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☆ Activists urge Thailand's opposition to scrap royal insult law if elected
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Thailand has some of the world's strictest lese majeste laws, with punishments of up to 15 years in prison for each perceived royal insult. Eight activists met on Tuesday with the Pheu Thai party and said scrapping Article 112 must be a priority. "If the Pheu Thai Party want to win by a landslide, they need to revoke 112," activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk said ahead of the meeting. No political party has ever called for it to be revoked, though several support debate on its enforcement or reducing punishments. After the meeting, Natiporn Sanesangkhom, one of the activists, said Pheu Thai gave no firm answer on abolishing article 112.

☆ Thailand to begin construction of $9 bln aviation city this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Thailand will begin construction on the 290-billion baht ($8.82 billion) U-Tapao aviation city early this year, a government spokesperson said on Friday. The project will generate 15,600 additional jobs in the first five years and drive growth in Thailand's aviation industry, Tipanan Sirichana said in statement. The investment plan is slated to turn the Vietnam-war era U-Tapao airport into a new international airport linked up with a budget terminal, Don Muang airport, and the country's main Suvarnabhumi Airport. The project named "Eastern Aviation City" will also include a free trade zone for cargo, an aviation training centre and aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities, a government website shows. ($1 = 32.8800 baht)Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat, Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BANGKOK, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Thailand's ruling pro-military Palang Pracharat party has chosen political veteran and former army chief Prawit Wongsuwon as its prime minister candidate, a senior official said on Friday, as parties gear up for an election that must be held by May. "He is the centre of the party ... our members, parliamentarians all see him as talented and most suitable," Palang Pracharat's deputy leader Paiboon Nititawan said after a party meeting. Both are former army chiefs who often refer to each other as brothers, hailing from the elite Queen's Guard unit. In a Facebook post on Wednesday Prawit said "politicians must be able to work with all parties, compromise to reduce conflict and adhere to the public interest." A "divide and conquer" strategy might work, he added, with Prawit's party able to win votes in areas where Prayuth may not be popular.

☆ Thai PM walks out of news conference over question on ex-leader Thaksin
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha campaigns as the PM candidate for the United Thai Nation Party (Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party) ahead of a general election this year in Bangkok, Thailand, January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Chalinee ThirasupaBANGKOK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The mere mention of Thailand's ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra prompted Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to walk out of a news conference this week, irked by talk of the exiled political heavyweight's long-touted return. I don't like it," Prayuth said on Wednesday cutting off a reporter's question about Thaksin, before walking away from the podium and out of the venue. Paetongtarn, 36, last week declared her readiness to be prime minister with the Pheu Thai Party, which won most seats in the 2019 election but not enough to form a government. Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Thailand's economy is expected to continue growing while headline inflation should decline and return to a target range of 1% to 3% late in the year, the central bank said. Any further rate hikes would be gradual and measured, it said, but added it stood ready to adjust them as needed. "The committee deems that a continuing gradual policy normalisation is an appropriate course for monetary policy consistent with the growth and inflation outlook," the BOT said in a statement. It added it expected "increased risks from demand-side inflationary pressures due to the economic recovery". China's reopening is expected to further boost Thailand's tourism, with the government predicting at least five million Chinese visitors this year, about half of the 2019 figure.

☆ Thai central bank raises key rate 25 bps as expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Bank of Thailand's (BOT) monetary policy committee voted unanimously to raise the one-day repurchase rate (THCBIR=ECI) to 1.50% at its first review of the year. Of 23 economists polled by Reuters, 21 had expected a quarter point hike while the remaining two forecast no change. Thailand's economy is expected to continue growing while headline inflation should decline, the central bank said in a statement. With Wednesday's move, the central bank has raised the benchmark rate by a total of 100 basis points (bps) since August. China's reopening is expected to further boost Thailand's tourism, with the government predicting at least five million Chinese visitors this year, about half of the 2019 figure.

☆ We expect Thailand's central bank to hike interest rates by 25 basis points, JPMorgan says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe expect Thailand's central bank to hike interest rates by 25 basis points, JPMorgan saysRajeev Batra of the investment bank says it expects the Bank of Thailand to hike rates by 25 basis points today and again sometime this quarter.

