- Deepavali Hua Hin at Market Village/Thailand’s winter has begun/Major transport upgrades for south/Foreign employees in Thailand under draft labor law
- CONOMY: Ministry asks firms to hold prices/Thailand cyberattacks top ASEAN rankings/Thai banks boost cyber monitoring/AI and Electronics Surge/Thai industries target 5.37 trillion baht
- TOURISM: Vietnam’s Meteoric Rise/13 million Thai overseas trips/Tomorrowland’s Thai debut expects a loss/Nine women injured in Pattaya speedboat collision
- CLIMATE THAILAND: Climate Change Spawns The Next Epidemic/Contamination of Sai River/Thailand must rethink disaster strategy/Subsidy for EV motorbikes/WHAUP plans to expand renewables
- FOREIGNERS BEHAVING BADLY/INTERNATIONAL/HUA HIN TRANSPORT and LINKS
Deepavali Hua Hin 2026 opens at Market Village
Deepavali Hua Hin 2026 opened on Saturday on the third floor of Market Village Hua Hin, where residents and visitors gathered to celebrate the Hindu Festival of Lights. Deepavali is a Hindu religious and cultural festival that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
Hua Hin Deputy Mayor Pailin Kongpan presided over the opening ceremony on behalf of the mayor. She was joined by fellow Deputy Mayor Bussaba Choksuchat, Hua Hin–Cha-am Tourism Business Assn. President Kitipong Siriphetkasem and the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan office. Continued …
Thailand’s winter has begun
Thailand officially entered its 2026-27 winter season yesterday, the Meteorological Department has announced, although much of the country should expect milder conditions than usual.
The season is forecast to run until around the end of February 2027, with January expected to bring the lowest temperatures. The department said El Nino and longer-term global warming trends are likely to keep temperatures above normal overall. Continued …
Government outlines major transport upgrades for south
The Transport Ministry has outlined 14 major infrastructure projects worth about 362.6 billion baht in the south, including the 106.8-billion-baht second phase of the southern double-track railway.
Deputy Transport Minister Sanphet Bunyamanee said yesterday the ministry was working to speed up the projects to cut transport costs, improve connectivity and support local economies. Continued …
Foreign employees in Thailand could gain menstrual, family leave under draft labor law
Thailand’s Labor Ministry is pushing a draft labor law that would give employees leave for menstrual pain and for caring for family members, more annual leave and protection from discrimination based on origin or race.
The draft is not yet law, and the ministry is preparing a second round of public hearings before it goes to the Cabinet. Labor Minister Julapun Amornvivat set out the plan in a social media post Sunday. The ban on discrimination would also cover sex, age, physical condition, religious belief and political opinion. Continued …
Commerce Ministry asks firms to hold prices as four economic strategies advance
Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce has asked businesses to consider maintaining product prices despite rising production costs, as it strengthens cooperation with the Thai Chamber of Commerce on four economic strategies aimed at improving competitiveness, expanding opportunities for smaller businesses and supporting international trade.
Permanent Secretary for Commerce Poonpong Naiyanapakorn led senior ministry officials in discussions with representatives of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand, headed by Chairman Poj Aramwattananont. Continued …
Thailand cyberattacks top ASEAN rankings, banking at risk
Thailand is among ASEAN’s most frequently reported targets for cyberattacks, with financial institutions, energy suppliers and public utilities facing the greatest exposure, according to an analysis by a Rangsit University economist.
Ath Pisalvanich, a lecturer at the university’s Faculty of Economics, said cyber threats could disrupt sectors worth more than 12.74 trillion baht, equivalent to over 60% of Thailand’s GDP, unless state agencies and businesses strengthen their defenses. Continued …
Thai banks boost IT spending and 24-hour cyber monitoring
Thai banks are increasing technology spending and strengthening 24-hour monitoring as the Bank of Thailand presses lenders to tighten defenses against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
Bank of Thailand (BOT) Gov. Vitai Ratanakorn said attempted attacks and efforts to probe Thai systems had increased over the preceding one to two weeks, reflecting a global trend, but remained within institutions’ ability to defend against them. Continued …
AI and Electronics Surge Lift Thailand’s GDP Outlook, but Vulnerabilities Loom
Thailand’s economic growth is picking up momentum, driven by a surge in global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and a revised manufacturing index that better captures the country’s evolving industrial base.
