Thai Examiner - Thailand's news for foreigners: Recent Episodes
Thai Examiner
Thai News website for foreigners in Thailand and international fans of Thailand - Online Thai News, Daily Thai News or Breaking Thai News – Honest, Balanced online newspaper and News from Thailand.
Public debt and the management of the economy will be the key battleground for this General Election as it is clear the alternative to the Pheu Thai Party and Paetongtarn Shinawatra or Ung Ing is the incumbent General Prayut Chan ocha. Just as the opposition party has surged in the polls with its promise of a ฿600 a day minimum wage and extended public sector borrowing, even beyond the current raised limit, the prime minister will aim to counter this by emphasising financial discipline and rectitude as provided for under the 2017 Constitution.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/27/prayut-paetongtarn-shinawatra-ung-ing-to-battle-in-2023-over-debt/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Opposition threatening to bring Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha, who is also the Minister of Defence, before a House of Representatives committee to be grilled on the HTMS Sukhothai disaster at sea. It now looks increasingly likely that 29 lives have been lost in the incident with 10 still thought to be missing.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/26/heat-is-on-over-the-sukhothai-naval-tragedy/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Prachuap Khiri Khan and Bangkok.
The scale and depth of this corruption scandal keeps growing with Saturday’s arrest of the niece of a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and last Monday’s resignation of the Secretary-general of the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) after damning revelations from whistleblower Chuwit Kamolvisit.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/25/police-officer-wife-of-drug-kingpin-du-hao-arrested/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Palang Pracharat has risen in the polls since September with the party setting forth no-nonsense policies despite an exodus of MPs. A political expert at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) has predicted that we are likely to see a Pheu Thai-led government which could see the Palang Pracharat Party as a coalition partner. A return of the present coalition government and General Prayut to power is thought unlikely.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/24/pheu-thai-palang-pracharat-coalition-mooted-as-pm-moves/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
41-year-old man’s brother Mick Bassal was killed in a shooting in Sydney at a signage firm in a suburb of the city in 2016. Police in Ko Samui said on Wednesday that they did not think the gun was purchased to commit a crime in Thailand nor had the arrested man a criminal background.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/23/australian-held-on-gun-charges-in-ko-samui-mark-bassal/
Carla Boonkong reports from Ko Samui.
The 78-year-old thief and murderer profited handsomely and lived in luxury off his exploits since he was arrested in India in 1976 even while spending forty-one of the last forty-seven years in jail. In 2008, the then 64-year-old Sobhraj married the twenty-year-old daughter of his Nepalese lawyer while being incarcerated in Kathmandu’s main prison for the 1975 murder of 29-year-old American woman Connie Jo Bronzich for which he has never shown any remorse.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/22/the-serpent-serial-killer-charles-sobhraj-bangkok-pattaya-released-by-nepal/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Kathmandu.
35-year-old, US-built vessel lying capsized at a depth of 40 metres. A submersible vehicle launched on Wednesday aimed to tell naval chiefs the extent of the damage done and the viability of key systems as a technical committee considers bringing in the private sector to help refloat and salvage the Sukhothai.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/21/22-now-missing-as-navy-plans-refloat-of-ship/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Irish Department of Foreign Affairs through the Irish Embassy in Bangkok seeking an official report on the Irishman’s death and helping to make arrangements for the repatriation of his body. The young tourist had only arrived in Thailand the week before staying just outside the capital.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/20/family-working-to-repatriate-young-irishman-odhran-o-neill/
James Morris reports from Surat Thani province.
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) moved last Thursday to seize the entire business of a luxury hotel in Samut Prakan run by a company in which Mr Chaiyanat Kornchayanant or Du Hao, the alleged Chinese drug kingpin, is a shareholder. At the scene were officials from the state security agency and police led by General Surachate Hakparn who revealed that more prosecutions are to come in what is still an expanding case.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/19/chinese-gangs-buying-identity-transfers/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Samut Prakan.
Bizarre media coverage of Thailand’s political scene this week makes it look as if the chances of a possible alliance between the Bhumjaithai Party and current Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha is a path back to power for the PM.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/18/pm-clinging-on-as-he-seeks-a-path-to-power/
News Desk report from Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.
Well wishes have come from around the country as temples invite the public to pray and leading political figures come forward to pay their respects and express support for the princess.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/16/king-and-queen-visit-princess-bajrakitiyabha-in-hospital/
News Desk report from Nakhon Ratchasima and Bangkok.
The business sector, in recent months, is expressing higher confidence with the return of foreign tourism at critical levels but is expecting to be left reeling by a 21% hike in electricity tariffs due to kick in from January 2023 at the same time as interest rates are rising with supplies and other costs all on the up. It comes as energy officials juggle the books with a bill of ฿122 billion still owed to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and which must be paired down.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/15/pheu-thai-to-cut-sky-high-electricity-bills/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Last week, the chief whistleblower, in this case, veteran former politician Mr Chuwit Kamolvisit who Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsutin has highly praised, expressed unease at the narrow range of charges being pursued against Mr Chaiyanat Kornchayanant. As part of this week’s move by the National Police Commissioner General Damrongsak Kittiprapat, it is understood that a submission on the case will be made to the Office of the Attorney-General so that it can be pursued as a transnational crime case, giving police and prosecution agencies more power.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/14/chinese-mafia-case-taken-up-by-police-chief/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Barring an unforeseen political shock that dramatically alters the political landscape, it now looks like Thailand will elect a Pheu Thai Party government in next year’s General Election. It is also becoming increasingly probable that that government will be led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra ousted in the 2006 coup and the niece of Yingluck Shinawatra whose government was ousted in 2014 in another coup led by then army chief and current Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/13/3-out-4-think-pheu-thai-will-take-power-in-2023-general-election/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Minister Somsak Thepsutin praises former massage parlour boss and politician Chuwit Kamolvisit for his work in pursuing corruption concerning this unfolding case. Mr Chuwit has promised not to keep the 5% of the billions seized that the minister says he’s entitled to but has expressed concern about the limited charges brought against Mr Du Hao or Mr Chaiyanat Kornchayanant and his most senior associates including the absence, as of yet, of money laundering charges.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/11/top-immigration-bureau-officers-investigated/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Police investigating a horrific attack on a 30-year-old Cambodian woman by two Polish men are looking at whether it may have been a revenge attack linked to her boyfriend’s ex-wife who threatened to kill her. An Interpol warrant is being sought for the criminal duo who departed Thailand two days later for the Philippines.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/09/cambodian-woman-attacked-by-polish-fiends-mateusz-piotr-krynicki-daniel-majewski/
News Desk report from Pattaya.
An academic with Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) welcomed the proposal in broad terms as beneficial to newly graduated students taking up employment but expressed his concern about the danger of stoking inflation and called for a policy also over the course of the next government, to control the cost of living.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/09/war-over-pheu-thais-600-baht-minimum-wage-plan/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
30-year-old Michael McLaughlin at first denied any knowledge of breaking the law but later changed his story by admitting he was hiding in Sisaket because he wanted to stay in Thailand and avoid returning to the United Kingdom.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/07/uk-man-arrested-in-sisaket-on-visa-overstay/
James Morris reports from Sisaket.
A former senior policeman working as an advisor to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) tenders his resignation. The move is thought to be linked to reports of an indirect association with the Chinese kingpin accused of being a large illegal drug distributor at the centre of a growing scandal linked with fake visas, property and extensive business holdings held by nominees.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/07/hotel-legit-says-woman-linked-with-kingpin-du-hao/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Deadly disease reared up in 2018 due to a shortage of vaccines from 2016 and an explosion of the disease among the country’s population of wild dogs. The latest plan focuses on the vaccination of animals reaching into every locality of the kingdom with the help of sub-district volunteers.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/05/volunteer-plan-to-clear-rabies-from-thailand/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Direct 13-hour flight from Vancouver to Bangkok is a first for Air Canada and Thailand which is trying to regain its position as a power travel hub in Southeast Asia after the kingdom was hit hard by the sudden closure of its air space caused by the pandemic and the unpredictable nature of its reopening process while big airlines prioritise more profitable hubs such as Singapore.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/04/air-canada-vancouver-to-bangkok-is-a-first/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Already police have confirmed that ฿4 billion in assets have been frozen as a result of the investigation which was sparked by a huge drugs raid in the Sathorn area of Bangkok in the early hours of October 26th last. This week, Mr Chuvit Kamolvisit also explained the mystery of the Chinese businessman with a high-powered office and car styled as an embassy vehicle with a bogus police entourage and his links to the network.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/03/schools-controlled-by-chinese-criminal-grey-money-gang-visa/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
KKP Research, the research arm of Kiatnakin Phatra Bank in Bangkok is predicting the Thai economy to enter recession in the opening quarter of 2023 with the kingdom facing a challenge to find foreign tourists and generate the same level of exports seen in 2022. This will be coming at a time when inflation is predicted to remain elevated at a significantly higher level than the Bank of Thailand’s target rate of 3% and loan interest rates are rising. The economic malaise facing the world has seen the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in September this year, urging central banks to stress test their banking systems for a possible deterioration in real estate values in the short term.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/12/01/baht-surges-but-thailand-faces-a-recession-in-2023/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
Wednesday’s court decision sets the stage for a General Election in 2023 which will be fought with a fairer, easier-to-understand and more transparent voting and counting process. The vote may turn out to be bad news for Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha who is relying on the support of the new Seri Ruam Thai Party although all may remain to be played for given his popularity among key sections of the public and reports of MPs switching to the new party from the ruling Palang Pracharat Party. Overall, however, it will diminish his chances of reelection next year as prime minister and make it a more challenging proposition.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/30/electoral-law-decision-a-boost-for-pheu-thai-blow-for-pm/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
New law, championed by Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsutin will come into effect on January 23rd next and is designed to help police deal with the threat posed by a small minority of dangerous and repeat offenders. It comes as Thailand prepares for a General Election next year where crime will be a key issue with concerns over drugs and appalling statistics linked to the abuse of women having captured the public’s attention.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/29/dangerous-offenders-tagged-for-10-years-after-release/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani.
The Economic Intelligence Centre (EIC), the research arm of Siam Commercial Bank has forecast growth of 3.4% in 2023 compared to similar projections for 2022. This is dependent on the kingdom receiving 28 million visitors next year, 4 million of whom are expected to come from China, a country whose economy is currently in a state of crisis and where street protests have broken out this week across the mainland.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/28/foreign-tourism-only-economic-hope-for-thailand-2023/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Police believe that CCTV footage retrieved from the building from where a 17-year-old girl was rescued while bleeding heavily may link her with the abandoned newborn. It is understood she will be summoned for questioning when she is released from hospital.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/27/police-investigate-after-newborn-baby-found-pattaya/
News Desk report from Pattaya.
It was initially reported that the alleged gangster had flown out of Thailand on the same jet seized on Saturday but this theory was overturned at a press conference given at a Bangkok hotel last weekend by former underworld figure turned politician and social activist, Mr Chuvit Kamolvisit.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/26/officials-seize-assets-of-du-hao-and-wife/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The Pheu Thai Party won zero party list seats in the 2019 General Election with 21.9% of the vote, seats that ultimately, due to the single ballot system with a divisor of 500, were awarded to smaller political parties. Based on its vote share, it should have won at least 30 extra party list seats.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/25/constitutional-court-decision-a-watershed-moment-politics/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Before the court proceedings, on Wednesday, a frank and open press conference given by General Surachate Hakparn was attended by former Bangkok political and underworld boss in the past, Mr Chuvit Kamolvisit. Mr Chuvit, who has launched a personal crusade to expose the truth of this story, declared that he was satisfied that his work on the matter was now done. At the same time, despite his arrest on charges related to the sale of illicit narcotics, the Chinese kingpin at the centre of the saga still insists on his innocence and categorically denies any links to Chinese ‘grey’ or drug money.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/25/chinese-kingpins-arrest-ups-political-heat-palang-pracharat/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
What MPs have described as a ‘distorted’ marijuana bill which was supposed to control the recreational use of the drug has instead provided a framework for just that which it was supposed to suppress with minor, obvious and insignificant restrictions. The revolt against the bill in September has already led to bad blood between the Bhumjaithai Party and Democrat Party in the coalition government. It will be a contentious issue for the next General Election when the public will have its voice on the subject. It is an issue which will decide the future course of the populist Bhumjaithai Party which has now staked its future on the mission to legalise pot and placing it at the centre of the economy.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/24/recreational-cannabis-targeted-as-mps-revolt-anutin-bhumjaithai/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The bomb went off at approximately 12.40 pm on Tuesday opposite a local school in the centre of Narathiwat at a police housing complex. The device was placed in a vehicle parked by a man dressed as an officer.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/22/fatal-narathiwat-bomb-attack-on-police-homes/
News Desk report from Narathiwat and Bangkok.
The former candidate for Governor of Bangkok, underworld figure and massage parlour boss has emerged as an unlikely campaigner against huge flows of corrupt money flowing into Thailand. It is understood that Chuvit Kamolvisit has already supplied the Royal Thai Police with valuable and useful information which has led to a high-profile task force launching a huge crackdown and widening probe which is now pursuing Thai nationals who acted as nominees and facilitators for the drug trafficking gangs.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/21/chuvit-says-chinese-drug-kingpin-still-in-thailand/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The bank is confident that Thailand’s economy will grow at not less than 3% in 2023 and has projected 3.8%. Meanwhile, a key monetary policy official has explained that the baht, while depreciating against the dollar since February 2022 and then appreciating since October, has moved within an acceptable range and that the country’s financial markets have been both strong and stable because of their underlying, robust nature and investor confidence in Thailand as a commercial centre where money can flow in and out without impediment.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/20/bank-boss-worries-over-election-promises/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Successful summit was wrapped up by Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha in Bangkok on Saturday as he handed over the baton to the US delegation led by US Vice President Kamala Harris. The summit produced another constructive exchange between China and the United States following the meeting in Bali, earlier in the week, between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden. It also saw Thailand forge a consensus on the need to foster more stability and open up free trade in the Asia Pacific while advancing sustainability as a critical economic imperative.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/19/thailand-looks-at-modular-us-nuclear-plants/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Rescue officials and police obtained the cooperation of a friend of Mr Tizzlano’s in Krabi who he is believed to have spoken to by mobile phone before his death last Saturday and this allowed them to locate his body on nearby Khao Phanthurat mountain at 12.20 pm on Thursday afternoon.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/18/surat-thani-to-review-french-tourist-death-gollino-cyrit-tizzlano/
News Desk report from Surat Thani province.
National Police Commissioner General Damrongsak Kittiprapat has implored the public in Bangkok to assist the police in carrying out the mammoth security operation for the summit and to report any suspicious activities via hotline numbers. On Thursday, there were already standoffs and scuffles in the street between protesters and riot police.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/17/president-xi-jinping-touches-down-in-bangkok/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Deputy Prime Minister issued a new order to Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) in the South and other agencies to step up already heightened vigilance as the government fears the APEC Summit may be used by subversive and protest groups to highlight their cause and damage the kingdom’s image during the two-day event which is being viewed as important to the country and a watershed moment in its political development.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/16/pattani-bombs-alert-thai-agencies-over-apec/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Pattani and Bangkok.
