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Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra welcomes his guests for the wedding of his youngest daughter Paetongtarn "Ing" Shinawatra at a hotel in Hong Kong on March 22, 2019. As Thailand grapples with the unexpectedly difficult task of naming a new prime minister, the most controversial former holder of the job, billionaire populist Thaksin Shinawatra, plans to return home next month from years of self-imposed exile, his daughter announced Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Former Thai leader Thaksin goes to jail as political party linked to him wins vote to take power

By Jintamas Saksornchai - Associated Press

Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Move Forward Party, speaks to media as he announces the victory in Sunday's general election at the party's headquarters in Bangkok on May 15, 2023. Thailand’s Constitutional Court cleared the way Wednesday, Aug. 16, for Parliament to vote for a new prime minister more than three months after national elections by declining to rule on a complaint over the rejection of the winning party's leader, Pita. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn, File)

Reformer out, military back in as Thailand moves to break governing impasse

By Richard S. Ehrlich – Special to The Washington Times - The Washington Times

Supporters of the Move Forward Party hold a portrait of Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Move Forward Party, during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, July 29, 2023. Thai parliament on Thursday set the date of the vote for prime minister next week, for the third time, as political uncertainty continues to grow more than two months after the general election. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) **FILE**

Popular vote-winning party in May election dumped from planned new coalition government

By Richard S. Ehrlich

This UGC photo made available by a source wishing to remain anonymous shows Chinese rights lawyer Lu Siwei on a road, at an undisclosed location, around 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Vientiane, Laos, Thursday, July 27, 2023, as he headed south to the border with Thailand. Lu, stripped of his license for taking on sensitive cases, has been arrested in the Southeast Asian country of Laos, with activists and family members worried he will be deported back to China where he could face prison time.(Anonymous Source via AP)

A rights lawyer who was fleeing China has been arrested in neighboring Laos

By Dake Kang - Associated Press

Gao Peng, son of Chinese dissident Gao Zhi, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 17, 2023. Since landing in Thailand July 3, he says he has been accused of making bomb threats, put on an EU travel blacklist, and seem his mother and 16-year-old sister detained and threatened with deportation back to China. The threats, made in the family's names against airports, luxury hotels and the Chinese embassy in Bangkok derailed their plans to join Gao Zhi in the Netherlands. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Accused of bomb threats they say they didn’t make, family of Chinese dissident detained in Thailand

By Huizhong Wu and Tian Macleod Ji and Jintamas Saksornchai - Associated Press

Supporters of the Move Forward Party hold a portrait of Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Move Forward Party on his head during protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 27, 2023. The Thai parliament on Thursday set the date of the vote for prime minister next week, for the third time, as political uncertainty continues to grow more than two months after the general election. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai Parliament says it will try to pick a prime minister next week after 2 unsuccessful attempts

By Jintamas Saksornchai - Associated Press

Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Move Forward Party, center. and Leader of Pheu Thai party Chonlanan Srikaew, left , wave to supporters after meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 17, 2023. The top candidate to become Thailand's next prime minister, Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who was rebuffed last week by an initial vote of Parliament, declared Monday he will remain a candidate for a second round of ballot but acknowledges he may have to make way for a political ally if he cannot attract substantially more support. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai Parliament blocks leader of party that won election from being renominated for prime minister

By Grant Peck and Jintamas Saksornchai - Associated Press

Mahout ride "Sak Surin," an ailing elephant that had allegedly not been well cared-for in Sri Lanka, which had received it as a gift from the Thai government, but was returned to its home country and taken to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang province in northern Thailand on Sunday, July 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Nareerat Chaywichain)

An ailing Thai elephant returns home for medical care after years of neglect in Sri Lanka

By Jintamas Saksornchai - Associated Press

Leader of Move Forward Party Pita Limjaroenrat, left, waves after signing a memorandum of understanding on attempt to form a coalition government between Move Forward Party and other parties during a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 22, 2023. Move Forward won the most seats in the May 14 election, and it has formed a coalition that seeks to become the government when Parliament selects a prime minister in July. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Legal case clouds Thai path back to civilian rule

