in the first quarter of 2023, up from 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2022. The growth was driven by strong exports and tourism. The government is forecasting growth of 3.5% for the full year.

10. World Bank cuts Thailand's growth forecast.

The World Bank has cut its growth forecast for Thailand in 2023 to 3.2%, from 3.8% previously. The Bank said that the cut was due to the war in Ukraine and the rising cost of living. The Bank also warned that Thailand's economy could be hit by a slowdown in China.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Following Massive Investor Demand: SK Hynix Raises 26.5 Billion Dollars on Nasdaq
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
After Four Years, and Under a Heavy Veil of Secrecy: King Charles Meets His Grandchildren, Harry and Meghan's Children
SK Hynix Completes Record Twenty-Six Point Five Billion Dollar Nasdaq Listing
Trump Administration Removes Remaining Democratic Leaders From Election Assistance Commission
Israel Says Troops Will Remain in Southern Lebanon Until Hezbollah Is Disarmed
United States Authorizes Ukraine to Produce Patriot Air Defense Missiles Domestically
Typhoon Bavi Forces Mass Evacuations and Shuts Down Much of Taiwan
China Bans Helium Exports, Raising New Risks for Global Semiconductor Supply Chains
United States and Iran Exchange Fresh Military Strikes as Tehran Buries Former Supreme Leader
Severe Heatwave Drives Dangerous Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Across Two Thirds of European Union
Hamas Begins Dissolving Gaza Governing Authority Under Ceasefire Framework
Super Typhoon Bavi Threatens Taiwan After Deadly Flooding Across Southern China
Deadly Fire, Health Emergencies and Political Upheaval Shape a Volatile Global News Cycle
Flight Instructor Jumped to His Death — Student Landed the Plane: "You Know What You Need to Do"
Global Stock Markets Rebound as Semiconductor Shares Lead Recovery
Russia Tightens Domestic Fuel Controls After Ukrainian Drone Attacks on Refineries
Chinese and Russian Navies Begin Joint Live-Fire Exercises Near Qingdao
Australia and India Finalize Agreement on Australian Uranium Exports
Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola Death Toll Reaches Six Hundred
United States Halts Trade With Spain Amid Escalating NATO Defence Dispute
United States and Iran Exchange Major Military Strikes After Interim Ceasefire Collapses
The Physical and Electronic Barriers Disrupting Domestic Wireless Networks
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
Prince Harry Suffers Major Court Defeat in Legal Battle Against Daily Mail Publisher
Bonnie Tyler, Welsh Singer Behind Total Eclipse of the Heart, Dies at 75
United States Criticizes China Over Short-Notice Nuclear Submarine Missile Test
Cuba Approves Sweeping Free-Market Reforms to Confront Deep Economic Crisis
South Korea's Supreme Court Upholds Seven-Year Prison Sentence for Former President Yoon Suk Yeol
Western Europe Endures Hottest June on Record as Extreme Heat Claims Thousands of Lives
European NATO Allies Launch Major Long-Range Missile Program
President Donald Trump's NATO Summit Disputes Deepen Transatlantic Tensions
United States and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes After Ceasefire Collapses
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Global News Briefing: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Corporate Shakeups
Global News Brief: Escalating Conflicts, Public Health Crises, and World Cup Drama
Marine Le Pen Launches Two Thousand Twenty-Seven Presidential Campaign After Electoral Ban Is Reduced
International Monetary Fund Cuts Global Growth Forecast as Middle East Conflict Fuels Inflation Risks
China Conducts First Public Nuclear Submarine Ballistic Missile Test Into the Pacific
United States Grants Ukraine License to Produce Patriot Air Defense Missiles
United States Resumes Military Strikes Against Iran After Ceasefire Collapses
Federal Financial Framework Shifts as Treasury Launches Universal Savings Program for Minors
French Court Allows Le Pen to Run for Presidency, but with an Electronic Tag: "I Will Appeal, and I Will Run"
$1.4 Trillion: The Lawsuit That Could Crush Meta
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
DeepSeek Develops Custom Artificial Intelligence Chips to Reduce Dependence on Foreign Technology
Marine Le Pen Launches French Presidential Campaign After Appeals Court Upholds Conviction
China Publicly Demonstrates Submarine-Launched Nuclear Missile Capability During Joint Drills With Russia
×