The new policy to halve the amount of cash in circulation by 2026 comes as the Bank of Thailand joined four other Southeast Asian central banks in creating a cross-border payment zone that uses QR codes and avoids converting and reconverting to US dollars.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/15/bank-of-thailand-to-curb-cash-and-dollar-use/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Bali, Indonesia.
General Surachate Hakparn or ‘Big Joke’ underlined that police do not fear being sued by the criminal gangs but said that they had to approach the case from this point with care and diligence as they were fighting groups who were financially very powerful. At the same time, he underlined the importance of pursuing the evidence tenaciously to uphold the law.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/14/net-set-to-widen-on-chinese-money-gangs/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The Thai Prime Minister’s support for the Quad defence initiative between the United States, Japan, India and Australia, seen as a bulwark against China, as well as the AUKUS pact between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia is significant. It appears to indicate a shift in Thailand’s stance in that it acknowledges that the region does require such defensive pacts to maintain peace and stability.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/13/pm-prayut-supports-stronger-asean-us-partnership-biden-cambodia/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Phnom Penh.
Definitive US inflation data showing lower inflation figures interpreted by the markets this time as meaning the Federal Reserve might be more inclined to reduce the level of future interest rate hikes. This and signs of life from China that its economy may be ready to relaunch after a disturbing shutdown imposed by authorities to fight the pandemic, has been enough to send the baht surging against the US dollar since October 19th last.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/12/soaring-baht-as-thai-economic-spirit-rises/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Thailand is expected to move faster towards a 2023 General Election after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit ends on the 19th of November next with a realignment at the top as Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha is all set to join a new political party and take MPs from coalition parties with him on a new political journey as a politician.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/11/election-laws-decision-due-on-november-30th/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Provincial Phnom Penh and Bangkok.
Bizarre discovery by police securing the city centre of Bangkok for the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit comes as police continue to track down and seize assets linked to 5 Chinese Triad gang leaders with the national police commissioner ordering a root and branch investigation into the threat which officers are still pursuing with reports that they are likely to give a public briefing in two or three weeks.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/10/fake-chinese-embassy-car-and-police-escort/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The US dollar has fallen by 3.7% against the baht in the last 3 weeks as the number of foreign tourists entering the country is ticking back up with the Airports of Thailand (AOT), this week, suggesting that numbers are at 60% of pre-pandemic levels based on taxi service demand.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/09/world-cup-free-to-air-a-boost-for-tourism/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
Arrest of the three Thai nationals in Malaysia and their deportation to Thailand sends a strong signal to any cross-border traffickers thinking of targeting young Thai women and girls. When alerted by a young Thai girl’s family in the summer, the initial priority for a special unit within the anti-trafficking unit was her rescue then the police, with the cooperation of their Malaysian counterparts, had all involved hunted down.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/08/thais-in-malaysia-face-thai-court-for-trafficking/
Carla Boonkong reports from Kuala Lumpur.
Minister of the Interior General Anupong argues that there are other options for foreigners seeking to acquire property in Thailand and that the new 10-year Long Term Visa proposal is already an attractive proposition for investors and wealthy people across the globe seeking a better lifestyle.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/07/land-for-foreign-high-flyers-plan-to-be-axed/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Thai law imposes duties on the owners of dogs to keep them under restraint at all times. There is growing concern about the spike in incidents linked to pit bull dogs in Thailand with a long list of deaths and horrific injuries linked to the breed or crossbreeds of this type of dog.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/06/warning-to-dog-owners-after-pitbull-attacks/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Samut Songkhram.
Spat between deputy prime ministers Anutin Charnvirakul and Jurin Laksanawisit over the issue as tensions mount. The Democrat Party and the opposition are adamant that the programme ushered in by Minister Anutin must be reversed amid claims that the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in some commercial products is not being measured and may be far higher than the legal limit allowed while over 90% of the crop being grown by farmers ends up being sold for recreational use for the same reason. A top government agency has also revealed that the number of young people under 20 now using the drug has doubled since it was decriminalised in June.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/05/emergency-admissions-for-cannabis-up-566-per-cent/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Nong Khai.
Pilot study on the Bangla Road in Phuket carried out by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports shows that 2 am to 3 am is the most profitable period for nightlife venues with foreign tourists only leaving their hotels at 11 pm. Minister Phiphat said it is important to bring all nightlife venues under the supervision of authorities as illegal establishments pose a risk.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/04/4-am-nightlife-closing-time-pushed-again/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
Police on Thursday at the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) headquarters in Bangkok revealed that huge amounts of drug money from Chinese criminal cartels linked with the Golden triangle are being funnelled in to buy up properties in Thailand including whole phases of new developments by using forged Thai identity documents based on real people.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/03/police-see-new-threat-from-chinese-kingpins/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Nonthaburi.
An Immigration Bureau spokesman on Wednesday warned of longer waiting periods at arrivals with large numbers and tighter screening in advance of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit on the 18th and 19th of November. It comes with rising foreign tourist numbers despite the kingdom being held back by lower flight connectivity at about 50% of pre-pandemic levels meaning more short-haul, lower-spending visitors.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/02/flight-connectivity-dogs-tourism-recovery/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Land purchase programme under the new long-term visa is now being backpedalled by the government with Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, on Tuesday, saying it had yet to go before the Council of State and that it could be made more conditional. He said the government was listening and weighing the concerns being raised very carefully.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/11/01/anger-grows-over-land-for-foreigners-plan/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Political expert says Prayut should have resigned as Prime Minister on August 24th and bowed out with dignity as his future path to power in 2023 is highly uncertain. It comes as the country faces into a period of political uncertainty with the dissolution of the house on the cards and, as yet, no confirmation of what will be the basis for the next General Election.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/31/pm-prayut-planning-to-dissolve-the-house/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Organisers of the Khao San Road Halloween Party are still going ahead on Monday night with the annual spectacular which in the past year has been a huge draw for foreign tourists and revellers, many wearing outlandishly scary costumes which added to the real horror in Seoul on Saturday night.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/30/pm-prayut-expresses-sadness-at-seoul-halloween-horror/
News Desk report from Bangkok and Seoul.
Chiang Mai-based doctor, in July, lost ฿6.9 million after speaking with what she thought was a senior officer with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) while later being told she faced imminent arrest after her accounts were forensically analysed.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/30/ministry-probes-collusion-with-scam-gangs/
James Morris reports from Prachuap Khiri Khan and Bangkok.
The government has been left reeling as opposition to its property for wealthy foreigners regulation rises with fears of abuses by wealthy Chinese investors as is the case in Laos and Cambodia. Employer group boss Tanit Sorat leads the charge and was supported, on Saturday, by the Pheu Thai Party which accused the government of undermining Thai core interests and future generations through the use of regulatory measures.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/29/pheu-thai-opposes-land-plots-for-foreigners/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Police enquiries into the financing of the highly unusual and illegal nightclub that began on Wednesday had been focusing on the owner and financial backer behind the venture which sources describe as a Chinese drug kingpin who may have links also to illegal activities in Pattaya. If the donation accepted by the Palang Pracharat Party can be shown to be linked to illegal or dirty money, then it is just another one of the legal perils it is now facing after the donation of ฿3 million was confirmed by Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin on Friday.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/28/political-quake-brews-over-chinese-drug-nightclub-chaiyanat-kornchayanan/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
The prospects for growth in 2023 will be driven primarily by foreign tourism with over 21 million tourists expected to arrive. The real problem that the kingdom faces next year is a labour shortage in the sector.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/28/full-steam-ahead-for-thai-economy-in-2023/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
52-year-old Ms Elena Rusradchenko had been missing for 6 days. Officials earlier this week declared her lost at sea after an exhaustive search off Naithon Beach and onshore failed to find her. Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha thanked all those involved and noted the sad ending.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/27/minister-phiphat-received-body-of-russian-tourist-elena-rusradchenko/
James Morris reports from Phuket.
Police seized ฿1.3 million in cash from two safes while they failed to open four others at a completely unlicensed Chinese-run high-end nightlife complex in Sathorn which had a drug warehouse at the back, where sachets of drugs in different colours sold for between ฿10,000 to ฿25,000 each to over 200 nearly exclusively high-end Chinese customers, after Wednesday morning’s raid, which saw the local police chief transferred.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/27/chinese-links-to-nightlife-underworld-probed/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Pattaya.
Speaking on Monday, the minister reaffirmed his party’s opposition to the government’s marijuana bill. The deputy prime minister said the liberal availability of cannabis was not in the national interest and that this was the main concern of the Democrat Party and its parliamentary members.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/26/higher-exports-in-september-sixth-trade-deficit/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha upbeat about the kingdom’s prospects as inward investment from foreign firms for the first 9 months showed a 57% improvement in value terms compared to last year with 61.5% of projects located within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in Eastern Thailand.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/26/cabinet-agrees-land-rights-for-foreigners-surging-investment/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Kingdom’s finances appear to be sound with a projected debt-to-GDP ratio in 2023 of 60.4% which is extremely prudent by international standards. The fact that over 98% of public debt funding comes from within Thailand also makes the country impervious to turmoil on international markets.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/25/green-bonds-unveiled-seeking-900-billion-baht-finance-ministry/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
The perpetrator, known as ‘Sergeant Bird’ is a member of the Trang Special Operations Unit or SWAT team in Trang and is understood to have taken a long gun and armoured clothing with him into hiding as police widen their search net and a murder investigation into the death of his well-connected victim begins.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/25/trang-policeman-guns-down-32-year-old-man/
News Desk report from Trang province.
Attack on the Progressive Movement leader by a crazed and eccentric businessman comes before a General Election is due to be called in Thailand in the coming months. It shows polarisation and political instability in the country have not gone away. It also points to the kingdom’s growing problems of mental instability.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/24/thanathorn-attacked-by-man-at-book-fair-k-one-million/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Former Deputy Minister of Labour warns that a continuation of the current trend with twin deficits would be bad news for the kingdom. Thailand’s Foreign Currency Reserves dipped again on Friday 21st October with the Bank of Thailand, on Saturday, issuing a statement in which it said it was monitoring volatile movements of the baht carefully. The government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha and Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, meanwhile is highlighting the country’s expected growth rate of 3% to 3.5% for 2022, inward investment and rising numbers of foreign tourists returning to the country aided by a lower priced baht.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/24/second-ex-minister-queries-economic-data/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Political experts and commentators have been talking up the prospects of the Bhumjaithai Party as a ‘neutral’ actor on the receiving end of defections with reports of further in the pipeline before the next General Election. However, the party’s opinion poll support in national terms remains at 2.4%, just behind even newly formed parties and certainly behind the Pheu Thai, Move Forward, the Democrats and even Palang Pracharat. Recent bye-elections and opinion polls point to growing support for both the Pheu Thai Party on one side of the political divide and the Democrat Party on the other despite the long-winded prognostications of experts forecasting Bhumjaithai Party leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, as the next prime minister.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/23/pm-hails-economic-progress-as-election-looms-leads-south-poll/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Police have not ruled out that the woman may have been attacked for her personal belongings but it is also feared she may have had difficulties in the sea off Naithon Beach and drowned. The search continues on Sunday amid stormy waters.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/23/fears-for-russian-tourist-elena-rusradchenko-missing-in-phuket/
News Desk report from Phuket.
The owner of the gorilla, the Pata Pinklao Department Store, on Saturday, rejected the suggestion that Bua Noi was for sale or that there had been any discussion or proposals with a third party despite a statement by the secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Thanespol Thanaboonyawat, proposing that the gorilla’s freedom could be bought for ฿30 million and that she should be returned to a more natural environment with other gorillas in Germany after nearly forty years in Thailand where she first came with her male partner in early 1983 when the urban zoo opened.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/22/campaign-to-save-thailand-last-gorilla-bua-noi-pata-zoo/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The decision on Thursday by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) not to block the huge merger between two key players in the Thai telecommunications market has sparked the ire of activists, the public and opposition MPs. Calls are being made for the general public to join a legal action being planned, including an application for an injunction before the Administrative Court in Bangkok, to oppose the move. People can do so by producing their receipts to show standing. A report by independent international consultants on the merger concluded the likely outcome of the move would be more negative than positive for Thai consumers and the economy going forward based on global economic models.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/22/mp-seeks-probe-into-nbtc-merger-decision/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
General Damrongsak Kittiprapaton, on Thursday, removed the police chief in the southern province under Section 63 of the new National Police Act. The allegations against Police Major General Waesamae Salae are that not only was he working to assist drug trafficking gangs in investigations but that some were also directly under his command.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/21/narathiwat-police-chief-linked-to-drug-gangs/
Carla Boonkong reports from Narathiwat and Bangkok.
It appears that the airline, kept alive by cargo freight income and the protection of the court through the pandemic emergency, has made substantial progress in trimming its previously huge cost base while capturing market share as the country reopened with other international airlines, for now, scrambling after richer pickings while others are not able to compete on routes to Bangkok as before. However, Bangkok Bank, a key dissenting creditor in a submission to the Central Bankruptcy Court has expressed its doubts about the firm’s high-flying plans to find further credit which includes an expressed intention to relaunch itself on the stock market by 2025.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/21/flyers-to-finally-receive-refunds-from-thai-airways/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Police believe that the New Zealand man had become aware that a warrant for his arrest had landed in Thailand, and in recent times, had moved again from Phuket to live in an apartment in Samut Prakan near Bangkok.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/20/new-zealand-drug-lord-shane-ngakuru-nabbed-whisked-to-united-states/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
An 80% rise in energy costs in the United Kingdom and similar rises in Europe with inflation at a 40-year high may well be good reasons this year for holidaymakers in western countries to fly off on an extended vacation to Thailand, the ultimate warm weather destination, despite higher airfares. With foreign arrivals now moving up towards 2 million a month, there is room for hope among Thailand’s economic planners that the country’s very valuable and critical foreign tourism industry may be finally on the rebound with one London-based think tank focused on international travel predicting the industry will be employing over 3 million more people by the end of 2025.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/20/travel-to-thailand-now-rebounding-strongly/
James Morris reports from Bangkok
There is no doubt that the US firm’s investment in Thailand through a new subsidiary firm is good news which will see Thailand become a hub for cloud-based internet services throughout Southeast Asia while also improving the digital infrastructure for local internet firms and digital startups.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/19/amazon-becomes-a-key-investor-in-thailand/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The soldier has a history of illegal activity, being arrested on October 6th last year and was the subject of a military arrest warrant when local police nabbed him for dealing in methamphetamine pills in public in a sting operation.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/19/manhunt-for-renegade-drug-dealing-soldier-kwan-supawut-supapaeng/
James Morris reports from Lampang.
