Ken Lohatepanont

Speculation mounts about a potential merger of the Bhumjaithai and Kla Tham parties. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/will-bhumj...

Kla Tham's position as a pseudo-opposition party was confirmed last week, as it was officially expelled from the opposition whip. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/the-pseudo...

Bhumjaithai avoided heading to the courts over the Senate collusion case, but it's not out of the woods yet in the court of public opinion. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/bhumjaitha...

Anutin Charnvirakul has now been prime minister for a little over a year. In today's newsletter, I summarize what we've learned about the Bhumjaithai playbook during his first year in office. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/the-anatom...

A brief primer on the Senate collusion case. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/where-we-s...

My new ISEAS Perspective analyzing the origins of Bhumjaithai's technocratic rebrand, where this gov't stands in the history of Thai technocratic management, and whether the presence of key technocrats in the Anutin cabinet can make a meaningful difference. www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-com...

I take a brief look at the Thai government's plan to reduce expenditure by downsizing the bureaucracy. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/downsizing...

Some thoughts on Dear You, a Teochew film set in Bangkok that unexpectedly became a major hit. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/a-teochew-...

With the People's Party and Kla Tham signaling some openness towards working together, Bhumjaithai faces more political pressure. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/is-a-traff...

Anutin's rendition of a classic Chinese song has drawn attention and, from quarters, backlash. I take a look at this (overblown) controversy: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/anutins-mu...

Anutin has spent the past few days in China, where AI, national security, and "high quality investments" were on the top of his agenda. My summary here: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/anutins-fi...

How stable is the Bhumjaithai government? In this piece, I look at some of the headwinds facing the party three months into PM Anutin's second term. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/how-stable...

The FY2027 budget passed its first reading in parliament yesterday. Some highlights from the parliamentary debate: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/highlights...

Chadchat Sittipunt sweeps to a second landslide victory in the race for Bangkok governor, while the People's Party increases its seats but falls short of a majority in the city council. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/chadchat-s...

Why Chadchart is highly likely to win re-election as Bangkok governor: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/is-chadcha...

Morning coffee briefing on the past week in Thai politics: 1. Kla Tham MP protected by parliament 2. No special committee to further study Land Bridge 3. Controversy over AI scheme www.coffeeparliament.com/p/parliament...

Last week, Bhumjaithai unveiled their proposal for how to proceed with constitutional reform. I look at the details here: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/bhumjaitha...

Some thoughts on Pheu Thai after Thaksin's parole: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/the-end-of...

Enter a Thai bookstore, and you'll notice the shelves are often filled with self improvement books. Some of my thoughts here on this phenomenon: latitudeten.com?p=1765

The Anutin cabinet was the locus of political activity in the past week, with major decisions on MOU 44, a 400 billion baht loan decree, and constitutional change. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/mou-44-can...

Anutin resumes push for a land bridge in Southern Thailand, Thaksin gets his parole and Suriya finds himself in a big bureaucratic controversy. The past week in Thailand: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/morning-co...

A season of annual party conferences revealed that most parties in Thailand are opting to retain their internal status quos, even after bruising election losses. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/party-like...

Roundup of some recent news in Thailand: debt ceiling discussions, visit from Wang Yi, move to cancelling MOU 44 and distribution of parliament committee chairmanships. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/news-round...

Where four Thai parties came in first on the party-list vote in any constituency in 2023, eight parties accomplished this feat in 2026. I examine how locally-driven parties won big in the nationally-fueled proportional system: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/ballot-spl...

Should MPs get free food, eight assistants, and a pension? Dr Warong Dechgitvigrom has made parliamentary benefits his rallying cry in his return to parliament. I take a look at his proposals: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/dr-warong-...

Anutin made his policy declaration to parliament today, shedding light on his second administration's priorities: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/anutin-mak...

An overview of the second Anutin cabinet: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/an-overvie...

The Anutin government's options are limited as the fuel subsidies became increasingly unsustainable. Updates on the energy situation Thailand: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/the-energy...

Was there a nationalist wave in Thailand's 2026 election? I do a deep dive here on how this effect was likely regionalized and strongest in areas bordering Cambodia. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/regionaliz...

Bhumjaithai takes the speakership www.coffeeparliament.com/p/bhumjaitha...

A summary of the energy situation in Thailand and how the Anutin government is dealing with the rise in fuel prices: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/thailand-c...

A short update from The Coffee Parliament on the political calendar over the next two months and latest reports on the makeup of the next Thai government. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/post-elect...

A very late post to mark the fact that The Coffee Parliament is now over one year old! 🎉 www.coffeeparliament.com/p/one-year-p...

The Democrat Party, previously thought to be facing certain extinction, survived the 2026 general election. But as it enters its 80th year, Thailand's longest-surviving party still faces key challenges. My piece for Fulcrum: fulcrum.sg/thailands-de...

Did barcodes on Thai election ballots violate the principle of a secret ballot? I take a look at the opposing arguments posed by two of Thailand's most prominent legal minds: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/a-battle-o...

While there's still controversy over election irregularities, the Bhumjaithai margin of victory was big enough that it's highly unlikely to be overturned. I take a look here at why Bhumjaithai won: asialink.unimelb.edu.au/diplomacy/in...

Yesterday evening, reports began circulating of hardball coalition negotiations. Will Bhumjaithai go green, or will there be no green in the next government? www.coffeeparliament.com/p/go-green-o...

Update on reports of election irregularities www.coffeeparliament.com/p/election-a...

Takeaways from the 2026 general election www.coffeeparliament.com/p/takeaways-...

Bhumjaithai on track to win general election www.coffeeparliament.com/p/bhumjaitha...

One question on our minds: who's going to form the next government? Here's a diagram of what parties have said about their coalition red lines.

Some closing thoughts on the 2026 general election. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/2026-elect...

Cabinet choices in Thailand are usually made with little regard to expertise. But this year, many parties have pledged in advance to appoint technocrats, even as it comes at the expense of promoting longtime party loyalists. My piece in the Bangkok Post: www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin...

New data shows the People's Party and the Democrats gaining momentum: both are warning signs for Bhumjaithai. Thoughts on seat forecasts and how this election will depend on whether the national triumphs over the local: www.coffeeparliament.com/p/bhumjaitha...

Many Thais wouldn't turn down the chance to be millionaires. But will Pheu Thai's particular way of creating 9 millionaires a day move the needle? www.coffeeparliament.com/p/who-wants-...

In today's newsletter, I examine the dynamics of the South, where we're seeing a clash of party loyalty vs. local influence. Abhisit Vejjajiva has revived the Democrats' popularity, but will that be enough against Bhumjaithai and Kla Tham? www.coffeeparliament.com/p/the-southe...

My voter's guide for the Thailand 2026 general election is out now on Latitude Ten! It contains an explainer of how this election works and the platforms offered by the major contenders. Check it out here: latitudeten.com?p=1572

Updates from another week of campaigning. A lot of People's Party-related news this week, including the full launch of their potential governing team and the arrest of one of their candidates. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/2026-elect...

My "vibe check" of the 2026 election campaign at its midway point. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/campaign-m...