- Amazing Muay Thai Festival/Strong Cold Front and Storms Expected/Dust chokes Bangkok/Ties marked ahead of Nordic Day/More toilet timebombs in Pattani/King cobras mate roadside/Danish sandwich chain wins Thailand’s Best Sandwich
- ECONOMY: Economic ‘Sickness’ Requires Structural Treatment/Social media reacts to Disneyland project/TikTok affirms Bt270-billion outlay/Bt1.9 Trillion in 2025 Border Trade/Gold prices tumble
- TOURISM: Thailand’s party spots dry up with election/Thailand’s tourism at a crossroads/Thai travel trade rolls out diverse strategies/Strong Thai Baht Influences 90% of Travelers
- THAILAND EXPERIENCE: Hat Yai picks up the pieces
- CLIMATE THAILAND: BGRIM puts emphasis on renewables
- FOREIGNERS BEHAVING BADLY/INTERNATIONAL/HUA HIN LINKS/TRANSPORT
Amazing Muay Thai Festival continues through tomorrow
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is holding the “Amazing Muay Thai Festival 2026” to promote sports tourism and elevate Muay Thai as a cultural heritage on the international stage.
TAT, together with Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and partner agencies, is hosting the festival under the theme “Ultimate Muay Thai Experience” from Feb. 4 to 7 at Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan. Continued …
Strong Cold Front and Storms Expected from February 8-11
From Feb. 8 to 11, a moderate to strong high-pressure system, or cold air mass, from China will cover the upper parts of Thailand, leading to thunderstorms initially, followed by a decrease in temperature and strong winds.
For Feb. 5-7 in the southern region (east coast): Cool in the morning in the upper parts, with thunderstorms in 10%-20% of the area. Winds will be from the east at 15-30 km/h. The sea will have waves around 1 meter in the upper part, and 1-2 meter waves in the lower part. Continued …
Dust chokes Bangkok as PM2.5 levels soar
Air quality in Bangkok has worsened, with PM2.5 levels exceeding safe standards, causing respiratory issues. Eastern Bangkok records the highest levels.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Air Quality Information Centre reported on the particulate matter (PM2.5) situation in the city as of 7 am today. The average level for Bangkok is 41.1 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³), surpassing the standard of 37.5 µg/m³. Continued …
Ties marked ahead of Nordic Day
Thailand’s role as a key partner to the Nordic countries was reaffirmed at the Nordic Day reception jointly hosted by the Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, and Swedish embassies on Wednesday at the Norwegian ambassador’s residence in Bangkok, ahead of Nordic Day on March 23.
The four Nordic ambassadors highlighted Thailand’s importance as a strategic partner for the Nordic region and Europe, underscoring cooperation in economic ties, multilateralism, sustainability, and people-to-people exchanges. Continued …
More toilet timebombs defused in Pattani
Two timebombs were defused at the Pattani bus terminal in Muang district yesterday after they were found hidden a toilet, with authorities saying they resembled previous finds at several petrol stations in the province.
Authorities went to inspect and discovered two devices in the women’s toilet. The area was immediately sealed off, with people evacuated to safety. Continued …
King cobras mate roadside in Krabi ahead of Valentine’s Day
King cobras are known to be reclusive and typically dwell deep in the forest, making sightings like this uncommon, especially near human settlements. The display, referred to locally as “plam khor”, a courtship ritual where the snakes entwine, is a natural part of their mating season, which runs from January to April.
Experts note that sightings of king cobras near roads or farmlands have increased due to ongoing deforestation, which has reduced their natural habitat. As a result, cobras are now more commonly seen along forest edges, hillsides, rubber plantations, and fruit orchards. Continued …
Danish sandwich chain wins Thailand’s Best Sandwich for third year
The Danish sandwich chain Bartels has been named the Best Sandwich in Thailand at the Grab Awards 2026 for the third year in a row.
Bartels started six years ago as a small kitchen with just two people and has since grown to 14 cafés in Bangkok, Phuket, and Vietnam, now employing 400 staff. – scandasia.com
Krungsri Chief Says Thailand’s Economic ‘Sickness’ Requires Structural Treatment
The president of Thailand’s fifth-largest bank has acknowledged the country’s economic challenges following its recent characterization as the “sick man of Asia”, arguing the malaise requires deep structural reforms rather than temporary stimulus, while unveiling a strategy to bolster sustainable finance by 40% to 350 billion baht (US$10.1 billion) by 2030.
Kenichi Yamato, president and chief executive of Krungsri, said yesterday that while Thailand faces significant structural challenges, the condition is treatable through concerted action involving both private and public sectors. Continued …
Social media reacts to Disneyland project: ‘to continue or just a dream?’
The announcement of a potential Disneyland project in Thailand has sparked widespread discussion online, with three main concerns raised by social media users: government policy continuity, Thailand’s hot weather, and the potential high cost of entry tickets for locals.
Despite the concerns, a survey of online discussions found that the majority of social media users (75.7%) support the project, viewing it as a significant opportunity to stimulate the Thai economy and boost tourism. However, many users suggested incorporating Thai culture into the park to make it more unique, such as creating a floating market zone or including Southeast Asian-inspired Disney characters. Continued …
TikTok affirms Bt270-billion outlay in Thailand
TikTok has confirmed its long-term investment plan in Thailand worth 270 billion baht, according to caretaker finance minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas.
