The Thai parliament's green light for the new prime minister after the judicial intervention on Paetongtarn Shinawatra replicated a pattern seen many times in Bangkok: the alliance between parties that are apparently irreconcilable in their programmes and leaders to oust their opponent. But the People's Party wants new elections within four months and the amendment of the Constitution used to undermine its electoral success in 2023.
The canonisation of the young man who lived between 1991 and 2006 and used the internet to spread the faith will take place tomorrow in St Peter's, together with Piergiorgio Frassati. Some of his relics are also travelling to Asian countries, where his peers are getting to know him. A ‘great message of hope’ for young Koreans preparing for the next World Youth Day. In Bangkok, young people say: ‘He is one of us.’ A new seminary named after him in Laos.
Tomorrow, the conservatives of Bhumjaithai will attempt to elect a minority government with the conditional and temporary support of the reformists, who won the 2023 elections but were then excluded from the unprecedented alliance between populists and pro-military forces, which was swept away by the conflict with Cambodia. Even the Shinawatra family, after yet another judicial ouster, are now courting the heirs of Move Forward. The army: ‘We will support any government, but we will guarantee stability.’
Today's news: North Korea's economy is experiencing record growth thanks to Russian military contracts. The United States revokes visas for Mahmoud Abbas and 80 Palestinian officials to prevent them from attending the UN General Assembly. China released a list of "authorised sources" for news on digital platforms. In Japan, a government-sponsored video simulation shows the effects of a possible volcanic eruption of Mount Fuji.
According to the Constitutional Court, the prime minister violated her duty of integrity because of what she said in a controversial phone call, whose audio was released by Cambodia’s Hun Sen. The military-aligned party is moving toward a deal with Anutin, a former Shinawatra ally in government. Meanwhile, Thailand’s military warns that it is ready to respond to further "provocations" from Phnom Penh.
According to the Ministry of Higher Education, 10,000 visas are set to be cancelled. A wave of arrests, especially in the provinces of Chiang Mai and Phuket, suggests widespread abuse of long-term residence permits. Private universities have also been implicated, but they deny all wrongdoing, blaming instead corruption among public officials.
