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The Memo is published weekdays - Cambodia (every Monday), Myanmar (Tuesday), Laos (Wednesday), Vietnam (Thursday) and Thailand (Friday). The Thailand edition is free in its entirety; the others usually abbreviated for non-paid subscribers.

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Bangkok Puts Up a Tollgate for Imported EVs

The EV Board has approved (in principle) a three-tier excise tax that will penalize fully imported vehicles and reward cars built with local content. The top rate will be higher than the current 10 percent import tax, and the lowest will be reserved for models assembled locally. Excise Department chief Pornchai Thiraveja said the middle tier will be reserved for vehicles brought in for testing or local finishing. Permanent secretary Lavaron Sangsnit says the rates should be in place by the end of this month, but will need to be approved by cabinet. Unlike the EV3.0 and EV3.5 schemes that first pulled Chinese brands into the market, this one has no budget subsidies associated with it. EVs and hybrids made up more than half of new car sales through the first seven months of this year, so the tide against combustion engines is turning. The Board of Investment had cleared $4.59 billion for 189 EV projects by August.

Read more: Nation Thailand (automaker investments), Briefs (regional competition)

PM Pauses Data Centers Despite 7-Day Fast Lane

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's new National Data Center Policy Committee is staring down power requests from developers totaling almost 20,000 megawatts, which is close to Thailand’s current entire electricity consumption. In an attempt to buy some time, the government has asked 49 data centers being built to take a voluntary pause because it doesn’t have any legal power to stop them. Decisions on permits for another 117 projects have been frozen. Four subcommittees are now racing to write rules for power, water, site safety and clean energy. Even against that uninspiring backdrop, however, the NBTC Office is offering an automatic "Type 1" route that promises approval within seven working days. Officials admit that their registry of 35 operating data centers, compiled from 16 agencies, lacks the detail that’s really needed to regulate them effectively.

Read more: Nation Thailand (license rules), TechRepublic (investment boom), Bangkok Tribune (policy gaps)

Government Puts Muscle Into Rooftop Solar

A $1.52 billion rooftop solar subsidy is going to start rolling out next month. The deal will offer households about $1,520 per installation and the opportunity to sell surplus power back into the grid. Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas says three state banks will cover the upfront costs. Electricity authorities will buy the surplus power and use the proceeds to repay the loans. The Interior Ministry is has a target of a million homes for the scheme, but is weighing an increase of that target by half to 1.5 million homes. The government says a five-kilowatt system with modest household use could earn about $30 a month, and the panels should last 25 to 30 years. Tax breaks on some imported components will add another sweetener for installers and suppliers.

Read more: ESG News

Hanwha Ocean Preferred Navy Frigate Builder

Hanwha Ocean’s bid, with the support of Seoul’s defense ministry, DAPA and the ROK Navy, has come out on top as the preferred supplier of the Royal Thai Navy's next frigate. It’s a THB 16.73 billion contract for a single ship in addition to logistics support. The Hanwha Ocean offer beat those from Spain's Navantia, Singapore's ST Engineering, Turkey's ASFAT and TAIS, and Korean rival Hyundai Heavy Industries. Hanwha previously delivered HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2018, but the proposed ship will break new ground for the builder, as it will be the first build with European partners. France's Naval Group is expected to handle combat management and sensor integration for the OCEAN-40F design, while MBDA will supply Exocet MM40 Block 3c anti-ship missiles. The full terms still have to be negotiated before a final contract can be agreed to.

Read more: Naval News

Airport Rail Link Operator Names Its Price

Asia Era One is willing to keep running Bangkok's Airport Rail Link after its contract expires on September 30, but the price demanded is 60 million baht ($1.7 million) a month for four months. It also wants the right to walk away with 30 days' notice if the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) decides to sue because of the stalled three-airport high-speed rail project. That unbuilt line, which was supposed to connect Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao, is still the CP-backed operator's main prize. The SRT board is thinking about the proposal after Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn brokered talks to keep the trains running. The fleet has dwindled from nine trains to five or six since maintenance problems started in around 2014. Peak wait times that ought to only be eight to ten minutes can now reach up to 30 or even 45 minutes.

Read more: The Star

Thai, Cambodian Envoys Trade Blame in Geneva

Thai envoy Usana Berananda told the UN Human Rights Council that Bangkok claims no Cambodian territory and accused Phnom Penh of “firing first” on July 24. Cambodia's Ke Sovann responded that Thailand had declared its "Chakrabongse Bhuvanath" military operation a day earlier and accused Thai forces of "salami slicing" the border with razor wire, container barricades and new infrastructure. Sovann referred to the France-Siam treaties and the ICJ's Preah Vihear rulings, and said that that the boundary can’t be replaced by way of unilateral Thai maps or by force.

Read more: Asian News Network

Sondhi Rallies Crowd at Israeli Embassy

Hundreds gathered outside Israel's Bangkok embassy as veteran activist Sondhi Limthongkul proclaimed four demands. He wants tighter controls on tourist conduct, no protection for offenders facing Thai courts, scrutiny of land deals in Chachoengsao and Chabad centers, in addition to Israeli compliance with international humanitarian law in Gaza. Protesters also questioned nominee arrangements used to hold property and run businesses, especially on Koh Phangan and in Phuket. The embassy shuttered for the morning. Deputy Chief of Mission Rami Teplitski later posted a Thai-language video saying that the mission was taking the concerns seriously. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow previously warned Ambassador Alona Fisher-Kamm that misconduct by Israeli citizens could damage bilateral ties. More than 277,000 Israelis were counted visiting Thailand in the first eight months of this year, which is a pace about 7 percent higher than during the same period last year.

Read more: AP News (tourist deportation), Khaosod English (protest campaign), Jerusalem Post (embassy response), Ynet News (stay limits)

Scam Compound Tour Includes an Operating Table

Nine months after taking over the Chong Chom scam base on the Cambodian border, the military has taken ASEAN observers and reporters through the site where they were shown an operating table with surgical equipment on the third floor, solitary cells stripped of their cameras, and documents listing "organ trafficking" as the punishment for workers who didn’t meet their scam quotas. The military says Vietnamese and Chinese nationals who were captured while fleeing the compound had “wounds” and suffered severed fingers.

Read more: Philippine News Agency

Court Faults Fisheries Department Over Tilapia

The Central Administrative Court says that the Department of Fisheries failed to inspect Charoen Pokphand Foods' research on Blackchin tilapia after given them a permit in 2010, even though it knew the alien species could be a threat to native fish. An outbreak spread through waterways between 2012 and 2016, causing much damage. The court told the department and 17 other agencies to control the fish, declare emergency outbreak zones and offer support to affected residents while at the same time rejecting the government's claim that its 2024-2027 action plan was sufficient. CP Foods has not commented, and the court has not set compensation.

Read more: Bangkok Tribune

Nestlé Puts CHF 157 Million on Thai Kibble

Nestle is putting more than CHF 157 million (~6.4B THB) into its Rayong-based Purina plant to make more Felix, Friskies, Pro Plan and Purina One product for both local sales and export. Pet food makes up about a fifth of group sales. The company wants to capitalize on the spending by owners of an estimated 350 million cats and dogs in Asia, Oceania and Africa who are trading home-cooked meals for packaged premium food.

