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....

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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....

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. ...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...