Pannika Wanich

Pannika was born on January 28, 1988, in Thailand. She attended Khema Siri Memorial School for her secondary education before enrolling at Chulalongkorn University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations with first-class honors in 2010. She later obtained a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in the United Kingdom.

During her studies, she interned at the Department of South Asia, Middle East, and Africa under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand).

After graduating, Pannika worked at Voice TV from 2011 to 2017, and hosted the following programs:

1. Host of the documentary series on Thailand and ASEAN relations, iASEAN (program ended).
2. Host of the political and economic news analysis program, Tonight Thailand (currently Talking Thailand).
3. Host of the variety show Divas Café, which covered topics such as politics, human rights, fashion, culture, and travel from a woman's perspective (program ended).
4. Host of the international news program, Voice World Wide (program ended).

Her last position before resigning was as Foreign News Editor.

From 2011 to 2017, Pannika worked as a journalist and television presenter at Voice TV, covering political and social issues.

In 2018, she co-founded the Future Forward Party and was appointed as its spokesperson and executive committee member.^[3] She was elected as a party-list member of the House of Representatives in the 2019 general election. However, following the dissolution of the Future Forward Party in February 2020, she transitioned to the Progressive Movement, a political advocacy group formed by former party members.

She is currently involved with the Progressive Movement, serving as its spokesperson.^[4]

Pannika joined the Future Forward Party and served as an executive committee member and party spokesperson. In the 2019 Thai general election, she ran as the 7th candidate on the party-list and was elected as a Member of Parliament.^[5]

During the parliamentary session, Pannika stood up to debate before the vote for the first Deputy Speaker, requesting that the candidates present their visions. The Pheu Thai Party nominated Yaowalak Wongpraparat from the Future Forward Party to compete against Suchart Tancharoen from the Palang Pracharath Party. This led to a chaotic session, with many female MPs supporting Pannika's request, causing the Speaker to call for a recess.^[6] Later, Pannika admitted in an interview that it was a mistake to stand up and debate before being given permission by the Speaker, and she promised to improve as a new MP.

Pannika's final debate in the House of Representatives addressed the regression to a "dark, primitive, and violent" era under the power of Section 44 of the National Council for Peace and Order.^[7]

After the dissolution of the Future Forward Party and the 10-year political ban on its executive committee members, Pannika and 11 other banned members moved to work with the Progressive Movement.^[8] The movement focuses on working outside parliament, unlocking local elections, and supporting the amendment of Section 112. Additionally, Pannika continues her advocacy through social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.

Pannika criticized the government of Prayut Chan-o-cha outside parliament, alleging potential involvement in the 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) scandal, which is considered the world's largest financial crime. The scandal involved significant debt accumulation over six years and the embezzlement of funds from the sovereign wealth fund.^[9]

In the 2023 Thai general election, Pannika worked as a campaign assistant for the Move Forward Party.^[10]

1. 2019 Thai general election, party-list, under the Future Forward Party

Pannika was criticized for her attire in parliament on two occasions. The first time, she wore a POEM outfit that shaded from white to black. Porntip Rojanasunan criticized this, stating that mourning attire should be all black. Pannika responded that her suit was appropriate for the occasion.^[11]

The second instance involved wearing traditional Thai attire in parliament, which Pareena Kraikupt claimed was inappropriate. However, Thanikan Pornpongsaroj, the spokesperson for the House of Representatives' drafting committee, clarified that wearing traditional Thai attire in parliament was not against the rules. The Speaker had not specified a dress code, and the regulations allowed for international business attire, royal attire, or attire determined by the Speaker, without prohibiting traditional Thai attire.^[12]