- Street Food in Hua Hin/Thailand links traffic fines/Thailand promotes road safety/Thai woman exposes husband’s secret to mistress
- THE IRAN WAR: US launches latest round of strikes/Oil Fuel Fund risks deficit/Global oil flows at risk/Oil soars to $100
- ECONOMY: US sets 12.5% tariff on Thai goods/China’s Record Trade Surplus/AI Won’t Transform Thailand’s Economy/Thailand, Huawei Launch AI Ecosystem Drive/’Unable to support their retirement’/LGBTQ+ economy growth engine
- TOURISM: Tourist falls between ferry and pier/Phuket eyes nightlife area expansion/Transport links with India
- THAILAND EXPERIENCE: Cooking crispy Pork Basil/76 cultural highlights/Udon Thani’s time to shine
- CLIMATE THAILAND: Clean Power Will Decide AI’s Future/Call for green power/To use direct power deals/EV plan to replace 80,000 vehicles
- HUA HIN TRANSPORT and LINKS
Must Try Restaurants and Street Food in Hua Hin
Experience a mouthwatering journey in Hua Hin, with cheap eats and local street food to upscale dining at beachfront restaurants and everything in between. We’ll try appetizing Thai foods like creamy khao soi, delicious pad thai, fresh seafood, crispy pork belly, fried bananas and more in this Hua Hin food tour. Video …
Thailand links traffic fines to annual vehicle-tax renewals
Thailand’s police and Department of Land Transport (DLT) will begin linking unpaid traffic tickets to annual vehicle-tax renewals from Aug. 1, under a newly amended data-sharing agreement.
Vehicle owners with an unpaid fine issued on or after that date will still be able to pay their annual tax, but will not receive the physical tax disc until the outstanding penalty has been settled. The measure will not apply retrospectively to tickets issued before Aug. 1. Continued …
Thailand promotes road safety at the UN while tens of thousands die on Thai roads each year
Thailand is promoting its road-safety strategy on the world stage despite recording one of Asia’s worst motorcycle death tolls, as new figures reveal more than 14,000 riders died last year, British tourists remain under official travel warnings and two high-profile fatalities on Koh Samui have intensified international scrutiny.
An investigation into the latest UK-Thailand road safety talks reveals a stark contrast between diplomatic discussions on community checkpoints and helmet campaigns, and a road-safety crisis that continues to claim thousands of lives each year despite decades of government initiatives, tougher laws and repeated enforcement drives. Continued …
Thai woman exposes husband’s secret to mistress, sends her HIV medicine
A Thai wife is consulting a lawyer about taking legal action against her dishonest husband after delivering HIV medicine to his mistress, revealing his health secret.
The adultery lawsuit came to public attention after her lawyer shared details of the case on July 20. In the post, the lawyer published a photograph of medication used to treat HIV and wrote that his client had sent the medicine to her husband’s mistress rather than immediately pursuing the matter through the courts. Continued …
US launches latest round of strikes on Iran
President Donald Trump defended his administration’s ongoing war with Iran after four U.S. troops were killed over the weekend and hours after the House and Senate split on whether to tell the president to end the conflict.
Earlier yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to end the war 214-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats to rebuke the White House. The Senate then struck down a similar measure, with key Republicans backing the president. Continued …
Oil Fuel Fund risks B100-billion deficit as Red Sea crisis deepens
Thailand’s Oil Fuel Fund could slide back into a deficit of B100 billion if the government continues subsidizing fuel prices across the board, energy economist Praipol Koomsup warned yesterday, as Houthi attacks threatened the Red Sea route Saudi Arabia uses to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
The warning came as most standard petrol, gasohol and diesel prices in Thailand rose by 90 satang a liter yesterday, while the fund was carrying fuel-subsidy costs of about B651.31 million a day. Its official net position stood at minus B61.5 billion as of July 19. Continued …
Three conflicts put a quarter of global oil flows at risk
Global energy supplies are being squeezed across three major shipping fronts, with conflicts threatening the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea route through Bab el-Mandeb and Russia’s Black Sea oil infrastructure at the same time.
Together, the affected routes account for roughly a quarter of global oil flows, exposing crude and refined-fuel markets to disruptions just as emergency reserves in the United States and other advanced economies stand near their lowest levels in decades. Continued …
Oil soars to $100 on fresh Mideast attacks
Oil prices surged to $100 a barrel yesterday as Tehran-backed Houthi rebels targeted Red Sea shipping and US President Donald Trump threatened to strike them in return.
International benchmark oil contract Brent North Sea soared more than 6% to hit the symbolic $100 level, as the attacks potentially opened a new front in the Middle East war and Trump threatened the Houthis with “major military punishment”. Continued …
US sets 12.5% tariff on Thai goods over forced labor
The United States will impose a 12.5% tariff on goods from Thailand from today as part of a new system of duties targeting 60 trading partners over what Washington describes as inadequate enforcement against forced labor.