However, financial analysts warn that the recovery remains deeply asymmetric, exposing the nation to potential global AI market corrections, persistent inflation, and severe vulnerabilities among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Continued …
Seven Thai industries target 5.37 trillion baht in added revenue by 2030
Thailand’s private sector has proposed a restructuring plan covering seven major industries, with the aim of generating an additional 5.37 trillion baht in revenue by 2030, attracting investment and improving the country’s competitiveness in global markets.
The proposals form part of the Reinvent Thailand initiative, which aims to stimulate a new phase of economic growth, as the country’s traditional growth drivers lose momentum. Continued …
Vietnam’s Meteoric Rise Tests Thailand’s Tourism Supremacy
Thailand’s lead over Vietnam in international tourist arrivals has narrowed sharply, from nearly 22 million visitors in 2019 to 5.9 million during the first 10 months of 2026. Vietnam’s growth has been supported by expanded direct flights and strong gains from Russian, Indian, and regional markets, while Thailand faces weaker arrivals and connectivity challenges.
Thai tourism operators identify declining competitiveness, border delays, inconsistent entry procedures, and changing cost-value perceptions as key concerns. Proposed responses include expanding direct air routes, improving immigration and border processes, and developing higher-value experiences and digital services. Continued …
More than 13 million Thai overseas trips expected this year
Around 13.45 million overseas trips by Thai travelers are expected in 2026, according to Kasikorn Research Center, although growth is set to slow sharply as economic conditions and travel costs weigh on demand.
The forecast represents year-on-year growth of 3%. That compares with expansion of 12% last year. The figures count trips rather than individual people, meaning one traveler may make several journeys or visit more than one country. Continued …
Tomorrowland’s Thai debut expects a loss despite being sold out
Tomorrowland Thailand’s organizer expects a loss on its Dec. 11–13 debut despite sold-out tickets, after the inaugural budget rose from 1.6 billion to 2 billion baht. Rachata Thunyavuthi, an executive board member of Wearone.World (Thailand) Co., said the first event would be decisive for the Belgian partners’ plans to continue in Thailand for five years.
The electronic dance music festival will take place at Wisdom Valley in Khao Mai Kaeo subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri. Rachata said Thailand would join Belgium and Brazil as one of three countries hosting a full-scale Tomorrowland festival, after the founders and Belgian team spent more than a decade exploring opportunities and searching for a Thai venue. Continued …
Nine women injured in Pattaya speedboat collision near Bali Hai Pier
Nine women, including two Russian nationals and one Ukrainian, were injured when a passenger speedboat collided with a two-deck fishing boat near Bali Hai Pier in South Pattaya last night.
The collision left both vessels damaged, with the speedboat sustaining extensive damage to its left side before gradually sinking into the sea. The injured comprised six Thai women, two Russian women and one Ukrainian woman. Most suffered abrasions and were shaken by the incident. Continued …
How Climate Change Spawns The Next Epidemic
The accelerating climate crisis extends far beyond rising temperatures, severe droughts, and catastrophic floods. As natural ecosystems fragment, the intricate balance between humans, wildlife, and pathogens is breaking down, unleashing a heightened risk of novel infectious disease outbreaks.
This growing threat took center stage at the Sustainability Expo 2026 during a panel session titled “Prepare Before the Spread: When Natural Disasters Awaken Emerging Diseases”, held on Saturday. Continued …
Chinese-operated mines in Myanmar blamed for contamination of Sai River
Contamination of the Sai River, which has disrupted tap water production in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province, is being blamed on unregulated mining activities in Myanmar’s Tachileik province, according to well-informed border sources.
Some of the mining is done in the middle of the river and, when the area was hit by heavy rain recently, a huge amount of mud and sediment was washed downstream into Mae Sai district, turning the water in Ban Hua Fai, where it is drawn for tap water production, muddy, said the sources. Continued …
Thailand must rethink disaster strategy as Earth approaches tipping points
As climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss push the planet closer to potentially irreversible tipping points, Thailand faces an increasingly urgent question: how prepared is the country for a future in which environmental disasters become more frequent, unpredictable and severe?
