Page 49 - Future Forward News Today

PATHUM THANI/ SAMUT PRAKAN, Thailand (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A woman hands a bunch of roses to opposition Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat at a campaign rally in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok, on March 17.

Myanmar people in Thailand hope a new government in Bangkok will take a tougher line on the coup leaders in Yangon.

Thaksin-backed opposition confronts a dreary military-backed government

For all intents and purposes, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will not call an early election and will practically use up the full four-year term before dissolving the Lower House. Calling an early poll is often a sign of confidence and stability while putting it off to the last minute can be seen as timid and desperate. Nevertheless, the good news is that Thailand will have an election soon. The broader stakes and meanings of the upcoming poll are as follows.

As the election draws near, it's more evident that any reconciliation -- as promised by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha when he staged a coup in 2014 -- isn't going to happen. Pressure groups and parties have filed complaints against one another as the political climate becomes more tense. Political campaigns have become places for disputes and even scuffles.

An anti-government group tried to confront Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha during his official tour in Ratchaburi on Monday, as pickets against political parties at their campaign trails could be expected to be more common.

Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who has boldly declared his intention to fight for the PM’s post in the upcoming election, is a man of many talents.

The Move Forward Party (MFP) is ready to work with the Pheu Thai Party after the coming election and has reiterated its determination not to join any coalition government that includes either Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha or Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.

The Move Forward Party (MFP) is ready to work with the Pheu Thai Party after the coming election and has reiterated its determination not to join any coalition government that includes either Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha or Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.

There is something odd about Thailand's upcoming election. By all indications, it is slated to take place on May 7. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that he will soon dissolve the Lower House to set the poll in motion. But no such dissolution has yet been announced, while the end of parliament's four-year term falls on March 23. The ambiguous election-setting scene is portentous and telling for several reasons.