Parnpree returns to foreign affairs as Sihasak brings back key ally

Former foreign minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara is set to return to Thailand’s foreign policy team after being appointed chairman of the advisers to Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, in a move likely to draw attention to the government’s foreign policy direction under the new administration.

The development comes after the Royal Gazette published the royal command appointing the Anutin Charnvirakul 2 Cabinet on March 31. The new Cabinet is scheduled to be sworn in on April 6 and is expected to deliver its policy statement to Parliament on April 9 and 10.

Attention has now turned to the Foreign Ministry, where Parnpree, who previously served as foreign minister under the government of Srettha Thavisin, is reported to be returning in a new advisory role alongside Sihasak, the current foreign minister in the Anutin government.

The appointment would reunite two veteran figures who have worked together before. Both were once part of the advisory team based at Phitsanulok House during the administration of former prime minister Chatichai Choonhavan. Later, when Parnpree served as deputy prime minister and foreign minister in the Srettha government, Sihasak was appointed assistant minister attached to the Foreign Ministry to support him.

The two men were seen as playing important roles in advancing Thailand’s more proactive foreign policy and economic diplomacy agenda. Their previous work included efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to people in Myanmar, push Thailand’s application to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and assist Thai nationals in Israel who had been taken hostage by Hamas.

Parnpree’s return is therefore being closely watched, not only as a personnel move but also as a possible signal that the Foreign Ministry may place renewed emphasis on active diplomacy and stronger economic engagement abroad.

At a time when Thailand is facing a rapidly changing regional and global landscape, the reuniting of Parnpree and Sihasak could give the ministry a more experienced and coordinated team.