Xi Jinping has presided since 2013 over a period of declining growth rates and the emergence of several great crises which have completely undermined confidence in China outside the Communist Country and fed a growing nationalist beast within. His regime, like that in Moscow, is becoming increasingly odious to western countries who feel it is one that they can no longer do business with in good faith.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/18/bad-news-from-beijing-with-xi-jingping-rise/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
It is not clear how this case will proceed as the victim is not yet out of danger and still unconscious while the two French nationals appear to be negotiating with the man’s wife through the police in Bophut to reach a resolution to prevent very serious charges being prosecuted against them before Ko Samui Provincial Court. This appears to be a case of road rage with the gratuitous violence of the French men shocking local people.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/18/french-tourists-held-in-ko-samui-cells-vincent-bugeya-julien-vincent/
James Morris reports from Ko Samui.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office welcomed last week’s report from the International Monetary Fund on the Thai economy which confirmed projected growth of 2.8% for this year and 4% for next year. This contrasted sharply with the fears expressed by former Economic Czar Somkid Jatusripitak who called on the government to cut back on key flagship infrastructure projects and to prepare a fund of ฿200 to ฿300 billion to assist the less well-off through the banking system in 2023 when an economic storm is expected.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/17/somkid-scrap-submarine-budget-for-economy/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
30-year-old escaped from the local Ko Phangan Hospital on September 14th after he attended there as an outpatient seeking treatment for depression. A missing person report was filed with the police the next day.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/16/police-probe-death-of-russian-on-ko-phangan-nikita-grigorev/
Carla Boonkong reports from Ko Phangan.
The speculation about who may lead a Pheu Thai government comes with the party doing well in opinion polls and after it unveiled a radical and comprehensive economic strategy last week in Bangkok. Positive opinion poll figures are being driven by the possible candidacy of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra and the latest flag bearer for the Shinawatra political dynasty which, while generating enthusiasm among the party’s grassroots, also runs the risk of precipitating another army coup despite denials by military leaders this week.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/16/pheu-thai-looking-at-tycoon-srettha-for-pm/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
A heavily armed police unit, acting on a police tip-off, moved in to arrest a murder suspect on foot of a court warrant on Wednesday night in the southern province of Phatthalung. The armed officers broke into a crime scene in which a 31-year-old woman was being systematically beaten to death by a psychotic killer who had already inflicted the same gruesome fate on another woman in Bangkok from June to July this year.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/15/mother-wants-serial-killer-executed-thanadej-kaewchuang/
James Morris reports from Phatthalung, Bangkok and Amnat Charoen.
It is understood that Thailand’s leadership is disappointed that US President Joe Biden will not attend the summit in Bangkok due to the planned wedding at the White House on the 19th of November of his granddaughter Naomi Biden. The importance being attached to the international event in Bangkok has meant the declaration of a two-day holiday in the capital and adjacent provinces while speculation mounts that it may be the moment that Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha decides to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a General Election.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/13/chinese-president-xi-to-star-at-apec-summit/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Plans announced by the Bank of Thailand to issue guidance to financial institutions in the opening quarter of 2023 on reining in excessive consumer lending for foreign holidays and expensive smartphones to tackle Thailand’s ฿15 trillion in household debt, 35% of which is credit card borrowing.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/12/former-minister-queries-export-growth-data-kobsak-pootrakool/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Tensions and feelings are running high over the kingdom’s worst mass massacre. A senior police officer was summarily removed from his post on Monday after giving an interview during which he appeared to laugh and behave in a jocular manner while fielding questions on a case which has traumatised Thailand.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/10/cnn-reporters-fly-out-cleared-of-trespass-anna-coren-daniel-hodge/
James Morris reports from Nong Bua Lamphu.
Policy platform presentation on Sunday and the latest opinion poll in the northeast comes as the nation is still preoccupied with the tragic aftermath of the mass murder in Nong Bua Lamphu. During proceedings, on Sunday, Pheu Thai Party leader Dr Cholnan Srikaew also promised that, if elected, the party would bring back its controversial war on drugs which he said would be recalibrated for modern times. It comes as drug policy and the threat posed by drugs, already a growing issue before the atrocity in the Na Klang District of Nong Bua Lamphu last Thursday, has been jettisoned front and centre in the runup to the next General Election.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/09/pheu-thai-promises-new-secure-society-paetongtarn-shinawatra/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
King spoke movingly to parents of the bereaved gathered on Friday night on the first floor of Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital, the day after Thailand’s worst mass murder by a former policeman due in court on Friday facing drug charges and who earlier that day was the subject of a domestic incident reported to police.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/08/king-queen-support-families-of-atrocity-nong-bua-lamphu/
James Morris reports from Nong Bua Lamphu.
Background to this case raises serious questions which are bound to grow louder as horrendous details of the carnage emerge including the plight of two to four-year-olds murdered as they slept and the gratuitous murder of a pregnant school teacher among the dozens killed by the mad man who attacked some children with a meat cleaver. It appears that 34-year-old Police Corporal Panya Khamrab had, for some time, exhibited severe anti-social behaviour and a drug addiction problem before he was eventually confronted in the middle of last year and subsequently arrested in an internal police investigation in January 2022 for possession of drugs.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/07/slaughter-of-innocents-by-crazed-ex-policeman-panda-khamrab/
Carla Boonkong reports from Nong Bua Lamphu.
Many analysts believe that there is a strong geopolitical impetus in the current policy being pursued by the Federal Reserve in Washington DC which may mean further tough medicine being dished out which is negatively impacting emerging economies. Thailand’s economy has been protected from this to a great extent, by its stable financial system and healthy foreign exchange reserve buffer. In the last few months, however, this has been falling and may be needed in 2023 as economic turmoil across the world, driven by the war in Ukraine and rising US-Chinese tensions may be only beginning.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/06/warning-on-foreign-exchange-reserves/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Comments by the PM on Monday sparked a debate on whether listening to radio in Thailand on transistor sets is a thing of the past. Data shows that while transistor sets may be something from yesteryear, listening to live radio both on the AM and FM band is certainly widespread among all age groups from Generation Z to Baby Boomers among millions of Bangkokonians tuned in on a daily basis.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/05/radio-very-alive-in-thailand-says-pm-office/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Khon Kaen.
For Thailand, the downturn in China has direct implications in terms of economic growth and also the value of the Thai baht which, in the last decade and a half, has mirrored the movement in the Yuan. The kingdom’s economic planners and business sector will be hoping that a more decisive approach will follow the 20th National Congress in Beijing to rectify the disturbing economic picture which has been emerging in recent months.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/04/china-moves-to-censor-top-western-banks/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Beijing and Bangkok
Maid at the upmarket condominium complex where the murder took place last Wednesday, foiled the killer’s plan to conceal the body of his murdered 30-year-old lover when she got a glimpse of the chaos within the rented room and detected the overwhelming stench of blood which she reported to managers. They called in the police who within hours made an arrest.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/03/35-year-old-man-murdered-cut-up-lover-chanwit-wongsahak-don/
James Morris reports from Samut Prakan and Bangkok.
Touching ceremony at Royal Thai Police headquarters sees power transferred from one police chief to the next. General Damrongsak Kittiprapat takes up the role as leader of an organisation with up to 230,000 officers at any one time and 20% of all civil servants employed in Thailand across dozens of agencies.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/10/01/new-police-chief-installed-in-bangkok-damrongsak-kittiprapat/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The court took the middle course of three options with dates ranging from 2022 to 2027. The verdict means that Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha again resumes his duties at Government House where acting Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has carried out the role since August 24th last.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/30/pm-prayuth-chan-ocha-reinstated-by-court/
News Desk report from Bangkok.
Ongoing investigation in Ko Samui but the arrested suspect brought from Chonburi is reported to be tight-lipped and unwilling to give police further information. The request by the victims for protection under the Witness Protection Programme is thought to be linked to suspected Russian mafia involvement in the intimidation and extortion of Mr and Mrs Abdullin.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/29/russian-couple-ask-for-witness-protection-ko-samui-evgenii-abdullin/
James Morris reports from Ko Samui and Pattaya.
Bank of Thailand sticks to its guns and holds off on higher rate rises to protect the country’s economic recovery pushing the baht into a tailspin as it breached the ฿38 to the dollar barrier. Thailand’s borrowing rate currently stands at 1%, well below a 3% to 3.25% rate in the United States and peers in Southeast Asia.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/28/baht-slides-further-with-dovish-central-bank-interest-rate-policy/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Mysterious exploits of a six-member gang including Russians, Kazakh nationals and a German have been tracked by police since Monday when the disturbing case was reported to Ko Samui Police Station. The gang is believed to have spent some time in Pattaya in Chonburi province before travelling to Ko Samui where they stayed in a hotel before and after confronting the Russian couple at a local café on the popular holiday island.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/28/russian-gang-extort-couple-out-of-50k-evgenii-abdullin-ekaterina/
James Morris reports from Ko Samui.
All eyes will be on the Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Wednesday when it will be under pressure to go beyond a 25 basis points rise in the borrowing rate which currently stands at 0.75%. Inflation of 7.86% in August and the plummeting baht will make a strong case for a heftier rise but the impact of higher borrowing costs on ฿15 trillion in household debt recorded at the end of June gives us some idea of how this may impact what Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput has described as a fragile and uneven economic recovery with the country trying desperately to move beyond the disaster inflicted on the economy in 2020.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/26/choppy-waters-for-the-economy-as-baht-falls/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
In the last week, there have been several disturbing references by senior political figures on the government side to the possibility of further extra-constitutional outcomes or a coup d’état in the country particularly linked to the return of the Thaksin family to power in Thailand or the use of street protests by members of the public in response to Constitutional Court decisions with a verdict due on the fate of suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha on September 30th and also a decision on the legal basis for conducting the country’s next General Election as the court, last week, unanimously took up a case challenging the electoral laws controversially passed by parliament in August.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/25/opposition-parties-lose-majority-support/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Khon Kaen.
The arrest of Dr Tun Min Latt who is at the heart of a vast conglomerate with extensive links to Myanmar’s ruling junta on suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering shines a spotlight on the murky links between Myanmar’s rulers and the criminality on Thailand’s borders linked with the Golden Triangle drug producing zone. At the heart of the story is a conglomerate supplying services to Myanmar’s junta which has long been adept at evading international sanctions and the law outside its borders.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/24/police-probe-myanmar-firm-drugs-money-laundering-thai-senator/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Move to scrap the Emergency Decree and the last of the entry criteria for incoming travellers is coming at a time when the full extent of the economic damage caused by it is becoming apparent while, at the same time, Thai consumers, appear to be in a confident, upbeat mood with sales of private cars in August up by a whopping 61.72% on the year before.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/22/thailand-to-scrap-all-emergency-provisions/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Baht’s depreciation is now being driven by a wider difference between interest rates in the United States and Thailand which had gone beyond a critical point at 150 to 175 basis points even before Wednesday’s rise and which could see it grow wider by up to a further 175 basis points by the end of this year if the Federal Reserve maintains its hawkish stance and with projected Thai interest rate rises. The situation ultimately may lead to the Bank of Thailand being forced to raise interest rates higher and faster than it wants given the capital movement we are now witnessing thus supporting the acting PM’s call for action.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/21/acting-pm-prawit-targets-35-baht-to-dollar-rate/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Plans to fly in Russian tourists via charter flights come as European countries have begun to block citizens of the Russian Federation due to the country’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine which has so far caused the death of 5,827 Ukrainian citizens since the war began on February 24th up to September 11th. This week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) told reporters that, in the coming months, airline connectivity between Thailand and the rest of the world will be at 50% of that seen in 2019 as figures reveal a sharp fall off in long haul flights and spending per capita.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/20/thailand-tat-seeks-russian-tourists-as-income-drops/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
The story of Anara Seitaleva shines a light on the shady world of transnational human trafficking linked with Thailand’s sex industry. It also raises questions about the apparent ability of Chinese criminals to operate freely in the kingdom and their links with Laos, Thailand’s neighbouring one-party Communist state closely linked to China.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/19/freak-death-of-kyrgiz-woman-in-pattaya/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok, Pattaya and Laos
Clash of outlook and culture over Cannabis will now define the Bhumjaithai Party in the months running up to a General Election in Thailand. Aside from the handling of the country’s pandemic emergency by Deputy Prime Minister Anutin, seen by the public as having a devastating impact on the economy, this signature policy achievement of Mr Anutin is also now in the crosshairs of not only opposition parties in parliament but also Minister Anutin’s key coalition partner, the Democrat Party, other MPs on the government benches and indeed some within his own Bhumjaithai Party who also do not support the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use by the public.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/18/drugs-an-election-issue-as-anutin-digs-in/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Slow and fragile recovery is being seen which is driven by boosted consumer confidence in Thailand despite inflation and an effective haircut in real wages. Employment levels in Phuket, the first foreign tourist destination to reopen, are still only at 50% of pre-pandemic levels.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/16/former-pm-thaksin-slams-new-minimum-wage/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
Wednesday’s ultimatum by Democrat Party MPs to the government and the Bhumjaithai Party attempts to call a halt to a rolling process which has led to a free for all concerning cannabis or marijuana use which was not what was promised or outlined at the start of the year when the cabinet voted to make access to the drug for medical use easier and broader. It is coming at a time when the scourge of illegal drugs is ravaging poorer or vulnerable parts of society in Thailand, particularly in southern provinces where there is a grassroots movement in some areas against drugs and drug culture which the legalisation of cannabis has come to represent in recent months.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/15/democrat-mps-challenge-cannabis-free-for-all/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Krabi.
Hours after the murder investigation commenced on Tuesday morning when the body was removed from the scene for an autopsy and the husband of the victim was questioned by officers, the superintendent of Klaeng Police Station indicated that police were still collecting evidence and that CCTV footage could be extremely significant as part of the process in identifying those responsible for the murder of the woman.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/13/murder-and-rape-19-year-old-woman-in-rayong/
James Morris reports from Rayong.
Russia’s attempts to pivot to Asia were greeted politely and initially with interest up to this point by nervous Southeast Asian countries anxious for another geopolitical player but things are beginning to look different as it fails in Ukraine and the people of Myanmar make strides in throwing off the yoke of their authoritarian and increasingly despotic government.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/12/myanmar-junta-failing-despite-russian-aid/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Yangon.
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) opinion poll on Sunday shows that more than 63% of people are not satisfied with the acting PM’s performance and comes six days after he was pictured, apparently asleep, at a meeting on Monday in Krabi although he has stoutly refuted the claim.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/12/krabi-urges-prawit-to-crack-down-on-drugs/
Carla Boonkong reports from Krabi and Bangkok.
Key consideration now according to Tony Fernandes is the momentum of growing numbers which generates income for the economy including taxes for the government. Mr Fernandes felt that the fee, at this time, may hinder efforts to attract more visitors and to establish more flight links with Thailand.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/10/airline-boss-pleads-for-delay-tourism-fee-levy/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Change of era: for 90% of the world’s population there has never been any other Queen of England, a key figure in news events and current affairs throughout the past 70 years whose roots were linked to a bygone world that shaped and fashioned the world we live in today. Her loss appears to add to the uncertainty being experienced in these troubled times.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/09/king-charles-as-world-mourns-queen-elizabeth/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok, Scotland and London.
Thai economy is currently chugging along in choppy waters as China’s problems grow and the US dices with recession. However, the key worry is, increasingly, the danger of a growing economic downside in China where a property market valued at twice the US national debt has already fallen by 40% threatening to deepen an already existing banking crisis.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/08/property-collapse-in-china-a-key-threat-thai-economy/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Horrific murder of three high school students in Krabi at the hands of a man, driven by drugs and road rage, shocks Thailand. On Tuesday morning, distraught parents and relatives of the three eighteen-year-olds shot dead stood around in despair trying to make sense of the latest tragedy on a Thai road.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/06/act-of-road-rage-wipes-out-3-young-lives-krabi/
James Morris reports from Krabi.