☆ Thailand beats 2022 tourism target with 11.15 mln foreign arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Chalinee ThirasupaBANGKOK, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Thailand received 11.15 million foreign visitors in 2022, a surge from just about 428,000 the previous year when broad pandemic-related travel curbs were in place, tourism ministry data showed on Tuesday. The figures, which beat the government's target, reflect a solid turnaround as Thailand tries to revive its vital tourism industry, which bore the brunt of its strict entry and quarantine policies during the pandemic. In December, there were 2.24 million foreign tourists, compared with 230,497 in the same month a year earlier. Pre-pandemic 2019 saw a record of nearly 40 million foreign tourists for the full year. China's reopening is expected to further boost Thailand's vital tourism sector, which before the pandemic accounted for about 12% of gross domestic product in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.

☆ Thai c.bank to raise rates 25 bps, tourism to bolster growth: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Devayani Sathyan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Unlike its neighbours in Malaysia and Indonesia, The Bank of Thailand (BOT) is expected to keep tightening policy for awhile longer. Twenty-one of 23 economists polled by Reuters expected the BOT to raise its benchmark one-day repurchase rate (THCBIR=ECI) by 25 basis points (bps) to 1.50% on Jan. 25. This gives the BOT room to continue hiking rates, to continue anchoring inflation expectations." The poll median showed the central bank would then raise borrowing costs by another 25 bps, taking it to 2.00% by end-September. "The combination of improving growth prospects and still-elevated inflation gives the central bank room to continue reducing policy accommodation."

☆ COVID curbs over, China's tourists hit Thai beaches for first time in 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Kwang Jirapornkuhakan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Colorful umbrellas are seen in a restaurant as tourists enjoy a beach in the island of Phuket in Thailand January 19, 2023. Previously, when I was here, I ate mango sticky rice, which was delicious. Back in China I kept thinking about the mango sticky rice here. The Chinese return was welcomed by businesses, despite some wariness about a huge spike in COVID infections in China after Beijing ended its zero-COVID policy. The Thai government is expecting at least five million Chinese tourist arrivals this year, with some 300,000 coming in the first quarter.

☆ Thai elephant camp adds more jumbos as Chinese tourists return
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Kwang Jirapornkuhakan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] A Chinese tourist rides on an elephant in a jungle park ahead of Lunar New Year in Phuket, Thailand January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge SilvaPHUKET, Thailand, Jan 21 (Reuters) - An elephant camp in Thailand has purchased six new jumbos to welcome tourists and returning Chinese visitors, offering activities from elephant rides to elephant showers, the owner said. Pang Chang Kamala Elephant Camp on the resort island of Phuket is also adding programmes such as elephant care due to a rise in bookings after the Lunar New Year, camp owner Wittaya Taweeros told Reuters. With 25 elephants now, the camp can receive 300 tourists per day, up from 200, he added. China's reopening raises hopes for the return of Chinese visitors, who accounted for nearly a third of Thailand's 40 million foreign tourist arrivals in pre-pandemic 2019.

☆ $100 million New Jersey deli fugitive Peter Coker Jr. agrees to extradition to U.S. from Thailand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A former fugitive wanted on criminal stock manipulation charges related to a money-losing New Jersey deli once valued at $100 million has agreed to be extradited from Thailand to the United States, Thai authorities said. Peter Coker Jr., 54, was arrested last week by Thai police in the resort area of Phuket, less than four months after he, his father, Peter Coker Sr., and an associate, James Patten, were indicted in New Jersey federal court. Coker Jr., who most recently was known to be living and working as a businessman in Hong Kong, is being held in a Bangkok jail for the next several weeks before his expected extradition, the Associated Press reported Friday. Thai police, in a statement, said Coker Jr., who is an American most recently known to be living in Hong Kong, had entered the country with a passport issued by the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis. "Mr. Coker Jr. voluntarily consented to be extradited to the U.S., which has simplified the court's legal process," Teerat Limpayaraya, a prosecutor in Thailand's Attorney General's office, told the AP.

