PM and the Army sued for defamation over alleged IO blog

13 Sept 11:30 Key points summarised by AI

Human rights activists Angkhana Neelaphaijit and Unchana Heemmina filed a civil defamation lawsuit against Thailand's Prime Minister's Office and the Army.
The lawsuit alleges that the government's Information Operation (IO) used the website Puliny.blogspot.com to publish distorted and defamatory content targeting activist Unchana.
The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), under the PM's Office, previously admitted funding the now-offline Puliny.blogspot.com, which activists claim vilified them for reporting human rights abuses.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha is the main defendant, with the Army named as a co-defendant in the legal action.

Speculation growing over merger between Bhumjaithai and Kla Tham parties

Yesterday 16:46 Key points summarised by AI

A dinner between Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul and Kla Tham leader Capt. Thamanat Prompow ignited widespread speculation about a potential merger between their parties.
The meeting is viewed as a strategic message to coalition partner Pheu Thai, indicating Bhumjaithai's alternative options following Pheu Thai's chief whip's remarks about not fully defending all ministers in the upcoming no-confidence debate.
A direct merger between parties with sitting MPs is currently prohibited by Section 99 of the Constitution until the House's term expires, though MPs can switch parties through dismissal or party dissolution.
These constitutional rules aim to prevent financially strong parties from easily absorbing smaller ones, a practice that historically led to single-party dominance, as seen with Thai Rak Thai's 2005 election victory.