Read more: Nestle

Taylor's Schools Buys Four St Andrews Campuses

Taylor's Schools has bought four St Andrews International School campuses from Cognita in its first play beyond Malaysia and Singapore. The deal will grow its network to 10 schools and about 10,000 students. The three Bangkok campuses and the school at Green Valley on the east coast will retain their existing names and staff. CEO Angelina Tee (formerly of Cognita) says boarding and a year-round outdoor education center could follow at Green Valley and that she expects the group to be in control of 15 schools within five years.

Read more: TES

Gulftainer Buys Into Bangkok's River Port

UAE port operator Gulftainer has agreed to invest in Suksawat Terminal on the Chao Phraya River in Samut Prakan. It is the group's first investment into Thailand. Gulftainer didn’t publish the price, but it plans to upgrade the barge terminal that feeds cargo to Laem Chabang. The group says the terminal will be the anchor for a broader network of ports, inland logistics, industrial parks and shipping lines.

Read more: Construction Business News

Ayutthaya Abbot Arrested in 92 Million Baht Temple Case

In a titillating story that has torn through local social media, police have arrested monk Luang Por Chot of Wat Phutthaisawan in connection with more than 92 million baht (about $2.6 million) in allegedly diverted temple funds. That’s not the main reason that the story has caught fire, however. Police say the money was passed to a female associate to help conceal it and the monk has appeared on video in flagrante performing what appear to be rather unorthodox rites. A 2022 Supreme Court ruling classifies abbots appointed to ecclesiastical positions as officials under the Sangha Act, so a money-laundering conviction can carry triple the standard penalty, to say nothing of the social cost of his other indiscretions.

Read more: Khaosod English

That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.

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The Memo is published weekdays - Cambodia (every Monday), Myanmar (Tuesday), Laos (Wednesday), Vietnam (Thursday) and Thailand (Friday). The Thailand edition is free in its entirety; the others usually abbreviated for non-paid subscribers.

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New Rules Cut Visa-free Stays to 30 Days

Starting September 15, the 60-day visa exemption for 93 countries disappears and a shorter allowance will take its place. Sixty countries/ territories will go back to 30 days, Seychelles and Mauritius get 15, and 21 nations will lose visa-free entry altogether. Existing deals still cover China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macao, Mongolia, Russia and Vietnam. Land-border crossers using the 30-day exemption face a new limit of two entries each calendar year, with Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore exempted. That change is a direct shot at the visa-run circuit that has kept some long-stay expats legal on paper for years.

Read more: TAT News (gazette rules), Jerusalem Post, VisasNews (countries list)

Data Center Permits Frozen On Diesel Stash Find

Officials found about 200,000 liters of unlicensed fuel at a data center building on Rama IX Road, more than thirteen times the 15,000-liter “no-permit-required” limit. The Department of Energy Business made a police complaint, and Bangkok has frozen three data center applications while it figures out how the fuel got there. Government spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek said some operators have been applying for construction permits as warehouses, then installing servers and running the buildings as data centers in a bid to get around rules. The PM has put Deputy PM Ekniti Nitithanprapas in charge of a new Data Center Board to write a rulebook for clean energy, water, urban planning and safety, data security, and community impact instead of leaving the job split between ministries.

Read more: Nation Thailand (new board), Thai Enquirer (investment context)

Tourism Revenue Tops a Trillion

Thailand has already banked more than a 1 trillion baht from 20.81 million foreign visitors. China is still at the top of the source-market list with 3.52 million visitors, followed by Malaysia at 2.63 million, India at 1.53 million, Russia at 1.18 million, and South Korea at 765,842. Late-August numbers were a little shaky. Weekly arrivals fell almost 12 percent to 491,456, with Chinese visitors down almost a quarter (although Malaysians were up almost 19 percent). Officials expect the next week to look similar as summer holidays wind down in Europe and East Asia.

Read more: Khaosod English

US Sailors Find Pattaya, Police Sweep Soi 6

The USS Abraham Lincoln pulled into Laem Chabang covered with rust and mottled paint after a marathon 286 days at sea, and its 5,000 sailors and Marines surged ashore with nine months of unspent salary. Mayor Poramet Ngampichet thinks each visitor's daily spend will be between 1,000 and 3,000 baht (~$30 - $90), and said the five-day stop should throw about $3 million into the local economy. Police prepared for the visit with an overnight beachfront sweep that resulted in 25 arrests for public prostitution, though the mayor insisted the operation was not related to the Americans' arrival. Soi 6, Soi 6/1 and Soi 7 have been declared off-limits to crew, but Walking Street is open with a giant illuminated sign welcoming the carrier.

Read more: Independent (admiral), The National (escort ships), The Guardian (crew conditions), BBC (shopping), Ynet (crew restrictions)

Jailed Activist Stops Water After Bail Denied

Activist Promsorn Veerathamjaree stopped drinking water on August 31, two months into a hunger strike to demand bail on charges of royal defamation. His mother had suggested the court employ an electronic monitoring bracelet, monthly check-ins, a curfew, a travel ban, or a court-appointed guardian so her son would be able to care for his father, who has Alzheimer's and other conditions. The Supreme Court denied the request. A prison psychologist has spoken with Promsorn, and prison volunteers check on him twice a day. He is facing six counts of royal defamation, including two that are currently before the Supreme Court and two in an Appeal Court.

Read more: Prachatai English

Runners Lap the Election Commission for 229 Senators

More than a hundred protesters ran 2.29 kilometers around a track inside the Election Commission's building, throwing balls into boxes labeled with senators accused of buying their way into office in 2024. Organized by legal watchdog iLaw, the sports-day protest also featured badminton nets held down by boxes featuring the faces of Bhumjaithai cabinet ministers connected to the scheme. The Election Commission's investigation committee found grounds to refer all 229 suspects to the Supreme Court, whereupon a sub-committee cleared them despite public phone logs, money transfers, and witness testimony. The Human Rights Lawyers Association said the commission has a duty to prosecute wherever reasonable evidence of fraud exists, but apparently there is little political will to do so.

Read more: Prachatai English

Korean Air Signs On to Fix Black Hawks

Korean Air and state-owned Thai Aviation Industries signed a teaming agreement in Busan to manage depot maintenance of Royal Thai Army UH-60 Black Hawks. The hopes is that the agreement can be later expanded to cover other aircraft in the military fleet. Korean Air brings five decades and more than 5,500 military aircraft worth of depot maintenance work, in addition to a UH-60 manufacturing history since 1991. Thai Aviation Industries brings the local network and infrastructure, and will get technical training and standardized procedures in return. Korean Air thinks Thailand could / should be a base for getting other Southeast Asian military MRO clients.

Read more: UPI

TAGTHAi Wallet Live at Five Bangkok Malls

TAGTHAi's Easy Pay is now in service at ICONSIAM, Siam Paragon, Emporium, EmQuartier and MBK. The app allows foreign tourists top up in baht, scan Thai QR codes at the till (via KBank rails), and collect a 300-baht Bangkok Pass discount in addition to a free 150-baht BTS One-Day Pass on same-day spending. Might be worth checkin out if you’re visiting the city.

