- Sun Power Solar sponsors Expat News/Visa-Free Stay Cut to 30 DaysMonsoon to bring heavy rain/Thailand has a password problem/Private sector encouraged to sponsor World Cup/Thai Teen Wins Snooker Title
- THE IRAN WAR: Trump warns Iran of fresh US strikes/Iran agrees to help Thai cargo ships
- ECONOMY: Cabinet approves relief scheme/Why our workplaces aren’t working/EEC land prices surge/EEC condo prices decline/Nippon Steel pledges long-term commitment/Migrants to ease labor shortage/Humanoid robots to reshape manufacturing/NT picked for digital infrastructure projects
- TOURISM: TAT banks on quality travel/Thailand Wellness Industry/Thai Airways cuts June flights
- THAILAND EXPERIENCE: Amazing Coconut Cutting Skills/Enormous snake moving through floodwaters
- CLIMATE THAILAND: Land bridge comes at environmental cost/Businesses face green reckoning/Save mangroves, save global water cycle/Power demand from data centers, EVs
- FOREIGNERS BEHAVING BADLY/INTERNATIONAL/HUA HIN TRANSPORT and LINKS
Editor: We’re always pleased, and humbled, when sponsors decide to renew their commitment to Expat News, and today thank Hua Hin’s Sun Power Solar for continuing with their sponsorship.
Sun Power Solar
We are passionate about solar energy. We had our own solar system installed. After a few days, we found it so inspiring we were hooked and decided to start a business.
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We had been hearing of people with less than positive experiences after having their system installed, so decided we should provide a professional service to ensure people do not experience anything other than excellence in their new venture, whilst making a significant contribution to the environment.
The solar industry is rapidly expanding, largely due to falling prices, along with peoples desire to see their monthly electricity bill reduced, as the cost of electricity steadily increases. Couple this with more and more people being aware and taking action against global warming, solar power is one of the obvious ways to help achieve this.
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Cabinet Cuts Visa-Free Stay Back to 30 Days
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved the cancellation of the 60-day visa-free entry scheme for travelers from more than 90 countries and territories, reverting instead to the previous arrangements that mostly allow stays of around 30 days.
The move marks a significant shift in the country’s tourism policy, with authorities citing security concerns and the need to focus on “quality tourists” rather than visitor numbers alone. Continued …
Strong monsoon to bring heavy rain across Thailand’s regions
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) today forecast continued rain across Thailand over the next 24 hours, with heavy to very heavy rain in some areas of the south’s west coast, the northeast, and the east.
Isolated heavy rain was also forecast for the north and the central region, including Bangkok and surrounding provinces. People were advised to beware of heavy to very heavy rain and accumulated rainfall, which could trigger flash floods and run-off . Continued …
Thailand has a password problem
Thailand’s cybersecurity authority has warned that weak and reused passwords remain one of the biggest gateways to modern cyber-attacks, with leaked login credentials increasingly being exploited to gain access to mobile banking accounts, corporate systems, and users’ broader digital identities.
National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) Secretary-general AVM Amorn Chomchoey delivered the warning during the recent Fortinet Accelerate 26 APAC – Thailand Edition Fast Forward Edition, where he outlined the country’s evolving cyber-threat landscape and revealed statistics on the “Top 20 Most Used Passwords in Thailand”. Continued …
Private sector encouraged to sponsor World Cup 2026
Prime Minister’s Office Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi said yesterday the government might have to find potential private sponsors for the World Cup tournament to be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada during June 12 and July 20 since, she commented, the FIFA broadcasting rights were considered “unfairly costly” for Thailand.
For instance, Thailand has been asked to pay the price that would be “unfairly costly” and higher than that offered to another country, though the former roughly has a 70-million population, compared to the latter’s one-billion population, according to the Bhumjaithai-attached Prime Minister’s Office minister. Continued …
Thai Teen Wins 2026 World Women’s Snooker Title
Thai teenager “Mind Sakol” Panchaya Channoi made snooker history yesterday by defeating 12-time world champion, Reanne Evans, to capture her maiden World Women’s Snooker Championship title and become Thailand’s 3rd world snooker champion.
The 2026 “World Women’s Snooker Championship,” held at the Changping Snooker Center in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China, reached its climax yesterday with the highly anticipated final match. The 18-year-old Thai sensation, ranked 15th in the world, defeated her fellow compatriot world number 3 and 2022 world champion, “Mink Saraburi” Nutcharut Wongharuthai, 5-3. She overcame England’s Reanne Evans, the world number 4 and legendary 12-time world champion, 6-2 in the best-of-11 frame final. Continued …
Trump warns Iran of fresh US strikes as deal pressure grows
US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States may strike Iran again if negotiations fail, even as he claimed Tehran’s leaders were now seeking a deal to end the US-Israeli war.
