Category: The Bangkok Post

The next general election is likely to cause the country its biggest headache ever. It will be the first time that voters will have four ballots — two for electing lawmakers and two for public referendums.

The first two ballots will include normal voting papers to elect constituency MPs and list-MPs to parliament and Government House. The third ballot will be a referendum about the content and process of planned constitutional amendments.

The real conundrum is the final ballot. It is a referendum on whether eligible voters should retain or repeal MoU 43 (2000) and MoU 44 (2001), signed with Cambodia, regarding the establishment of joint border committees to resolve land and maritime border disputes.

The fourth ballot is a fresh initiative of the new government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. It is facing pressure to address the Thai-Cambodia border issue, especially from an angry public that wants to see the government scrap both of the MoUs.

However, it remains a significant question why the Anutin government is allowing this foreign policy decision to be made by voters. Regarding the voters, deciding on the MoUs with Cambodia requires an understanding of history and its long-term effects.

Both MoUs have served as key diplomatic frameworks for the two countries to negotiate border demarcation and long-term resource sharing.

Political experts have publicly warned about the troubles ahead. Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn even warned that parliament could face delays in passing the required organic laws for elections and referendums.

A delay in parliament would mean another big political conflict for the Anutin government, which may face protests if it stays beyond the promised four-month term in office.

But the biggest challenge is preparing voters for the referendum. How will the government provide quality, well-balanced information for the public to decide?

Elections and public referendums require more than just setting days and venues, as both issues are complex and highly politicised.

Charter amendment has been a divisive issue. The opposition People’s Party and its pro-democracy allies have been campaigning for the rewriting of a new charter, aiming for drastic reforms.

The conservative camp and its political parties, meanwhile, prefer the least amount of amendments to the charter, opposing a full rewrite.

Another challenge now is providing voters with access to fair and balanced information, rather than propaganda from political camps. With the ongoing border conflict and surge of jingoism, it remains a big question whether voters can obtain sensible and quality information.

How will the government provide an honest view on the pros and cons of both MoUs without fearing backlash? How can voters digest the complex situation and make informed decisions?

The referendum has been enshrined as the mantra of a direct democracy. Mr Anutin said his decision to run the referendum is a form of “showing respect to public opinion”.

No matter how inspiring this sounds, the reality is that the referendum will only be successful if voters are well-informed on the matters at hand. The onus now falls on MPs and the Election Commission to run a campaign that communicates to voters and educates them.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday assured the House of Representatives that the probe into a collapsed road near Vajira Hospital in Bangkok’s Dusit district would be conducted both independently and transparently.

He said he has no business ties to Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction (STECON), founded by his father, which is part of the joint venture contracted to build the Purple Line near the treacherous sinkhole.

People’s Party (PP) MP for Bangkok, Paramet Worawitthayaraksan, pressed Mr Anutin to speak clearly about how the government would take action against the contractors over the incident and whether it would seek compensation for work delays.

“Will they be prosecuted, told to pay compensation or blacklisted? Will they be fined for delays in the project delivery?” Mr Paramet asked.

Mr Anutin said he sold his shares in the company through the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2019 in full compliance with all legal requirements for political office holders when he became aware the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) could secure a significant share of House seats.

The prime minister said he has no involvement with the company and has never used his influence for its benefit.

It was Mr Anutin’s first response to a fresh interpellation since he assumed office.

Founded by Chavarat Charnvirakul, Mr Anutin’s father, STECON was listed on the stock market in 1993 with a registered capital of 300 million baht.

On the probe into the collapsed road, he said the Ministry of Transport will be looking into the incident with the help of a committee comprising specialists and representatives from the Public Works Department and City Hall.

The investigation would be based on engineering evidence, he said, noting that if negligence or recklessness are proven, contractors would be held accountable.

He said the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) is working on repairs, and traffic is expected to resume on Oct 9, 2025.

A predawn storm on Friday brought heavy rain and strong winds to Greater Bangkok, toppling trees, damaging vehicles and flooding key roads.

Traffic radio broadcasters said strong winds and heavy rain toppled trees in Bang Kapi, Bang Sue, Huai Khwang and Din Daeng districts of Bangkok, as well as parts of Nonthaburi. Several vehicles were damaged, according to Traffic Police and Jor Sor 100 radio.

Flooding was also reported on Rama 9 and Bang Na-Trat roads.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said Chatuchak district appeared hardest hit but a full damage assessment was still pending.

