Focus on the BIG picture.
Friday, Oct 02, 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
Cornell Fraternity Assault Investigation Reopened After New Text Messages Emerge
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. Acquitted in Federal Bribery Case
Poll Finds Most Americans Reject False Vaccine-Autism Link
Kristi Noem Files for Divorce
EU Energy Costs Rise by $113 Billion as U.S. Pushes LNG Exports
Bloomberg Adds Stablecoin Analytics Dashboard to Terminal
Trump Campaign Buys Ads on CNN and MSNBC Amid Wider Media Disputes
Flash Flooding Hits U.S. Southwest After Storm Polo
Legal Immigrants Face Medicaid Coverage Risk Under New Federal Rules
Federal Watchdog Clears Fed Officials of Criminal Wrongdoing in Headquarters Renovation
Justice Department Files Complaint Against Minnesota Judges Over Immigration Dispute
OpenAI Launches Autonomous Digital Agent and $500 Monthly Premium Tier
Senate Rejects Measure Seeking State Department Report on West Bank Violence
Trump and Xi Extend Tariff Truce but Reach No Major AI Agreement
Trump and Technology Executives Sign Voluntary AI Safety Accord
U.S. Supreme Court Allows Third-Country Migrant Deportations to Resume Pending Review
FTC Opens Antitrust and Safety Investigation Into OpenAI and Anthropic
U.S. Military Completes Withdrawal From Iraq as Pentagon Shifts Focus to Indo-Pacific
House Democratic Women Push for Stronger Title IX Protections After University Assault Allegations
Air Force Major Faces Possible Court-Martial Over Public Call for Trump’s Impeachment
Public Interest Coalition Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Data Security Failures
Democratic Lawmakers Introduce Bill Targeting Corporate Ownership of Medical Practices
CMS Approves Higher Payments for AI-Assisted Medical Imaging
HHS Launches Program to Accelerate U.S. Clinical Trials
White House Nominates New Commander for U.S. Space Command
Federal Watchdog Clears Jerome Powell in Renovation Investigation
Federal AI Service Draws Scrutiny Over Conflicting Election and Constitutional Answers
Qatari Mediation Between Washington and Tehran Stalls
Senate Rejects Measure Seeking White House Report on West Bank Violence
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to EPA Regulatory Authority
Federal Reserve Signals Rates Could Remain Unchanged Through Fourth Quarter
Trump Administration Plans $500 Rebates for One Million ACA Enrollees
ICE Plans to Hire 5,000 New Deportation Officers by Year-End
Pentagon Reshapes Naval Procurement Around Autonomous Drone Swarms
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Previously Approved Education Funding
FTC Opens Investigation Into OpenAI and Anthropic Over AI Safety
Senators Reach Bipartisan Deal to Speed Energy Permitting for AI Data Centres
U.S. and China Agree Tariff Relief on $30 Billion of Goods
U.S. Federal Trade Commission Opens Broad Investigation Into Leading AI Developers
Russia and Germany Hold First High-Level Talks Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Completes Military Withdrawal From Iraq After Two Decades
Floods and Landslides Kill at Least 16 Across Thailand and Myanmar
Trump Rejects Iran Offer to Reopen Strait of Hormuz for Sanctions Relief
U.S. and China Agree Tariff Cuts and Launch Artificial Intelligence Dialogue
Suncor v. Boulder Climate Case Tests Scope of Local Government Claims
Trump-Xi Summit Leaves US-China Relations Stable but Without Major Breakthrough
Spain’s Pedro Sánchez Accuses Israel of Genocide in UN Address
National Polls Point to Intensifying Competition Ahead of US Midterms
Trump Repeats $5,000 Payment Pledge Tied to Republican Congressional Control
US Treasury Grants Limited Sanctions Waiver for Religious Flights Between Iraq and Iran
×