Category: The Bangkok Post

Her Majesty the Queen will participate in the 2026 International Tourism Promotion Triathlon Festival, scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday at Dongtan Bay in Sattahip district, Chon Buri, organisers announced.

The event, titled Amazing Race Festival Toyota Sattahip Triathlon 2026 Presented by Mama, will be held under the xpatronage of Their Majesties the King and Queen, with winners competing for royal trophies.

The competition is organised by the Thailand Tri League in cooperation with the Aquatics Association of Thailand and the Chon Buri provincial administration.

According to the Aquatics Association of Thailand, Her Majesty has accepted the invitation to join the international sporting event, which aims to promote tourism and sports development.

The association has invited the public to gather and offer support during Her Majesty’s participation on Sunday from 6am to 10am at Dongtan Bay, located within the Royal Thai Navy’s Fleet Headquarters in Sattahip.

Event organisers, including the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Chon Buri provincial office, the Royal Thai Navy, the Fleet Headquarters, the Aquatics Association of Thailand, and the Thailand Tri League, expressed their gratitude for Her Majesty’s participation.

The statement was issued on behalf of the organising committee by Capt Thamanat Prompow, president of the Aquatics Association of Thailand.

Alongside the triathlon festival, organisers will stage the 2026 Thailand Open Water Swimming Championships, Series 2, at the same venue over the weekend.

The championship will feature races over four distances: 1km, 3km, 5km and 10km.

Two-way tourism has been a focus in driving Chinese arrivals back to pre-pandemic levels, said the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) during a roadshow in new potential cities in China.

Last week, Atta held a roadshow in three cities — Urumqi, Dunhuang and Lanzhou — located in western China along the fabled Silk Road trade route.

In collaboration with the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), which oversees outbound tours, Atta took more than 80 Thai tourism operators to meet 300 Chinese operators in Urumqi, 100 in Dunhuang and 300 in Lanzhou.

“If there are not enough Thai tourists travelling abroad, there will not be any foreign tourists coming here either,” said Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, president of Atta, as the association targets 7 million Chinese arrivals this year.

NEW MARKETS

Mr Thanapol said the association visited Urumqi in Xinjiang to meet Chinese operators, as the area is considered a new market for both inbound and outbound agents. The city still lacks direct flights to Thailand after charter services were suspended during the pandemic.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Chengdu office, western China has a population of 223 million, or 15.8% of the country’s population.

Airports across the region handled more than 12 million passengers last year, a 35% year-on-year increase. Their key outbound destinations included Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Northeast Asia.

Urumqi International Airport accommodated more than 1.1 million passengers last year, a 64% year-on-year increase, with key outbound destinations including Kazakhstan, Russia and Hong Kong.

More than 28 airports operate across Xinjiang province, recording 4.4 million passengers last year.

Li Nuoyi, marketing manager at the TAT’s Chengdu office, said Xinjiang’s rising disposable income has driven outbound travel demand.

Chinese travellers prefer warm-weather destinations in Southeast Asia, such as Bangkok and Phuket, to escape the cold winter, as well as destinations offering visa-free entry or visa-on-arrival schemes with fewer barriers. Family and group travel also dominate the market.

Several airlines offer transit flights from Urumqi to Thailand, including Urumqi Air, Sichuan Airlines, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.

Ms Li said potential packages targeting Urumqi travellers include winter island escapes, Muslim-friendly tours, tropical fruit and seafood culinary trips, family and children’s adventure packages, and honeymoon packages.

Nijutti Yusufu, manager of CYTS Travel Service, a tour company in Xinjiang, said that in the past, around 50,000-100,000 tourists from Xinjiang visited Thailand annually, but that figure has now fallen to roughly 10,000-20,000 per year due to a lack of flights and concerns about travel safety in Thailand.

Mr Yusufu said that if operators on both sides work together to stimulate demand, visitor numbers could reach half of their previous levels in the coming years.