But retailers in popular Asian destinations are desperate to take advantage of the return of a first wave of Chinese tourists as the country reopens borders after three long years of COVID-19 curbs. And robust demand for destinations like Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand has boosted prospects for the battered travel industry, Ctrip booking data shows. Still, destinations elsewhere show that the return of Chinese tourists remains at a very early stage. Fresh COVID testing requirements for Chinese tourists in some locations may be acting as a barrier, while some countries also require visas that take time to process. Retailers in South Korea are also not seeing a huge influx in Chinese tourists yet, citing the suspension of short-term visas for travellers between both countries.

☆ Police in Thailand arrested an American man in connection with an alleged fraud that left a New Jersey deli worth $100 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Thai police arrested a man over an alleged fraud involving a firm that owned a New Jersey deli. Peter Coker Jr. was detained on January 11 at a hotel in Phuket, the Bangkok Post reported. His father, Peter Coker Sr., and James Patten were arrested in September and have pleaded not guilty. Coker Jr was the subject of arrest warrants issued by Interpol, per the Post, after being accused of stock market manipulation and fraud in September. The Post reported that Coker Jr. admitted he was the man wanted on the Interpol register.

☆ Daughter of Thailand's exiled former PM Thaksin to seek premiership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The daughter of Thailand's self-exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra has declared her readiness to run for prime minister in an election this year, as the main opposition seeks to regain power after being ousted in a coup eight years ago. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whose father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra both led governments toppled by the army, will run under the Pheu Thai Party, the latest incarnation of a populist movement founded by her billionaire family two decades ago. "We want the party to win the election by a landslide so the promises we made to the people can be realised," she said. Both Yingluck and Thaksin are living overseas to avoid jail terms handed down under military rule. Prayuth, 68, joined the new United Thai Nation Party last week, hinting at a bid to remain premier.

☆ Mainland Chinese citizens are eager to travel — for the West's mRNA Covid vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Passengers prepare to enter Shenzhen through the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point on the first day of the resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and mainland China on Jan. 8, 2023 in Hong Kong. Analysts expect that the list of destinations for vaccine tourism will grow. 'Natural first destination': Hong Kong"I believe that the natural first destination of the Chinese vaccine tourism is Hong Kong. "It's been long since I went to Hong Kong. But Hong Kong won't provide free Covid vaccinations to short-term travelers.

☆ Thailand U-turns on COVID vaccination rule for visitors
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Thailand on Monday rescinded a policy announced at the weekend requiring visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, its health minister said, citing sufficient immunisation levels in China and globally. Anutin Charnvirakul said requiring visitors to show evidence of vaccination was inconvenient and a panel of experts had resolved that it was unnecessary as enough vaccinations had been administered globally. "Showing proof of vaccination would be cumbersome and inconvenient, and so the group's decision is that it is unnecessary," Anutin told reporters. In November, it recorded 1.75 million visitors, quadruple the number received for the whole of last year when flights and foreign arrivals were limited. Anutin said Thailand was now expecting 7-10 million Chinese visitors, compared to an earlier estimate of 5 million.

☆ Long-serving Thai PM hints at re-election bid under new party
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha unveils as Prime Minister candidate for the United Thai Nation Party (Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party) ahead of a general election this year in Bangkok, Thailand, January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Chalinee ThirasupaBANGKOK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Thailand's long-serving leader Prayuth Chan-ocha vowed to continue his work running the country under a new political party on Monday, hinting at a bid to remain prime minister after an election this year. "Many things have to continue, and more needs to be done for the country to forge ahead," Prayuth told about 10,000 people at the launch of the new United Thai Nation Party, which he has joined. The new party, led by figures from the country's conservative establishment, has yet to declare its candidate for prime minister. The Constitutional Court last year ruled his first three years in charge did not count towards the maximum eight years a prime minister can serve.