Speaking at the White House yesterday, Trump said he had been close to ordering a new attack before deciding to delay the move. “I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters. Continued …
Iran agrees to help Thai cargo ships pass Strait of Hormuz
Two Thai cargo ships waiting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz are expected to receive assistance from Iran after a meeting at Government House Monday.
Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, chief adviser to the prime minister, met Mehdi Zare, cultural counsellor at the Embassy of Iran in Thailand, to discuss bilateral ties and the regional situation. Continued …
Cabinet approves 176-billion-baht relief scheme
The cabinet has approved the “Thais Help Thais Plus” program, together with additional support measures for vulnerable groups, with a combined budget of 176 billion baht, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas announced yesterday.
The program is designed to ease the burden of rising living costs, as Thailand faces what the government has described as a second wave of the global energy crisis. Continued …
Why our workplaces aren’t working
For years, companies have built teams around a simple idea: hiring experienced people who can execute reliably within a stable system. People who know what to do, how to do it, and how to deliver consistently over time.
It worked when the world was stable, when change was incremental, when industries moved in cycles, when experience was the strongest predictor of success. But that world is gone. Continued …
EEC land prices surge as foreign capital reshapes Thailand’s industrial market
Foreign capital, particularly Chinese investment, is significantly reshaping Thailand’s industrial estate market. Although investment decisions briefly slowed in early March due to travel-related factors and economic uncertainty, most investors resumed negotiations and continued expanding their investments once the situation eased.
This has kept Thailand’s industrial land and logistics market hot in the first quarter of 2026, especially in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a key magnet for foreign capital. Continued …
Eastern Economic Corridor condo prices decline again in Q1
Condo prices in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) declined in the first quarter, marking a second consecutive quarterly decrease as developers accelerated stock clearance campaigns amid sluggish purchasing power and elevated unsold inventory.
According to the Real Estate Information Center (REIC), the EEC condominium price index was 101.9 points in the first quarter, down 1% year-on-year and 0.3% quarter-on-quarter. Continued …
Nippon Steel pledges long-term commitment to Thailand
Nippon Steel has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Thailand, urging stronger government protection against an influx of substandard steel imports and expressing readiness to further expand investments in the country.
Nippon Steel, Japan’s largest steel producer and expected to become the world’s third-largest steelmaker following its US$14.9-billion acquisition of US Steel, reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Thailand through investments in around 30 companies employing approximately 8,000 workers across the steel supply chain, from upstream production to downstream manufacturing. Continued …
Call for more migrants to ease labor shortage
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) has urged the government to act swiftly in tackling worker shortages for Thailand’s labor-intensive industries.
The committee said easing legal barriers and renewing work permits for migrant workers from neighboring countries is critical to sustaining competitiveness, economic growth, and exports. Continued …
Humanoid robots set to reshape manufacturing
Humanoid robots are rapidly moving out of laboratories and into industrial reality as advances in artificial intelligence (AI) converge with growing global labor shortages, creating a pivotal moment for automation.
A study by Roland Berger projects that the humanoid robotics market could generate between US$300 billion and $750 billion in annual revenue by 2035, with long-term potential to reach $4 trillion by 2050, rivaling the size of the global automotive industry. Continued …
NT picked to spearhead 6 digital infrastructure projects
The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry has assigned state telecom enterprise National Telecom (NT) to steer six projects that aim to strengthen Thailand’s digital infrastructure.
The effort is expected to help transform NT into the country’s leading provider of digital services for the public sector, while reinforcing Thailand’s long-term cybersecurity resilience. Continued …
TAT banks on quality travel as long-haul markets hold steady
Thailand is moving to defend its long-haul tourism markets as global geopolitical tensions, higher fuel prices, and cautious travel sentiment continue to affect the industry.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said global geopolitical risks were still weighing on the economy and tourism sector, particularly through higher supply-side costs and operating expenses linked to oil prices. Continued …
Thailand Tells Wellness Industry: Scientific Proof Is the Only Path to Premium Pricing
Senior government officials delivered a blunt message to Thailand’s wellness sector yesterday: no amount of customer satisfaction will substitute for hard clinical evidence, and without it, the industry will never escape the pricing trap holding it back from global competitiveness.
Speaking at the opening of a national seminar and networking forum entitled “Beyond Relaxation: Innovation, Science and the Future of Value Creation in the Wellness Industry”, hosted by the National Innovation Agency (NIA), the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), and Chulalongkorn University, MHESI minister Yodchanan Wongsawat argued that the single missing piece in Thailand’s wellness puzzle is an evidence base — and that without one, operators will continue hitting a hard ceiling on what they can charge. Continued …
Thai Airways cuts June flights on 10 Asia services
Thai Airways International will cancel and reduce flights on 10 international services in June, covering routes to India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and China, as passenger demand slows during the low tourism season.