Read more: TAT News

That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.

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The Memo is published weekdays - Cambodia (every Monday), Myanmar (Tuesday), Laos (Wednesday), Vietnam (Thursday) and Thailand (Friday). The Thailand edition is free in its entirety; the others usually abbreviated for non-paid subscribers.

Please go to https://www.mekongmemo.com/account to select country editions you would like to receive without affecting your overall subscription status.

Attacks in Deep South, Malaysia Tightens Border

Fifty-one coordinated arson and incendiary attacks tore through Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani between 8pm and midnight on August 22, wounding three civilians, torching a subdistrict office and a 7-Eleven, and damaging rail tracks badly enough to suspend service on part of the Narathiwat line. No group took responsibility, but the attacks match a pattern that has been running through the Deep South for years.

Read more: Al Jazeera (victims and curfew), BBC (attack scale), Yahoo News Malaysia (new facilitators), Malay Mail (talks timeline)

Amnesty Law Skips Royal Defamation

The Promotion of a Peaceful Society Act took effect on August 18. The deal covered about 6,000 people prosecuted for political offenses from sedition to terrorism that were committed between 2005 and September 2025. Royal defamation is not on the list, so there’s still a real line in the sand. On the 26th, the Supreme Court upheld a nearly three-year sentence against Prasong Khotsongkhram, for Facebook posts from 2021, pushing the number of people currently being held because of protests and political expression to 53. In Phatthalung, a court convicted Thiramet, a 23-year-old with an intellectual disability, because of a TikTok video of himself sitting on a portrait of the king. He was given a suspended 18-month term after a psychiatrist said he was fit to stand trial.

Read more: Prachatai English (Prasong sentence), Prachatai English (Thiramet case), Prachatai English (amnesty scope)

Gov’t Systems Get “Logged Into,” Not Hacked

Criminals bought 60 million leaked credentials from dark web markets and then just logged into government systems by way of standard APIs. Apparently, data from more than 20 state agencies was leaked this way, including personal details of the prime minister and cabinet ministers. As the horse disappears from the barn, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry wants cabinet to approve mandatory multi-factor authentication in government systems, mass password resets, and a review of about 30,000 information systems. A report from Verizon (their 2026 Data Breach Investigations) places credential abuse behind a quarter of Asia-Pacific breaches. That’s second to software vulnerability exploits at 42 percent.

Read more: Dynamic Business

Qatari Gas Bets Give Way to SMRs

Energy Minister Akanat Promphan is doubling the clean-power target to 60 percent of generation by 2050, in a 25-year plan expected by October, in addition to putting nuclear on the table. All four draft scenarios for the new Power Development Plan include small modular reactors, with combined capacity of up to 9,000 MW by 2050. The neatest scenario would push total clean energy to almost nine-tenths of generation and fossil fuels, natch, with the remaining tenth. The pivot has become more urgent since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent seaborne LNG prices through the roof, even though Qatar supplies only about 6 percent of Thailand’s gas imports (that’s two to three shipments a month). Natural gas still provides more than 60 percent of the country's electricity, compared to 15 percent for renewables.

Read more: Energy Connects (LNG exposure), OilPrice (nuclear plans), Reccessary (storage)

Electronics Banks Billions on Circuit Boards, Chips

Electronics manufacturers have parked $30.5 billion in Thai investments since 2023, with $10.1 billion of that going into ~224 projects related to printed circuit boards and components. The figure comes from BOI numbers that were shared at the THECA 2026 summit at BITEC, where more than 300 companies and 7,000 delegates from 40 countries came together to talk AI infrastructure, photonics, and advanced chip packaging. BOI chief Narit Therdsteerasukdi says the money is nothing like the “assembly-line” capital of three decades ago, saying that this money supporting frontier tech driven by proprietary knowledge and specialized labor. Bangkok has also been picked to host the 17th Electronic Circuits World Convention in August of next year. That’s a triennial event that rotates between the world's top electronics manufacturing economies.

Read more: Vietnam Investment Review (skills shift), Economic Times (local suppliers)

BoT Sits Tight as Factories and Exports Sprint

The BoT unanimously (for the second meeting in a row) kept its benchmark rate at 1.00 percent. DBS is betting the rate won’t move through the rest of 2026. The hold came as July data beat the desk with industrial output edging up after a June fall, seeing its first gain in four months. The showing was helped by car production returning to growth. Exports were up 21.6 percent, topping forecasts (17.8 percent) and showing the fastest pace in three months. The Commerce Ministry is sticking with its +8% full-year export target, which now looks more likely than it did a month ago.

Read more: FX Street (DBS forecast), Thai Enquirer (growth outlook), TradingView (factory output), TradingView (exports), TradingView (inflation)

Rocket-Hit Gas Station Gets No State Payout

A BM-21 rocket fired from Cambodia tore through Kamonrat Phonsetlert's gas station in Kantharalak district, and the Finance Ministry's compensation rules aren’t going to pay out because they cover only the dead and injured, not property. Her private insurance has declined to pay too, because war damage from a foreign strike is outside standard coverage. To date she’s received 1 million baht in humanitarian aid, and a House budget committee chaired by People's Party MP Rukchanok Srinok is now trying to get the eligibility criteria redrafted.

Read more: Khaosod English

Carrier To “Eastern Port” After 250 Days at Sea

The carrier is expected to pull into an “eastern port,” in its first stop since leaving San Diego last November to back US operations against Iran. The Thai navy, which will not name the three ships or the arrival date "for security reasons," says it is routine rest and resupply, and no drills will be connected to the visit. Democratic lawmakers say the run is a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea. Reports from crew families, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disputes, describe supply and water shortages, plumbing failures, and multiple overboard attempts among the about 5,000 crew. Pattaya beware.

Read more: The Guardian (crew accounts), AZ News (Thai port call), Navy Times (Pentagon response)

Anutin Dismisses Cambodian Call for His Arrest

A Phnom Penh Post commentary called on Cambodian authorities to file charges and seek an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul because of his August 23 visit to Chong An Ma in Ubon Ratchathani. When told of the demand, Anutin sounded more amused than rattled. "Really? What should I say? I followed the law. I have the Joint Statement, signed by the leaders of both countries." Anutin said talks depend on Cambodia also holding its current position under the bilateral agreement. "If they follow the Joint Statement too, it will lead to discussions. But if they don't, I don't know how we can hold discussions."

Read more: Khaosod English

Zoo Brawl Costs Israeli Tourist a Visa

The government canceled the visa of an Israeli man that allegedly engaged in a confrontation at Samui Exotic Park, where French owner Kevin Dimino (proudly?) flies a Palestinian flag and prohibits Israeli visitors from entry. Videos of the dispute appear to show Dimino head-butting the Israeli tourist. Police are investigating an allegation that an Israeli offered 500,000 baht for information that could lead to an attack on Dimino, who says his mother's home in France was set on fire because of the dispute. Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said the visa cancellation was meant to stop things escalating further and that each case would be judged on its own (de?)merits.

Read more: Ynet News

That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.