The Meteorological Department reported heavy rain at Suvarnabhumi airport in the 24 hours to 7am Friday. City Hall later recorded light rain at 8.45am in districts west of the Chao Phraya River, including Phasi Charoen, Chom Thong and Thon Buri.

The department warned more rain was moving in from Saraburi and Prachin Buri and was expected to reach Nong Chok before noon. Widespread showers are forecast across Greater Bangkok through the weekend.

The country’s critical information infrastructure agencies and regulatory agencies improved their cybersecurity scores this year, while government agencies recorded lower scores.

For critical information infrastructure agencies, their average score increased to 89% in 2025, up from 83% last year, while regulatory agencies posted a score of 91%, rising from 85% in 2024, according to Thailand’s cyberthreat risk assessment conducted by the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA).

The average for government agencies dropped to 59%, from 65%.

This year 298 agencies, representing most state departments, participated in the self-assessment programme, of which 191 agencies submitted assessment results.

AVM Jadet Khuhakonkit, assistant to the NCSA secretary-general, said the agency is accelerating the elevation of cybersecurity threat protection standards to ensure Thailand is a stable and trustworthy nation.

AVM Jadet attributed the decline for government agencies to the increase in participation among agencies from various sectors this year.

This dip means there are significant cybersecurity gaps that need to be addressed, he said, especially in the areas of risk and vulnerability management, and cyberthreat response plan development and testing.

Other areas requiring attention include business continuity and crisis communications plan development, oversight of outsourced service providers, information asset registry development, threats detected, and risk trends.

NCSA and Mahidol University also identified the top three threats in Thailand: exploitation of internal vulnerabilities, unauthorised access to systems or data, and disruption or denial of service.

Threats are increasing from ransomware, supply chain attacks, cloud misconfiguration and phishing, demonstrating the need for Thai agencies to urgently address vulnerabilities and strengthen preventative and proactive measures, said AVM Jadet.

He said one approach to strengthen cybersecurity would be to invest in the existing National Threat Intelligence Platform, a national cyberthreat intelligence centre.

The platform started operations last year and collects, analyses, and shares data from all sectors with related agencies, in accordance with international standards.

“The platform enables critical infrastructure organisations and government agencies to respond to threats quickly and accurately,” said AVM Jadet.

The platform is operated by the Thailand Computer Emergency Response Team under NCSA’s umbrella.

Thailand will face 2013 champions Iraq, Australia, and China in Group D after the draw for the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 took place yesterday in Kuala Lumpur.

First-time hosts Saudi Arabia, who have automatically qualified for the finals, are joined by 15 teams from the qualifying competition.

The 16 teams were divided into four groups for the seventh edition of the tournament, which is scheduled to be held from Jan 6-24, 2026.

Saudi Arabia, the 2022 champions, will play 2018 runners-up Vietnam, Jordan and Kyrgyzstan in Group A.

Defending champions Japan will have to contend with 2024 hosts Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Syria in Group B.

The 2018 champions Uzbekistan are in Group C with the 2020 champions South Korea, Iran and finals debutants Lebanon.

The top two teams of each group will progress to the knockout stage.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) new waste separation initiative, “This House Doesn’t Mix”, has drawn an enthusiastic response from city residents, with more than 700,000 households registering since its launch on Wednesday, according to Pornprom Vikitsreth, the governor’s sustainability adviser.

Mr Pornprom, together with representatives from the National Housing Authority (NHA), visited the Kheha Huai Khwang housing community yesterday to observe operations at the local waste sorting facility and encourage proper waste management practices.

To drive household participation, the BMA introduced a new waste collection ordinance effective Oct 1. Under the rules, general households are charged 60 baht per month for waste collection. However, those who register with the programme pay only 20 baht per month.

Since the policy took effect, the programme has already exceeded expectations, doubling its initial target, he said. Of the 700,000 registrants, about 300,000 were individual households, while 400,000 represented groups such as apartments and housing estates.

Mr Pornprom said participation is expected to grow by 30% next year.

In recognition of local support, deputy governor Jakkapan Phiewngam presented awards to district offices with the highest participation rates.

Six districts were highlighted: Lat Phrao (14.57%), Samphanthawong (20.91%), Phra Khanong (14.52%), Bueng Kum (19.96%), Bangkok Yai (17.35%), and Phasicharoen (13.38%).

Khlong Sam Wa district was recognised for having the highest number of individual participants (14,487).