☆ Thai king's daughter remains unconscious weeks after collapsing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha remained unconscious more than three weeks after collapsing due to a heart problem, a palace statement said in an update on the health of the the 44-year-old potential heir to the throne. The eldest child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn lost consciousness on Dec. 15 due to severe heart arrhythmia resulting from inflammation following a mycoplasma infection, according to a statement issued by the palace late on Saturday. The princess's "overall condition is that she remains unconscious," the palace said. read moreShe is one of three children of King Vajiralongkorn who have formal titles, making her eligible for the throne under a palace succession law and the country's constitution. The king has yet to formally designate an heir and there has been no official discussion on the prospect of the princess taking the throne.

☆ Chinese billionaire Jack Ma spotted in Bangkok - Thai media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Alibaba Group (9988.HK) founder Jack Ma was spotted socialising in Bangkok this week, having stayed out of the public eye since regulators in China launched a clampdown on his business empire in late 2021, social media posts and local media reports showed. Several local media also reported that Ma was at the restaurant with Supakit Chearavanont, Chairman of the Board of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) and Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CPF.BK), Thailand's largest agribusiness group. Media also reported that Ma attended a boxing match at Bangkok's Rajadamnern Stadium where he posed with clenched fists for a photograph with Thai boxing champion Sombat "Buakaw" Banchamek. The Jack Ma Foundation did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Ma will give up control of the Chinese fintech giant Ant Group in an overhaul that seeks to draw a line under a regulatory crackdown that was triggered soon after its $73 billion IPO was scupper two years ago.

☆ Casino blaze at Cambodia-Thailand border kills 7, dozens hospitalised
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 29 (Reuters) - An overnight fire at a casino complex in a Cambodian border town has killed at least seven people, and left 53 injured and eight missing, authorities in neighbouring Thailand said on Thursday. The fire broke out at about midnight on Wednesday at Grand Diamond City, a casino and hotel in the town of Poipet, according to Cambodian police. Poipet's casinos are hugely popular with short-term visitors from Thailand, where gambling is illegal and unlicensed casinos operate underground. At least 32 people were being treated in hospitals in Sa Kaeo province across the border, Thailand's health ministry said. Cambodia has casino complexes in Phnom Penh and along its borders with Vietnam and Thailand.

"It's not a question of if it will happen, it's now just a matter of how many and how fast." As the Lunar New Year holiday - typically a peak travel period for Chinese tourists - starts on Jan. 21, some businesses are already gearing up. Japan, however, is being cautious about Chinese tourism due to the rapid spread of the virus in China. Australia, Germany, Thailand and others, however, said they would not impose additional rules on Chinese travel for now, with France taking to social media platform Sina Weibo to emphasise it welcomed Chinese friends "with open arms". "I suspect any meaningful rebound will have to wait until the travel boom in June or July next year."

One of Asia's most popular travel destinations, Thailand is seeing a much-needed tourism boom, with 1.75 million visitors in November, quadruple the number received for the whole of last year when flights and foreign arrivals were limited by the pandemic. Russian arrivals in November represented about 60% of the number who visited in the same month in 2019. A top destination for Russians is Phuket, where they account for about a quarter of the island's visitors, helped by direct flights to there and Bangkok, according to Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). "In the evening you'll see Russian families strolling in the park along with locals," he said, adding some were staying until March. ($1 = 34.6200 baht)Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Orathai Siring; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thailand keeps inflation target of 1-3% for next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved the central bank's headline inflation target of 1% to 3% for 2023, unchanged from this year, government spokesperson Traisuree Traisoranakul told reporters. The inflation target, which guides monetary policy, is reviewed each year. Headline inflation stood at 5.55% in November, far above the Bank of Thailand's target range, suggesting the BOT will continue to raise its key interest rate to curb price pressures. The central bank forecast average headline inflation of 6.3% this year before easing to 3.0% next year. Reporting by Kitiphong Thaichareon Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Like many residents, he's been on a spree - because on Jan. 1 Singapore's sales tax goes up for the first time in 15 years. From next year, the sales tax on everything from groceries to diamond rings goes from 7% to 8%. By buying everything now before the hike, Soif said he's saving S$250 ($185) on his purchases, now in storage at retailers' facilities. The upbeat spending comes against a backdrop of concern, and some opposition, among the population about the tax hike. It has also said it would review the second step of the tax hike if there was a major global downturn next year.

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