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The Memo is published weekdays - Cambodia (every Monday), Myanmar (Tuesday), Laos (Wednesday), Vietnam (Thursday) and Thailand (Friday). The Thailand edition is free in its entirety; the others usually abbreviated for non-paid subscribers.

Please go to https://www.mekongmemo.com/account to select country editions you would like to receive without affecting your overall subscription status.

PM Anutin Brings Jet Fuel to Canberra

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made Australia his first overseas stop since taking office in late 2025, and he arrived with jet fuel access on his mind as US-led strikes on Iran are rattling energy supply chains around the world. In Canberra, Anutin and Anthony Albanese agreed to regular defense ministers' meetings and told police to go after the scam networks that fleece millions from Australians each year. Australia sells Thailand roughly $1 billion in natural gas and more than $700 million in petroleum each year, while buying about $6.5 billion in Thai-made cars in return.

Read more: Yahoo News (police pledge), CamboJA (trade)

Sanctioned General Gets a Guard of Honor in Bangkok

Gen Ye Win Oo, Myanmar's US-sanctioned former spymaster and new defense chief, chose Bangkok for his first trip abroad since taking the job. Gen Ukris Boontanondha gave him a tri-service guard of honor before talks on the 2,400-kilometer border and military education, a polished welcome for a junta that wants (needs?) desperately to look less isolated than it is. Anutin gave Min Aung Hlaing a similar red-carpet reception earlier this month, which Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow defended by saying, "It's not about legitimacy, it's about reality."

Read more: Nation (army talks), Malay Mail

Excise Rewrite Targets Chinese Auto Imports

The Finance Ministry wants a new auto tax structure ready by September, with lower rates for carmakers building factories that genuinely manufacture autos in Thailand and higher rates for those who more or less just ship in finished vehicles. The current gap, 10% excise on imports versus 2% for local assembly, has not stopped Chinese brands from using zero-tariff access under the ASEAN-China trade deal instead of building CKD lines. EVs made up almost a third of domestic auto sales in the first half of 2026, and imports accounted for more than half of the number. The market rose 14% to 346,000 vehicles. Subsidies have been shrinking as well.

Read more: Asia News Network

Anti-Graft Body Traces Exam-Fixing Cash

Financial records of suspects in this year's civil-service exam scandal show cash flows of more than 1 billion baht going all the way back to a 2021 scheme that rigged municipal recruitment exams in Pattaya, NACC secretary-general Surapong Intarathaworn said. Investigators say the network was working in both years and altering raw scores inside the computer registry so chosen candidates were able to land executive posts. The commission has moved the older files into a joint inquiry as AMLO is tracing the money. Courts have convicted in 98% of cases the commission has referred for prosecution, a heady rate the agency is likely to be happy to keep sharing with anyone who will listen.

Read more: Bangkok Post (money trail), Nation (AI passport probe)

SRT Approves Design Work on Two Rail Lines

The State Railway board approved 392 million baht in design and environmental contracts for the 304-kilometer Nakhon Sawan-Ban Phai single-track line and the 230-kilometer Chatturat-Nong Bua Lamphu double-track route. The Nakhon Sawan-Ban Phai line is expected to cost 41.85 billion baht. The MAA Consultant-led consortium that won the Nakhon Sawan-Ban Phai design job trimmed roughly a quarter off its fee, from 275 million baht to 200 million baht, VAT included, without changing the scope. Contracts are expected to be signed in September, and design will start late this year.

Read more: Nation

Cabinet Gets Another Gun-Control Draft

The government is reviewing firearm controls after two deadly shootings near Bangkok pushed gun violence back into the public eye and onto the Cabinet table. Anutin has ordered a pause on the issuance of new gun permits, a review of existing licenses and a draft law within 60 days to tighten firearms data, trade rules and penalties. Thailand has more than 10 million civilian firearms in circulation and roughly four in ten may be illegal. The hard part of gun control will be finding the guns that have already moved through family drawers, via online sellers and through the welfare-gun pipeline for officials.

Read more: Bangkok Post (draft timeline), CNA (gun ownership), Prachatai (death toll)

Ethanol Producers Face a Subsidy Hangover

Thailand's ethanol producers are warning of a glut when biofuel price subsidies expire on Sept. 24. The current support has helped keep demand moving through gasohol blends, and the industry worries that removing it will leave producers with more ethanol than fuel retailers want to buy. That puts Bangkok in the position of trying to cut subsidy bills without knocking a protected supply chain sideways. Farmers, mills and fuel sellers all have a piece of this, so a clean exit was never going to be simple.

Read more: Bangkok Post

Nan Floods Turn Into a Northern Business Problem

Flooding in Nan has killed at least two people and affected more than 30,000, with more rain threatening recovery work. Nan has been declared a disaster zone, and tourism operators in the North are asking for flood defenses and relief before cancellations spread beyond the worst-hit districts. The immediate problem is rescue and cleanup, followed by a rebuilding of confidence, especially for small hotels, tour operators and shops that aren’t able to wait out a long monsoon slump.

Read more: Nation (death toll), Nation (rain forecast), Bangkok Post (Nan recovery), Bangkok Post (tourism operators), ITIJ (travel disruption)

Tourist Dip Meets Export Optimism

Thailand saw 19.76 million foreign tourist arrivals through Aug. 15, down only 3% from a year earlier, with spending at 957.6 billion baht. Chinese visitors are still the biggest group, but short-haul softness is showing up at the wrong time for hotels and retailers. The Commerce Ministry is more upbeat on exports, saying shipments could grow at a double-digit rate and reach 12 trillion baht this year if no new surprises appear. Retailers are less cheerful, thought - they’re asking for measures to lift spending since export optimism doesn’t pay the rent in an empty shop.

Read more: Bangkok Post (tourist arrivals), Bangkok Post (export target), Bangkok Post (retail proposals)

That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.

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The Memo is published weekdays - Cambodia (every Monday), Myanmar (Tuesday), Laos (Wednesday), Vietnam (Thursday) and Thailand (Friday). The Thailand edition is free in its entirety; the others usually abbreviated for non-paid subscribers.

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PM Freezes Permits With 4M Guns Off the Books

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul suspended all new firearm purchase permits and gave the Interior Ministry 60 days to write tougher gun-control amendments, four days after a 14-year-old shot his grandparents and seven others at Debsirin Nonthaburi School with his grandfather's legally registered handgun. The order also stops the "welfare gun" scheme that let civil servants, soldiers and police buy discounted firearms, a program gun-control advocates blame for feeding a resale market authorities have never tracked. Carry permits haven’t been issued since February, and Anutin is now extending the freeze to purchases and pending applications. Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt wants a real-time tracking system for imports, sales and ownership, with proposed amendments open for public comment through September 10. Maybe the bigger problem for those who want to control the trade is that roughly 4 million of the country's 10.3 million civilian firearms are unregistered.