Bangkok turns to AI and LiDAR mapping to fix its weak, uncounted urban forest, promising safer streets and a high-tech defense against deadly air pollution.

Traditionally, checking tree inventory and evaluating the condition of trees are time-consuming and cost-constrained. The maintenance is very expensive because one has to visit every tree in proximity, then decide if maintenance needs to be done. But the Smart Tree Inventory (STI) uses a ground-based car-mounted mobile laser scanner-a 3D scanner and a panoramic camera-to capture trees very quickly.

Mr. Peter Sassi, Vice President of Greehill Asia-Pacific Pte-a Singapore-based tech company specializing in mapping, monitoring, and managing urban tree and green assets-explained that STI provides information analyzed with artificial intelligence. ‘This information is prepared for the experts so that they can focus their attention on the trees that actually need help and focus the limited maintenance efforts on the trees that actually need help,’ Sassi said during a talk entitled ‘Urban Forests for The Future: Global Lessons and Local Actions for Bangkok.’

The technology acts like a diagnostic tool for the city’s green infrastructure. Sassi likened the process to high-tech medical imaging: ‘You can imagine this that this is like a whole city MRI machine and then we go to the three doctors who decide what should be the treatment because currently you either go for one tree and treat it but that’s very expensive or go for the entire district but you have to over-treat it.’

Measurable Impact: Safer Streets and Cost Savings

The adoption of AI-powered technology immediately translates into better public safety and significant cost reduction for the city. Globally, STI has proven its ability to flag dangerous trees before they cause harm. The technology’s predictive analysis minimizes the risk of incidents and property damage, leading to an over 80% increase in safety for communities where it is deployed.

Simultaneously, the STI drives efficiency by allowing city maintenance crews to move from reactive, district-wide over-treatment to targeted care. By focusing resources only on the trees that the AI has highlighted with issues like significant lean angles, diebacks, or structural defects, cities can achieve up to 30% savings on maintenance costs. Sassi emphasized the long-term benefit: ‘If the bad things already happened, it’s a lot of cost to clean up afterwards. But if you just have to do some pruning before, it’s much easier.’

Local Crisis: Air Pollution and the Uncounted Forest

Bangkok’s move to a data-driven system is critical because its urban forest faces unique, severe environmental pressures, particularly from PM2.5 particulate matter. Trees are one of the city’s most vital defenses against this deadly air pollution, but the city cannot manage what it cannot measure.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chairat Treesubsuntorn, Head of the Remediation Laboratory at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, highlighted the urgency: ‘You could see like in Bangkok we face to many pollutions such as a particulate matter during the winters.’ He noted the current manual method-where arborists must check tree height, diameter, and leaf count one by one-is impossible at a city scale. ‘Imagine if you have to walk to the tree and then you have to check… and then you have to do it one by one,’ Dr. Chairat stressed.

Local experts estimate that of the city’s approximately 3 million trees, fewer than 1% have been electronically documented. This massive data gap prevents Bangkok from strategically using its green assets. Dr. Chairat explained that the technology is necessary to apply his lab’s findings on effective local species: ‘We have a very high diversity of the tree species and we need to we cannot use the references easily from the publication or from research in other countries.’

Bridging the Gap through Collaboration

Successful implementation hinges on collaboration among the private sector, academia, and local communities. Santi Opaspakornkij of the Big Trees Foundation emphasized that while the current governor’s initiative successfully planted over a million trees quickly, the real challenge lies in long-term, specialized care.

He pointed out that the city’s existing trees are often ‘big, it’s old, but it’s also not very strong’ because roads and buildings were constructed later, unintentionally weakening the root systems. To address this, collaboration and technology are key. Santi noted that international partnership often helps to bring about change locally: ‘When you know that your international friends the visitor the western expert tell you the same thing that some Thai organization has been telling for many years you now listen more.’

The new technology serves as the essential tool to unify these efforts, providing the objective data needed to transform the urban forest into a measurable and actively managed municipal asset.

A Shift to a Data-Driven City

The move to a Smart Tree Inventory signifies more than just an upgrade in city maintenance; it represents a fundamental shift toward making Bangkok a data-driven, resilient city. By embracing this technology, the city transforms its neglected green assets into a crucial part of its infrastructure, actively improving air quality, enhancing public safety, and safeguarding its citizens’ health. This cross-sector collaboration provides the precise, objective knowledge base necessary to manage the entire urban forest proactively, ensuring that Bangkok’s next million trees are not just planted, but scientifically positioned to thrive and deliver maximum benefit to the community for generations to come.

