Thai Politics In A Nutshell - A Beginner's Guide

Thailand’s Political Drama: Season 20 and Still No Ending

If Thai politics were a TV show, it would have run longer than Friends, had more unexpected plot twists than Game of Thrones, and more cast changes than Power Rangers. Except in Thailand, instead of dragons or aliens, the villains are usually corruption, coups, and a mysterious guy in sunglasses who somehow becomes Deputy Prime Minister overnight.

For the last 20-odd years, Thai politics has been like a soap opera that nobody asked for but everybody watches anyway because, well, you live here and it’s on every channel.

Season 1: Enter Thaksin

Early 2000s. A billionaire with a love for populist policies and big ideas takes the stage. Suddenly, rural voters adore him, city elites hate him, and the military looks at him like a cat staring at a wobbly glass on the edge of a table. You can guess what happens next: smash. Coup!

Season 2: Coup, Counter-Coup, Rerun

Since then, Thailand has followed a pattern so predictable it could be turned into a drinking game:

1. A new leader wins elections.

2. Opponents cry foul.

3. Yellow shirts vs. red shirts hit the streets like it’s a football derby.

4. Courts disqualify someone for owning the wrong brand of TV station.

5. Military steps in “just for a little while.”

6. Rinse, repeat.

Season 10: Surprise Plot Twist: It’s Always the Same Plot Twist

Over the past two decades, we’ve had so many coups that tourists probably think it’s a festival. “Songkran in April, Loy Krathong in November, Coup Season whenever the generals get bored.” Each time, they promise it’s the last one, just like every ex who swears they’ve changed.

New Cast, Same Script

Every election brings in new faces: some sons, some daughters, some cousins of the old faces, but the script never changes. The “people’s government” gets elected, someone cries it’s illegitimate, courts or generals step in, and boom: back to square one. It’s political snakes and ladders, except there are no ladders.

The Audience

Meanwhile, the Thai people watch with a mix of frustration and world-class humor. Memes fly faster than campaign posters. Cafés buzz with political gossip. And through it all, life goes on because no matter who’s in power, the traffic is still terrible, mango sticky rice is still delicious, and someone, somewhere, is planning another coup.

In a Nutshell

20 years of Thai politics in one sentence? It’s like a soap opera where the villains never die, the heroes never win, and the military always has the remote control.