Read more: Nation Thailand (amnesty), BBC (screening), The Guardian (cremations), Yahoo News (ownership), NBC News (penalties)

Ex-Bhumjaithai MP Kills Council Chairman

Chalong Riewrang, once a lawmaker in Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's Bhumjaithai party, shot Thongchai Yenprasert, the 71-year-old chairman of Nonthaburi's Provincial Administrative Organisation, to death inside a local government office. Police say the proximate cause was borrowed money. Thongchai, a former police colonel, died at Phra Nang Klao Hospital after being shot in the neck; his driver was wounded in the arm and hand. Immediately after the shooting, Chalong called into a political YouTube livestream to give his version, saying Thongchai pulled a gun first as he was driving away. "I fired," he told reporters later in custody. Anutin, sounding keen to show the freeze is not only theater, promised legal action "without exception."

Read more: ABC (gun control), NBC News (school safety)

Bangkok Says Cobra Gold Isn’t a Trade Chip

Elbridge Colby got Government House and a promise from Prime Minister Anutin, who told the US under secretary of defense for policy that Bangkok will not tie its 193-year military alliance to discussions on tariffs. Bloomberg had reported that officials were considering that, floating Cobra Gold against Washington's 12.5% Section 301 levy on most Thai exports. Washington says the levy is intended to tame a trade surplus of $51.4 billion (2025). The Defense Ministry rejected the idea, and Rear Adm Surasunt Kongsiri confirmed that Cobra Gold would go ahead under its original plan, the exercise's 46th year, with 31 participating countries.

Read more: Khaosod English (Anutin), Khaosod English (Falcon Strike), Khaosod English (Surasunt), Asian News Network (tariffs)

BKK, Phnom Penh Near Pick for Gulf Panel Chair

Four conciliators, two each from Bangkok and Phnom Penh, are expected to name the chair of their UNCLOS panel today, as they pick from nearly a dozen candidates from around the world. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Bangkok put forward six preferred names. The panel's first meeting is expected around September. The Hague, Paris, Singapore and Vietnam are all in the running as hosts. The process is being undertaken because of Cambodia's decision to trigger compulsory conciliation after Bangkok scrapped the 2001 MOU governing the Overlapping Claims Area. Bangkok accepted the proceedings even as it said that bilateral talks hadn’t run their course yet. Whatever the commission recommends, its not going to bind either government to a maritime border.

Read more: Asian News Network

KSL Bets Cassava Will Pull Farmers Off Cane

Khon Kaen Sugar Industry, the country's third-largest sugar exporter, expects a coming super El Nino to reduce national cane output a little to about 100 million tonnes, down from 106 million tonnes last season, as some farmers switch to higher-priced cassava. President Chalush Chinthammit says rainfall is due to stop within two weeks, after which planting will start in the country's 11-12 million rai of cane fields. KSL forecasts global sugar prices near 17 cents a pound in 2027, up about 6% from the current 16 cents, because Brazil is using more cane for ethanol and India is expected to keep an export ban in place.

Read more: Bangkok Post

AG Clears One Tycoon as AMLO Takes Another's Assets

Tantai Narongkoon, CEO of Titan Capital Group Holdings, landed in Bangkok to face arrest warrants but walked out a few hours later a free man, after the Attorney-General issued a final order not to prosecute him in a case alleging more than 4.5 billion baht in losses tied to a pirated-film website that heavily featured ads for online gambling. DSI investigators had recommended charges. Prosecutors declined to indict, the DSI director-general pushed back, and the Attorney-General settled it in Tantai's favor. The Attorney-General’s office has offered no public reasoning for declining to prosecute Tantai. In a different case, AMLO's transaction committee moved to seize another 115 million baht in cash, gold, land and digital assets from Chen Zhi, the Prince Group founder awaiting trial in China on fraud. Chinese authorities plan to add “intentional-injury charges” which could result in a death sentence. Total seizures against Chen are 460 million baht.

Read more: Nation Thailand (suspect numbers), Bangkok Post (asset breakdown)

ThaiBev Profits Rise as It Shops KFC Around

Thai Beverage posted nine-month EBITDA of 48.29 billion baht, or $1.46 billion, up 7.2% on Chang beer and Sangsom rum as it works with Bank of America to weigh buyer interest for its local KFC franchise. No indicative price has been made public. Three other bellwethers logged their own gains this earnings season, with Indorama Ventures posting EBITDA growth of about three-fifths in the first half, CPN's core profit rising almost a fifth on record mall rental income, and Airports of Thailand reported a quarterly profit of 4.41 billion baht.

Read more: Bangkok Post (KFC sale), Thai Enquirer (Indorama EBITDA), Thai Enquirer (CPN mall income), TradingView (AOT profit)

Power Bills Drop as Streetlights Leave the Tab

The Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a new tariff that removes public streetlight costs from household bills and caps the first 200 units (kW/h) of monthly use at 3 baht each, effective September 1. The average charge will drop to 3.86 baht per unit from 3.95 baht, and the lower rate will be in place through at least December. Consumer confidence found a four-month high of 51.8 in July.

Read more: Bangkok Post (minister quotes)

Diesel Discount Gets a Sixth Extension

EPAC extended a 2.40-baht-per-liter ex-refinery diesel discount for another 31 days, through September 15, using 4.475 billion baht from refiners' excess gains to fund the deal. This extension is round six, and total handouts are estimated to be 17.422 billion baht. Refiners banked 9.735 billion baht in July; after the current draw and 2.815 billion baht spent on an earlier discount round, about 2.445 billion baht is left for whatever comes next.

Read more: Nation Thailand

Bangkok Offers 3,000 Baht for Domestic Travel

Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul is pitching two schemes, a foreign visitor fee to seed a new tourism promotion fund and a 1.75 billion baht domestic subsidy called Thai Travel Thai Plus. The subsidy would cover half of eligible accommodation costs (limited to 3,000 baht per entitlement), with 500,000 entitlements going out first-come, first-served through Krungthai Bank's Pao Tang app. Each person will be able to claim up to five entitlements. Cabinet is expected to decide by August 31 for an October 1 launch. The foreign fee has no rate, no collection method and no start date, only a pitch to fund attractions, pay for visitor insurance and environmental restoration. Domestic tourism revenue was down 4% in the first five months of this year.

Read more: Nation Thailand (fee pitch), The Thaiger (revenue forecast), Outlook Traveller (launch timing), Travel + Leisure Asia (voucher plan)

NBTC Hangs Up on Unverified SIMs

Miss the August 30 cutoff and your phone might still ring, but it will not dial out. The NBTC's push targets mule accounts and mismatched registrations, like kids who might be using a parent's SIM. The plan should introduce just enough friction to force a trip to customer service in order to get laggards properly registered.

Read more: Bangkok Post

Citizenship Fraud Flagged at Eight Hospitals

Authorities have identified as many as 1,500 suspected citizenship fraud cases in eight Bangkok hospitals, in a scheme that worked by fiddling with birth registration documents. No arrests have been announced so far.

Read more: Thai Enquirer

That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.

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The Memo is published weekdays - Cambodia (every Monday), Myanmar (Tuesday), Laos (Wednesday), Vietnam (Thursday) and Thailand (Friday). The Thailand edition is free in its entirety; the others usually abbreviated for non-paid subscribers.

Please go to https://www.mekongmemo.com/account to select country editions you would like to receive without affecting your overall subscription status.

