Long history of divisive Senate issue (Part I)

13 Sept 09:47 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's political landscape has been marked by a nearly century-long struggle to define its democratic system, particularly regarding the Senate's role, stemming from fundamental disagreements on "How," "Where," and "When" power should be exercised since the 1932 shift to constitutional monarchy.
The nation's history features over 20 constitutions and persistent attempts to balance power between elected and unelected bodies, often resulting in political instability, coups, and uprisings.
The current Constitution reflects a "slow-but-sure" approach, establishing an unelected Senate with provisional powers, including participating in prime minister selection, to counterbalance the elected House of Representatives.
A controversial "Every Vote Counts" electoral system, unique to Thailand, aims to value all votes by allocating party-list seats based on national vote totals, even for losing candidates, which redefines traditional representative democracy and fuels ongoing debate.

Suchada: Meet the reluctant star of Thailand’s cryptic crypto drama

Today 15:38 Key points summarised by AI

Thai MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap faces intense scrutiny over her husband’s substantial 1.84 billion baht wealth, with opposition lawmakers alleging connections to international scam networks.
A significant portion of her husband, Taiyang Zhang's, declared assets includes a 1.44 billion baht loan to the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, which still owes him 1.34 billion baht.
Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome accused Suchada's husband of links to online scam networks and gambling sites, prompting Suchada to vehemently deny the claims, demand evidence, and file a defamation complaint.
Taiyang Zhang's background includes co-founding Ren Protocol, later sold to Alameda Research (linked to the FTX collapse), and some of his former associates have been convicted in crypto company failures.
Suchada, a former actress and first-time MP, maintains her husband's innocence, while her party leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations, deeming it a private matter.