A wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Thamanat Prompow’s support for the new coalition and his ties to Thaksin have some wondering whose side he’s really on * Anutin is enjoying a surge in popularity, but the Khao Kradong dispute and Senate poll scandal could prove problematic

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The sudden decision by Capt Thamanat Prompow, the patriarch of the Klatham Party, to defect from the Pheu Thai-led government and throw his support behind a new minority coalition with Anutin Charnvirakul as premier has jolted the already fragile Thai political landscape.

At face value, it is a significant coup for Mr Anutin and his Bhumjaithai Party (BJT), who need all the support they can get to cobble together parliamentary legitimacy.

Yet under the surface lies a deeper question: is Capt Thamanat truly shifting allegiance, or is he positioning himself as a Trojan Horse, working covertly to safeguard the interests of Pheu Thai and its de facto leader, Thaksin Shinawatra?

Capt Thamanat is no stranger to controversy, nor to the art of political manoeuvring. His career has been marked by both scandal and resilience, according to one observer.

Despite a criminal conviction in Australia decades ago, he rose steadily in Thai politics, leveraging local patronage networks in the North and with his ability to build and dismantle alliances. He once served as secretary-general of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), which was the main party of the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration.

However, even at the height of his time in the PPRP, there were suspicions about his true political loyalties. During a no-confidence debate against Gen Prayut, Capt Thamanat was accused of playing a pivotal role in attempts to orchestrate his downfall. Opponents say his actions were less about party loyalty than about engineering a pathway favourable to Pheu Thai, which has long sought to reassert itself as the dominant political force.