The latest move comes as the Constitutional Court in Bangkok has signalled that it will address the situation regarding Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha’s tenure in office on Thursday next after suspending him on August 24th leading to General Prawit Wongsuwan being appointed as acting PM. The case has raised political tensions in Thailand with an election due to be called in the coming months.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/06/police-study-charge-against-german-protester-moritz-pfoh/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok, Krabi and Rayong.
Satang Thongramphan, also known as Aoi, claims that she became close to the bank account holder at a local care facility where he had been receiving treatment for cancer. Police raided her home last Thursday but it was only a second raid on Friday that unearthed the bulk of the funds, in cash, taken from the man’s bank account hidden in the accused woman’s car.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/04/woman-arrested-for-app-theft-of-15-million-baht-dead-bank-official/
James Morris reports from Phitsanulok.
The new 10 year Long Term Visa which became open to applications on Thursday, September 1st, is expected to help generate up to 5% of GDP by 2027 while making the economy more dynamic as the move addresses the need for skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and investment while offering global citizens a new low cost of living lifestyle and lower taxes.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/03/10-year-long-term-visa-a-tax-free-magnet-for-global-citizens/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
A German man living in Thailand with a Thai wife staged numerous silent protests this week in Rayong but was warned off by police officers on Thursday who visited his home. His case is similar to that of French man Yan Eric Marchal who hit the headlines in 2019 with a viral video targeting Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha. Mr Marchal, despite similar cautions and promises to discontinue his activities, remained controversial with numerous online incidents and outbursts against the government and higher authorities. He was ultimately deported and blacklisted from Thailand.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/02/police-warn-german-over-political-protests-moritz-pfoh/
James Morris reports from Rayong and Bangkok.
A House committee chaired by former Police Commissioner and Thai Liberal Party leader General Sereepisuth Temeeyaves is to probe the facts which point towards corruption, over the appointment of Police Corporal Kornsasi Buayaem to the Royal Thai Police Special Branch division in 2017. It has also emerged that the currently jailed police officer served as an adviser to the legal affairs committee of the junta-era National Legislative Assembly (NLA) chaired by the acting PM’s younger brother Admiral Sitthawat Wongsuwon.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/01/abusive-police-woman-sat-on-house-panel-acting-pm-brothers/
Carla Boonkong reports from Ratchaburi and Bangkok.
Figures this week from Paris show a French foreign tourist industry achieving revenues nationally at 22% ahead of figures for 2019 while Thailand will be aiming to achieve, at best, only 33% of the numbers seen three years ago or a 67% loss. This news must be disturbing for the sector in Thailand and raises questions about the permanent damage inflicted on the Thai industry since 2020.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/31/thailand-tourism-industry-damaged-contrast-to-france/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Paris.
Sister of the actress claims that she was offered money by the accused as she filed further police complaints for defamation and giving false evidence to police concerning a criminal allegation against the defendant claiming blackmail. Her lawyer insisted to the Criminal Court that the defendant was likely to tamper with evidence if granted temporary release or bail.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/30/ex-minister-grandson-denied-bail-in-court/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Deadly attacks which killed one and injured eight were condemned by the government as an ‘outrage’ but are believed to have been a response to a lack of progress at peace talks being facilitated by Malaysia where the parties last came to gather on August 1st and 2nd in Kuala Lumpur. It is understood the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) want to see more ambitious progress and legal immunity for exiled leaders to return.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/29/brn-insurgents-in-the-south-raise-stakes/
Carla Boonkong reports from Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces.
Taiwan is becoming the focus of increased tensions not just between the United States and China but also with other countries across the world where support for Taiwan is growing due to Beijing’s heavy hand on the issue.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/28/american-ships-sail-through-taiwan-strait-marsha-blackburn/
News Desk report from Bangkok.
A volatile currency market, a slowing world economy amid war in Europe and raised geopolitical tensions as well as a brush this week with political uncertainty means that Thai policymakers must be constantly on guard even to achieve the paltry 3% to 3.5% growth that is being pursued this year. A very comfortable foreign exchange reserve level has, so far, protected the kingdom but even this has been falling since March.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/27/low-tourist-spend-slowing-export-growth-economic-recovery-intact/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
It has emerged that the 43-year-old policewoman, jailed on Monday after being refused bail, was working within Thailand’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), the equivalent of the US Department of Homeland security and which reports to the Prime Minister’s Office. The Provincial Police chief in Ratchaburi this week also raised the fact that the woman was 38 years old when she joined the police force in 2017 as one of the many circumstances that are difficult to understand about this case.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/25/corruption-issues-loom-over-police-woman-case/
Carla Boonkong reports from Ratchaburi province.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan now assumes responsibility for the role of Prime Minister while General Prayut remains as Defence Minister as the cabinet stays in place with the government functioning normally. General Prawit’s elevation to the role of caretaker Prime Minister has been confirmed by the government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/24/prime-minister-prayut-chan-ocha-suspended-by-constitutional-court/
News Desk report from Bangkok.
Family of Ashley Oosthuizen remains convinced of her innocence and upbeat about her prospects despite a Ko Samui court, on August 17th last, confirming a prison term of 33.4 years. One key hope is the possibility of a Royal Pardon while the 23-year-old is reported to be in high spirits despite her ordeal.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/23/ashley-oosthuizen-drug-kingpin-in-ukraine-tristan-nettles/
James Morris reports from Surat Thani, Jacksonville and Kiev.
Police in central Bangkok are already preparing water cannon trucks as protest movements take up their position in the centre of the city with key roads to Government House being blocked. Pheu Thai Party MP for Ubon Ratchathani Somkid Chuekon has warned that any attempt by Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha to extend his term from Tuesday night will result in ‘disunity’.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/22/crisis-as-93-per-cent-of-people-say-prayut-must-go/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Explosive details of a woman’s 2-year nightmare as a slave within the house of a serving Special Branch police woman who claimed to be the mistress or minor wife of a Thai senator have sparked calls for investigations to be carried out and full transparency to allay public concern and anger.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/21/police-woman-kept-female-soldier-as-a-slave/
Carla Boonkong reports from Ratchaburi province.
Bullish Anutin, this week, argued that social problems caused by his campaign to decriminalise marijuana were negligible and even pointed to a provision in the new Cannabis Act which could see recreational use of the drug fully legalised by a parliamentary amendment in the future although some of his most senior officials within the Ministry of Public Health are on record in forceful opposition to such a move and even the current free for all where secondary laws and regulations are being used to enforce minimal controls that allow the drug to be sold on the street.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/19/recreational-cannabis-use-can-be-legalised/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Emotional Prime Minister, on Wednesday, gave a speech at an army song contest in central Bangkok at which he urged unity in a world full of conflict. It comes as an eight-year deadline approaches on Tuesday 23rd August, a date after which many constitutional experts and the opposition claim his period in office must expire.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/18/pm-office-no-dissolution-as-crisis-grows/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The latest arrest of a foreign tourist for breaching Thailand’s strict laws on the conservation of natural resources follows a string of incidents since 2017. The 22-year-old Dutchman will be brought before the court in Phuket but is certain to be afterwards deported and blacklisted from the country if convicted of a criminal offence under the 2019 National Parks Act.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/17/dutch-tourist-arrested-for-parrot-fish-kill-roslan-bendenia/
James Morris reports from Phuket.
Electoral reform bill that was passed by parliament on Monday due to continued failure to make a quorum, is very likely to be reviewed by the Constitutional Court. If it is struck down, it could leave Thailand facing a constitutional crisis or holding the next General Election under the 2019 provisions and regulations.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/16/election-law-finalised-in-parliament/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Dr Kurt Campbell, the key Biden administration advisor concerning Asia Pacific affairs, over the weekend, confirmed that the United States will conduct drills in waters off Taiwan in an effort to underline their status under international law while also unveiling a new roadmap for stronger deeper economic ties with Taipei. It comes as a former Thai senator from Khon Kaen, on Sunday, condemned the policy of the United States and expressed support for China.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/15/us-party-in-taiwan-risks-further-chinese-ire/
Carla Boonkong reports from Taipei and Khon Kaen province.
57-year-old father used an illegal gas gun to fire two shots at his son in the early hours of Saturday morning after being ambushed by him as he launched another violent tirade demanding money for drugs. Son had returned home to Udon Thani from Bangkok in February after losing his job.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/14/father-kills-37-year-old-son-in-drug-tirade/
James Morris reports from Udon Thani province.
Changes to the worldwide travel industry since 2020 are more like back to the future. Industry surveys show travellers are looking for tried and trusted holiday destinations. The success achieved so far by Thailand’s recovering industry is driven by visitors from traditional markets where the country’s nightlife and entertainment sectors have been proven, over the course of the emergency, to be a key factor in the kingdom’s appeal to foreign tourists and the money they leave behind.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/13/4am-nightlife-plan-foreign-tourism-poll-rejects-upmarket-shift/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The likely floundering of key electoral reform bills by Monday, August 15th is also a matter likely to be ultimately adjudicated by the Constitutional Court as the ballot system used in the next General Election will sway its outcome with the changes proposed last September likely ultimately to hand a decisive win to the Pheu Thai Party which is currently riding high in the polls.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/12/country-in-a-constitutional-crisis-says-mp-rangsiman-rome/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Bank of Thailand’s modest rate rise will not stymie current economic growth and momentum which is moving upwards. The last rate rise still leaves levels in Thailand well behind its peers in Asia and the United States with lower borrowing and deposit rates while core inflation is growing although the rate of consumer price rises in July was just below that seen in June.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/11/bank-of-thailand-tailored-rate-rise-of-25-basis-points/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
2022 could be the year that Thai Airways returns to operational profitability as the Minister of Finance reveals that state banks will provide any required facilities for the flag carrier as it currently plays a strategically important role in flying in foreign tourists to the kingdom while now on target to complete its business rehabilitation plan early by 2024.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/10/thai-airways-flies-high-carrying-tourists-in/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Owner of the gutted and soon-to-be demolished entertainment venue in Sattahip, Pattaya promises to make amends to families of those who died and were injured as he appeared in court facing a negligent homicide charge with police objecting to bail on the basis that the case involved serious criminality. Earlier, the man’s lawyer told reporters that his client may have been mentally ill when he confessed to police at Phlu Ta Luang Police Station.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/09/pattaya-court-grants-bail-to-mountain-b-fire-boss/
Carla Boonkong reports from Chonburi province
Leading social development expert says that the current discussion about the source of monkeypox infections is leading to both homophobic and xenophobic discourse as the Department of Disease Control mulls who to target with vaccines against the disease and if they will come to get them.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/08/monkeypox-case-in-a-woman-stigma-fears/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Top engineer says Thailand does not yet seem to have learned lessons from the Santika nightclub fire in Bangkok in 2009 which killed 66 people in New Year’s Eve celebrations as an extensive survey is launched in Bangkok and other provinces probing entertainment venues with 83 already shuttered in the capital and more expected to follow as 19 people fight for their lives in hospital on ventilators after Friday morning’s nightmare inferno.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/07/no-circuit-breaker-at-death-trap-nightclub-mountain-b/
Carla Boonkong reports from Chonburi and Bangkok.
China’s diplomatic efforts are now countered by a larger diplomatic presence in the region on behalf of the United States and Japan as Foreign Minister Wang Yi walked out of a Phnom Penh gala dinner this week. On Thursday, the communist country reminded Thailand of its commitment to the One China principle by which Bangkok recognises its sovereignty over the renegade island while it engaged in the largest military drill in its history just 20km off Taiwan as it simulated a blockade of the island by sea and air as its forces encircled it at six points.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/05/china-may-act-by-2024-to-blockade-taiwan/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Phnom Penh.
Authorities in Phuket this week confirmed that the 25-year-old German man who is believed to have picked up the infection abroad is neither homosexual nor bisexual. The foreign tourist entered Thailand and first began to suffer symptoms on July 23rd with blisters spreading on his body until he sought medical attention last Tuesday at a private hospital on the island where a monkeypox infection was confirmed.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/04/german-girlfriend-negative-for-monkeypox/
James Morris reports from Phuket and Bangkok.
Alert and assiduous Immigration Bureau officer at Bang Khen Immigration Bureau Detention Centre in Bangkok foiled efforts by a senior serving police officer and another man connected with the plot to gain access to the British national being held after his arrest and pending his extradition on foot of an Interpol notice.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/20/big-joke-reveals-fraud-linked-to-uk-detainee/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha expressed optimism about the economic situation on Tuesday saying the kingdom’s prospects had not been as good since 2017. However, it will still be next year before Thailand recovers its economic equilibrium after the disastrous 2020 setback when the economy contracted by 6.1%.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/03/economic-upswing-1-million-tourists-a-month/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Political naiveté on the part of the leading Pheu Thai Party in believing that the coalition government, through the electoral reform process, was going to gift it the means to achieve an outright majority. This has been evident since April this year and yet the party continued with the charade. Now with an impressive victory in the censure debate in July and changes underway to see a return to the one ballot voting process, not only is the government looking like it will survive until a snap election is called but there is now an increased likelihood of a return of a coalition government if not led by General Prayut Chan ocha then by his ‘brother in arms’ General Prawit Wongsuwan.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/01/prayut-has-the-cards-with-one-ballot-pivot/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
On Thursday, in response to Minister Somsak’s warning about the viability of electoral reforms being put into practice, the Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul did not dismiss the concerns raised but suggested that he would win his seat as a constituency MP and that his party would work with whatever electoral system is being used. Mr Somsak had said that Mr Anutin’s party may be critical in finding a resolution to the present conundrum which has the potential to derail forthcoming elections if not clarified.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/22/possible-crisis-brewing-over-election-count/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Man appears to have killed his mother when tensions over business matters and his consumption of alcohol boiled over on Friday night. It is thought he used a 9mm Colt revolver to shoot the woman twice in the stomach before threatening to kill himself and his family before police successfully intervened.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/31/son-appears-in-court-after-shooting-mother-kelvin-shuo-gao/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
30-year-old Nicolas Hinckxt, a computer programmer, who worked in Belgium and was of Thai Belgian descent with a Thai mother, was in the country on holiday with four friends who arrived on June 24th last. His wife was also in Thailand with him before tragedy struck last Friday afternoon.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/24/belgian-body-found-nicolas-hinckxt-after-rafting-incident/
James Morris reports from Chiang Mai.
The decriminalisation of marijuana is turning into a major problem for the government with chaos in ministries and agencies responsible including an anxious request to police for enforcement of an older law. On Wednesday, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, the architect of the drive to decriminalise the drug, told reporters unequivocally that recreational use of cannabis was still illegal as his ministry attempted to get police to enforce a 1999 law while the minister himself promised that legislation before parliament would again make cannabis as a recreational drug strictly illegal and open the way to effective police enforcement. In the meantime, Mr Anutin warned those abusing the hiatus between legal measures, that they were undermining the signature project of his Bhumjaithai Party in government.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/30/recreational-pot-cannabis-use-to-be-recriminalised/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Nakhon Phanom.
