Thai Kao Mai Party leader Suchatvee Suwansawat campaigns in Chatuchak and Laksi areas in Bangkok on Feb 5. (Photo: Thai Kao Mai Party)Thai Kao Mai Party leader Suchatvee Suwansawat entered politics following a career rooted in academia, with education reform at the centre of his political agenda. Together, they founded the Thai Kao Mai Party. Under his leadership, Thai Kao Mai has fielded 136 parliamentary candidates, including contenders in all 33 Bangkok constituencies and 60 party-list nominees. Mr Suchatvee outlined the party's vision under the slogan, "Thai Kao Mai Party, a new step for a strong Thailand".

Oil drilling set to increaseThe Erawan gas block in the Gulf of Thailand, operated by PTT Exploration and Production Plc. The Department of Mineral Fuels (DMF) is preparing to restart oil and gas exploration and production projects once a new government takes office following the Feb 8 general election, in a bid to attract multi-billion-baht investments and strengthen Thailand's long-term energy security. Mr Warakorn noted all these initiatives will generate revenue for the state and ensure continuity of petroleum production. Domestic oil and gas supply last year accounted for about 30% of total energy consumption, with usage averaging 2 million barrels of crude oil equivalent per day. The DMF is also preparing to submit a draft amendment to the Petroleum Act to ensure production continues when licences expire.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2025, which took effect last November, has sparked confusion among stakeholders in the alcoholic beverage industry, including retailers and consumers. Has the 2-5pm alcohol sales ban been permanently lifted? The 2-5pm alcohol sales ban was temporarily lifted. Licensed entertainment venues follow their own rules for operating hours and alcohol sales, and are regulated by relevant legislation. The subordinate laws are expected to be issued within a year, but the process could take longer.

Pheu Thai denies G550 jet claimsPheu Thai prime ministerial candidates Yodchanan Wongsawat, centre, Jullaphan Amornvivat, right, and Suriya Jungrungreangkit, left, pose for a selfie photo at the party's final major campaign rally in Bangkok on Friday. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)The Pheu Thai Party has rejected allegations surrounding a Gulfstream G550 private jet linked to its prime ministerial candidate, Suriya Jungrungruangkit, describing the claims as false, misleading and politically motivated. The remaining shares, valued at more than 832 million baht, are owned by relatives in proportion to their respective holdings. According to Mr Krichanont, Mr Suriya last used the jet in early November last year. Mr Suriya told Next News on Thursday that the jet cost more than 800 million baht but he declared only his personal stake.

Warhol, Basquiat and Madonna were part of the scene, mixing with uptown elites, downtown dealers and buzzing club kids. "The New York of the 80s and 90s does not exist any more, that's for sure," Haynes told Life. Their first year has seen packed opening nights for the photography of Gerhard Joren as well as upcoming art students from Silpakorn University and some well-known Thai artists. Haynes will launch his latest zine at Chaloem La today, containing a series of cutouts from contact sheets from 1992 to 1998. "I have always loved contact sheets," Haynes said.

Participation among younger voters appears fragile. For many younger and disillusioned constituents, the issue is not whether politics matters, but whether participation feels meaningful under existing conditions. Among younger voters in particular, there is growing unease that positions which once felt urgent and uncompromising now appear softened, delayed or constrained. Staying informed, scrutinising shifts in position and showing up at the ballot box even when confidence wavers are not acts of endorsement so much as acts of insistence. This election may feel less certain and belief may feel harder to extend.

'I wish every day could be Children's Day," said five-year-old Jariyawadee Sawangchan, grinning as she posed with Unicef Thailand's Teddy Blu mascot. Hat Yai Municipal Park recently hosted its National Children's Day celebration, less than two months after the devastating floods which submerged much of the city in late November. Having lived through flooding twice last year, the chance to laugh and play freely again made this Children's Day feel different and more important. An estimated 5,000 children and parents attended Children's Day at the park, more than double the size of a typical year. The overwhelming feeling as Children's Day events began to wind down was that it was not just a festival.

All eyes trained on coalition mathsElection Commission staff conduct training on Jan 15 to prepare officials for Sunday's general election and referendum. What bears close watching is fierce competition within the conservative camp: Pheu Thai versus BJT in the Northeast, and BJT versus the Democrats -- who have performed better following the return of Abhisit Vejjajiva -- in the South. In both scenarios, Pheu Thai emerges as the pivotal variable that propels the poll winner to the Thai Khu Fah Building. It is also worth remembering that Pheu Thai and BJT share common roots in the Thaksin era. BJT was once part of Thai Rak Thai, which later evolved into today's Pheu Thai.