The tariffs, set at either 10% or 12.5%, will replace a temporary 10% global levy that expires at the same time. The new duties will cover 99.4% of US imports, although oil and gas, fertilizer, certain food products and several other categories will be exempt. Continued …
China’s Record Trade Surplus and What It Means for Thailand’s Economy
China’s export machine produced one of the most consequential economic statistics of recent years when it posted a record trade surplus of approximately USD 1.2 trillion for 2025. China’s customs data revealed exports hit USD 3.77 trillion in 2025, up 5.5% year-on-year, while imports remained flat at USD 2.58 trillion, yielding an unprecedented surplus that is equivalent to the GDP of a top-20 economy.
For Thailand — China’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and one of the region’s most export-dependent economies — the implications of that figure are neither straightforwardly good nor unambiguously bad. They are, more precisely, a study in structural tension: a country that benefits from Chinese investment and supply chain integration while simultaneously absorbing the competitive pressure of Chinese overcapacity across sector after sector. Continued …
AI Won’t Transform Thailand’s Economy
The current AI boom has triggered a wave of investment flowing into developing economies across Southeast Asia, including Thailand. According to Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI), investment applications in the first quarter of 2026 exceeded B1 trillion across more than 600 projects, led by the digital and electronics industries to support AI-related growth.
Most of the investment is concentrated in data centers and cloud services, which together account for approximately B874 billion, or 86% of total investment. Continued …
Thailand, Huawei Launch AI Ecosystem Drive to Build ASEAN Hub
Thailand’s government and Huawei set out a shared roadmap for the country’s artificial intelligence ambitions yesterday as the Huawei Thailand Digital & AI Summit 2026 opened in Bangkok under the theme “Advancing ALL Intelligence Thailand” — with the two sides using the occasion to launch a new national AI ecosystem initiative alongside fresh economic and talent figures.
Over the two-day event’s opening session, Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Chaichanok Chidchob, addressed delegates in a recorded video message, while Austin Zheng, deputy managing director of Huawei Thailand, and Patchara Anuntasilpa, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), spoke in person on how the country intends to translate that vision into practice. Continued …
17.3m workers ‘unable to support their retirement’
Thailand’s aging population is raising concerns over retirement security, with 17.3 million “near-retirement” workers facing a high risk of insufficient savings to support them in old age, according to the National Savings Fund (NSF).
The warning is based on data from the National Statistical Office’s survey on the socio-economic conditions of households and a report by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). Continued …
LGBTQ+ economy seen as growth engine
Thailand should recognize its LGBTQ+ economy as a new growth engine that requires legal and structural reforms to attract investment and enhance global competitiveness, according to several speakers.
This call to action was made during the Canvas Forum 2026, organized yesterday by Canvas Ventures International at Nextopia Siam Paragon, with support from the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau. Held under the theme “The Right to Stay”, the forum examined the intersection of investment, identity and inclusive economic growth as Bangkok seeks to attract global capital, high-net-worth migrants and the growing creative and LGBTQ+ economies. Continued …
Tourist rescued after falling between ferry and pier in Bangkok
Phuket eyes nightlife area expansion
Phuket provincial authorities have agreed to formally study ways of expanding designated entertainment zones after nightlife business operators argued that existing zoning regulations no longer keep up with the island’s rapid tourism growth.
Phuket Deputy Gov. Romdon Haji-Awae received a petition from Sulaymart Kaewngamdee, president of the Phuket Entertainment Business Operators Association, and local entrepreneurs at Phuket provincial hall yesterday. Continued …
Thailand to boost transport links with India
Thailand and India agreed to strengthen transport links and boost tourism during talks between Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn and Indian ambassador to Thailand Puneet Agrawal yesterday.
The discussions covered aviation, maritime transport, road connectivity and trade as the two countries prepare to mark the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027. Continued …
Crispy Pork Basil Cooked by a 13-Year-Old Chef
Culture Ministry selects 76 cultural highlights for Unseen Thai
Sabeeda Thaised, minister of Culture, said yesterdy the ministry was pressing ahead with the concrete implementation of its “Unseen Thai Thai” policy. The initiative aims to identify, select and enhance cultural capital that reflects Thailand’s distinctive identity.
This includes cultural tourism sites, festivals, traditions, ways of life and local wisdom from all 76 provinces. It seeks to raise awareness of Thai cultural values and present them in a contemporary context. Continued …
Udon Thani’s time to shine
The province of Udon Thani – located on a plateau 187 meters above sea level and home to the Phu Pan mountain range and the Songkhram River – is bridging ancient and modern civilizations, while leading tourism growth in Thailand’s northeast.