Red Carpet for Min Aung Hlaing

Thailand gave Myanmar's junta-chief-turned-president a military band, an honor guard, and a literal red carpet on his arrival. It’s a welcome not often afforded one of the world's most isolated leaders. Min Aung Hlaing, a man the ICC prosecutor has been looking to arrest for (alleged) crimes against humanity, walked the carpet with Prime Minister Anutin before talks that resulted in three cooperation deals for migrant labor, border-river water quality, and satellite data. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow tried to make the reception sound more careful than eager, saying its "calibrated re-engagement" to bring Myanmar back into ASEAN. Amnesty International Thailand condemned the reception; Thailand signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but never ratified it.

Read more: Nation Thailand (state welcome), CNA (ICC context), Nation Thailand (bridge reopening), Nation Thailand (Sihasak comments), Yahoo News SG (criticism)

NBTC Boycott Leaves Thaicom 4 Satellite Hanging

The telecom regulator failed to reach quorum for the second straight month, and the board meeting collapsed after three commissioners refused to recognize chairman Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck's authority. A fourth walked out the moment he entered the room. A Senate selection committee had ruled Sarana lacks the legal qualifications for the post; he insists he is legally obligated to serve. Sarana says the paralysis now threatens the Thaicom 4 satellite, a device that has an engineering-life-expiration next month (after two previous extensions) and needs board acknowledgement to keep it running. The digital TV broadcast transition, funding approvals for several projects, and four-digit shortcodes for private companies are also in limbo. The board’s next meetings are penciled in for August 11, 13 and 19.

Read more: Bangkok Post

State Databases Leak Twice in a Week

Vehicle-registration records from the Department of Land Transport turned up online, days after personal data from 200,000 investors leaked out of more than five million shareholder accounts held by Thailand Securities Depository Co. Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said investigators found no evidence the DLT system was “hacked” and access was found to be connected to an account that logged in twice before the data was released. Police Colonel Surapong Plengkham of the Personal Data Protection Committee said the pattern looks more like unauthorized access under Section 7 of the Computer Crime Act. A ThaiCERT team has been sent to the DLT to run forensics.

Read more: Nation Thailand

UOB Sees Rates Frozen Through 2027

Headline inflation was tamed to 1.95% through July from 2.42% in June, but core CPI firmed to 1.34%, and UOB economists say that the story is in that difference because it means that oil, the baht, and the current account are doing the work, not a demand-led boom that would justify adjusting rates. Their crystal ball shows a hold at 1.00% through the end of next year, with headline CPI at 2.8% in 2026 and 1.4% in 2027.

Read more: Bangkok Post (prices), FX Street (rate forecast)

Cabinet Approves 7.2B Baht EEC Reservoir

The cabinet approved 7.2 billion baht for the Klong Wang Tanod reservoir in Chanthaburi, a 99.5 million cubic meter basin that would be used to keep the Eastern Economic Corridor from running dry. Construction will run through fiscal 2027 to 2033, and the water is expected to allow for the irrigation of more than 87,700 rai of farmland in addition to providing industrial and household supply. At the present, the eastern region's six large and 52 medium reservoirs hold 2.5 billion cubic meters; demand is expected to rise to 2.89 billion next year and exceed 3.5 billion by 2037.

Read more: Bangkok Post

Refiners Want to Ease Diesel Export Ban

The Federation of Thai Industries is trying to get a softening of the March diesel export ban, but left its meeting with Energy Minister Akanat Promphan without a deal. Laos currently gets has a carve-out of more than 4 million liters a day and Myanmar gets about 300,000, but refiners are sitting on extra product they’re not able to move. Jet fuel shipments to the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam were carved out in May. The FTI says that current reserves will support more than 100 days of use, and rainy-season needs will be soft as truckers “avoid flooded routes.” (?)

Read more: Bangkok Post

Firms Chase AI Gains They Can't Staff

Enterprise planners expect they will raise AI investment by at least 50%, the highest share found in a survey of eight Asian markets, with almost four-fifths of respondents said they will be increasing AI-related budgets. The catch is that almost two-thirds suggested that a lack of AI skills is their most urgent support need, and more than half thought that implementation costs were a major impediment to greater adoption.

Read more: Bangkok Post

Airport Security Can Open Checked Bags From October

It seems surprising that it’s not already the case, but apparently starting October 16, airport security will be able to open flagged checked bags without tracking down the owner first. They will be allowed to open bags, record the search and then notify the passenger after. CAAT says the change is in line with what’s already done in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the US and parts of Europe/ the Middle East. TSA-approved locks are recommended; damage complaints will be taken through the airlines or CAAT's portal.

Read more: Nation Thailand (new rule), Bangkok Post (lock advice)

Ex-DLA Chief Charged Over Rigged Exam

Theerut Suphawiboonphol, who ran the Department of Local Administration until this scandal broke, showed up at the Crime Suppression Division to answer to six charges, including malfeasance and the forging of official documents. He is one of 13 suspects in a scheme that allegedly changed answer sheets at a private testing center in Nonthaburi. Seven local officials accused of the paper-tampering are expected to report on Monday, and investigators say they’ll be handing the full case file to the National Anti-Corruption Commission by next Wednesday.

Read more: Bangkok Post

That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.

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The Mekong Memo is proudly presented by:

Horton International is your premier partner for executive search in Southeast Asia. Whether you're a small startup or a global corporation, our reliable and effective recruiting solutions are tailored to meet your unique needs. With extensive experience and offices across the region, we excel at overcoming recruitment challenges and securing top talent for your organization.

Click here to learn how Horton can make your life easier.

The Memo is published weekdays - Cambodia (every Monday), Myanmar (Tuesday), Laos (Wednesday), Vietnam (Thursday) and Thailand (Friday). The Thailand edition is free in its entirety; the others usually abbreviated for non-paid subscribers.

Please go to https://www.mekongmemo.com/account to select country editions you would like to receive without affecting your overall subscription status.

Anutin Pauses the Land Bridge

Deputy PM Ekniti Nitithanprapas stood before cameras Friday and declared the $30 billion Land Bridge finished. He said that an investigatory panel found that its return on investment had slipped to under 5 percent from a projected 8 percent, that cargo forecasts were down as much as 16 percent, and that nine of the world's ten biggest shipping lines were locked into rival routes elsewhere. BUT! The next day, PM Anutin Charnvirakul was in front of different cameras saying it was not scrapped at all, only paused until "geopolitical conditions" improve. He also mentioned that he had not spoken to Ekniti before contradicting him. Both men agree that Ranong Port gets a closer look for upgrades, and that the so-called "Missing Link" rail line connecting the Andaman coast to the national network needs to have more attention paid to it.

Read more: Wionews (environmental risk), Bangkok Tribune (review panel)

El Niño Forecast Causes 14-Agency Emergency

The Office of the National Water Resources pulled 14 state agencies into an emergency session, from the Meteorological Department to EGAT, to prepare for an El Nino that forecasters say could turn "very strong" between October and December and that is likely to outlast the one that emptied reservoirs in 2015. National rainfall is already 10 percent below average, and the dry spell is expected to continue into the middle of next year. The four main Chao Phraya basin dams are expected to hold 12,105 million cubic meters of usable water by November 1. That’s significantly down from 17,245 million a year earlier but still nearly three times the 4,247 million during the worst of the 2015 crisis. Deputy secretary-general Paitoon Kengkarnchang told farmers outside formal irrigation zones not to get comfortable and to adjust planting schedules now.