Speaking at the Sustainability Expo 2026 (SX2026), Weerasak Kowsurat, board member and secretary-general of the Friends in Need (of “Pa”) Volunteers Foundation of the Thai Red Cross Society, stressed that Thailand must first understand its position in a rapidly changing world before it can develop effective strategies to address emerging threats. Continued …
Government proposes 6-billion-baht subsidy for EV motorbikes
The government is considering a 6-billion-baht scheme to subsidize the purchase of 400,000 locally produced battery electric vehicle (BEV) motorcycles, in an effort to curb fossil fuel consumption and accelerate the country’s energy transition.
Under the proposed ‘MTC EV++’ scheme, buyers of domestically manufactured BEV motorcycles would receive a direct subsidy of 17,000 baht per vehicle. Continued …
WHAUP plans to expand renewables business
WHA Utilities and Power Plc (WHAUP), the utility and power arm of industrial developer WHA Corp., plans to expand its renewable energy business in line with the new Power Development Plan (PDP), which is expected to accelerate the country’s transition to clean energy.
The government aims to increase the share of renewable energy in Thailand’s power generation mix to 50% during the first decade of the PDP, which is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2050. Continued …
Brit jailed over Thailand bigamy wedding
A British contracts manager who flew to Thailand to marry a younger woman while still married to his wife in England has been given a suspended prison sentence for bigamy. David Curtis, 56, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Feb. 26 after his first wife, Kirsty Curtis, 51, discovered Facebook wedding invitations sent to his family. He admitted bigamy at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court last week. Continued …
-
Phuket pubs raided, suspected of foreign ownership – Continued …
-
Chinese scam gang arrested at Pattaya villa – Continued …
-
Chinese fugitive caught hiding in Samut Sakhon home – Continued …
Trump declares the Iran war ‘effectively over’
In the face of voter resentment over the Iran war, US President Donald Trump said it “won’t be necessary” to escalate the months-long conflict that caused gas prices to spike and put his Pentagon chief in the congressional crosshairs. “Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo,” Trump declared at a surprise news conference yesterday. Continued …
Trump holds off fresh Iran strikes but keeps Strait of Hormuz blockade
US President Donald Trump has indicated that Washington will refrain from launching further military strikes against Iran for the time being, following appeals from Gulf countries seeking to prevent another escalation in the conflict.
However, the United States intends to maintain its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, while senior American and Gulf officials remain doubtful that an agreement to end the war can be reached soon. Continued …
France blames Iran’s Revolutionary Guards for supermarket fridge cyberattacks
France has accused a cyber unit linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of carrying out attacks on commercial refrigeration systems that disrupted hundreds of businesses, damaged equipment and caused substantial food losses. Continued …
Nvidia’s Huang scandal rattles AI industry built around him
Nvidia chief Jensen Huang sits at the center of the artificial intelligence boom, and the spy scandal that erupted over the weekend threatens to shake the company at a time when confidence in the AI investment frenzy is already fragile. Continued …
What we know about the Nvidia CEO spy scandal
Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, whose chips power the global AI boom and who has the ear of US President Donald Trump, has admitted to an affair with a Chinese executive who US intelligence reportedly believes was working for Beijing. Continued …
Australia to adopt mandatory AI safeguards
Artificial intelligence companies will have to abide by new “mandatory” safeguards when operating in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today. Global unease about the power of advanced AI is growing after a string of hacking incidents involving leading companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic. Continued …
ASEAN countries need up to $7.1 trillion for infrastructure but face funding gap
Southeast Asia’s economies need US$7.1 trillion in infrastructure investments through 2040 but the region faces a huge funding gap, the Asian Development Bank said in a new report published today. Continued …
Hua Hin Links and Transport
Calendar of events/Airport schedule/Bangkok airport bus schedule/Hua Hin-Pattaya bus schedule/Air pollution index map/90-day online report/driver’s license/Market Village and Bluport
