Tax Rules for Foreign Workers/Pineapple Valley events/Critical Doctor Shortage in Nine Provinces/Long-term solutions to annual flooding/Ayutthaya locals plead for flood relief/Bangkok street food at a crossroads/Koh Phangan inquiry into Israeli businesses/Another Pattaya jumper/Kratom Sales Tightened/Thailand among top targets for web threats/Tham Luang hero bedridden/ECONOMY: Four trends every manager must master/Songkhla emerging as economic hub/Thailand’s sufficiency economy/Simplest is the hardest/Persistence pays off for Rayong village/Amusement and billiards trade shows/TOURISM: Doi Suthep Cable Car Revived/THAILAND EXPERIENCE: Thailand Best Country for Food /Bangkok Asia’s best holiday destination/CLIMATE THAILAND: Developers bet on sustainable homes/Coral reefs crossing survival limit/FOREIGNERS BEHAVING BADLY/INTERNATIONAL/HUA HIN LINKS

Thailand Tightens Tax Rules for Foreign Workers

Foreigners working legally in Thailand now face stricter tax compliance requirements, as the government moves to align its system with international standards. With more than 3.3 million registered foreign workers as of latest data, authorities are stepping up enforcement to ensure all individuals earning income in the country meet their personal income tax obligations.

Under Thai law, any foreigner residing in the country for 180 days or more within a calendar year is considered a tax resident. Non-residents are only taxed on income earned within Thailand. The personal income tax system remains progressive, ranging from 5% to 35% depending on net income after deductions. Continued …

Pineapple Valley hosts two key events

Two events are coming to Pineapple Valley Golf Club: a charity scramble in support of breast cancer awareness and the debut of Hua Hin’s first glow-in-the-dark night golf tournament.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, the third edition of the Pink Ribbon Scramble will take place in support of the Queen Sirikit Center for Breast Cancer Foundation. Organized as part of Global Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the event will once again raise funds for breast cancer prevention and care in Thailand. Continued …

Health Ministry Admits Critical Doctor Shortage in Nine Provinces

Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) is grappling with a severe shortage of medical personnel, confirming that only 72% of the required national doctor quota is currently filled. This revelation comes alongside a sharp increase in doctor resignations, forcing the ministry to propose radical reforms for allocating new medical graduates.

Dr. Somrerk Jungsaman, permanent secretary of the MOPH, presented the data to the Medical Council, highlighting that the Ministry’s permanent secretary’s office has just 25,490 active doctors, well short of the 35,578 posts allocated for the 2022–2026 period. Continued …

Private sector wants long-term solutions to Thailand’s annual flooding

Thailand has dealt with severe flooding for centuries, affecting millions of households and disrupting economic activities, especially in low-lying areas where disasters seem routine. Every year, the government allocates a substantial budget for flood relief. Last year, the Pheu Thai administration set aside more than 8 billion baht, granting 9,000 baht to each affected household during the rainy season.

The heavy monsoon rains currently pounding the country have prompted the new Bhumjaithai-led administration to prepare a 6-billion-baht flood relief budget, also expected to provide 9,000 baht to each affected household. Continued …

‘We keep drowning to save Bangkok’: Ayutthaya locals plead for flood relief

As heavy monsoon rains hit Thailand, a humble district in Ayutthaya is once again sacrificing itself to save Bangkok from devastating floods. Low-lying Bang Ban has served as a flood-retention zone since 2017, protecting downriver cities like Bangkok from being submerged during the six-month rainy season.

However, locals say the floods are worsening year after year, leaving them struggling to survive as their communities disappear beneath water for months on end. Continued …

Bangkok street food at a crossroads

Street vendors and food stalls have long defined Bangkok’s urban rhythm — sizzling woks, plastic stools, and the hum of late-night chatter form an inseparable part of the city’s identity. To locals, they are the pulse of everyday life; to visitors, a culinary adventure.

Yet, beneath the charm lies a perennial conflict: culture versus order, livelihood versus law. That tension has shaped decades of city policy. Today, it returns to the spotlight ,as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) embarks on a new chapter in its effort to reclaim and reorganize the capital’s sidewalks. Continued …

(Editor: Bangkok seems to be enamored with the so-called street food scene in Singapore and wants to emulate it. Like many of our readers, we have experienced Singapore’s version of street food, which means indoor food courts in office buildings. The costs to vendors are higher due to higher rent, while customers must know where the food courts are, as there usually is no outside signage. Bangkok is known in the tourism world for its street food scene. Closeting vendors in building basements is not street food, and will not resonate the same with international visitors, and, we’re guessing, with Bangkok residents.)