Ekniti, who led Thailand’s delegation to the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland from Jan 19–22, said he and the secretary-general of the Board of Investment (BoI) held discussions with Chanida Klaiphan, head of public policy in Thailand for TikTok, to follow up on the company’s business operations – particularly its digital infrastructure investment plan and the expansion of the platform’s role in supporting the digital economy and Thai entrepreneurs. Continued …
Thailand Records Bt1.9 Trillion in 2025 Border Trade
Thailand’s border trade grew to Bt1.937 trillion in 2025, a 6.7% increase from the previous year, as reported by the Ministry of Commerce. This growth allowed the country to maintain a substantial trade surplus amid regional disruptions. Exports reached BT1.063 trillion, and imports rose to Bt874 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of Bt188.6 billion.
The trade with neighboring countries, Malaysia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Cambodia, saw a decline of 8.5%, totaling Bt894 billion. Despite the drop, Thailand sustained a surplus of nearly Bt150 billion, driven by exports like diesel and processed petroleum, with imports being led by electricity and natural gas. Malaysia remained the leading trade partner among these nations. Continued …
Global market uncertainty causes gold prices to tumble Bt2,300
The Gold Traders Assn. reported that gold prices were adjusted 101 times throughout yesterday, with prices falling by Bt2,300 compared with trading on Feb. 4.
After surging by more than Bt2,100 on Wednesday, prices plunged immediately from market open yesterday (down Bt1,200 at the open) and continued falling, ending the day down Bt2,400. Continued …
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Thailand’s party spots dry up with election day booze bans
Bangkok restaurateur Sorathep Steve said he was told off last Saturday by customers who had just flown in from the United States and ordered a bottle of wine, only to be told of Thailand’s election-linked ban on alcohol.
“They were frustrated and I had to explain the law,” Sorathep said, recalling how the four guests at his Thai cuisine restaurant complained that they had not come to Thailand to vote, before finally ordering lemon sodas. Continued …
Thailand’s tourism at a crossroads: competing in a changing regional landscape
Thailand enters 2026 at a defining inflection point. Regional travel demand across Asia is rising strongly, yet Thailand’s relative performance is weakening as faster-moving competitors accelerate. The divergence is increasingly clear.
While neighboring destinations such as Vietnam and Japan are capturing growth and expanding market share, Thailand faces declining foreign arrivals and softer momentum from several core source markets. Leadership in Asian tourism no longer depends on scale alone. It now rests on infrastructure readiness, ecosystem coordination, safety perception, and value competitiveness. Continued …
Thai travel trade rolls out diverse strategies amid strong baht
Following a turbulent 2025 marked by natural disasters, political shifts, and a strengthening baht that eroded regional competitiveness, Thailand’s inbound players are rolling out new strategies to stimulate business and counter sluggish arrivals.
Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), described momentum toward reclaiming the 2019 benchmark of 40 million visitors as “very slow”, with private sector players now calling for more than rhetoric from the government ahead of the Feb. 8 election. Continued …
Strong Thai Baht Influences 90% of Travelers’ Decisions
The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) conducted a “Tourism Business Confidence Index” survey in Q4 2025, involving 302 foreign tourists in Bangkok and Chonburi. The survey revealed that while overall safety concerns were moderate, specific issues like scams were highly problematic, and the strength of the Thai baht significantly influenced 90% of visitors’ travel decisions.
Foreign tourists generally expressed moderate concern about travel safety, with average scores ranging from 2.96 to 3.34. However, certain areas generated higher anxiety: Tourist-targeted scams/fraud (e.g., taxi, tour company scams) – highest concern (score 3.44); communication barriers with locals or emergency services (score 3.37); quality of emergency medical services (score 3.31); being exploited or asked for bribes by officials (score 3.31); pollution (e.g., PM2.5 or haze) (score 3.21). Continued …
Thailand’s Hat Yai picks up the pieces in wake of devastating floods
Largely forgotten by the public, politicians, and the media, the flood crisis that Hat Yai, the largest city in the south of Thailand, experienced in November 2025 is far from over. The waters have receded, but the recovery has only just begun.
That the flood occurred should not have come as a surprise. Hat Yai has experienced devastating floods before, particularly in 2000 and 2010. The south of Thailand experiences seasonal heavy rainfall events, but with this being a La Niña year, additionally heavy rainfall was widely predicted. Continued …
BGRIM puts emphasis on renewables
B.Grimm Power (BGRIM) is positioning clean energy as a game changer for Thailand’s energy transition, accelerating its push into renewables as the country and global industry move toward a low-carbon future.
The company set an ambitious target to lift its share of renewable energy to more than 50% of total generation by 2030, up from 37% now, while increasing total capacity to 10 gigawatts from 4.6GW. Continued …
- American, Vietnamese murder suspects arrested in Bangkok – Continued …
- Norwegian man arrested for assault and car theft on Koh Samui – Continued …
- German man arrested for political graffiti on Koh Pha Ngan – Continued …
- Swedish national arrested in Phuket for the rape of a compatriot – Continued …
Bitcoin plunges to near $60,000 before paring losses in Asia
Bitcoin sank in early Asia trading today, extending a selloff that had already erased all the gains booked by the token since US President Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory. The original cryptocurrency fell as much as 4.8% to a fresh low of US$60,033 this morning, after hours earlier plunging to its lowest level since October 2024, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It later pared those losses and was up by more than 2% to over $64,400 by 9.12 am in Singapore. Continued …
Undercover probe finds Australian pubs short-pouring beer, alcohol
Australian undercover inspectors have found pubs fail to pour enough beer and other alcohol into customers’ glasses for nearly a third of the drinks they serve. The government sent “secret shopper” officials to 436 licensed venues across the country in October to check if they were filling glasses high enough. Preliminary findings showed 32% of the drinks they served failed to deliver the “correct amount”, said the National Measurement Institute’s audit report released this week. Continued …
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