• Hua Hin water meter survey/Cha-am-Bangkok motorway/Avani+ Hua Hin appoints new GM//Kaeng Krachan tigers doing fine/Global Tiger Day/Lat Phrao fire death toll
• THE IRAN WAR: US launches further strikes
• ECONOMY: Phuket and Samui: Global Property Investment Hubs/Thailand Pushes 27-billion-baht Rail Link/Revenue collection exceeds target/Foreign patients drive hospital expansion/Asia-Pacific Poverty Threatens 2.3 Billion
• TOURISM: Drawn to Thailand for Sex Tourism/Italian and Spanish tourists decline
• THAILAND EXPERIENCE: 24 things not to do in Thailand
• CLIMATE THAILAND: Water security fears grow/Southeast Asia’s EV Race Heats Up
• FOREIGNERS BEHAVING BADLY/INTERNATIONAL/HUA HIN TRANSPORT and LINKS 

Hua Hin water meter survey underway

Hua Hin City’s Waterworks Division has launched a citywide survey to update customer water meter records and improve the efficiency of meter-reading routes.

The project began on July 16 and will continue until Sept. 13. During this period, a contractor’s survey team will visit water meters throughout the municipality to verify customer information, record GPS coordinates, take photographs and update the municipal database. Continued … 

Cha-am-Bangkok motorway plans addressed

Plans for a new motorway intended to improve road travel between the Cha-am area and Bangkok are expected to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval later this year. The Department of Highways is preparing to seek approval for the first phase of the M8 intercity motorway, covering 61 kilometers between Nakhon Pathom and Pak Tho in Ratchaburi province.

The proposed M8 will eventually extend for 109 kilometers from Nakhon Pathom through Pak Tho to Cha-am. The route is intended to provide an alternative to Phetkasem Road for motorists traveling between Bangkok, Cha-am, Hua Hin and other parts of the upper south. Continued … 

Avani+ Hua Hin appoints new general manager

Avani+ Hua Hin Resort has appointed Kanruethai Roongruang as its new general manager, bringing more than 25 years of hospitality experience across Thailand and international markets.

A seasoned hospitality leader, Kanruethai joins Avani+ Hua Hin Resort with a wealth of expertise spanning resort operations, wellness, commercial strategy, business development, and luxury hospitality management. Throughout her career, she has led award-winning resorts and high-performing teams, driving business growth. Continued … 

Cameras show Kaeng Krachan tigers doing fine

A collection of camera-trap images documenting Kaeng Krachan tigers over eight years has been released as evidence of the continued health of the forest ecosystem. The images were shared yesterday to mark Global Tiger Day.

The collection documents the presence of tigers in the Kaeng Krachan forest complex from 2019 to 2026, providing a record of their development, behavior and survival in the wild. Continued … 

Global Tiger Day: How we’re helping wild tigers

Tigers once roamed across Asia, playing a vital role in keeping ecosystems healthy by controling herbivore numbers and allowing forest vegetation to thrive. However, habitat loss, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade caused numbers to drastically drop, and today, only about 5,574 tigers are estimated to be left in the wild.

Recovering tiger populations isn’t just important for the survival of this species. Protecting tigers also means the protecting forests and grasslands across Asia that support countless other species – from birds to elephants – and provide people with clean water and protection from the impacts of climate change. Continued … 

Lat Phrao fire death toll rises to 37

The death toll from the fire at the Na Lat Phrao entertainment venue in Bangkok has reached 37 after a 25-year-old customer died at Rajavithi Hospital early yesterday.

Oranong Sarisri had been treated for injuries since the blaze, which broke out late on July 12. The fire had previously killed 36 people, either at the scene or after hospital treatment, while 79 people suffered burn injuries. Continued … 

US launches further strikes on Iran amid regional military action

Military action spanning Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt widened the five-month Middle East conflict yesterday, with the United States beginning another round of strikes on Iran.

US Central Command announced that US forces had begun launching strikes against Iran. It added, “The strikes are a powerful response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces based in the Middle East.” Continued … 

Phuket and Samui Evolve into Global Property Investment Hubs

Thailand’s premier resort islands of Phuket and Koh Samui are rapidly  transitioning from traditional holiday destinations into major global real estate investment hubs, driven by evolving international buyer demographics and expanding private investment networks.

While Russian buyers maintain their dominant market position in Phuket, Israeli investors are emerging as a fast-growing influence on Koh Samui and nearby Koh Phangan, according to a media report. Continued … 

Thailand Pushes 27-billion-baht Rail Link Connecting Gulf to Andaman Coast

The Ministry of Transport is pushing ahead with a strategic 27-billion-baht ($750 million) dual-track railway line connecting Chumphon to Ranong Port, aiming to link Thailand’s primary national rail system with a deep-sea port on the Andaman coast for the first time.