City’s public health services and officials are monitoring all public health facilities to identify possible new cases and track the activities of those who may be infected by the disease. It comes as a top medical practitioner in Phuket, where the first case was detected last week, wants the government to allow lower-level laboratories to be allowed to test for the disease.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/28/second-case-of-monkeypox-in-bangkok/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
Monkeypox patient captured in Cambodia: African Osmond Chihazirim Nzerem identified a Chiang Mai language school as linked with his stay in Thailand on arrival last October but the Deputy Governor of Phuket, Pichet Panapong, on Friday, told reporters that he had overstayed his visa in Thailand by 4 months after arriving in the kingdom on October 21st last from Abuja, Nigeria. On Saturday, the Head of the Department of Disease Control, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, said the man appeared not to have been a normal tourist and after he have crossed Thailand’s border into another country with authorities believing he had help from others to avoid working with officials.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/23/african-monkeypox-case-nigerian-arrested-in-cambodia/
Carla Boonkong reports from Sa Kaeo Province and Phuket.
As the government put off indefinitely its foreign tourism levy, this week, one of the country’s most successful conglomerates, Minor International (MINT) announced the addition of 60 new hotels and 10,000 rooms to its portfolio. This is positive news as a mild recovery is underway in foreign tourism with a key focus now on the improvement of flight connectivity amid fears that it may be as late as 2026 before the industry sees a return to normality with top executives in Thailand hoping that this will happen two years earlier by the end of 2024.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/27/british-airways-snubs-bangkok-for-singapore/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Human rights groups have noted since a junta official confirmed in early June that the death sentences on the men would be carried out, that the number of people on death row has risen sharply to 114 with fears that the military regime in Nay Pyi Taw is using the death penalty and Monday’s executions as a way to intimidate the public which overwhelmingly supports the ongoing violent resistance to its rule being waged by the armed forces of the legitimate government of the country formed from elected MPs, the National Unity Government (NUG).
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/26/myanmar-junta-executes-4-including-ex-mp/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Yangon and Bangkok.
The fee will provide automatic insurance cover with 11.3% of the money from it going to pay for limited medical insurance coverage for visitors with a ceiling of ฿500,000 for 30 days after they first enter Thailand while 88.7% will go to a fund to be used by the government to develop foreign tourism infrastructure in the kingdom. However, ongoing efforts to implement the proposal have repeatedly been stalled or postponed since 2019 and even before this, similar moves in 2006 and 2013, all fell through. Many observers feel that the likelihood of a General Election being called between now and the end of 2022 as well as the pressing and critical economic need to boost foreign tourism numbers with increased international flight connections and frequency into Thailand may see the plan being postponed yet again.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/18/tourist-levy-or-fee-hits-further-turbulence-airline-flights/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Girlfriend told Pattaya Police that she had not heard from her boyfriend since he arrived in Thailand and headed straight to Pattaya to begin his holiday in the kingdom. Officers are awaiting a post-mortem being conducted in Bangkok.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/16/remains-canadian-man-glenn-vernon-found-in-pattaya/
Carla Boonkong reports from Pattaya.
Top Thai bank official Dr Daranee Saeju this week assured reporters that Thailand’s strong financial position made it impervious to speculation and was quite unlike the position in 1940 and 1997. It comes as the baht hit a new 16-year low on Friday amid concerns about second-half GDP growth and the performance of the economy with deeply disturbing reports from Beijing as the western world grapples with inflation and the fallout of the Ukraine war which the World Bank has predicted will lead to a return of 1970s era stagflation.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/15/central-bank-assurances-as-the-baht-slips/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The mother of the child identified by police as Ms Chantra has pointed the finger at a 33-year-old man who was also arrested on Tuesday, as the mastermind behind the criminal enterprise which saw her make pornographic videos for sale online.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/13/young-mother-who-pimped-her-child-arrested/
Carla Boonkong reports from Saraburi and Bangkok.
Thailand’s position has moved strikingly from its stance in 2018 when General Prayut Chan ocha told Time Magazine that the kingdom’s key strategic partner was China. As China’s impatience begins to show concerning the stalled high-speed rail link connection between Thailand and China’s southern provinces via Laos, the kingdom has moved closer to the United States and also, of key significance, Japan.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/12/roiling-us-chinese-tensions-in-asia-a-trial/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The leading figure in modern Japanese politics had lately been campaigning extensively against the danger of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Ill health had plagued Mr Abe leading to his first resignation in 2007 and played a part in his resignation in 2020 when his scandal-plagued government was overwhelmed by the pandemic public health crisis.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/10/shinzo-abe-legacy-efforts-to-awaken-japan-to-china/
James Morris reports from Nara and Bangkok.
The bombshell announcement this week is bound to generate antipathy and concern among foreigners both inside and without Thailand. It goes against all principles of modern customer service as well as international business practices and will ultimately undermine the goal of the government which is to assist the full recovery of Thailand’s foreign tourism sector which the World Bank predicts will not fully recover until 2026 but which has been improving in recent months with an easing of regulations imposed on it by the government, moves which had generated renewed optimism and confidence.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/08/plan-to-charge-foreigners-more-at-hotels/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The significant and heavy impact of the war in Ukraine is hitting Thailand hard as it also challenges economies across the world as inflation bites the less well off with anaemic growth. All eyes over the coming months will be on Thailand’s current account after it posted a larger deficit of $3.7 billion for May ahead of a $3.1 billion shortfall in April. The problem for the kingdom is elevated import costs driven by oil prices in excess of $100 a barrel and a foreign tourism industry that, at best this year, will only see 25% of the numbers seen in 2019 crippling the country’s already limited prospects for significant growth.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/07/thai-economy-caught-in-a-stagflation-spiral/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The comments come as the Thai baht depreciates against the US dollar and is about to pass the ฿36 to the dollar mark as the kingdom still struggles to recover its lost foreign tourism industry even though momentum is rising. The World Bank estimates that it will be 2026 before a full recovery is achieved in the sector while the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is only aiming for 50% occupancy this year for reopened hotels and is aiming for just over 50% of former foreign tourist numbers next year with 22 million visitors projected.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/05/anutin-halt-foreign-tourism-price-deals-premium-louis-vuitton/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Myanmar is now effectively in a state of all-out civil conflict with a deadly war of attrition between swelling rebel groups and a military fighting for its life and holding on through air power. The disruption and damage caused in Tak province this week as well as the incursion into Thailand’s air space by a Mig 19 fighter of Myanmar’s Air Force highlight the growing crisis in Thailand’s neighbouring country to the West and the challenge it may pose to authorities here if it spirals out of control. Local Thai military units in Tak were placed on high alert, last week, in response to the situation by the National Security Council. Earlier this year, in March, the US-based organisation Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) estimated that some 12,000 people in Myanmar had, at that point, died in the uprising.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/04/intense-warfare-in-myanmar-near-tak-eases/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Tak province.
This is the second death sentence handed down to the notorious former Deputy Minister of Commerce, Banyin Tangpakorn, a former police officer and criminal mastermind, who has also been convicted of murdering a businessman in 2015 and covering up the act in a staged car accident, forgery, fraud and trying to engineer an audacious prison escape in June 2020. Police also looked at the death of his wife in 1991 in another, strikingly similar, car accident.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/02/2008-pheu-thai-minister-banyin-sentenced-to-death/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Nakhon Sawan.
Daredevil and highly dangerous antics of the deceased in the swimming pool area on the 6th floor of his luxury hotel led to his fall and untimely death. Police are trying to understand why?
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/07/01/phuket-police-probe-australian-teenager-joshua-james-connell-daredevil-act/
Carla Boonkong reports from Phuket.
Reports suggest that the wound was either self-inflicted or an accident. A small packet of dried marijuana leaves and a lighter found by police at the scene is thought not to be linked to the man’s behaviour or how he sustained the injury.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/30/norwegian-frank-gjesvold-found-stabbed-at-pattaya-hotel/
News Desk report from Pattaya.
Kasikorn Research Centre predicts that there is enough capital in the financial system to meet short-term debt repayments, imports for 3 months and demand for local currency even as the baht is projected to depreciate past ฿36 to the US dollar in the coming months, a 15 year low while the Thai currency has held its own or even gained against other currencies such as the Pound Sterling and Euro.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/29/tourist-arrivals-surge-offsets-other-economy-ills/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Political instability in Thailand, cited by Fitch, the US ratings agency which retained Thailand’s BBB+ status last week, as one of the country’s greatest weaknesses and an impediment to its economic prospects, has not gone away. With the opposition parties surging in the polls and the likelihood of them attaining power growing, its spectre again looms large.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/28/senator-warns-about-thaksin-daughter-paetongtarn-shinawatra-as-pm/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Three soldiers were left hospitalised by the bomb attack but with minor injuries including an officer working within a local government building who was hit by shrapnel from the blast. The operation by insurgents saw a green garbage collection truck hijacked 3 km south in the Mayo district by the attackers who fitted it with a large explosive device and drove to a nearby car park close to a significant security checkpoint in the north eastern Panare district of Pattani on Monday night.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/21/insurgent-boss-fingered-in-pattani-bomb/
James Morris reports from Pattani province.
Original plans to deregulate cannabis, this year, were for it to be made freely available only for medical use and products with a strictly limited THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) value. This week, as authorities moved to pull back on the deregulation free for all while new legislative provisions that would make recreational use of cannabis illegal, are stalled, for now, in parliament, there are new concerns about its use in food products and on restaurant menus as its harmful effects are being highlighted.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/23/fears-over-recreational-cannabis-use-sexual-organ-cut-off/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Police investigating the horrific incident in a Bangkok suburb are beginning to look at the state of the officer’s personal relationships in an attempt to understand the motive behind Monday morning’s appalling murder-suicide tragedy where three lives were lost.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/20/murder-suicide-bangkok-police-officer/
News Desk report from Bangkok.
While the kingdom maintains a strong external financial situation and prudent fiscal management to support its economy, the growing impact of chronic problems such as household debt and a rapidly ageing population as well as inequality and political instability are undermining any prospect of decisive action to find a solution. The result is an economy that has now performed below its regional peers for years and one that, in the short term, faces a need to more rapidly raise bank interest rates to halt a decline in the baht.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/26/fears-for-the-baht-as-it-hits-a-15-year-low/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok
More charges are due to be brought against the 27-year-old call centre worker after evidence of at least 10 other underage victims was found on his phone and devices including a large throve of pornographic images of women and girls which the fiend used to place his prey in bondage through the use of blackmail. It is understood that the 27-year-old was using the images collected to distribute pornography online for a profit.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/24/pevert-blackmail-scam-led-to-girl-suicide/
James Morris reports from Pathum Thani and Bangkok.
Rapidly changing world financial environment where cash is king and looking like it is going to be more expensive as interest rates are set to rise inexorably. For Thailand, in the short term, this means raising interest rates to stop capital flight out of the kingdom and protect both business and the less well off from the ravages of higher prices which saw May’s inflation rate come in at 7.1% and more significantly, a rise in core inflation to 2.28% from 0.2% a year previously with the underlying rate set to spiral even higher on a systemic basis even though the headline rate may be somewhat lower later in the year.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/19/world-inflation-crisis-prompts-higher-rates/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Death again highlights the danger of Thailand’s roads for foreigners including pedestrians, car drivers, motorcyclists and bicyclists due to reckless driving and a lack of the same sense of care and caution that is seen in other countries making Thailand’s roads the ninth most deadly in the world. https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/18/canadian-cries-for-his-dead-wife-joseph-michael-scott/
Carla Boonkong reports from Kanchanaburi.
Face mask requirement in public is abandoned except for crowded areas and places with poor ventilation such as public transport as Thailand drops all restrictions and bugbears which impede foreign visitor numbers. Consequently, a boom is expected in the coming six to seven months with some optimistic industry insiders saying Thailand can achieve up to 15 million visitors in 2022 as the good times, long thought of as lost to the past, come roaring back to life.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/17/thailand-pass-app-gone-at-last-by-july-1st/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Lloyd Austin, a career soldier who began work as a US Army lieutenant in the 1970s, cut an impressive figure in Bangkok this week after going head to head with Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe in Singapore where the Chinese military leader warned that China’s rise in Asia was assured and unstoppable while the communists country would ‘crush’ any attempt by the island of Taiwan to declare independence.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/17/thailand-is-a-key-military-ally-says-us/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Cannabis revolution places Thailand in danger: Police and drug control agencies agree that under the current legal provisions in force, unrestricted recreational use of cannabis is legal and the order of the day. It is only subject to official advice and health regulations governing smoke from the drug in restricted spaces. The current situation is being described as potentially dangerous with police trying to find a framework to prohibit the abuse of marijuana by members of the public in control of mechanically propelled vehicles on Thai roads. Despite this being illegal in theory under the Road Traffic Act Section 43(1), it is currently difficult to enforce.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/15/pot-cannabis-marijuana-revolution-call-to-ban-recreational-use/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Police chief in Phuket warns of the danger to foreigners who become intoxicated and the duty of care that exists to foreign visitors who are arriving on the island in increasing numbers as police continue the investigation into the tragic death of a 37-year-old Russian woman in the morning of June 7th in the Patong nightlife district with three foreign tourists facing charges.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/14/phuket-police-still-probe-russian-woman-death/
Carla Boonkong reports from Phuket.
The Ferrari Joe case involving the torture and murder of a 24-year-old drug suspect in police custody on August 5th last in Nakhon Sawan shocked and horrified Thailand. The case raised unsettling questions about the sense of impunity which drove the city police chief and his subordinates to act in the way they did. Later revelations about the mid-level young policeman’s extraordinary wealth also painted a disturbing picture.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/13/ferrari-joe-could-still-face-death-penalty/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Nakhon Sawan province.
The proposals from the meeting which ranged from declaring Thailand mask-free outdoors to eliminating temperature checks on arrival, come as the kingdom’s foreign tourism numbers appear to be climbing with some industry insiders suggesting the tourism authority’s target of 8 million visitors this year may be surpassed and a figure of up to 15 million seen by the end of 2022. However, a fly in the ointment may still be the proposed retention of a requirement to show the health status of arrivals and medical cover which will still leave the kingdom at a disadvantage to its competitors and would probably lead to more difficulties than retaining the Thailand Pass application.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/12/visa-free-for-all-plan-to-boost-tourism/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
Some analysts in the United States suggest that interest rates there could reach 2.7% to 3% by the end of 2022 leading to a wider divergence between interest rates stateside and in Thailand where even if the central bank does raise rates from August, most economists predict that they will only reach 1% by the end of the year, leaving a wider spread, thus encouraging capital flight and further deprecation of the baht.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/10/concern-for-baht-and-financial-liquidity/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The sort of tourist Thailand does not need or want: Dempster is facing a 10 year and 6-month prison term ahead of him when he is finally extradited to the United Kingdom after legal proceedings are completed here. He was convicted in 2014 of distributing images of underage girls from 2008 to 2013 in Scotland.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/08/fugitive-pattaya-arrest-william-dempster-paedophile-scotland/
James Morris reports from Pattaya.
Thailand’s economy is facing rising inflation and slowing export growth with fears of a GDP contraction in the second quarter. The scrapping of the Thailand Pass regime altogether is one of the last cards the government has to play to boost foreign tourist numbers along with later nightlife opening hours and the abolition of the outdoor face mask mandate.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/07/minister-wants-to-scrap-thailand-pass-app/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Phuket.