Tomorrow's charter referendum is therefore symbolic: a direct exercise of democracy in which citizens help set the direction of the country's fundamental law. Yet a charter amendment should not be seen as an end in itself or the final outcome of a vote. What is worrying is that the charter referendum campaign has been highly politicised. The EC must do more than mail charter amendment booklets to households. Without bipartisan cooperation, charter amendment will be little more than a symbolic gesture, if not another political campaign.

As an economist who has long studied marketplaces and incentive mechanisms, my own answer starts with a simple premise: Prediction markets are markets, and markets are a fundamental tool for allocating resources and aggregating information. Prediction markets also make it easier to extract signals from the noise. Contemporary prediction markets have their roots in modern economics, statistics, mechanism design, and computer science. When prediction markets work well, they can have significant benefits relative to other forecasting methods. Finally, prediction markets have a big advantage in the breadth of coverage they offer.

Young leader eyes premiershipNatthaphong: Entered parliament as a Bangkok MP in 2019Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the country's youngest opposition leader, has declared his readiness to become prime minister, positioning his People's Party as a vehicle for national transformation. His parliamentary career began in 2019, when he was elected as a Bangkok MP under the now-dissolved Future Forward Party. He later won a party-list seat in the 2023 election with the Move Forward Party. Either the People's Party forms the government, or we return to the old-style coalition politics we have seen before." Comparisons with former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat are inevitable, but Mr Nattacha rejects the notion of replacement.

Int'l monitors to ensure transparent pollsStudents in Trat take part in a campaign on Thursday to urge voters to exercise their voting rights on Sunday. (Photo: Jakkrit Waewkhaihong)A total of 44 election observers from 17 countries and one international organisation will monitor Sunday's general election and charter rewrite referendum, according to the Election Commission (EC). The observers are participating in an election observation programme running from Feb 5–9 in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces. That includes briefings, field observations on polling day and post-election assessments. On polling day, they will observe the process from the opening of polling stations through voting, vote counting and the closing of ballot boxes.

Charter rewrite rivals make final appealsDr Tul Sitthisomwong, third from the front left, leads a rally opposing a charter rewrite in the Silom area on Friday. (Photo: Mac Million's Facebook)Campaigning for and against approval of a constitutional rewrite intensified on Friday as a coalition of pro-democracy groups called on voters to back the amendment process while opponents rallied in defence of the 2017 charter. Among the organisations backing the charter rewrite are the Campaign Committee for Democracy, the Human Rights Lawyers Association, the People's Network for Elections, the People's Movement for a Just Society and the Anti-Corruption People's Network. Meanwhile, a group of opponents of the charter rewrite led by Dr Tul Sitthisomwong rallied in Bangkok's Silom area, holding placards and chanting slogans rejecting the drafting of a new constitution. During the rally, he admitted that some provisions of the 2017 constitution may require revision, but said the mechanism to hold politicians accountable is the strength of the charter.

Bangkok Design Week 2026 puts spotlight on Thai designThe Creative Economy Agency (public organisation) or CEA, in collaboration with a wide network of public and private partners, ranging from government agencies, businesses, associations, academic institutions, designers, creatives, communities and international allies, has officially opened Bangkok Design Week 2026 (BKKDW2026) — Southeast Asia’s largest design festival. Chaiyong Ratana-Angkura, chairman of the Creative Economy Agency, said: “This year, Bangkok Design Week has been elevated as a landmark that clearly reflects Bangkok’s creative and design capabilities. CEA’s mission is to drive the country’s creative economy by developing people, businesses, and cities to grow together. Bangkok Design Week is therefore not merely a design festival, but a platform that brings design into ‘real action’ within urban and economic contexts. It drives Bangkok forward as a Unesco Creative City of Design, using design as a tool to develop the city, economy, and quality of life.

(Photo: Reuters)JAKARTA - An Indonesian comedian who became the first from his country ‌to have a special on ​Netflix was called in for questioning on Friday after police said they had received complaints that some of the material in the show was insulting and blasphemous. Pandji Pragiwaksono came out of police headquarters on Friday evening ‌about seven hours after going in. Pragiwaksono’s show appeared on Netflix on December 27 and included barbed comments on Indonesian politics, including the 2024 election. Pragiwaksono also criticised Indonesia’s two largest Muslim organisations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, for receiving a mining concession ‌from ‍the government when Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, was still president. Some have accused the comedian of insulting religious entities and state institutions, while democracy activists have defended him.