Speaking yesterday, Deputy Minister of Transport Sanphet Boonyamanee outlined the initiative as a critical step in completing a “missing link” within the national logistics framework, aligning with infrastructure policies set out by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Continued … 

Revenue collection exceeds state target

Government revenue collection has exceeded its target by 2.4% for the first nine months of fiscal 2026, reflecting the country’s economic recovery.

The Finance Ministry reported net government revenue collected during the first nine months of fiscal 2026, covering October 2025 to June 2026, totaled 2.15 trillion baht, outpacing the official estimate by 50.9 billion baht, or 2.4%. Continued … 

Foreign patients drive EEC hospital expansion

Foreign patients are increasing in Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) hospitals as investment in the industrial zone grows, says Phyathai Sriracha Hospital, part of the Phyathai-Paolo Hospital Group.

The EEC, which spans parts of Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao, has become a magnet for foreign direct investment, especially in industries such as electric vehicles and supply chains. Continued … 

Asia-Pacific Poverty Threatens 2.3 Billion Well Beyond the Poorest Nations

There is a comforting myth that poverty in Asia and the Pacific is a story about the region’s least-developed economies. The assumption goes that if we can just lift the poorest nations, the job is largely done.

The groundwork being laid for the 2026 Social Outlook for Asia and the Pacific, now being reviewed by experts from academia, research institutions, UN agencies, and governments, tells a far less comfortable story. Continued … 

Why Men Are Drawn to Thailand for Sex Tourism

Thailand has become a popular destination for men seeking companionship and intimacy, largely due to the country’s vibrant nightlife and perceived affordability. The appeal lies in its entertainment districts teeming with bars, clubs, and massage parlors that promise an exhilarating experience.

Many tourists are drawn by the notion of an adventure that combines exotic allure with a sense of liberation. Cultural perceptions also play a role, as some men view Thailand as a place where societal norms are different, allowing for more freedom in personal interactions. Continued … 

Italian and Spanish tourists to Thailand record sharp declines

Italian and Spanish tourist arrivals registered the biggest dips among European markets in the first six months of the year, with Italians posting lower spending than European peers due to a sluggish economy, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Prakaipruek Damrongvadha, director of the TAT’s Rome office, said southern Europe recorded arrivals growth of 22% year-on-year in 2025, reaching 1.1 million arrivals and generating 71 billion baht in revenue, with growth continuing in the first quarter of this year. Continued … 

24 things not to do in Thailand

Video … 

Water security fears grow

A series of emerging reports in recent weeks concerning tight water supplies and river pollution in central and northern Thailand mean the nation is now facing a challenging water security situation, experts say.

The reports include a Thai-owned waste-management plant in Saraburi province that has allegedly been polluting canals with heavy metals, a case of transboundary water pollution in Chiang Rai province caused by unregulated mining activity in a neighboring country, and a local protest against the construction of a Chinese-owned mining plant in Kanchanaburi province due to fears of pollution. Continued … 

Southeast Asia’s EV Race Heats Up

Southeast Asia has quietly become one of the most contested electric vehicle battlegrounds on the planet. Vietnam and Singapore have pushed EV sales shares to roughly 40% of new car sales, a level that now exceeds the UK and the EU, while Indonesia has overtaken the United States on EV penetration and Thailand has sold more EVs in three quarters of 2025 than Denmark managed in the same period, according to energy think tank Ember.

The region’s electric car sales more than doubled year on year, the International Energy Agency notes in its 2026 Global EV Outlook, with Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand leading the charge. Continued … 

• Phuket police seek Russian over mall robbery – Continued … 

• Chinese burglary suspects arrested at Suvarnabhumi – Continued … 

• British vlogger launches racist tirade against Thais, then blames AI – Continued … 

US Fed holds rates at 3.50–3.75% as inflation remains above 2% target

The US Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest-rate target unchanged at 3.50–3.75% yesterday, extending its pause for a fifth consecutive meeting as inflation remained above the central bank’s 2% target. The Federal Open Market Committee voted nine to three to maintain the target range, a decision that was broadly expected by financial markets. Continued … 

Up to 23 feared dead in Japan quake

Up to 23 people were feared dead today after a major earthquake in Japan, with four bodies now pulled out from the tangled wreckage of a shopping mall ripped apart by a suspected massive gas explosion. The Kumamoto disaster-management office’s latest tally put fatalities at 17 and those without vital signs at six, with five more in critical condition two days after the 7.1-magnitude tremor. Continued … 

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