Bangkok Post
People’s Party rift raises fears of split
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◌ Single Source
The People’s Party (PP) has sought to downplay speculation about internal divisions after reports that firebrand MP Rukchanok Srinork rebuked Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, secretary-general of the Progressive Movement and co-founder of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, for criticising the party’s political direction.
Key facts
- According to Ms Suchada, her husband previously held a 1.47% stake in a company operating the gambling website and sold his entire stake in early January 2026, before she became an MP.
- The People’s Party (PP) has sought to downplay speculation about internal divisions after reports that firebrand MP Rukchanok Srinork rebuked Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, secretary-general of the Progressive Movement and co-founder of the
- Yet the reported exchange has raised a fundamental question: whether the political movement that once united them can continue as a single party as its founding figures and current leadership pursue potentially different visions, a
- Founded in 2018, the Future Forward sought to challenge Thailand’s established political order through institutional reform, decentralisation, civilian control over the military and a broader transformation of the country’s political
- After the Constitutional Court dissolved Future Forward in 2020, its parliamentary members moved to the Move Forward Party
- The latter won the most seats in the 2023 general election but failed to form a government
Summary
Yet the reported exchange has raised a fundamental question: whether the political movement that once united them can continue as a single party as its founding figures and current leadership pursue potentially different visions, a political source said.
The controversy began after Mr Piyabutr criticised what he appeared to regard as the PP’s growing embrace of “entertainocracy” — politics driven by entertainment, sensationalism and social media popularity — and a tendency to focus on daily political exposés without presenting a broader vision for society.