On Saturday, Police Lieutenant General Surachate Hakparn was dispatched by headquarters to find out more about the group who were detected on Saturday on the remote, monkey inhabited island of Ko Dong about 70 to 80 km off the coast of Satun. The group of 59, including men, women and children, had been stranded on the island for a week after being dropped off by human traffickers and told they had already reached Malaysia.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/05/rohingyas-found-on-island-to-face-charges/
Carla Boonkong reports from Satun province.
Impatience appears to be growing in the nightlife sector and across the foreign tourism industry for not only a return to full normality but stronger support for Thailand’s vibrant nighttime culture which is at the heart of the country’s attraction to foreign visitors. This took on a political tone this week with the Thai cabinet voting down a proposal from public health officials to rescind the face mask mandate in June while the new Governor of Bangkok and former Pheu Thai Party minister, Chadchart Sittipunt, has voiced support for such a move in the capital.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/04/face-mask-volte-faces-in-bangkok-and-phuket/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
Impatience appears to be growing in the nightlife sector and across the foreign tourism industry for not only a return to full normality but stronger support for Thailand’s vibrant nighttime culture which is at the heart of the country’s attraction to foreign visitors. This took on a political tone this week with the Thai cabinet voting down a proposal from public health officials to rescind the face mask mandate in June while the new Governor of Bangkok and former Pheu Thai Party minister, Chadchart Sittipunt, has voiced support for such a move in the capital.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/04/face-mask-volte-faces-in-bangkok-and-phuket/
Carla Boonkong reports from Phuket.
UK man has been in custody in Thailand since being extradited in July 2021 after the European Court of Human Rights threw out his appeal against a decision of Spain’s High Court that he should stand trial in Thailand for the murder of sex worker Laxami Manochat or ‘Pook’ in November 2014. The convicted man owned a hotel on the Spanish holiday island of Ibiza and was a regular visitor to Thailand where he owned a residence in Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/06/01/brit-murdered-nana-sex-worker-jailed-shane-kenneth-looker/
James Morris reports from Kanchanaburi province.
Nightlife business owner says his customers are not happy with seeing masseuses with face masks on while other operators slam the nervousness of the government and the restrictions on trade which they want to see liberalised even further than things were in 2020 to give their businesses a badly needed shot in the arm after two years of losses and debt. This comes as the economic recovery is showing signs of slowing again in 2022 while the foreign tourism industry is making a slower than expected comeback.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/31/face-masks-back-on-after-cabinet-decision/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
First case detected in Thailand is a transit passenger who only spent two hours at Suvarnabhumi Airport and was asymptomatic. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Public Health remains vigilant and is putting in place plans for potential protocols if required.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/30/monkeypox-transit-case-in-thailand-revealed/
News Desk report from Bangkok.
Nightlife business owner says his customers are not happy with seeing masseuses with face masks on while other operators slam the nervousness of the government and the restrictions on trade which they want to see liberalised even further than things were in 2020 to give their businesses a badly needed shot in the arm after two years of losses and debt. This comes as the economic recovery is showing signs of slowing again in 2022 while the foreign tourism industry is making a slower than expected comeback.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/31/face-masks-back-on-after-cabinet-decision/
Carla Boonkong reports from Chonburi and Pathum Thani.
Reports suggest that Captain Thamanat Prompow has had talks with the Pheu Thai Party and even with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. It is suggested he is thinking beyond the current government which looks weakened from last weekend’s resounding election victory in Bangkok for the Pheu Thai Party, Move Forward Party and former Minister of Transport in the Yingluck Shinawatra government until 2014, Chadchart Sittipunt.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/29/fireworks-as-thamanat-poised-to-topple-pm/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Harrowing scenes on Wednesday night as a 34-year old American woman watched in horror as her newfound friend 26-year-old Camille Jeanne Gavaudan’s life drained away as she lay face down on the road after being hit by a car at a road intersection and zebra crossing. Police are planning to reinterrogate the 42-year-old driver of a White Toyota car who, it is reported, failed to offer assistance to the dying woman at the scene in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy despite an apology to her family.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/27/french-tourist-death-on-ayutthaya-road-camille-jeanne-gavaudan/
James Morris reports from Ayutthaya province.
Thailand puts itself on alert against Monkeypox. Officials underline that there is no need for the public to panic at this time as the Ministry of Public Health begins screening for the disease which has not yet been declared a threat under the Communicable Disease Act 2015 but is being treated as one of interest that warrants further investigation.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-new...
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Visa Global Travel Plan Survey in recent weeks shows that 63% of foreign tourists come to Thailand seeking relaxation from modern life and particularly identified the country’s massage parlour industry, hospitality sector, restaurants and cultural attractions as key reasons for choosing to visit the kingdom. The scrapping of the face mask mandate from mid-June will be a very welcome development although some face mask requirements will remain until the disease is declared endemic which is now expected to happen by July 1st.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/25/face-mask-mandate-scrapped-from-mid-june/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
The statement raises a question about the Pheu Thai Party’s position as well as that of Thaksin Shinawatra towards efforts by the current US administration to take on China in the light of an unlikely alliance earlier in May between Red Shirt activist Jatuporn Promphan and royalist lawyer Nitithorn Lamlua when they protested at the US Embassy against US efforts to counter China in the Indo Pacific and Thailand’s declared engagement, revealed on Friday by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit, with the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a new US economic pact with Asian countries which is to be unveiled in France next month.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/23/former-pheu-thai-finance-minister-concerned-at-us-china-rift/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The poll on Sunday now makes the new voting laws due to be passed by parliament over the coming weeks even more urgent as it becomes clear that the path to power for the opposition parties may be open given the poor showing of the ruling Palang Pracharat Party which follows several electoral disappointments since the start of the year.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/24/bangkok-poll-may-signal-the-end-of-prayut/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Minister Anutin told a public forum on Friday that the Thailand Pass application could still be scrapped but health officials need more time to examine the test data in respect of incoming tourists. Friday’s decision comes as Thailand continues to lag behind its regional peers in the recovery of the kingdom’s foreign tourism industry prompting growing concerns that something may be wrong or that the critical foreign tourism industry may have suffered long term damage because of this emergency despite the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announcing revised projections for up to 8 million foreign tourist arrivals this year with 1 million arrivals to May 9th.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/21/thailand-pass-retained-for-foreign-tourists/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Police are waiting to fully interview the Russian woman who is being treated at the Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya after sustaining severe injuries at the hands of her enraged and frustrated attacker.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/20/man-arrested-for-attack-on-russian-woman/
News Desk report from Pattaya.
Death of a young Australian man being treated by police as a tragic accident after an investigation this week which has reignited speculation about the dangers posed by hotel balconies in Thailand to partying foreign tourists.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/19/sex-drugs-found-in-room-of-dead-australian-billy-james-simmons/
James Morris reports from Phuket.
Current tariffs in the United States were introduced by Trump in 2018 with some having been retained after a review by the Biden administration in February this year. Currently, American firms can only supply 35% of the solar panels required in the United States as the country seeks to move towards ambitious clean energy goals by 2035 with demand increasing by over 9% a year. Politicians and even those within the industry itself argue this would not be possible without imported panels from Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/19/thailand-defends-solar-panel-industry-from-us-probe/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Details of the harrowing crime were given this week by senior police officers in Phetchaburi province who revealed that legal proceedings against Chantima Wongwatkee are underway for intentionally killing the older woman after she was discovered embezzling funds and committing fraud.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/17/26-year-old-murders-grandmother-over-bank-theft/
Carla Boonkong reports from Phetchaburi province.
All three dead tourists died while posing for photographs at the waterfall on different levels. Two died while trying to take selfie shots while one, Spaniard David Rocamundi Conesa from Barcelona died while posing for a shot to be taken by friends after they had climbed to the highest point of the Na Muang waterfall. https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/16/deadly-ko-samui-waterfall-death-romanian-nane-losana-bodea/
James Morris reports from Ko Samui and Surat Thani.
In an address to an audience representing the growing US Thai community, he spoke of his government’s success in maintaining stability, introducing new legislation and democratic reforms while pursuing efforts to rebuild the Thai economy asking them to help forge stronger links including those bringing inward investment, between the United States and their country of origin.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/15/prayut-unveils-3-r-plan-for-deeper-us-links/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Washington DC.
Patricia Mongkhonvanit of the Public Debt Management Office this week said that the government had been able to swap ฿140 billion worth of long and short term bills and instruments to suit the needs of individual investors as the government seeks to raise ฿1.4 trillion in this financial year which began on October 1st last.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/14/thai-bond-yields-spike-20-per-cent-capial-flight/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Minister still on a mission about face masks. A key committee within the Ministry of Public Health is looking to make sure that the public, including foreign tourists, continues to wear face masks even after the virus has been declared endemic in the coming months which may still include some sort of mandate or legal provision in certain circumstances.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/13/anutin-says-face-masks-still-to-be-needed/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Nonthaburi.
US ASEAN Summit is a contrast to the 2016 event with some tough talking expected behind the scenes as the United States continues to pursue a more robust line in countering China with both military alliances and pacts as well as a new economic framework to deepen bilateral engagement with countries within the increasingly significant 10 nation bloc.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/11/united-states-to-unveil-new-framework-at-asean-summit/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Washington DC.
Embattled PM stresses that his government has preserved peace and stability and says any radical plans to boost incomes and address inequality will require a far bigger budget. It comes as the country’s political affairs look set to be clarified in late June or July once the new voting laws are passed by parliament.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/10/pm-prayut-chan-ocha-running-out-of-time-as-plots-rise/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Tik Tok video featuring a transgender influencer joking with a disabled person in a wheelchair sparks fury across Thailand from royalists who claim the skit targeted the monarchy and was deeply offensive to both the institution and the disabled.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/09/lazada-in-hot-water-in-thailand-over-tik-tok-video/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The slow return of the foreign tourism industry and rising living costs were among the reasons given by JP Morgan as it downgraded its investor rating for both Thai equities and the kingdom’s industrial sector last Monday. The kingdom’s more than adequate Foreign Exchange Reserves dropped by 5.7% in April with reports that the Bank of Thailand has been intervening to prop up the baht against the dollar even as it gained ground against both the euro and pound sterling.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/08/bank-of-thailand-props-up-baht-as-unions-seek-pay-rise/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Stunned employees rushed to the scene of the three-storey commercial premises near Sukhumvit after they heard the two French men arguing furiously and then heard four shots. Later, 48-year old David Bouton stumbled out of the kitchen area to meet them. He had a bullet wound to the left-hand side of his rib cage. He was taken to nearby Samitivej Hospital where he is currently being treated. Two bodies were found further inside the building in the ground floor work area.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/06/french-men-in-fatal-bangkok-shooting-david-bouton-marc-lohberger/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Growth in foreign tourist arrivals since Sunday, May 1st has been impressive with a 63% spike in numbers arriving at Thailand’s main Suvarnabhumi Airport and a wave which will directly affect the economy, boosting growth and income generation. On Tuesday, the Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul made it clear that the kingdom was in a position to do away with Thailand Pass, the last entry control process. He also confirmed that endemic status in Thailand was now less than two months off which should see a full return to normality and the country’s Emergency Decree rescinded.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/05/axe-thailand-pass-for-thai-arrivals-first-minister-anutin/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
From the moment the two hitmen stepped back onto Canadian soil last February after the murder of crime figure Jimmy Sandhu, their fortunes began to unravel. 36-year-old Matthew Dupre sits in custody in Alberta as he fights extradition to Thailand while his alleged partner in the assassination of Mr Sandhu, Gene Karl Lahrkamp has been declared dead in a plane crash last Saturday while on the run as a fugitive. The hitmen found themselves pursued not only by police in Canada and Thailand but also by both rival gangs with links to Sandhu who they mercilessly gunned down at his villa in Phuket on February 4th last. This followed a robust, lightning speed and highly successful police investigation which identified the pair to the world.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/04/phuket-murderer-dies-in-canadian-plane-crash-gene-karl-lahrkamp/
James Morris reports from British Columbia and Phuket.
Western powers are moving to counter China’s expansionism in the region with the Quad pact in 2017 and the AUKUS military alliance between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia in September last year which is seen as a significant escalation of efforts to address the threat the Communist Party-led country poses to stability in the Indo Pacific. In past decades, Thailand was at the forefront of such efforts as a key US ally. The question today is the role Thailand will play in this new cold war between an even more powerful China and an increasingly assertive and bolder United States determined to re-establish its position in the region in what it sees as an effort to preserve peace but which China views as a last gasp attempt to reimpose American hegemony and old fashioned colonialism over a part of the world that wants to go its own way towards a new era of Asian prosperity and leadership.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/03/thailand-japan-announce-defence-pact/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The attack comes as Thai authorities are battling to prop up the shark numbers off the kingdom’s coasts with a falling population and birth rate. There have been other isolated reports of shark attacks on Thailand’s beaches in recent years most commonly linked with bull sharks. Officials in Phuket led by Deputy Governor Pichet Panapong have assured the mother of the boy in this latest incident that everything possible is being done to respond to any potential danger and protect the public using the beaches on the island, among the most popular in the world which, in the past, have attracted up to 10 million visitors a year.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/02/shark-attack-on-8-year-old-boy-in-phuket/
James Morris reports from Phuket.
It had been thought that with high smartphone penetration among the population and the widespread use of digital apps for payments during the pandemic, a transition to a cashless society had begun. The answer, according to a survey of 6,020 people, is unequivocal. No, it has not. 65% of users who took up Krung Thai Bank’s Pao Tang app to avail of government financial supports have opted to no longer use it while cash is seen to have an edge under every criterion. It is seen as more convenient, more widely accepted, cheaper and more private.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/05/01/cash-still-king-people-reject-app-payments/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok
Disturbing story from Nakhon Sawan in the lower part of northern Thailand where a 24-year-old agreed with his aunt to kill a 60-year-old foreigner on the promise of a new car to replace his older one used in the act. Police also revealed that the man’s 63-year-old aunt has been implicated and charged previously in a similar murder conspiracy but avoided conviction due to lack of evidence.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/30/thai-wife-plot-to-kill-63-year-old-danish-man-pia-larsen/
James Morris reports from Nakhon Sawan.