The most important factor is encouraging direct flights between Thailand and Xinjiang. Airlines can use Urumqi as a connecting point between Thailand and Russia due to its location, which serves another popular market for both inbound and outbound travel.

Top destinations for inbound travellers were Pattaya, Bangkok and Phuket, with trips typically lasting eight to nine days. Average tour packages were priced at around 6,000-9,000 yuan.

Cheng Xi Long, chairman of Xinjiang Chunqiu International Travel Service, said it remains difficult for other destinations to compete with Thailand due to its perception as offering excellent value for money.

However, Mr Cheng said emerging markets such as Nha Trang in Vietnam are gaining popularity, offering similar beach experiences at lower prices. During winter, direct charter flights also operate to that destination.

Some tourists choose to visit Chinese cities bordering Vietnam and then enter the country via land crossings, as this is cheaper than taking domestic flights.

TWO-WAY TOURISM

Chinese inbound travel agents also endorsed two-way tourism collaboration, seeing opportunities to attract Thai tourists.

Zhou Xin Wei, deputy general manager of Xinjiang Wanli International Travel Service, which handles inbound tourism to Xinjiang, said the province is a good option for travellers from Southeast Asia, where there is no winter season comparable to Xinjiang’s. The province offers attractions across all four seasons.

Kong Wen, manager of tour company Silushenyun, said that over the past two years there has been an increase in foreign tourists visiting Dunhuang due to collaboration and support from the Chinese government. His company caters to tourists from various Asian countries, including Thailand.

Known for its crescent-shaped lake nestled among sand dunes and the Mogao Caves, home to hundreds of grottoes, the city welcomed 52,356 foreign tourists, excluding visitors from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, last year, up from 13,325 in 2023.

More than 4,686 Thai tourists visited the city last year, making Thailand the fourth-largest source market, up from 995 visitors in 2023.

From Aug 28 through October, there will be 29 direct charter flights between Dunhuang and Bangkok. Atta aims to increase capacity to 70 flights through collaboration with Chinese agents, with average airfares starting from 15,000 baht.

Mr Kong said that in the past, travelling from Dunhuang to Thailand required a connecting flight via Lanzhou or Xi’an, which was inconvenient for tourists. With direct flights coming up, this would greatly help stimulate travel demand.

He said the company expects to sell a significant number of flight tickets to Thai tourists travelling to Dunhuang. Many Chinese tourists are also already familiar with, and keen to visit, Thailand.

WESTERN CHINA GROWTH

According to the TAT’s Chengdu office, Thailand remains the top overseas destination for travellers from western China, supported by an average of 147 weekly flights.

For Thailand-bound routes, the region had 1.26 million seats in 2025, recovering to roughly 65% of pre-Covid-19 levels. Of the total, 1 million seats were for flights to Bangkok, while the remainder were for Phuket.

The top two source markets were Sichuan and Chongqing provinces, with 791,849 seats and 219,825 seats respectively.

Northwest China, which includes the Urumqi hub, accounted for only 38,472 seats, leaving significant room for growth given its international airport facilities.

It was the only area in western China to record capacity growth from 2024 to 2025, increasing by 48.5%.

Summer data show that the region provided 117,599 seats and 117,209 seats to Thailand in July and August respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 15.4% and 13.9%.

Together with Atta and the TAT, the Thailand Science Research and Innovation agency, the Program Management Unit for Competitiveness, and King Power also helped organise last week’s roadshow.

Senator Nantana Nantavaropas on Monday grilled the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) over the B1.6bn TH-AI Passport project during a parliamentary session, questioning its transparency and stated benefits.

The senator raised nine concerns about the scheme, which involves planned spending of 1.6 billion baht to procure 12 AI models, providing up to 5 million Thais with access to professional AI services. Ms Nantana noted that the project’s terms of reference (ToR) were drafted and the bidding process completed within just 34 days, arguing that the speed raised questions rather than confidence.

She asked why the project was designed to cover five million user accounts and what criteria would be used to allocate them. She also questioned why the AI services had to be procured through an intermediary, and whether the “AI Pro” package offered was genuinely a premium product or merely a basic version already available free of charge to the public.

