All the latest news from Thailand and around the world.
Is the proposed lottery pension scheme a populist gamble? Thailand is now officially an aged society, with the number of people aged over 60 reaching 13 million, making up around 20 per cent of the total population. An aged society comes with rising welfare cost for the economy. A previous survey by the Stock Exchange of
Road haulage operators increased their charges by an average of 9% today and are threatening to go on nationwide strike if the government continues to ignore their demands for the price of diesel to be capped at 30 baht/litre. Apichart Prairungruang, president of the Land Transport Association of Thailand, said that they and their members
Thailand is set to become the second country in Southeast Asia to impose a carbon tax, a move seen by many as crucial to securing a sustainable future. “We plan to start collecting carbon tax later this year, probably from around October,” Ekniti Nitithanprapas, director-general of the Excise Department, said earlier this month. The carbon
Opposition whips have agreed to reject the government’s fiscal budget bill for 2025 on the grounds that its allocations do not address Thailand’s future situation and that a portion of the budget is being misappropriated to fund the “digital wallet” scheme. Meanwhile, Move Forward party-list MP Sirikanya Tansakul, one of whips, said the bill, currently
A small Bangkok gesture in Switzerland did not go unnoticed although it did not make world headlines, either. It is a peculiar situation that nobody wants to interpret too much and too soon. To cut a long story short, Thailand did not vote for a “peace” communique that most countries joining the curious pro-Ukraine and
The Bank of Thailand has issued ten million commemorative 100-baht banknotes, to mark the occasion of His Majesty the King’s 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary (72) on July 28. The notes will be available from July 23. Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput said today that the design of the banknotes is in portrait layout, unlike
Thai PBS World speaks with Cambodian scholarship recipients to understand the challenges they face living in a country frequently embroiled in online disagreements, how these issues impact their lives and how they have changed their worldview.
The number of Thais visiting South Korea between January and April this year decreased by 21% year-on-year, mainly due to unexplained entry refusals at the border. Thais going to South Korea have fallen behind Vietnam and the Philippines, according to the South China Morning Post. This is in contrast to the overall number of foreign
A traffic police officer, suspected of having demanded money from a Japanese national, has been transferred to an “inactive post”, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Thiti Sangsawang said today. At Tha Rua police station, a complaint has been filed against the officer for the solicitation of a bribe, Thiti said. The incident, believed to
Don Muang Tollway will increase tolls on the elevated expressway by Bt5-10 on December 22, in accordance with its concession contract with the Highways Department, according to the company’s CEO, Sombath Phanichewa. Under the contract, tolls can be adjusted every five years by 5-10 baht, until it expires on September 12, 2034. From December 22,
Former police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol will be reinstated while his rival, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, was already reinstated on April 18, said Wissanu Krea-ngam, a special advisor to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, at a news conference today. He said that the fact-finding committee, chaired by Chatchai Promlert, former permanent secretary of the interior,
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has proposed that the government increase the import duty on cheap Chinese products, or limit their import, to save Thai factories from closing because they cannot compete with products from China. The FTI has expressed concern over the future of the plastic, metal, wood and wood processing industries in
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin presented the 3.75 trillion baht budget bill for the 2025 fiscal year to the House of Representatives today. He forecasts that it will increase Thailand’s economic growth next year by 2.5%-3.5%. The growth, he said, will be driven by continuing export increases, in line with global economic recovery, an increase in
Eight foreign tourists were saved from possible drowning in rough seas off Phuket yesterday, after they had defied warning signs on the beaches. In the first incident, two Indian couples ignored the red flag flying on Karon Beach and entered the rough sea. Witnesses said they were unable to swim back to the shore due
London, United Kingdom – UK police arrested two people on Wednesday after environmental activists sprayed an orange substance on Stonehenge, the renowned prehistoric UNESCO world heritage site in southwest England. The Just Stop Oil protest group said two activists had “decorated Stonehenge in orange powder paint” to demand that Britain’s next government legally commit to
The government was accused of being reckless and short-sighted in the planning and preparation of the 3.75 trillion baht budget for the 2025 fiscal year, aiming to address its own crises instead of the pressing problems of the country, with the “digital wallet” scheme being singled out for attack. After the presentation of the budget