The key question that may determine the outcome of the election will be the voting system used with the fate of two bills being progressed through parliament very much holding the key to that. This week, the leader of the Pheu Thai Party estimated that the bills should be finalised by July although many astute political observers doubt very much whether the election voting laws, as they are currently framed, handing the voting advantage to the Pheu Thai Party, will make it through the parliamentary process before the House of Representatives is dissolved.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/29/voting-laws-driving-general-election-date/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The economy is very much depending on a stronger performance this year by the foreign tourism industry. The proposal to scrap the Thailand Pass regime will mean that incoming visitors by air will complete a TM6 entry form declaring their status as was the case before 2020 while the Immigration Bureau will again be responsible for screening visitors after they arrive in the kingdom from incoming flights.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/28/plan-to-scrap-thailand-pass-june-1st/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The economy is very much depending on a stronger performance this year by the foreign tourism industry. The proposal to scrap the Thailand Pass regime will mean that incoming visitors by air will complete a TM6 entry form declaring their status as was the case before 2020 while the Immigration Bureau will again be responsible for screening visitors after they arrive in the kingdom from incoming flights.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/28/plan-to-scrap-thailand-pass-june-1st/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Calls for a wider reopening are coming at a time when Thai political parties are gearing up for a General Election likely to be called before the end of 2022. As Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul has been seen as hawkish on efforts to introduce public health measures designed to boost the economy. On Tuesday, he also questioned whether foreign tourism demand could be regenerated so quickly, saying the kingdom was like a restaurant reopening after being closed for some time.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/27/anutin-may-agree-to-abolish-thailand-pass/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
More foreign tourists are part of the answer for Thailand’s still challenged economy. Figures released by the government show falling unemployment in line with rising foreign tourist numbers from the beginning of the year. However, the kingdom needs all the purchasing power it can get with a record household debt and the rising danger of a price shock after May with inflation still running at elevated levels. The Vice President of the Tourism Council of Thailand, Wichit Prakobkosol, says that as many as 12 million foreign tourists can be attracted to Thailand in 2022 if the government responds positively.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/26/thailand-pass-stalls-visitors-after-may-1st/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Police Corporal Norawich Buadok was charged with reckless driving causing death in February after public outcry over the incident. The court heard, on Monday, that he was riding an unregistered, untaxed motorbike at speed, without insurance and in the wrong lane when he careered into the popular young ophthalmologist who worked at Chulalongkorn University.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/25/policeman-jailed-over-zebra-crossing-death/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Failure to pass two laws amending the country’s voting process is not only a possibility but also very much fraught with danger, one that is being openly alluded to by key government ministers such as Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam. The surreal situation is bound to leave the country’s largest political party Pheu Thai facing a dilemma when it lays down a no-confidence motion against the government next week, a vote the government is by no means assured of winning and which could torpedo the passage of the two laws leading to a crisis.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/24/pheu-thai-landslide-plan-may-end-in-crisis/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
All to play for as the economy looks set to achieve significant growth this year. The key variable is the price of oil which has actually fallen in the last month. Inflation and loss of customer purchasing power currently represent the biggest threat to the government’s careful management of the economy. It comes from the danger of a possible price shock in June or July. The official position, however, is that inflation will still moderate in the latter half of the year and will end 2022 at 4.9%, well ahead of current growth prospects but even this may change in a very volatile situation with both an upside and downside.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/23/good-economic-news-but-price-shock-looming/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Unvaccinated travellers still face 5 days quarantine, a prior negative test and an RT-PCR test on Day 4 or 5 but on Friday, the decision to scrap ‘Test and Go’ completely is making May 1st another D-Day for the recovery of Thailand’s massive foreign tourism industry which is already seeing passenger levels at Suvarnabhumi Airport at up to 25% of levels seen in 2019.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/22/test-and-go-scrapped-big-step-for-incoming-tourism/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The operation on Tuesday was launched by units of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Hanuman task force in liaison with the US Department of Homeland Security. The two men, a 37-year-old and 39 year old, were implicated in sheltering illegal aliens and running an illegal employment racket in Florida from 2007 and 2021 which turned over ฿2.5 billion while failing to pay taxes due.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/21/ukrainian-tax-evaders-arrested-in-phuket/
James Morris reports from Phuket.
The summit is being seen as a chance by the United States to reset its relationship with ASEAN and its member states but the bloc is often used by those states, including Thailand, as a shield for avoiding hard questions about China in the region and accords more with China’s foreign policy which is to achieve hegemony through closer economic and geographic integration.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/20/us-asean-summit-to-discuss-a-rising-china/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday was more cautious when he confirmed that the government was moving towards endemic status but stressed that conditions must be right in all provinces and that decision-makers must listen to medical and scientific panels set up to advise them under law.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/18/decision-time-on-easier-access-for-tourists/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
As a fifth complaint emerged on Saturday before the Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy chief Police Major General Trairong Phewpan, on Sunday, emphasised that women making claims against the former deputy chairman of the Democrat Party need to come forward and engage with the legal process through the police. The case is being seen as the beginning of the ‘Me Too’ movement in Thailand where laws on sexual harassment and misbehaviour are surprisingly strong.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/17/ex-democrat-boss-bailed-charged-with-rape-prinn-panitchpakdi/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
On Friday, one 30-year-old woman, Hathairat ‘Ann’ Thanakitamnuay, the wife of former Democrat Party turned street protester and political activist, Tanat Thanakitamnuay aka ‘Hi-so Luk Nat’, who lost an eye in recent street demonstrations in Bangkok, was accompanied by her husband. Ms Hathairat, who is running as a candidate for the Ruam Thai United Party, visited Lumpini Police Station and filed a complaint with police alleging that she was raped by the former Democrat Party deputy leader in February 2021 at an apartment in central Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area. Speaking to reporters, she said she was angered by the demeanour and denials coming from Mr Prinn this week after the first accusations emerged following a dinner date with an 18-year-old university student during which she claims she was a victim of sexual indecency and later harassment at the hands of the senior political figure.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/16/ex-party-leader-prinn-panitchpakdifaces-sex-charges-thailand-me-too-moment/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Phetchaburi.
Police at Bangkok’s Ta Rua Police Station in a follow-up search of Thanayut Na Ayudhaya’s home in Klong Toey unearthed explosives. The 20-year-old critically acclaimed rapper known as ‘Eleven Finger’ has been watched closely by security services since his name first appeared on a list of activists linked with street protest activity that erupted in Bangkok in July 2020.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/15/rapper-charged-over-bomb-attack-on-pm-home/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Thailand’s foreign tourism industry is not expected to make a full recovery until 2026 according to Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput as the Asia Pacific region lags behind the rest of the world in ramping up its travel industry from the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, 55% of air travellers in the region are from either North America or Europe with an even higher percentage of tourists.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/14/tourists-to-fly-in-without-notice-from-may/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Indications that the kingdom will drop entry restrictions after the Songkran holidays come to an end. The news is coming with an encouraging take off in entry numbers in response to previous moves to lighten the load on travellers. There is now every reason to believe that the kingdom’s critical and highly lucrative foreign tourism industry could turn into an economic bright spot for 2022 provided another Covid storm does not descend.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/13/incoming-tourism-take-off-with-easier-entry/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
The latest charges against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a key political activist and opponent of the government, have been anticipated for some time ever since the Prime Minister’s Office made known its particular displeasure with his media broadside in January 2021 with a police complaint filed in Bangkok. This came as the government struggled to launch its vaccination campaign last year. There are also fears that these charges may raise political tensions.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/12/gritty-thanathorn-denies-lese-majeste-charge-bangkok/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
US President Biden’s key policy adviser for the Indo Pacific on the National Security Council has told an Asia Pacific summit organised by a Washington DC-based think tank that the US administration is still actively seeking an ASEAN summit in Washington where the leaders of the 10 member ASEAN bloc can meet the US president. He said it was something Washington wanted to see happen in the next month or so. It comes amid deepening divisions between the United States and China over the latter’s tacit support for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine and a determination by the United States to build a new and more secure foundation for security, economic and political development in Southeast Asia. It comes as a document obtained by the Associated Press (AP) shows that Russia planned to regard countries such as Thailand which abstained in last week’s highly embarrassing UN vote that saw it removed from the UN Human Rights Council as ‘unfriendly nations’.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/11/us-profound-geopolitical-shift-to-asia/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Horrible twist of the knife as teenage girl orchestrated the brutal and cruel murder of her own mother, all because of teenage love. Police in Samut Prakan have brought in psychologists to help them in questioning the two teenage suspects as they investigate an appalling and tragic case.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/09/teen-love-plot-to-murder-53-year-old-woman-bangkok/
James Morris reports from Samut Prakan near Bangkok.
The news comes with rising foreign tourist arrivals from April reportedly up by 66% this week as the requirement for a pre-departure test and a certificate was abolished, as planned, on April 1st. This was Phase Two of a Four-Phase plan which has been thrown out of kilter by proposals from Bhumjaithai Party ministers this week which emphasised the retention of an antigen test on arrival for visitors after May 1st when all testing was scheduled to be removed. Despite Friday’s postponement, CCSA spokesman, Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, did emphasise that there was a will to further ease restrictions on incoming travellers.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/08/fears-rise-for-free-foreign-tourism-access/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The spotlight on Thailand’s submarine deal with China is also linked to the altered geopolitical environment after the Russian invasion of Ukraine with heightened sensitivity in the West, in particular in Germany, concerning the supply of critical engineering products to an expanding Chinese military. Officials with the Royal Thai Navy and representatives of the Chinese state-owned shipbuilding firm involved in the contract are to meet later in April with its potential cancellation threatening a severe blow to Thailand’s shift to China as a defence equipment supplier after the 2006 and 2014 coups in what is now a radically altered world.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/07/submarine-deal-raises-questions-about-china/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
This latest case has seen two police officers held in detention by the Phra Khanong Criminal Court until April 13th next and comes after public revulsion and anger last year over the Ferrari Joe case and several other incidents which have undermined confidence in the force and raised disturbing questions about the nature and extent of police corruption.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/05/corrupt-policeman-refused-arrest-on-charges/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
The developments over the last week including a key committee vote in parliament on March 28th not to allow synchronised numbering for parties and candidates and the latest opinion poll suggesting support for restoring the 2019 voting system, could see the opposition push harder for an early election. It comes as there is a growing doubt that 10 bills passed by parliament last September to change the voting laws back to a dual ballot system and increase the number of constituency seats from 350 to 400 will make it through parliament in their present format after being scrutinised by MPs and the powerful committee with oversight of the legislation.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/04/poll-shows-support-for-2019-voting-system-pheu-thai-landslide-torpedoed/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Police swooped on Matthew Christensen after he had just returned from a trip to Ko Samui. The American is understood to be well known in Bangkok business and diplomatic circles and presents himself as an international commercial and technology expert, particularly in the regional energy sector.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/02/high-flying-american-nabbed-by-police-3-million-baht-swindle-matthew-christensen/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Vice President at Siam Commercial Bank Yanyong Thaicharoen shared an economic assessment from the bank’s Economic Intelligence Centre this week. He predicted growth this year of 6.3% and inflation at 4.9% provided the conflict concludes in the short term. The key thing that all forecasters agree upon is that the ongoing war following the Russian invasion of Ukraine is sparking unprecedented global economic uncertainty and downside risks as western nations wage an increasingly no-holds-barred economic war against Russia that both sides dare not lose. This is highly damaging for Thailand’s prospects as government and business leaders battle to drive the economy forward in 2022 with higher exports and foreign tourism arrivals. The war has already seen ฿124 billion fly out of Thailand’s bond market to March 28th last.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/02/prolonged-ukraine-war-to-see-thai-inflation-at-over-6-per-cent/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The Ukraine war and the unprecedented resolve of western countries to sanction Russia even while sacrificing their individual economic interests, make it crystal clear that the western world has changed. A terrifying new prospect has now emerged for countries, particularly in Asia, that have operated at a democratic deficit or based on ‘realpolitik’ in the cosy world of diplomatic accommodations. They are now faced with a united and overwhelming resolve in the West, driven by younger and more idealistic voters, to do what is right at all costs. This has deep implications for Thailand first and foremost in terms of inward economic investment and also increasingly, at a geopolitical level, as tensions between the West and communist China continue to rise.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/31/channel-5-rumpus-shows-thailand-under-pressure-russia-ukraine-war/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Top university boss predicts that, technically, Thailand has already entered into a period of 1970s stagflation as he lowered the economic growth projection for the country to between 2% and 3% for the year with inflation running at 5%. At the same time, a lower baht was heralded by Minister of Finance, Arkhom Termpittayapaisithm, this week, as he predicted that the kingdom will ease entry criteria to boost foreign tourism while achieving export growth of between 5% and 6% in 2022.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/29/thai-planners-ready-to-let-the-baht-swing/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The drive to legalise pot or marijuana pursued by the Bhumjaithai Party may, in time, prove popular with Thai people as a source of income or potential health benefits but for now, it has left law enforcement agencies and the police facing a minefield and a new challenge to determine what is legal and what is illegal even after June 8th next when the ministerial order to remove cannabis as a schedule 5 listed narcotic has full legal effect. For now, however, it does not appear to be such a big vote winner with the electorate as the country faces the rising prospect of a General Election.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/28/legal-pot-cannabis-not-a-vote-getter-for-bhumjaithai/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Khon Kaen.
Comments by Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports on Thursday to industry representatives of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, while appearing to be positive news for tourists, highlighted how far off Thailand may be from fully regenerating its lost foreign tourism industry and massive foreign currency earner which brought in $62 billion in 2019. The Minister claimed that the country could generate the same income seen then by 2024 while at the same time admitting that more needs to be done to address both the industry’s competitiveness and visitor safety.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/26/minister-thailand-pass-may-go-by-june-1st/
James Morris reports from Bangkok and Pattaya.
Thailand’s economy remains highly dependent on both exports and foreign tourism with the current storm again highlighting this factor. The loss of foreign tourism income since March 2020 is the single biggest impact factor as the country is now confronted by what could be a growing liquidity crisis and consistently high current account deficits if urgent action is not taken. After this, comes the threat from increasingly dangerous geopolitical tensions and concerns over China as financial capital takes flight from Asia with US interest rate rises.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/24/thai-banks-downgraded-fears-over-liquidity/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Industry leaders from the Federation of Thai Industries to the Thai Chamber of Commerce have urged the government to expedite the plan to declare the COVID-19 virus as endemic with concerns that the country’s competitors in the foreign tourism industry have moved more decisively. There is also a view that the scrapping of the Thailand Pass application for incoming travellers will be the key move in the process, or as the country boss for Emirates, which brought 32% of all visitors to Thailand last year, described it this week, a potential ‘Golden Moment’ for the country’s foreign tourism sector.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/23/calls-for-scrapping-of-thailand-pass-normal-entry/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Rally last Sunday saw chief whip and Maha Sarakham MP Sutin Klangsaeng lament that the Thai economy had gone from an Asian Tiger under Thaksin to the ‘first dog in Asia’ under the current government. The theme of the meeting, which introduced Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was one of economic revival for a younger generation and a return of the spirit of the Thai Rak Thai Party under Ms Paetongtarn’s father, Thaksin Shinawatra.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/22/new-shinawatra-on-a-quest-for-people-power/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Udon Thani.
Electricity prices to rise to ฿4 a unit from May as government plans a new series of supports for families in its effort to raise spending power. The fall-off in oil prices has calmed fears about stagflation with the rise of the tax take auguring well for economic prospects once crisis headwinds are lifted.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/20/foreign-internet-firm-tax-boosts-thailand-coffers/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Despite the debunking of the grotesque and sensational claims made by the young Thai woman by senior Thai and Cambodian police officers, there remains the global problem of human organ trafficking which exists alongside human trafficking worldwide and has been confirmed by in-depth studies by both the United Nations and the European Union.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/19/cambodian-organ-harvesting-claims-a-lie/
Carla Boonkong reports from Sa Kaeo Province, Bangkok and Phnom Penh.
MP and New Democratic Party leader, Suritan Pichan, predicts that General Prayut will dissolve the House of Representatives before it reconvenes on May 22nd next sparking a General Election in June or July this year. It comes as the PM’s arch-foe, Captain Thamanat Prompow, on Friday, took up a key position within the leadership of the lately revived New Economics Party which on paper remains a supporter of the coalition.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/19/general-election-may-be-called-by-may-22nd/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The court found that 28-year-old Teerawat Thothip intended to murder 57-year-old Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf after first attempting to rape the foreign tourist on August 3rd last and on that basis, sentenced him to death for premeditated murder. However, taking into consideration his full confession to the police, this was commuted to life in prison.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/17/murdered-swiss-woman-family-thank-phuket-court/
James Morris reports from Phuket.
