Thai Update 2021: Crisis Management and Long-term Implications

Thailand is under siege with crises on all fronts. While protests have subsided for the present, the Thai Government’s handling of COVID-19 has turned from leading model in 2020 to chaotic and widely derided in 2021. The economic impact of the pandemic has been profound, with the full extent still unknown. Signs of rapidly growing unemployment and desperation are fully visible in Bangkok and surrounding regions. The question remains whether multiple crises will instigate domestic change. Could they bring down the Prayut Chan-ocha administration? How will the economic crisis play out, and what are the prospects for the millions of newly poor in Thailand? Furthermore, the coup in Myanmar is putting new pressure on Thailand and ASEAN, with major risks for Thailand. How will this foreign policy crisis affect Thailand and the region?

The ANU Thai Update will tackle these important questions with insights from leading experts on economics, parliamentary politics, social movements and foreign policy analysis

The Thai Update is hosted by the ANU Southeast Asia Institute and the Asia Foundation

24 August- Economy and COVID Impact
25 August- Political Update; Protests
26 August- Political Update; Thai Parliament
27 August- Foreign Policy

These webinars will be recorded.