Udon Thani’s greatest claim to fame is its archaeological heritage, most notably the UNESCO-recognized village of Ban Chiang. The historic settlement is widely regarded as one of the world’s earliest Bronze Age civilizations, dating back more than 5,000 years. Continued …
Thailand’s Energy Regulator: Clean Power Will Decide AI’s Future
If yesterday morning’s opening speeches at the Huawei Thailand Digital & AI Summit 2026 in Bangkok were about ambition, the address that followed was about plumbing. Poonpat Leesombatpaiboon, secretary-general of Thailand’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), used his keynote — titled “Green Technology for AI Thailand: Powering the Foundation of the AI Era” — to argue that Thailand’s AI future will be decided as much in power plants and transmission lines as in data centers.
“Every era of human civilization has been defined by a critical piece of infrastructure,” Poonpat told delegates. Continued …
Call for green power to supply businesses
The Renewable Energy Industry Club, under the Federation of Thai Industries, has called on the government to allow renewable power producers with expired adder tariffs to sell electricity to businesses, which require vast amounts of clean energy.
The adder tariff was introduced to encourage investment in renewable energy by adding extra charges to electricity prices. However, the scheme was criticized for driving up electricity costs for households and businesses. Continued …
More sectors to use direct power deals
Authorities are preparing to broaden the pilot direct power purchase agreement (PPA) program, initially designed for data center operators, to include a wider range of industries seeking clean energy solutions.
The move comes as authorities aim to accelerate the country’s energy transition and strengthen competitiveness in global trade. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Board of Investment are jointly considering the expansion following approval by the National Energy Policy Council. Continued …
Thailand works on $700-million EV plan to replace 80,000 vehicles
Thailand is reviewing a 24-billion-baht ($714 million) plan to help replace up to 80,000 aging transport vehicles with EVs and evaluating whether it should be extended to cover all electric vehicle purchases as part of its energy-transition efforts.
The replacement of tens of thousands of standard vehicles with EVs would help boost Thailand’s struggling auto industry. Thailand is Southeast Asia’s largest automotive production hub, but domestic vehicle sales slumped to a 15-year low in 2024, as high household debt and tighter lending standards curbed demand, particularly for pickup trucks, a key sector of the market. 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 cinemas/Emergency numbers
Travelers heading between Hua Hin and Bangkok are being advised to plan ahead following a Rama II Road closure at the Bang Khun Thian Bridge that will last for up to four months.
The Hua Hin Chinese New Year celebration will take place on Monday, Feb. 16, starting at 4 pm, with Hua Hin City Municipality confirming a full program of traditional processions, performances, and cultural activities.
Traffic signs and road markings installed on Soi 78 to ease congestion
The World Bank now expects Thailand’s economic growth, measured by GDP, to slow to 1.6% in 2026, driven by weaker global trade, persistently high household debt, and a slower recovery in tourism. This is below its earlier projection of 1.8%, before a rebound to 2.2% in 2027.
The economy is expected to expand by 1.51%–1.75% this year, says a public opinion survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC). Thanavath Phonvichai, UTCC president and chairman of the advisory board at the university’s Center for Economic and Business Forecasting, said the survey on public expectations of the new administration shows voters prioritize structural economic reform over short-term populist measures.
Foreign investors are expected to continue investing in advanced technology, healthcare, and sustainability industries this year, following a record high of 324 billion baht in outlays last year, according to the Department of Business Development (DBD) at the Ministry of Commerce.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry insists the government’s plan to reduce visa-free stays from 60 days should not impact tourism, as most foreign tourists, on average, stay for less than a month.
The narrative surrounding Thailand’s tourism appeal has evolved. Visitors no longer come simply because the destination is affordable. Increasingly, travelers choose Thailand for its depth of experience, consistency, and a genuine sense of welcome that remains difficult to replicate elsewhere.
The average daily rate for hotels in Thailand surged by 3% last year to 4,984 baht and they recorded a longer average length of stay, with Booking.com, Agoda, and direct hotel bookings generating the most revenue, according to SiteMinder.
The “Disneyland Thailand” buzz has resurfaced after Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, deputy prime minister and minister of transport, floated the idea of moving ahead with a world-class theme park project in Chonburi under the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme.
Thailand has significant untapped potential to develop advanced green manufacturing as a new engine of growth, with electric vehicles, solar photovoltaic components, and energy-efficient cooling technologies offering opportunities to raise GDP by an additional 2.9% by 2035, according to the World Bank’s latest Thailand Economic Monitor released yesterday.
Thailand’s electric vehicle (EV) sales (passenger car and light duty vehicles) more than tripled year-on-year to over 44,000 units in January 2026, a record month for the country. Its penetration rate grew to 48%, another monthly record, surpassing its previous high of 37% set in December.
A record-breaking surge in wealthy people “relocating abroad” is reshaping the global balance of power. Countries are increasingly being treated like assets, while citizenship is becoming a tool for diversifying risk. In an era where state policy can change faster than economic fundamentals, capital moves first — and moves more aggressively than ever before. 
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