Suchatvee Suwansawat disclosed the policy of a new party, Thaikaomai, on Friday to use education as a key driver to woo voters when it contests a new general election next year.

“Education is the core of everything. Education is the game changer for Thailand,” he told an event to kick off the party platform.

The party was formed last month after he resigned from the Democrat Party in July. It was officially introduced to the public on Friday.

Thaikaomai unveiled what he termed the four-arrow policy to improve education, and use new technology to help small- and medium-enterprises and startups to steer the economy. The other two arrows targeted plans to improve the quality of life and measures to stamp out corruption.

Mr Suchatvee attacked a populist policy used to attract voters for failing to resolve all problems as it only delayed the country from reaching “the stage of a coma”. “Education is the strongest medicine (to cure the country),” he added.

Education would turn around Thailand from a labour-exporting country to be a nation equipped with innovation and creativity to compete in the world and attract investors to the kingdom, he added.

Mr Suchatvee was the president of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang before entering politics.

Key leaders of the new party include Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, a former Democrat deputy leader, who is the Thaikaomai chairwoman. Varavij Kambhu Na Ayudhaya is one of the deputies and Kanate Wangpaichitr leads the economic team.

Mr Suchatvee said Thaikaomai will consider invitations to join a government after the new nationwide poll if the party is given an opportunity to take responsibility for education.

The idea of braiding sailing cables, fixed at both ends with rivets, and shaping a gold clasp like a marine carabiner led to the creation of the Force 10 bracelet in 1966.

Maison Fred has enriched the interchangeable buckle of its iconic jewellery with a 0.5 carat diamond in the exclusive Hero Cut with a diamond pavé amplifying the radiance of the central stone.

Launched in 2022, the Fred Hero Cut is inspired by the contours of both a sailboat and a shield. Recognised and certified by the Gemological Institute of America, its brilliance is fully revealed in each of its 36 facets.

Thanks to the meticulous faceting, the Fred Hero Cut ensures the diamond is of absolutely flawless clarity without any shadows.

The number of facets is a nod to 1936, when founder Fred Samuel — the Contemporary Creative Jeweller — opened his first boutique in Paris.

As his French parents emigrated to Argentina, he was born in Buenos Aires on Aug 3, 1908. During his childhood, he enjoyed holidaying in the seaside town of Mar del Plata, and after returning to France he fell in love with the Côte d’Azur.

His passion for the sea is reflected in the jewellery designs, such as the Force 10, which indicates a storm when referencing the Beaufort Wind Scale.

Synonymous with endurance, strength and will power, the new Force 10 bracelet in a large model comes in two versions with a steel cable and white gold buckle or both elements in pink gold.

Newly appointed Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat has pledged to improve dialysis services for more than 100,000 patients nationwide within the next two months.

The move comes in response to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s directive to ensure such treatment is provided free of charge under the “Kidney Dialysis Treatment Everywhere with One ID Card” scheme.

The announcement was made on Wednesday after Mr Anutin raised concerns over widespread complaints from patients who reported being charged extra fees for dialysis, despite their entitlement to free treatment under the universal healthcare programme, also known as the 30-baht scheme.

Mr Anutin tasked the new minister with resolving the issue within two months.

In response, Mr Pattana said the ministry is preparing immediate measures to ease the burden on patients, including exploring the possibility of providing travel allowances for those who must regularly commute to treatment centres.

“The real solution lies not only in dialysis but in organ transplantation, which is the ultimate treatment for kidney disease. The ministry will also work to expand transplant services for the greatest benefit of patients,” he said.

Jadej Thammatacharee, secretary-general of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), expressed confidence that the upgraded services would be in place within two months.

He said patients would no longer incur additional costs, adding that a multidisciplinary team would be established to more effectively assess and prioritise cases.

Not all patients require dialysis, yet some are advised by their doctors to begin treatment earlier than needed, he noted. To address this, the NHSO is considering offering second medical opinions to prevent unnecessary treatments and ensure more efficient use of the budget.

Currently, the NHSO has allocated 16 billion baht for dialysis services, with an estimated increase of more than 3 billion baht required next year. Dr Jadej suggested that “unnecessary cases” may be contributing to the rising costs.

He also acknowledged that while the “Dialysis Everywhere with One ID Card” policy is highly ambitious, further discussions are needed to ensure its successful implementation.