Furthermore, she criticised a requirement in the ToR for advertising on 1,500 convenience-store screens, asking why such services would be promoted through physical retail outlets rather than digital platforms.

Ms Nantana also raised concerns about the winning bidder, noting its contract extension for MotoGP and previous involvement in setting reference prices for other ministries.

Deputy DES Minister Nan Boonthida Somchai rejected suggestions that the procurement process was unusually rushed, stating the 34-day period did not cover the entire process and followed standard government procedures.

Ms Nan said the project was a pilot scheme to expand access to AI tools among Thais aged 15 and above. Responding to questions about the intermediary, she said the project involved eight providers and 14 platforms, making direct negotiations impractical.

She also defended the convenience-store advertising, citing estimates that as many as 20 million people visit such stores daily.

The ministry will hold a public forum on June 11 to gather feedback. Ms Nantana, however, said the scheme is poor value for taxpayers and a waste of public funds.

The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) has opened a new cargo-handling facility at Bangkok Port to speed up the processing of imported goods arriving by barge, reduce logistics costs and ease congestion.

The dedicated facility, covering 22,000 square metres at Warehouses 8 and 9, will handle less-than-container-load (LCL) imports transported via coastal shipping routes, including from Laem Chabang Port.

Sub Lt Rutthakorn Khiewpaisal, acting director-general of PAT, said the new area separates barge cargo operations from feeder vessel services, which previously shared the same facilities and often caused delays.

The facility is directly connected to Road No. 2 and located next to container yards, allowing containers arriving by barge to be opened and processed immediately after docking.

“This reduces waiting times, unnecessary container relocations and truck travel distances within the port, while improving safety and easing congestion,” Sub Lt Rutthakorn said.

LCL shipments combine goods from multiple importers in a single container to maximise space and reduce transport costs. Once the container arrives, the goods must be sorted, inspected, stored and distributed to individual importers.

PAT said the new facility is expected to improve cargo flow through coastal shipping routes, speed up container turnover and lower operating costs for shipping lines and logistics operators.

The authority added that the project supports the Transport Ministry’s policy of promoting waterborne transport, which can help reduce road traffic and improve energy efficiency. PAT said it would continue upgrading port facilities and management systems to accommodate growing demand and strengthen the country’s logistics network.

Activist Srisuwan Janya on Monday petitioned the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt over allegations of interference in the appointment of senior Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials.

Mr Srisuwan asked the anti-graft agency to examine claims that an individual known as “Agong” wielded undue influence over personnel decisions within the BMA and was involved in the alleged trading of official positions.

The complaint followed allegations made by former Pheu Thai Party MP Jirayu Huangsap during the Inside Thailand television programme last Tuesday.

He claimed that two individuals known as “Sia Tor” and “Sia Por” exercised significant influence over the appointments of senior BMA officials.

He alleged that the pair controlled major budgets and were involved in bribery linked to personnel transfers and appointments in several government agencies.

The allegations gained further attention when Economic Party leader and MP Chris Potranandana held a press conference on Thursday outlining what he described as Agong’s network.

Mr Chris questioned whether Mr Chadchart or Agong held greater influence within the BMA, alleging that the network was involved in trading official positions, some reportedly worth up to four million baht.

He said he possessed evidence relating to the transfer of 17 BMA officials — including 16 district directors and one inspector — during Mr Chadchart’s tenure.

According to Mr Chris, the officials were formally transferred to the Office of the Permanent Secretary but continued to perform duties in their original district offices.

While saying he did not regard Mr Chadchart as personally corrupt and acknowledging his popularity among Bangkok residents, Mr Chris said questions remained about the fairness and transparency of the BMA’s personnel management system.

Former deputy Bangkok governor Tavida Kamolvej rejected the allegations, saying that previous appointment orders had been revoked following complaints about inconsistent evaluation criteria and had subsequently been reviewed by the Merit System Protection Commission.