Officials on Koh Phangan launch inquiry into Israeli businesses

Thai authorities have launched a sweeping probe into Israeli-linked businesses on Koh Phangan amid growing fury over foreign dominance of the island’s tourism trade. Ordered from Bangkok, the crackdown targets nominee companies and suspected illegal ownership of property across Thailand’s southern islands.

Locals accuse Israeli operators of sidelining Thai workers, reshaping communities, and exploiting visa loopholes to run businesses disguised as tourism. Many arrivals, fleeing conflict at home, are now accused of turning paradise into profit zones. With anger spilling into protests, officials face mounting pressure to reclaim control, enforce the law, and protect the island’s identity. Continued … 

Another Pattaya jumper; American ran out of money

A 70-year-old American man was found dead after jumping from an 11-story condominium in Pattaya early yesterday. Police said he left a handwritten note explaining that he had run out of money.

Officers, together with rescue volunteers from Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation, arrived to find the man’s body lying face-down in the car park below the building. He was identified as Alan Pryor, aged 70, a U.S. national. Continued …

Narcotics Agency Tightens Kratom Sales Nationwide

The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) announced strict enforcement of new regulations controling the sale of kratom leaves and kratom tea. The rules, effective from yesterday, prohibit street vending and setting up stalls near schools, aiming to organize sales and protect public safety.

The announcement follows the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Public Health’s joint notification on prohibited locations and methods for selling kratom leaves. ONCB units across Bangkok and provincial areas have already begun awareness campaigns with vendors and the public, while preparing to enforce the law in cooperation with partner agencies. Continued …

Kaspersky: Thailand among top targets for web threats

Thailand’s cybersecurity systems remain vulnerable to a high number of attacks, according to cybersecurity firms. Kaspersky said Thailand logged the most incidents in Southeast Asia with 2.52 million web threats in the first half of 2025, followed by Malaysia and Indonesia with 1.70 million and 1.63 million, respectively.

Web threats are crucial threats against businesses and enterprises, such as malware programs that can target internet users, according to Kaspersky. Web threats are not limited to online activity, but ultimately involve the internet at some stage for inflicted harm. Continued …

Tham Luang hero bedridden after accident

One of the unsung heroes of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, Suratin Chaichomphu, known affectionately as “Khwan the Driller”, has been bedridden for months following a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed.

Suratin, 59, led the groundwater drilling team that helped drain floodwater from Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai during the daring mission that saved 12 young footballers and their coach. The veteran groundwater engineer, once hailed for his crucial behind-the-scenes role, is now under the close care of his wife and family at their home in Mae On district, Chiang Mai. Continued …

Four trends every manager in Thailand must master

The business tide across Southeast Asia is shifting with unprecedented speed, and Thailand sits right at the center. Success is no longer about keeping pace. It is about spotting the next wave before it breaks and leading teams to ride it with confidence.

Four trends in particular demand the urgent attention of any manager in Thailand who wants to ensure a healthy and sustainable future for their organization: Continued …

Songkhla emerging as Thailand’s new economic hub

Once known mainly as a border trade gateway and weekend getaway for Malaysian tourists, Songkhla is now rapidly transforming into a major economic and logistics hub in southern Thailand.

Strategically located in the north of the Malaysian Peninsula, Songkhla serves as Thailand’s gateway to Malaysia and the wider ASEAN market, connecting the southern provinces to the rest of the region. Continued …

How Thailand’s sufficiency economy became the world’s blueprint for resilience

“If you want to help a poor man, give him fish. That, he will be full for a day. But what about teaching him how to fish? That, he and his family will be fed for years.”

This simple metaphor captures the profound, benevolent philosophy of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX). His goal was never to distribute temporary aid but to impart the lifelong skill of self-reliance — the sufficiency economy philosophy (SEP). Continued … 

The simplest is the hardest

“Sufficiency Economy” requires so little but demands a lot. Royal documentaries on the subject feature just four things: the green of veggies and crops, the dark brown of soil, the translucence of water, and the noises of a limited number of farm animals. Anyone who goes back to watch TV footages on sufficiency economy will see these four without fail.

King Rama IX’s idea was that if you manage to strike a good balance among those four, you will need little else. You will be able to rely on yourself. You will have just enough left to sell and have just enough money to keep it going. But, most of all, you will have ample and everlasting happiness, pride and dignity. Continued …

Persistence pays off for Rayong village

For Chartchai Luangcharoen, failure was never the end but the beginning. Once a struggling farmer in Ban Jamrung of Rayong province, he faced poor harvests, market rejections, and scepticism from neighbors.

