BANGKOK: Thailand’s Bhumjaithai Party, which won Sunday’s general election by a wide margin, will be joined by the third-place Pheu Thai party to form a coalition government, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday.
Anutin-led Bhumjaithai romped to a surprise victory on Sunday securing 193 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives, followed by the reformist People’s Party with 118 seats and the populist Pheu Thai at 74, according to Reuters’ calculations based on election commission data.
The support of Pheu Thai — backed by the currently imprisoned billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra – will give Anutin a clear parliamentary majority, potentially paving the way for a stable coalition.
“We will work together as a government and manage the country so we can do good things for the country,” Anutin told reporters, after holding talks with Pheu Thai leaders.
Bhumjaithai was a member of a Pheu Thai-led ruling coalition that took power following the last election in 2023, but walked out of the alliance in June last year, following a leaked phone call between then premier Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
Paetongtarn was later dismissed by a court order, opening the door for Anutin to become prime minister.
“Please erase any misunderstandings from the past,” Anutin said. “We would like to work together, govern the country together.”
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Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party to join Bhumjaithai Party-led coalition, PM Anutin says
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Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party to join Bhumjaithai Party-led coalition, PM Anutin says
- The support of Pheu Thai will give Anutin Charnvirakul a clear parliamentary majority, potentially paving the way for a stable coalition
Chagos islanders say they refuse to leave in protest against UK handover
- Four members of the Chagos community, accompanied by former British Conservative MP Adam Holloway, landed on the remote Coin Island in the Peros Banhos atoll
- Misley Mandarin: ‘I dare (British Prime Minister) Keir Starmer to remove me or the Mauritian government to remove me’
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius: Four Chagos islanders, who oppose Britain handing back the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, said they refused to leave despite a maritime patrol trying to evict them on Wednesday.
Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s and evicted all inhabitants to make way for a military base.
Last May, Britain agreed to hand back sovereignty to Mauritius while maintaining a lease on the largest island, Diego Garcia, home to the military base now used by the United States.
On Monday, four members of the Chagos community, accompanied by former British Conservative MP Adam Holloway, landed on the remote Coin Island in the Peros Banhos atoll.
One of the group told AFP by phone that they were opposed to last year’s deal.
“The UK is handing away my homeland to Mauritius. That’s the reason why we’re here,” said Misley Mandarin, who has proclaimed himself “first minister” of the Chagossian government-in-exile.
He says he wants the islands to stay British and for the 322 surviving natives to return.
“We’re not waiting for any government to help us to settle,” Mandarin said in a live Facebook video.
“I dare (British Prime Minister) Keir Starmer to remove me or the Mauritian government to remove me.”
On Wednesday, a British maritime patrol attempted to expel the group, Mandarin told AFP by phone.
“They want to remove us from the island but we’re going to stay put... And we’ve got lawyers backing us,” he said.
According to a report by the Conservative Post, he is accompanied by his father, Michel Mandarin, 72, who was expelled from the islands when he was 14.
Mauritian Justice Minister Gavin Glover said it was “clearly a publicity stunt” ahead of a debate in the British parliament over the deal, which has been criticized by both rights groups and US President Donald Trump.
“All this is distressing, because the Mauritian state has made a solemn commitment to ensure that the Chagossians return to their homeland as soon as possible,” Glover told reporters.
Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s and evicted all inhabitants to make way for a military base.
Last May, Britain agreed to hand back sovereignty to Mauritius while maintaining a lease on the largest island, Diego Garcia, home to the military base now used by the United States.
On Monday, four members of the Chagos community, accompanied by former British Conservative MP Adam Holloway, landed on the remote Coin Island in the Peros Banhos atoll.
One of the group told AFP by phone that they were opposed to last year’s deal.
“The UK is handing away my homeland to Mauritius. That’s the reason why we’re here,” said Misley Mandarin, who has proclaimed himself “first minister” of the Chagossian government-in-exile.
He says he wants the islands to stay British and for the 322 surviving natives to return.
“We’re not waiting for any government to help us to settle,” Mandarin said in a live Facebook video.
“I dare (British Prime Minister) Keir Starmer to remove me or the Mauritian government to remove me.”
On Wednesday, a British maritime patrol attempted to expel the group, Mandarin told AFP by phone.
“They want to remove us from the island but we’re going to stay put... And we’ve got lawyers backing us,” he said.
According to a report by the Conservative Post, he is accompanied by his father, Michel Mandarin, 72, who was expelled from the islands when he was 14.
Mauritian Justice Minister Gavin Glover said it was “clearly a publicity stunt” ahead of a debate in the British parliament over the deal, which has been criticized by both rights groups and US President Donald Trump.
“All this is distressing, because the Mauritian state has made a solemn commitment to ensure that the Chagossians return to their homeland as soon as possible,” Glover told reporters.
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