On Tuesday, the Information and Investment ministries in Nay Pyi Taw put forward a cross border trading scheme for use by Thai firms using the Thai baht as a settlement currency. The economic initiative is seen as another move, supported by China on a regional basis, to weaken the strength of the US dollar. It comes as the forces of the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s feared military, are also believed to have launched a Summer offensive against rebel forces in the war-torn country armed with guns, missiles and aircraft supplied by Russia and China with Beijing using Pakistan as a conduit to supply weaponry to the heavily sanctioned junta.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/16/second-war-rages-in-myanmar-over-12000-dead/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok, Mae Hong Son and Yangon.
Spurned man had left an hour before after imploring his estranged girlfriend, who was previously married to a foreigner outside Thailand, to resume their relationship. He returned in a stolen Royal Forestry Service pickup and a firearm also taken without permission from the force, to wreak havoc on her home during which her 20-year-old son was fatally gunned down.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/14/former-boyfriend-kills-thai-woman-son/
Carla Boonkong reports from Buriram province.
29-year-old Mr Pornmet Songmetta reportedly works with the family firm Absolute Clean Energy, a Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) listed electricity distribution firm which operates 19 power plants in Thailand. His expensive Porsche Taycan Turbo suffered minor damage early on Saturday morning, near Taksin Bridge in Thonburi when it hit the Yamaha Fino motorbike of 40-year-old Waseem Ahmad leading to his death shortly afterwards at nearby Taksin Hospital in Bangkok.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/13/charges-for-top-cop-porsche-driving-son/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
Top cop ‘Big Joke’ appeared to support the woman’s story on Wednesday when he revealed that police in Thailand had intercepted a message from what he said was a ruthless Chinese gang. The story is also quite similar to claims made in February by a 31-year-old Chinese man who claimed he was held by a Chinese human trafficking gang in the rapidly expanding resort city of Sihanoukville as a ‘blood slave’ and threatened with organ harvesting before making his escape last month. The repugnant trade in human organ harvesting is one of the darker and evil sides of international human trafficking, one that many people find naturally repugnant but which is growing rapidly with continuous demand exceeding supply and vast sums being paid for human organs through increasingly sophisticated fronts such as medical clinics and international medical tourism. The World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2018, estimated that a human kidney was bartered somewhere in the world more than once an hour or over 10,000 times a year while one Washington DC-based intelligence organisation conservatively estimates that at least one in ten human transplants involve organs harvested illegally.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/12/thai-woman-organ-harvest-terror-in-cambodia/
Carla Boonkong reports from Sa Kaeo Province and Pnomh Penh.
The rising emergency and disruption to prospects for tourism come amid plummeting consumer and business confidence as the overall Thai economy has been hit with a record high consumer price index for February and faltering business activity.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/11/thai-tourism-emphasises-ukraine-war-neutrality/
James Morris reports from Phuket, Pattaya and Ko Samui.
On Tuesday, following a tense cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister pleaded with the public to cut back on the use of cars and air conditioning. He asked people to make sure to switch off the lights at home or at the office. This was followed by a meeting of a key committee to decide whether Thailand’s strategic oil reserves should be extended and how the kingdom can keep its Oil Fund running to keep the price of oil and energy stable while preventing a shortage of supplies. The government is being warned that anything short of swift and decisive action could see uncontrolled inflation take hold after it was confirmed that February’s headline rate came in significantly higher than expected at 5.28%.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/09/thai-economy-faces-a-return-to-the-1970s/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok
The trial comes as a new law, strengthening legal protections against torture and human rights abuses against people held in custody with more transparency provisions, makes its way through Thailand’s parliament. The case of the suffocation of 24-year-old drug-dealing suspect, Jeerapong Thanapat, shocked Thailand to the core last August when a video clip emerged showing the police chief in Nakhon Sawan, currently facing trial on a capital murder charge, placed plastic bags over the victim’s head and fastened them while other police officers looked on at the main police station in the city.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/08/activist-anxious-over-ferrari-joe-police-torture-trial/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
On Saturday, the Superintendent of Bo Phut Police Station on Ko Samui, Police Colonel Yuttana Sirisombat, confirmed that routine enquiries into the death of the sporting celebrity revealed that there were no suspicious circumstances linked to the incident and revealed that the star had complained of chest pains at home in Australia before his departure for Thailand where he arrived last Thursday to stay with several friends.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/07/aussie-sports-star-shane-warne-died-from-natural-causes/
James Morris reports from Ko Samui.
The world has become an extremely dangerous place since February 24th 2022 with growing fears that the situation can escalate. There is also a growing realisation that this will not be a short war but an extended conflict, one that is deepening and shows signs of dividing the world even as it has united western countries and public opinion in vehement opposition to Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/06/russia-warns-thais-planning-to-defend-ukraine/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok
Widow and street seller who could not feed her family turned to illegal lenders and was charged 30% interest per month. She called the police when threatened by a debt collector who wanted to sell her refrigerator. Thailand’s top cop this week revealed that some money lending rackets are charging interest at up to 60% per month on loans.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/06/call-the-police-on-loan-sharks-says-big-joke/
James Morris reports from Khon Kaen.
Thai exporters say that shipments will be off by between $4 billion and $5 billion by the end of June. At the same time, the insecurity caused by the war will impact world travel and tourism as well as consumer confidence at home. This week, Mr Sanan Angubolkul, the Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said he expects this war to last for some time bringing with it rising energy costs and disruption to world trade caused by economic sanctions. This is worrying for the kingdom which reached the edges of its economic limits last year before the reopening of the country to foreign tourism on November 1st last.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/04/thai-economic-fears-rise-over-ukraine-war/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
The vote came after heightened diplomatic representations by western ambassadors this week to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok and what is reported to be unprecedented diplomatic pressure from Washington throughout the world. It comes after public opinion in western countries has seen a dramatic shift since February 24th as a result of the plight of Ukraine and the country’s plucky opposition to Russian aggression. The move is also being carefully watched in the light of a rising and very real Chinese threat to Taiwan in a world that is increasingly divided between democracy and autocracy.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/03/thailand-votes-against-russia-on-ukraine/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The Two hitmen in the Jimmy Sandhu murder case in Phuket have been living in fear in Canada since being exposed by the Royal Thai Police on February 12th last after an Interpol Red Notice was sought for the pair following the cold-blooded killing on February 4th last. One has already been arrested in Alberta on February 20th but the evidence collected by police in Thailand has led to Canadian police opening their own conspiracy to murder probe which could see those who paid for the hit and the two gunmen face justice on Canadian soil.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/03/01/canadian-hitmen-suicidal-as-justice-looms/
James Morris reports from Phuket, Edmonton and Vancouver.
A UK man who moved to Thailand when his wife was first diagnosed with oncoming Alzheimer’s, speaks positively about the kingdom which still offers a life ‘in paradise’ to many elderly foreigners with income who seek to retire in stark comparison to life in a nursing home where many residents spend 23 hours locked in a room on a daily basis.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/28/expat-with-alzheimers-rescued-in-chiang-mai/
Carla Boonkong reports from Chiang Mai.
Arguably one of the most dangerous moments in the world since the end of World War II and one which will undoubtedly have repercussions for Southeast Asia as China watches events in Ukraine after making an anti-western, anti-American ‘no limits’ pact with President Vladimir Putin on February 7th last on the eve of the Beijing Olympics.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/26/world-fears-putin-not-in-his-right-mind-ukraine/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok, Kiev and Moscow.
Economic concept advocated this week by the World Bank chief has similarities to the sufficiency economy concept proposed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1997 and may become an alternative for a country losing the battle in Southeast Asia to attract inward investment, to Indonesia and Vietnam.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/25/thailand-should-embrace-circular-economy/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
In recent days, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has revised its projection for foreign tourists this year from 5 million to 5.5 million visitors and suggests that the country can use the renewed impetus from the sector to drive GDP growth for 2022 of up to 5%.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/24/thailand-moving-back-to-free-tourist-access/
James Morris reports from Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.
The move is coming at a time when support for the government has hit a low ebb with a poll published last weekend showing that 77% have lost confidence in the coalition administration of Prayut Chan ocha and an increasingly fractious political environment with a General Election seen now as more likely in 2022.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/22/minister-resurrects-internet-gateway-scheme/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Complaints filed with the Emergency Health Hazard and Disease Control Division of the Department of Disease Control at the Ministry of Public Health allege 2,081 deaths after over 120 million vaccine doses were administered up to February 13th last or just 0.00173%. Even so, officials, however, in nearly all cases reported, have ruled out links to the vaccines and in many cases attributed the deaths to concomitant events. Only 4 deaths have been confirmed by the ministry as being related to the vaccines or a minuscule 0.000003% and an even lower level in relation to reported adverse reactions.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/21/korean-hotelier-found-dead-in-kanchanaburi/
Carla Boonkong reports from Kanchanaburi province.
One of those arrested is reported to be the son of a Thai politician. The priority being given to the case and high profile presence of Police Lieutenant General Surachate Hakparn is all part of a renewed effort in 2022 to root out underage prostitution and sex trafficking rings throughout the kingdom. At a meeting, on Wednesday, of a powerful government committee, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan presided over a commitment from cabinet ministers and senior officials to improve Thailand’s rating on the US State Department’s human trafficking watchlist.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/18/doctor-military-officer-linked-to-sex-ring/
James Morris reports from Surat Thani province.
40-year-old Kevin Douglas was arrested over eight hours after the assault last November when he barged his way into a woman’s home in the Queens area of New York and punched her in the face in what police say was a random attack. The attack on the Thai woman comes amid a crime wave in New York and a sharp rise in attacks targeting Asian Americans in the United States and the Big Apple where such incidents were up five fold in 2021.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/16/thai-woman-attacker-appears-before-new-york-court/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has also announced the postponement of the foreign tourist levy from April to June although the plans to attach the fee to airline fares may be in contravention of a 1944 convention pointed to by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/15/opposition-targets-test-and-go-entry-scheme/
James Morris reports from Bangkok.
In the course of last week’s intensive investigation which saw up to 20 police teams in Phuket led by the National Police Commissioner General Suwat Jangyodsuk, probe every aspect of the gangland hit, a Russian man was also taken into custody who is believed to have planted a GPS tracking device on the Indian victim’s car prior to the murder.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/14/death-penalty-issue-as-2-jimmy-sandhu-hitmen-named/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Phuket.
The popular payment platform is in crisis mode in Thailand as it scrambles to meet demanding regulatory requirements and pursue a relaunch of its service as a fully compliant Thai based entity. However, the firm faces even more significant and fundamental challenges both in Thailand and around the world not only with an evolving, more sophisticated and demanding payment service market but also real questions about its practices which have seen it faced with and making out of court settlements in class action lawsuits in the United States. The latest case was filed in January over its security tactics and the freezing of user accounts without notice or adequate explanation.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/12/bank-of-thailand-intervenes-in-paypal-crisis/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
TV star left Thailand within hours of the attack for Dubai to be reunited with her 4-year-old son after the shock of her ordeal. The attack on Natai Beach in Phang-nga province where Ms Hummels had gone to spend a few days after 3 weeks filming of a popular German TV show in Phuket had wrapped up. The incident and worldwide press coverage of it, because of the celebrity status of the victim, has raised pressure on Thai authorities over tourist safety in the kingdom.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/11/german-tv-star-asked-police-to-avoid-press-cathy-hummels/
James Morris reports from Phang-nga.
Thailand may not only be facing a General Election in 2022 but also another political crisis if the government does not successfully see the passage of two organic laws on the voting process successfully guided through parliament. The likelihood of this happening is also receding in line with the fortunes of the administration with disturbing failures in parliament during this session to reach a quorum.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/09/government-in-its-political-death-throes-election-likely/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
The 63-year-old man had sold his business in Germany before moving to Thailand. Interviewed by police on Monday, his Thai wife revealed his current occupation appeared to be online. She suggested he may have been distressed by the sudden death of his younger brother in Korat recently.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/08/police-probe-death-of-german-man-in-inferno-uwe-albrecht/
Carla Boonkong reports from Kanchanaburi.
Initial news reports suggested that the Indian gangland figure was a Canadian national. This came about after police in Phuket, early on Saturday morning, discovered 2 pieces of identification including a Canadian passport and driver’s licence in the names of third parties, both of Indian descent.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/06/phuket-murder-international-gangland-hit-jimi-sandhu-canada-india/
James Morris reports from Phuket
A need to raise interest rates in the United States, coming at a time when Thailand’s economy is short on liquidity with a record level of household debt, will be a key challenge in 2022 amid hopes that the kingdom may return to more significant economic growth this year. The economy received some good news on Friday when the Secretary-general of the Board of Investment revealed a 59% rise in inward foreign direct investment pledges for 2021.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/05/inflation-fears-expected-to-recede-in-2022/
Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.
Car owned by Phuket based US teacher Michael Dylan Gregory who lived in Thailand until February 2012 was de-registered in 2010 and was the subject of a court order issued to Kasikorn Leasing in 2011 for its seizure. An intensive police probe continues in Nakhon Si Thammarat after catching the attention of Deputy National Police Chief General Suchart Teerasawat or ‘Big Mai’.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/03/murder-ruled-out-us-man-bmw-found-buried/
James Morris reports from Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand.
The Thai Examiner is a quality news service and online newspaper aimed at a well-travelled and cosmopolitan market comprised of expats in Thailand, English speaking Thais seeking an objective, honest and balanced news source and frequent travellers here – a worldwide audience of people who take an interest in affairs in the kingdom. Our readers range from financial analysts to former expats, those with a second home in this unique country to communities of Thais now driving a growing diaspora throughout the world.
The Thai Examiner is a quality news service and online newspaper aimed at a well-travelled and cosmopolitan market comprised of expats in Thailand, English speaking Thais seeking an objective, honest and balanced news source and frequent travellers here – a worldwide audience of people who take an interest in affairs in the kingdom. Our readers range from financial analysts to former expats, those with a second home in this unique country to communities of Thais now driving a growing diaspora throughout the world.
The Thai Examiner is an enjoyable user experience designed to help foreigners develop a positive relationship with the kingdom known as the Land of Smiles. With its balmy weather and happy people living to their own traditions and code, it is easy to understand from your first visit, how it is well named. As well as balanced, insightful and honest news reporting, we offer our readers and users a news networking service. Our online community, forum and social network is also there for Thai nationals who wish to get to know foreigners and understand and develop a positive relationship between Thailand and the world.
This important step is part of a wider programme to attract more foreigners to Thailand to live. However, the government is also determined that these new residents must have the ability to generate wealth and prosperity for the kingdom’s wider economy. The proposed legal provision has yet to be ratified by the cabinet and there are already signs that ministers are aware of the politically sensitive nature of the plan.
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/01/wealthy-foreigners-to-own-small-landholdings/
Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.
This important step is part of a wider programme to attract more foreigners to Thailand to live. However, the government is also determined that these new residents must have the ability to generate wealth and prosperity for the kingdom’s wider economy. The proposed legal provision has yet to be ratified by the cabinet and there are already signs that ministers are aware of the politically sensitive nature of the plan.