Yet, 25 years later, he has transformed his small village into a model of sufficiency economy, proving that persistence, learning, and community spirit can turn hardship into collective achievement. Continued …

Amusement and billiards trade shows this week in Bangkok

The “Thailand Amusement & Attraction Parks Expo 2025 (TAAPE 2025)” and the inaugural “Thailand Billiards Expo 2025 (TBE 2025)” will be held on the same premises, at Impact Exhibition Hall 6-7, Muang Thong Thani, daily from 10am to 5pm, starting Wednesday to Friday.

TAAPE is an international trade show and business matching event for the amusement, theme park, and tourist attraction industries in the ASEAN region. It will serve as a key platform for manufacturers and designers of products related to amusement parks and attractions, featuring over 300 brands from 30 countries. Continued … 

Doi Suthep Cable Car Revived: Tourist Landmark or Sacred Site Blight?

The controversial proposal to build a cable car up Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai’s iconic mountain and home to its most sacred temple, has been formally revived, sparking an immediate and familiar debate over balancing tourism revenue with local culture and environment.

The Doi Suthep cable car project has been discussed for three decades, consistently pitting supporters — who believe it would draw more tourists and be a new city landmark — against opponents concerned about environmental damage and perceived disrespect to the revered Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Continued …

Thailand Crowned the World’s Best Country for Food by British

Thailand has been voted as the world’s No.1 country for food by readers of British magazine Condé Nast Traveller with a score of 98.33 points out of 100.

“Thailand has mastered the art of delivering mouth-watering cuisine with minimal fuss, and whether you’re a fan of Thai food or not, the heart-warming bowls of noodles, curries, and soups are sure to win you over, especially when served by a friendly local,” the magazine gushed. Continued …

Bangkok named Asia’s best holiday destination

Bangkok has been ranked as the best city to visit in Asia for 2025 by Smart Travel Asia, a leading digital travel magazine, based on the opinions of hundreds of thousands of travelers and readers worldwide. The city received the highest votes in the “Best Holiday Destination in Asia” category, retaining its top position for the second consecutive year.

Smart Travel Asia highlighted Bangkok’s strengths as its 24-hour vibrancy and diverse experiences, including food, culture, shopping, and the friendliness of its people, describing it as a “city full of energy and color, day and night.” Continued …

Thai developers bet on sustainable homes, solar rooftops

As climate concerns mount and urban living intensifies, Thailand’s property sector is turning to sustainability as both a necessity and a market opportunity. Developers and consultants say “green homes” are no longer a niche concept, instead quickly becoming an expectation across generations of buyers.

“Air pollution, flooding, rising temperatures, and limited green spaces are no longer distant threats. They affect residents’ daily lives,” said Somboon Wasinchutchawal, chief financial officer at Frasers Property Thailand (FPT) and acting chief executive of Frasers Property Home. Continued …

World’s coral reefs crossing survival limit

The world’s tropical coral reefs have almost certainly crossed a point of no return, as oceans warm beyond a level most can survive, a major scientific report announced today. It is the first time scientists have declared that Earth has likely reached a so-called “tipping point” — a shift that could trigger massive and often permanent changes in the natural world.

This conclusion was supported by real-world observations of “unprecedented” coral death across tropical reefs since the first comprehensive assessment of tipping points science was published in 2023, the authors said. Continued …

• Israeli Investor Probed Over Koh Phangan Illegal Work Scheme – Continued …
• Tourists Defrauded by Foreign Gang Selling Fake Health Products – Continued … 
• Chinese Man Arrested for Stealing 2 Baht Gold in Bangkok – Continued …
• Two Israelis Arrested for Exchanging Fake Dollars on Koh Samui – Continued …

Hamas and Israel set for hostage and prisoner exchanges

Hamas was set to release all surviving hostages today in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, as US President Donald Trump headed to the region for a peace summit having declared the war “over”. Trump’s lightning visit to Israel and Egypt aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week’s ceasefire and hostage release deal – but comes at a precarious time, as Israel and Hamas negotiate what comes next. Continued …

Google says Australian law on teen social media use ‘extremely difficult’ to enforce

Alphabet-owned Google today said it would be “extremely difficult” for Australia to enforce a law prohibiting people younger than 16 from using social media, warning that the government’s initiative would not make children safer online. Governments and tech firms around the world are closely watching Australia, which in December will become the first country to block the use of social media by people younger than 16. Continued …

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