Read more: Nation Thailand

Nong Khai Rail Leg Tenders in December

Eight civil-works contracts for the Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai high-speed rail leg go out to bid in December, for 357 kilometers of track, five stations, and a 341.35 billion baht bill. Construction is expected to run from 2027 to 2031, extending the Bangkok-to-Nong Khai line that ties into Laos and China. Phase one to Nakhon Ratchasima is more than half finished, but two of fourteen contracts are still stuck in procurement and the Bangkok opening is now expected for 2030.

Read more: Nation Thailand

PM to Raise Kok Pollution with Min Aung Hlaing

The Prime Minister says he’ll raise the issue of toxic contamination in the Kok River with Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during his August 3-4 visit to Thailand, a short three weeks after passing over the topic during his trip to Beijing. China has been accused of driving the pollution by way of upstream mining, but Anutin told reporters that "matters concerning neighboring countries must first be resolved through direct dialogue among them." Environmental issues did come up in Beijing, he said, but they were about the green economy and clean energy, not the river that runs into Chiang Rai. Campaigners from the People's Network to Protect the Kok, Sai, Ruak, and Mekong Rivers also plan to petition Min Aung Hlaing directly at Myanmar's Consulate-General in Chiang Mai.

Read more: Bangkok Tribune

Milk Powder Standoff Curdles Before Canberra Trip

Australia and New Zealand want Thailand's two-stage skimmed milk powder approval process resolved before PM Anutin's early August visits to both countries. They say that the system is in breach of free trade agreement terms even though Bangkok has approved every volume requested by exporters. The Milk Board isn’t budging on the mechanism, but it has split applicants in two. Group 2, mostly small ice-cream and dessert makers whose production lines can’t use raw milk directly, got their quotas released on the grounds that they didn’t cause a domestic surplus. Group 1, the large operators that use raw-milk purchases as a condition for import quotas, are on hold until a working group settles how much of the surplus they will take up.

Read more: Nation Thailand

Siam Silica Chip Plan Needs 2,985 Hires by 2030

An ambitious new Siam Silica Framework sets 2030 targets of eight IC design firms, one fab, and two advanced packaging plants. No fab operator has been named, and NXPO's math shows the staffing gap is 152 academic faculty, 950 researchers and senior engineers, 553 high-skilled engineers, and 1,330 specialized technicians. No construction timeline was shared.

Read more: Asian News Network

SEC Identifies Two Ex-Directors in Bitkub Hack Complaint

The SEC has told the Economic Crime Suppression Division who allegedly cooked Bitkub's books: former directors Sakolkorn Sakavee and Thaweesap Rawan. The complaint is about Form DA 1 daily net capital reports filed from May 10 to October 30, 2021. The reports kept showing customer assets unmolested despite a May cyberattack that affected 16 types of digital assets worth more than $50 million. Bitkub says its co-founders bought replacement coins in the same amounts and currencies to keep clients whole, then stayed quite to avoid a run. Police will decide whether to hand the case to prosecutors.

Read more: Cryptonews

Bangkok Padlocks 60 Bars After Chatuchak Fire

Sixty Bangkok entertainment venues were shut for operating without valid licenses and 19 more lost permission to host live music after inspectors swept through 865 of the 1,204 venues the city flagged for review after a recent Chatuchak-area fire killed 36 people and injured 70. Inspectors are working through a list put together after Thailand's deadliest blaze in more than a decade tore through a beer hall and live music venue. There’s no published date for when the remaining inspections will be finished. The 19 venues stripped of live music permission are still allowed to operate as bars.

Read more: VnExpress

Gulf Crisis Grounds Southern Europe's Thai Trips

Spanish arrivals dropped 15.1 percent through mid-July, Italian arrivals declined 10.5 percent, and Portuguese arrivals slid 7.75 percent, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Rome office reports. The reason is that almost all Portuguese tourists, four-fifths of Spanish tourists, and three-fifths of Italians get to Thailand by way of Middle Eastern carriers, and the Gulf crisis has grounded much of that capacity just as southern Europe was riding a 22 percent arrivals boom. ITA Airways, which flies Rome-Bangkok direct, re-routed its aircraft to the Americas and cut May and June services, although it plans five flights a week in August. Gulf carriers have started bringing routes back online, but bookings remain cautious and travelers are demanding flexible cancellation terms.

Read more: Bangkok Post

That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.

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Share The Mekong Memo

If you value the Mekong Memo, please consider buying (or gifting!) a paid subscription, sharing it on social media or forwarding this email to someone who might enjoy it. Please also “like” this newsletter by clicking the ❤️ below (or sometimes above, depending on the platform), which helps us get visibility on the Substack network.

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The Mekong Memo is proudly presented by:

Horton International is your premier partner for executive search in Southeast Asia. Whether you're a small startup or a global corporation, our reliable and effective recruiting solutions are tailored to meet your unique needs. With extensive experience and offices across the region, we excel at overcoming recruitment challenges and securing top talent for your organization.

Click here to learn how Horton can make your life easier.

The Memo is published weekdays - Cambodia (every Monday), Myanmar (Tuesday), Laos (Wednesday), Vietnam (Thursday) and Thailand (Friday). The Thailand edition is free in its entirety; the others usually abbreviated for non-paid subscribers.

Please go to https://www.mekongmemo.com/account to select country editions you would like to receive without affecting your overall subscription status.

Checkpoint Ambush Leave Five Rangers Dead

Gunmen attacked the Bukeh Sami checkpoint in Rangae district, Narathiwat, on Wednesday evening, killing five members of Ranger Task Force Regiment 45 and wounding six civilians, including some children. Before escaping, the attackers stripped the checkpoint of weapons, bulletproof vests and mobile phones. Their pickup turned up torched 21 kilometers away in Sri Sakhon district, with a burned Songkhla license plate the only trace left behind. No group has yet claimed responsibility, but it is one of the deadliest strikes on security forces in years. PM Anutin Charnvirakul said it was a "brazen act of terrorism," while Army Chief of Staff Gen. Chaipruk Duangprapat flew to Narathiwat and promised to hunt the attackers down "whichever country supports them." Formal talks with the BRN, last held in December, were expected to restart in June, but they never did.

Read more: AP News (pipe bombs), CNA (governor visit), Bangkok Post (victims), Khaosod English (security order), Al Jazeera (death toll)

Chinese Embassy Pressures Cinemas On Taiwan Film Fest

A caller claiming to speak for the Chinese embassy called two Bangkok cinemas on July 22 and demanded that they remove Taiwan's Ministry of Culture logo from promotional materials for the Taiwan Documentary and Film Festival. When organizer Thida Plitpholkarnpim refused, the caller, speaking Thai with a Chinese accent, apparently started getting loud and threatening. A person identifying himself as an embassy official then showed up at one venue the next day to repeat the request. He said he would report the matter to his superiors and try to escalate it "to a national level." Thida said it was apparently the first such interference in the festival's eight-year run. Taiwan's representative Peter Lan said he had received no calls from Thai government officials about the incident. The festival, with 17 Taiwanese films in Bangkok and Khon Kaen, opened as scheduled. This story might be well-paired with the next one.

