Lawyer who toppled Move Forward takes aim at Pheu Thai, Thaksin

Pheu Thai and its leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra now risk suffering the same fate as other parties founded by the Shinawatra family, including the Thai Rak Thai and the People's Power parties, both of which were dissolved.

On Thursday, independent lawyer Teerayut Suwankesorn filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, requesting a ruling on whether Pheu Thai and Thaksin Shinawatra’s actions violated constitutional provisions on lèse-majesté, control of the state administration, and allowing outside influence to dominate the party.

Although the petition only seeks to halt these actions, it could lead to dissolution of the ruling party.

Teerayut's move has captured public attention, raising questions about his motivation for the petition. Is he working for the old power bloc, including the Palang Pracharat Party, which was tossed from the ruling coalition amid Thaksin's return to power?

Speculation of a connection between Teerayut and Palang Pracharat arose in early October when the party’s secretary-general, Paiboon Nititawan, twice predicted Pheu Thai’s downfall. It intensified when Palang Pracharat key members revealed Teerayut’s plan to lodge the petition four hours before he did so.

 
Paiboon and Teerayut: old colleagues
 
Teerayut served as an executive member of the People Reform Party, which was founded and led by Paiboon. Teerayut played a key role in the party's legal team.

Less than a year after founding People Reform in 2018, Paiboon dissolved the party and joined Palang Pracharat. Teerayut chose not to follow him, instead pursuing his work as an independent lawyer.

Teerayut first encountered Paiboon in 2015 in the National Assembly when the junta-appointed National Reform Council was still active. At that time, Paiboon was a member of the Committee on Reform and Prevention of Monastic Affairs. His committee made headlines for its high-profile pursuit of Phra Dhammajayo, abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, which led to investigations, asset seizures, and attempts to arrest him.

Teerayut also acted as the lawyer for activist monk Phra Buddha Issara in the case against Dhammajayo. Phra Buddha Issara leveraged Paiboon's committee to drive the investigation forward.

This marked the beginning of Teerayut's involvement in political and high-profile legal cases, which ultimately led to his acquaintance with Paiboon.

In 2017, Paiboon and Teerayut worked together on multiple legal cases related to monastic affairs, winning several.

Teerayut is also known for filing landmark political cases. His petition accusing the opposition Move Forward Party of attempting to overthrow the constitutional monarchy led to its disbandment on August 7. The Constitutional Court also banned its executive members from politics for 10 years. The verdict marked Paiboon’s latest triumph. He had previously played a key role in removing Shinawatra family members from power, including former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Now, his case against Pheu Thai and Thaksin, reportedly backed by powerful figures behind the scenes, is poised to trigger another earthquake in Thai politics.