By Richard S. Ehrlich

Police officers stand behind seized crystal methamphetamine during a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 29, 2023. Law enforcement officials in Thailand said Monday they seized more than a ton of crystal methamphetamine in a southern province last week that they believed was bound for Australia. (AP Photo/Thanachote Thanawikran)

Authorities in Thailand seize more than a ton of crystal methamphetamine thought bound for Australia

By Jintamas Saksornchai - Associated Press

Pita Limjaroenrat, center, leader of Move Forward Party, waves to his supporters, in Bangkok, Monday, May 15, 2023. Fresh off a stunning election victory in which they together captured a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, Thailand's top two opposition parties began planning Monday for the next stage in their bid to replace the military-dominated government. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

New star Pita seeks to seize the moment as voters rebuke Thailand’s military rulers

By Richard S. Ehrlich

Volunteers and a police officer check ballots for Sunday's general election in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, May 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai election underway with opposition favored to top polls

By Grant Peck - Associated Press

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a leader of Thailand's opposition Pheu Thai Party, smiles as she talks to reporters at Thammasat University’s indoor gymnasium in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, March 17, 2023. The Pheu Thai Party is heavily favored to win the most seats in the May 14 general election, and Paetongtarn, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is one of its three nominees to become the next prime minister. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A fresh face and a familiar name raise election jitters in Thailand

By Richard S. Ehrlich

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a leader of Thailand's opposition Pheu Thai Party, smiles as she talks to reporters at Thammasat University’s indoor gymnasium in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, March 17, 2023. The Pheu Thai Party is heavily favored to win the most seats in the May 14 general election, and Paetongtarn, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is one of its three nominees to become the next prime minister. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Daughter of ousted Thai prime minister could win his old job

By Jerry Harmer - Associated Press

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha talks to at reporters at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March 20, 2023. Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is seeking to be returned to office, announced that he has dissolved Parliament, setting the stage for a general election in May.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Looming Thai prime minister race could signal end of an era

By Richard S. Ehrlich - Special to The Washington Times

U.S. Marines join in an ongoing U.S.-Thai joint military exercise Cobra Gold on Hat Yao beach in Chonburi province, eastern Thailand, Friday, March 3, 2023. Cobra Gold 2023, one of the biggest joint multilateral military exercises in the world that pulls together the security interests of the United States and six Asian nations. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Giant Cobra Gold exercise offers a case study in U.S.-China rivalry

By Richard S. Ehrlich - Special to The Washington Times

In this photo provided by the Free Burma Rangers, a wounded woman rests in Lay Wah, one of the villages in Karen state’s Mutraw district, Myanmar, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. The Free Burma Rangers said their volunteers watched from a distance as Myanmar’s military made two bombing runs on Thursday. A report released Monday, Jan, 16, by the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar details how international companies have helped Myanmar build up its capacity to produce weapons that are being used to commit atrocities. (Free Burma Rangers via AP)

Report: Myanmar arms industry growing after army takeover

By Elaine Kurtenbach - Associated Press

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shakes hands with Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Goverment House in Bangkok, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. (Lillian Suwanrumpha/Pool Photo via AP)

How the Blue Diamond, a hot rock, led to a 30-year diplomatic row

By Richard S. Ehrlich - Special to The Washington Times

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Mangyongdae Revolutionary School in Pyongyang, North Kora on Oct. 12, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: &quot;KCNA&quot; which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea test-fires ICBM with range to strike entire U.S.

By Hyung-jin Kim and Mari Yamagughi - Associated Press

Seksan Sriraj, 28, grieves during a ceremony for those killed in the attack on the Young Children's Development Center in the rural town of Uthai Sawan, north eastern Thailand, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Seksan lost his pregnant wife who was a teacher at the day care center when it was attacked by a former policeman Thursday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thailand mourns children, others slain by ex-police officer

By Tassanee Vejpongsa and David Rising - Associated Press