Read more: The Tribune (opening remarks), Taipei Times (Ang Lee film)

Anutin Signs Beijing's Taiwan Line, Taipei Objects

Anutin Charnvirakul's five-day China trip, which came to a close on July 20, resulted in at least 15 cooperation deals in AI, aviation, anti-money laundering and more, in addition to a joint statement backing Beijing's "one country, two systems" formula on Taiwan. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry rejected the wording, as Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said it was “false.”. Lin stopped short of threatening the visa-free arrangement between Taiwan and Thailand, saying travel policy is based on reciprocity and equal treatment, not politics. Back in Bangkok, Anutin took the stage at the Thailand-China Cooperation Expo to promise Chinese investors fast-track approvals by way of the BOI and EEC office and to personally guarantee their security.

Read more: Bangkok Tribune (railway pledge), Taiwan News (Lin Chia-lung), Asian News Network (expo jobs)

Bangkok Closes Door on Cambodia Border Talks

Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow says "the door has closed" on land border negotiations after Cambodia took the maritime dispute to UNCLOS compulsory conciliation. The Joint Boundary Commission has not met since October 2025, as Thailand postponed an earlier meeting during its general election. Phnom Penh says Bangkok walked away from the bilateral maritime framework first.

Read more: Prachatai English

Bitkub Charged for Hidden 1.7 Billion Baht Hack

The biggest crypto exchange has been hit with criminal charges over a 1.7 billion baht hack that it kept off its books. The SEC claims that after hackers stole 16 types of digital assets in May 2021, Bitkub's daily net liquid capital reports filed between May 10 and October 30 showed no meaningful dip in assets. Bitkub made customers whole by October 31, 2021, then kept filing clean reports. Former directors Sakolkorn Sakavee and Thaweesap Rawan, who signed the filings, are named along with the company and have additional charges for false statements in corporate documents. The case will go to the Economic Crime Suppression Division, then prosecutors, then the courts.

Read more: Bangkok Post

Bitcoin Miners Skip the Meter in Samut Sakhon

Raids on seven sites in Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom netted about 1,900 mining rigs after operators tapped directly into 22-kilovolt lines, bypassing meters on the high-voltage side of transformers. A legitimate 2,000-machine setup would use about 22 million baht (~$650k) a month in power. These facilities apparently only paid 10,000 to 25,000 baht. The total value of the stolen electricity is being figured to be more than 280 million baht, and the seized equipment is valued at 200 million.

Read more: Bangkok Post

Yuan Passes Yen in Thai Wallets

The yuan is now involved in about 5% of trade transactions, edging past the yen as importers look for cheaper settlement on the $42.2 billion in non-dollar, non-euro, non-yen imports last year. That is up sharply compared to the $18.2 billion reported in 2015. The dollar still owns 80%. The rupee, discussed for years, remains stuck below 1%.

Read more: Bangkok Post

Chinese Corruption Reporter Faces Deportation

Fifty-nine rights groups signed a statement last week urging Thailand not to deport Bai Zhaodong, an investigative journalist who spent more than 25 years reporting on corruption before Yulin's Public Security Bureau issued an "extortion" warrant in September 2024. Bai has been held at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center since January. Rights groups say Bai has faced six separate rounds of Chinese criminal charges connected to his reporting on money laundering that implicated senior CCP figures in Shaanxi. UN Special Rapporteur Andrea Bolanos Vargas has also called on Thai authorities to bring an end to deportation proceedings and help move the man to a third country.

Read more: Prachatai English

Court Convicts First Conscientious Objector

The Samut Prakan Provincial Court has found Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal guilty of draft evasion, giving him a six-month sentence suspended for a year. It’s the first such conviction of a conscientious objector in Thailand. The court used a prior Constitutional Court ruling to claim that the Military Service Act makes no exception for religious belief or conscience. Five Harvard Divinity School scholars, including Buddhist Studies professor Janet Gyatso, wrote to the court asking it to let Netiwit, now enrolled in the school's Master of Theological Studies program, return to finish his degree. No word yet on an appeal.

Read more: Prachatai English (indictment), Thai Enquirer (supporters), Prachatai English (academic record)

Finance Ministry Weighs $714M EV Fleet Swap

The Finance Ministry is weighing a 24 billion baht ($714 million) program to replace up to 80,000 taxis, tuk-tuks, motorcycle taxis, buses and trucks with EVs. Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat says the government is now reconsidering whether to extend help to every vehicle category, not only commercial fleets. The push got a bump after this month's Constitutional Court ruling clearing a 400 billion baht borrowing plan. The Energy Regulatory Commission is expanding its direct power purchase pilot, first opened to data centers, to EV makers, steel, auto parts, electronics and health care firms as "special electricity users.” ERC secretary-general Poonpat Leesombatpiboon said exporters without clean-power credentials have the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to worry about, but transmission capacity is limited and the rollout will be phased. Data centers will still be the priority through this year.

Read more: CNA (EV sales), Bangkok Post (power users)

AC Exports Ride Europe's Heat Dome

Air conditioner exports were $149 million in May, up almost 41 percent year-on-year and the strongest month since October 2025, pushing year-to-date shipments to $784 million. Germany bought $30.8 million worth (up almost 90 percent), Finland's orders more than quadrupled, and Sweden's almost tripled. The Trade Policy and Strategy Office said an early heat dome pushed May temperatures in parts of Western Europe up more than 10 degrees Celsius above normal, forcing retailers to restock ahead of a summer the World Meteorological Organization expects to run hot through September. Reversible units with heat pump features, favored under EU energy rules, led category growth. Air conditioning still extends to only about one in five European households, compared to a global average of more than one-third.

Read more: Bangkok Post

Cognizant and Gulf Edge Chase AI-Native Pitch

Cognizant and Gulf Edge, the digital infrastructure arm of Gulf Development, are teaming up to sell AI services in Thailand, starting with banking, energy and health care. The offering puts together Gulf Edge's data centers, cloud and satellite capabilities and Cognizant's engineering muscle. The tie-up could eventually result in the creation of 1,000-or-so high-skilled jobs. Gulf CEO Sarath Ratanavadi said it was a step toward making the country "an AI-native economy." The partners also hope to work with universities and public-sector bodies on talent development.

Read more: Khaosod English (Ratanavadi), Investing.com (announcement), Stocktitan (infrastructure), TradingView (Reuters)

Chiang Mai Wants a Direct Line to India

The government is making a case for direct flights between Chiang Mai and India, in addition to more efficient use of cargo connections between Ranong Port and Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata, betting the Andaman coast can pull tourists past Bangkok and shorten cargo routes to South Asia. Indian arrivals were 1,056,729 from January to May 2026, up almost 8 percent year-on-year. Talks with Indian carriers are under way, but no airline has, as of yet, committed to the Chiang Mai route.

Read more: Nation Thailand

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