A 2-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday after he and his parents were hit by a drink-driver motorist while walking on a roadside on Monday.

The accident occurred in the Ban Pong Wang area of tambon Pichai, Muang district, according to the Lampang Rescue Association.

The father, mother and the boy were walking along the roadside when a black pickup truck crashed into a parked sedan and then knocked down the family.

All three were injured, with the young boy left unconscious. Emergency responders rushed them to Lampang Hospital.

At 2am on Tuesday, the young victim was pronounced dead by the hospital.

According to local media reports, the pickup driver, who has not been named, was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred. He is reportedly an assistant village chief.

Police said the investigation was continuing.

The Thai Restaurant Association plans to call on the government to expand the “Thai Chuay Thai Plus” (Thais Help Thais Plus) co-payment scheme to include larger restaurant operators.

The co-payment scheme allows restaurants, beverage shops and small retailers that are not registered as legal entities, as well as public transport operators such as motorcycle taxi and metered taxi drivers, to participate.

Public transport services such as metro, bus and boat operators are also eligible to register for the scheme.

Legal entities that sell food, beverages or goods may join the scheme if their annual revenue does not exceed 1.8 million baht.

Under the scheme, the government will subsidise 60% of the purchase price, with participating individuals covering the remainder. The subsidy is capped at 200 baht per day and 1,000 baht per month for four months. The scheme runs from June 1 to Sept 30.

The association released an open letter to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, stating that restaurant operators are struggling amid the current economic situation. In the second quarter of this year, sales have fallen by 30-50%, while raw material costs have risen by 15-20%.

This combination of rising costs and declining sales has added pressure to existing challenges, including rising labour costs, labour shortages and the high commissions charged by food delivery platforms.

The association asked the prime minister to consider expanding the eligibility criteria or launching new measures to allow restaurant operators with annual revenue of between 2-5 million baht, which she classified as small restaurants, to participate in the co-payment scheme.

The association’s president, Thaniwan Kulmongkol, told the Bangkok Post that after the first week of the Thais Help Thais Plus scheme, small restaurant operators had seen a further drop in already sluggish sales as diners turned to micro food vendors participating in the co-payment scheme.

“Small restaurant operators who are legal entities feel this is unfair. They have complied with all regulations, including value-added tax registration, and social security contributions for employees. They are also feeling the economic impact, but are not eligible to participate in the current co-payment scheme,” she said.

Meanwhile, a large restaurant operator has also been impacted by the scheme. Suki Teenoi, a shabu shabu restaurant chain, posted on its Facebook fan page on Monday, pointing out that the Thais Help Thais Plus is a successful stimulus measure for supporting micro-operators.

However, as a large operator, the company is not eligible for this scheme and has observed a significant decline in diners. The company plans to use this period to renovate three of its existing locations.

The Finance Ministry will review the eligibility criteria for the state welfare card scheme following concerns that some elderly parents have been unfairly disqualified after their children claimed tax deductions on their behalf, despite not providing any financial support.

Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said on Monday that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had instructed the ministry to re-examine the rule after receiving complaints from members of the public.

Under the current rules, parents can lose eligibility for the state welfare card scheme if their children claim a parental tax deduction, even when they do not actually provide financial support.

However, authorities acknowledged that the reality may be different in some cases.

“In today’s Thai society, there are cases where children claim tax deductions but do not genuinely take care of their parents,” said Mr Ekniti, also a deputy prime minister.

“We are concerned that this could have unintended consequences,” Mr Ekniti said.

“The prime minister has therefore instructed us to review whether this criterion is unfair to parents whose children have claimed benefits on their behalf without actually providing support.”

Mr Ekniti said the review would be considered by the Pracharat welfare committee for the grassroots economy and society, which oversees the state welfare card programme.

The scheme’s primary objective is to assist people facing genuine hardship who lack adequate support or access to other welfare mechanisms.

Authorities have received numerous complaints over the past several years that some cardholders are not truly in need, while others experiencing severe hardship have been excluded from the system, he said.

