Anutin Charnvirakul

Built World

Leading caretaker government; elections expected within 4 months

Italian-Thai Development has built much of modern Thailand—Suvarnabhumi Airport, the BTS Skytrain, major highways. For 65 years, it remained one of two contractors automatically considered for mega-projects. That changed on January 15, 2026, when Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered the company permanently blacklisted after its second deadly crane collapse in two days killed 2 more people, following 32 deaths the day before when a crane fell onto a moving passenger train.

Updated May 21

Force in Play

Caretaker PM campaigning on nationalist surge from border conflict

A Cambodian soldier died in a border firefight on May 28, and within two months, the countries were exchanging artillery fire and airstrikes across a dozen locations. Three ceasefires—brokered by Malaysia, pressured by Trump, and witnessed by ASEAN—have left over 100 dead and a million displaced, yet the December 27 truce may fail like the others.

Updated May 16

Force in Play

Caretaker PM after dissolving parliament amid active border conflict with Cambodia

Thailand's prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, dissolved parliament barely three months into his term. He called a snap election while Thai troops trade artillery fire with Cambodia along an 800-kilometre border.

Updated May 15

Force in Play

Signed December 27 ceasefire after three weeks of intense combat; disputed Trump's December 12 ceasefire claim and vowed to continue operations

A new ceasefire signed on December 27 has brought an uneasy pause to three weeks of fighting that killed more than 100 people and sent over half a million fleeing from their homes. Thai airstrikes, Cambodian rocket barrages, and artillery duels scorched the 817‑kilometer frontier after combat reignited on December 8, shattering Trump‑brokered peace deals from July and October.

Updated May 11

Force in Play

Leads Thai government during November ceasefire suspension and December airstrikes

In 2025, a long-simmering territorial dispute along the 817 km Thailand–Cambodia border reignited after a May 28 clash near Preah Vihear killed a Cambodian soldier. The incident sparked a five-day July war—at least 48 dead, about 300,000 displaced—that ended when Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim brokered a ceasefire.

Updated May 10