Geo Politics

In the midst of deeply tense relations between the coalition parties, a commission formed to research six constitutional reform proposals will begin work on Wednesday, after a decision to cancel a parliamentary vote on charter change. In view of this,  Wirat Rattanaset, the government’s chief whip, said the panel would have one month to complete its mission. The MP of …

The coalition government asked for senators’ approval for their controversial charter changes to defuse future political tensions. Government chief whip Wirat Rattanaset and MP Supachai Chaisamut of the Bhumjaithai Party stressed the need to change the constitution by setting up a new team of charter authors as a way out of the fragmentation of the country’s political dispute. Mr Wirat, …

KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has urged all people of Sabah to avoid and reject any parties that wants to come into power through ‘the backdoor’. The former prime minister said that the current federal government is trying to steal and that’s  the reason why Sabah is facing an election. He added that it is …

KOTA KINABALU – Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin insisted that he is still the legitimate Prime Minister of Malaysia despite an earlier announcement from Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claiming otherwise. The Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief said that Anwar’s claims that he has the majority backing of the MPs must be provided in accordance with the processes and …

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha warned that if the anti-government demonstrations continue, the country will miss an chance to move forward. Speaking after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Gen Prayut said the organizers of the demonstrations had already made their true intentions clear, and that the people had to judge for themselves. The Unified Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD), with …

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) reported that it has formally charged Pareena Kraikupt, a Palang Pracharath Party MP for Ratchaburi, with making a false statement of assets and breaching the code of ethics of the political post holder. Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, the deputy secretary-general of the NACC, said the agency had agreed yesterday to pursue two charges against Ms Pareena. The …

Opposition parties except Pheu Thai decided to endorse the constitutional reform bill for the Step Forward Party to “turn off” 250 senators before continuing with a rewrite of the charter. The bill seeks to open the door to drafting a new charter by modifying the parts regulating how to amend the existing constitution. Pheu Thai, the largest opposition party, said …

Government coalition parties have settled on a single version of the motion to enact constitutional reform, which contains specifics of a commission formed to write a new charter but leaves the Senate unchanged. Deputy chief of government whip Chinnaworn Bunyakiat said the coalition had agreed on one motion to change the constitution. It will be sent to Parliament after the …

The youth-led protests started with three demands: dissolution of the House, constitutional amendment and an end to state critics’ intimidation. Later, at the Thammasat meeting on 10 August, a 10-point plan to reform the monarchy was announced, stirring even more confusion in an already fragmented Thai political arena. The Free Youth group grew into the Free Citizens party and on …

The Department of Corrections is working on proposals to turn 72 prisons nationwide into tourist attractions, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin announced. Attractions could include activities such as cooking competitions for chefs behind bars, and shops where visitors might purchase products made by prisoners. For five jails, which are pilot sites, the justice minister said the program was also being implemented. …