Asian Angle | Thai politics is no longer orange, yellow and red. Anutin turned it blue

The ascent of Anutin Charnvirakul to the office of Thai prime minister must be a moment of personal celebration.

Anutin is well known for piloting his own small plane around Thailand, which must give him a remarkably intimate overview of the country’s landscape and terrain. Yet from a political and indeed moral perspective, that landscape today looks disconcertingly desolate.

Why? Just over two years ago, Thai politics was nothing if not colourful. The progressive Move Forward Party performed superbly in the May 2023 election, and for a brief period, its charismatic young leader Pita Limjaroenrat seemed poised to become prime minister.

Ultimately, Pita’s hopes were vetoed by a conservative-controlled Senate, and an improbable alliance emerged between pro-military parties and the once-oppositional Pheu Thai Party – the personal vehicle of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family. Thaksin dramatically returned from self-imposed exile on the very day that his chosen candidate Srettha Thavisin became prime minister.