A source from Thai Airways International said the airline needed to adjust its flight plan again in June after a previous round of changes in May. The latest adjustment will affect selected international services, with some flights canceled for the whole of June and others suspended on specific dates. Continued …
Vilhelm Academy: Western qualifications for Hua Hin-based students
Vilhelm International Academy launched in March 2026 and has is campus at “The Hub” in Hin Lek Fai, less than 10 minutes from the center of town. They provide mentor-led academic supervision for students studying through accredited online school programs, whether independently enrolled or through integrated programs offered at Vilhelm. This means that students follow a fixed timetable, complete coursework under supervision, and receive ongoing progress monitoring. They can do this whist studying for their GCSE’s, A-Levels, NCAA approved US courses, or any other online school they choose to use.
Unlike more traditional options, at the academy children can learn at their own pace, not being forced forward before they are ready and also not being held back by the rest of the class. When they are ready to move on they do so. By coming to the academy each day, they are able to complement their studies with activities that develop leadership skills, community service (such as the recent helmet initiative), complemented by daily sports and physical activity to support a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
You can visit the website for more details, or you can book an appointment to meet with the academy co-ordinator to discuss what you are looking for and explain what they can offer. There is a completely free five-day trial period that can be taken advantage of by anyone interested in seeing if the academy is the right fit for them.
Website; Email: info@vilhelminternationalacademy.com; Phone: +66 065 991 5500; Facebook; Map location.
Amazing Coconut Cutting Skills of Thailand
Thai street food vendors use incredible speed, precision, and knife techniques to prepare fresh coconuts in seconds. Video …
Video shows enormous snake moving through Thailand floodwaters
A video of an enormous snake moving through muddy water has startled viewers online. The clip shows what appears to be a large python gliding through floodwaters in Thailand. Video …
Thailand’s mega project land bridge comes at environmental cost
Thailand’s trillion-baht land bridge project may put environments at risk, as one conservation scientist calls the mega-project a “trade-off” between economic growth and environmental protection.
Petch Manopawitr, a scientist and technical adviser to international organizations, criticized that the mega-project represents a sacrifice of natural resources for economic growth. “A project like land bridge brings us to the question of trade-offs again. We have to destroy this capital in order to develop,” he said. Continued …
Thai businesses face a green reckoning
A new set of trade rules is sweeping through the business world. This time, it is not about price or quality. It is about carbon reduction. The big question is whether companies can keep up with this particular “green” goal.
Environmental pressures are rocking global trade and its supply chains to the core. Businesses are expected to take responsibility for their environmental impact, not as a choice, but as a condition of market access. Continued …
Save mangroves, save the global water cycle
The global water cycle is our planet’s life-support system. It is a powerful environmental pump, with forests transpiring moisture and replenishing giant atmospheric rivers of freshwater.
It is also a global thermostat, regulating the climate through evaporation and cloud formation. And it is a giant filter, purifying water as it percolates through the soils and wetlands. Continued …
SE Asia’s power demand from data centers, EVs to grow
Power demand growth for green industrial parks, data centers and electric vehicles in Southeast Asia is forecast to grow by more than 100 terawatts per hour (TWh) in the next three to four years, according toa report published by Bain & Co. and Standard Chartered.
The demand from these sectors is expected to require more than $200billion of investments, according to the 2026 Southeast Asia’s Green Economy Report. More than half of this investment will go to data centers, with almost all operators willing to pay a premium to avoid grid connection delays. Continued …
Police Target International Crime Networks in Pattaya
Thailand’s Tourist Police have stepped up efforts to improve safety in Pattaya through closer cooperation with embassies, consulates, and foreign volunteer networks to tackle nominee businesses, scam gangs, and transnational crime. Continued …
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Chinese Nationals Held in Chon Buri Drug Lab Bust – Continued …
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Brit Arrested in Pattaya Drug and Gun Busts – Continued …
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Chinese Film Crew Workers Arrested in Chiang Mai – Continued …
WHO worried about ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak
The World Health Organization yesterday voiced concern about the “scale and speed” of an Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 130 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and warned it could be lengthy. The UN health agency has declared the surge of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever in the east of the country an international health emergency. Continued …
Standard Chartered to cut over 7,000 jobs as bank steps up AI adoption
Standard Chartered plans to cut more than 7,000 jobs over the next four years as it boosts adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) while targeting growth. The London-headquartered lender is one of the first major global banks to lay out official plans to cut thousands of jobs, citing AI as a driver to make its operations slimmer as it seeks to increase its profitability and tackle competition. Continued …
Hua Hin Links and Transport
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