The government is currently reviewing existing beneficiaries and is opening registration for potential new recipients until June 21. The Interior Ministry has also been tasked with identifying vulnerable individuals who may have been overlooked, particularly those who are poor and have no one to care for them.

“The review would be carried out as quickly as possible,” he said. While the disputed tax-deduction criterion was based on claims made during the previous tax year, officials would consider whether adjustments are needed in future screening rounds to ensure fairness for all parties.

He reiterated that the state welfare card is intended for the most vulnerable groups and that stricter screening is necessary to ensure limited public funds are directed to those who genuinely need assistance.

Individuals removed from the programme but who do not meet the definition of severe hardship may instead qualify for support under the government’s “Thais Help Thais Plus 60/40” co-payment scheme.

Meanwhile, Finance Ministry spokes­- man Vinit Visessuvanapoom said the issue would be submitted to the relevant welfare committee for urgent consideration before the announcement of approved beneficiaries on July 17.

Mr Vinit said the review reflected the government’s commitment to balancing two objectives: reducing welfare leakage by removing recipients whose financial circumstances have improved, while also expanding access for genuinely disadvantaged people who may have been left out of previous registration rounds.

Four illegal Chinese migrants were detained after a pickup truck driver transporting them fled police, drove against traffic and fatally struck a motorcycle delivery rider in Mae Sot district, Tak province, on Tuesday. The Thai driver was arrested.

Mae Sot police said they received reports of an Isuzu D-Max pickup, registered in Tak, fleeing officers before colliding head-on with a motorcycle and killing the rider instantly. The victim was identified only as Nu, 35.

The incident began when the pickup was waiting at a red light on Asian Highway 12 (AH12), heading toward the Rim Moei Market area in tambon Tha Sai Luat. The driver reportedly spotted a police patrol vehicle, made an immediate U-turn and drove against traffic in an apparent attempt to evade inspection.

During the escape, the pickup struck the motorcycle, continued toward Mae Sot town and allegedly dropped off Chinese nationals at various locations along the route.

Police coordinated a pursuit involving patrol units and tracked the vehicle to an intersection near the Mae Sot municipality office. Officers opened fire on the pickup’s tyres, discharging about eight rounds.

The bullets punctured both the front and rear right-side tyres, while the vehicle’s bonnet was left riddled with more than eight bullet holes.

The pickup eventually lost control and stopped in a roadside area near a life-insurance office.The driver, identified only as Chai, 31, was caught along with one Chinese man found in the rear of the vehicle. Officers later tracked down and arrested three other men who had been dropped off during the chase.

Pol Col Rang Daodueng, chief of Mae Sot police station, said patrol officers became suspicious after spotting Chinese passengers inside the pickup and attempted to conduct a search. The driver panicked and fled, driving against traffic and causing the fatal crash, he said.

All four Chinese men face charges of illegal entry, while the driver has been charged with fleeing police, reckless driving causing death and assisting illegal migrants to enter the country.

Ten Chinese nationals were arrested on Monday when police raided a luxury house in Saraphi district and uncovered a call-scam – operators posing as insurance and delivery companies targeting victims in their home country.

Acting on information received, the cybercrime taskforce had obtained a search warrant from the Chiang Mai Provincial Court, Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Phongwiwattanachai, deputy commander of Provincial Police Region 5, said on Tuesday.

Nine men and a woman, Chinese nationals, were subsequently detained at a residence in village 4, tambon Nong Phueng of Saraphi district. Arresting officers also seized 67 mobile phones, seven iPads and 13 laptop computers.

The seized devices, and the information in them, indicated the premises had been used as a scam centre targeting victims overseas, mainly in China, police said.

The group allegedly posed as employees of insurance and delivery companies to trick victims into installing software that allowed access to personal information, leading to financial fraud.

They received payment through cryptocurrency transactions, investigators said.

Some of the suspects had entered Thailand on tourist visas and had rented the property, paying about 80,000 baht per month.