Main Article Content
Abstract
Thai political system has evolved from the early 20th century at a verygradual pace owing to the dominance of other political factors such as monarchy and military rule. This steady development impacted the process of political reformation in the country. However, in the late 1990s a new wave emerged in the socio- political sphere of Thailand giving birth to large political parties. Thai Rak Thai was one such partywith a mass appeal through populist agendas; under the leadership of Thaksin. It changed the course of politics in the country for the coming decades. On the other hand, violence escalated in 2004 in southern provinces of the country and prolonged insurgency again emerged as a threat to the security of the country and a challenge to the newly formed Thaksin government.This article analyzes the evolution and development of the party system in Thailand with special focus on Thai Rak Thai. It investigates the influence of the populist party rule over the prolonged insurgency in the southern region of the country. Author argues that owing to the vulnerabilities of the party system in the country even the elected government failed to provide democratic solution to the insurgency in South.