Profile of Chakraphop Penkhae, former spokesperson during Thaksin Shinawatra's government, who fled political persecution for over 15 years before returning to Thailand, now embarking on his first term as an MP after several past election defeats.
On 8 July 2026, marked the first day that Mr. Chakraphop Penkhae reported to assume his role as a party-list Member of Parliament (MP) for the Pheu Thai Party at the Parliament building, following the resignation of Mr. Prasert Chantraruangthong, Minister of Education, from his party-list MP post. This allowed Chakraphop, ranked 18th on the party list, to take office, as announced in the Royal Gazette on 3 July 2026.Chakraphop Penkhae advanced to become a Pheu Thai party-list MP after Prasert's resignation.)
Mr. Chakraphop Penkhae, nicknamed “Ek,” was born on 21 October 1967 and will turn 59 years old in 2026. He completed primary and secondary education at Kasetsart University's Demonstration School, then studied Political Science with a focus on International Relations at Chulalongkorn University. He pursued his master's and doctoral degrees at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, USA.
Regarding his career, he initially worked with the Charoen Pokphand Group before resigning to serve as a diplomat in the Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He later left government service to become a full-time journalist for over a decade, serving as a former executive at PTV television station, a TV program host, a prominent foreign news analyst, and was instrumental in reforming the management of the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand.
During Thaksin Shinawatra's government, Chakraphop was appointed spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office from 2003 to 2005. Shortly after, he ran for election as an MP under the Thai Rak Thai Party. In the 2005 general election, he contested Bangkok's 30th district, replacing Chakraphan Yomjinda, but lost to Ong-art Khlamphaiboon of the Democrat Party. In the second attempt during the 2 April 2006 general election, Chakraphop was the sole candidate in Bangkok's 5th district but failed to win as he received less than 20% of the votes, while 55,141 voters abstained. Subsequently, he was appointed Deputy Secretary to the Prime Minister in Thaksin's second government.
After the dissolution of the political party in 2006, Chakraphop, alongside executives from PTV television and the anti-dictatorship organization, led the coalition named the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) to organize rallies opposing the National Security Council (NSC) and the government led by General Surayud Chulanont, the 24th Prime Minister, at Sanam Luang.
In 2007, the People's Power Party won the election, with Samak Sundaravej as Prime Minister. On 6 February 2008, a royal command appointed Chakraphop as Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, overseeing state media. On 1 April that year, he chaired the transformation of Thailand's Channel 11 into the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT).
During the coup on 22 May 2014, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) issued Order No. 49/2014 summoning Chakraphop to report but he failed to comply. The military court issued arrest warrants on 23 June 2015 and 28 June 2015, charging him with failure to report and illegal possession of weapons. On 7 December 2017, the Criminal Court issued warrant No. 2692/60 accusing him of unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and being part of a criminal gang.
Chakraphop fled political persecution abroad for over 15 years starting from 2009. On 27 March 2024, he announced via a social media clip that "I left Thailand 15 years ago and am now returning to meet my beloved Thai people whom I have missed dearly. I left for political reasons and had friends escort me to the airport to return home. I will arrive in Thailand on Thursday, 28 March at 07:35. I have been absent due to political divisions causing personal safety concerns, but I have followed daily political developments throughout these 15 years. I have decided to return to Thailand today to enter the justice system as I face multiple cases. I will surrender to authorities to undergo legal procedures, hoping to explain and contest the cases, and expect to regain freedom soon to serve the country as I desire." (Read more: "Chakraphop Penkhae posts clip requesting return to Thailand to fight legal cases, aiming to use his knowledge and experience to serve the country")
On 8 September 2025, when Thaksin returned to Thailand by private jet, Chakraphop confirmed Thaksin's return was indeed happening (Read more: Timeline of Thaksin's return to Thailand: From imprisonment to freedom) Subsequently, on 7 February 2026, Thaksin officiated the marriage registration between Chakraphop and Mr. Supraipol Chuayshu at the Bang Rak District Office in Bangkok, followed by a wedding celebration at Hua Lamphong train station that evening (Joyful occasion: Thaksin joins wedding celebration of Chakraphop and Supraipol amid political supporters' congratulations)
In the 2026 general election, Chakraphop ran as the 18th party-list MP candidate for Pheu Thai, while Supraiipol contested Bangkok's 33rd constituency (Bang Phlat-Bangkok Noi). Neither was elected. However, after Prasert resigned as party-list MP following just over three months as Minister of Education, Chakraphop moved up to become an MP.
