Category: The Bangkok Post

Highway police arrested five Chinese men and two Thais for carrying no legal travel documents, in this southern province on Saturday night.

According to the Central Investigation Bureau, police stopped a brown Hyundai H-1 van driving suspiciously fast in the right lane with curtains drawn on Highway 41 in tambon Wisai Tai of Sawee district, Chumphon, at 11.40pm on Saturday.

A search found Lin Gun, 30, He Dachun, 39, Zhang Buizi, 30, Xie Jia, 35, and Jiang Jiahui, 38, in the vehicle. They had no legal travel documents and claimed to be travelling from Cambodia to Malaysia, via Thailand.

Police also found two Thais, Somprasop, 53, and Preecha, 38, in the van. One of them was the driver and the other was escorting the men. Police seized eight mobile phones from the group.

The Chinese men told police, via an interpreter, that they sneaked into Thailand from Cambodia and were heading for Malaysia.

The Thai suspects said they were hired for 20,000 baht to pick up the Chinese group in the Central Plains and drop them off in Chana district of Songkhla, which borders Malaysia.

Indian tourist arrivals fell by more than 10% last month following changes to Thailand’s visa rules, while arrivals from other key foreign markets continued to improve in line with the recovery in flight capacity.

From Aug 1-22, Indian arrivals to Thailand declined by 11.6% year-on-year. However, the decline was an improvement from the 20.2% contraction recorded in July, according to the Bank of Thailand.

Speaking at a briefing on economic and monetary conditions for July on Monday, Pranee Sutthasri, senior director of the central bank’s macroeconomic department, said the decline in Indian tourist arrivals followed Thailand’s revision of visa exemption rules for foreign visitors, including Indian nationals.

In July, the cabinet decided to halve the visa-free stay for tourists, dropping many countries from the scheme while approving new privileges for other nationalities, including Indian tourists.

Under the new arrangement, the 30-day visa exemption applies to visitors from 60 countries.

Thailand also expanded visa privileges for six countries — India, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta and Maldives — and provided equal visa privileges to all 27 member states of the European Union.

In 2025, Indian travellers accounted for 7.5% of international tourist arrivals to Thailand, ranking third behind China, which accounted for 33.6%, and Europe, which contributed 12.4%. The Middle East ranked fourth, accounting for 3.7% of arrivals, according to the central bank.

Mrs Pranee said the central bank would continue to monitor Indian arrivals. From Aug 1-22, India was the only one of Thailand’s four primary international tourist markets to record a decline in arrivals.

During the period, arrivals from China increased by 23.5%, while those from Europe and the Middle East rose by 1.2% and 18.6% respectively.

Total foreign arrivals declined by 0.3% year-on-year, an improvement from the 2.5% contraction recorded in July.

In July, foreign tourist arrivals after seasonal adjustment increased to 2.5 million from 2.1 million in June, driven by long-haul markets such as Europe and the Middle East, as well as China, according to the central bank.

The improvement was supported by a gradual recovery in flight capacity following the easing of tensions in the Middle East, together with stronger travel demand during the summer school holiday in many countries.

Meanwhile, the recovery in tourist arrivals from short-haul markets, excluding China, remained gradual.

Tourism receipts after seasonal adjustment increased by 2.7% in July, in line with the uptick in foreign tourist arrivals.

However, spending per trip declined, reflecting a slightly shorter average length of stay as travel patterns normalised following the easing of the Middle East conflict, noted the regulator.

Looking ahead, the tourism recovery will partially depend on the recovery of flight capacity, which remains constrained, said Mrs Pranee.

Competition in regional tourism markets also remains intense and will affect the Thai travel sector’s trajectory, she said.

State enterprise investment spending in 2027 is expected to near the pre-pandemic level of 300 billion baht, according to the chief of the State Enterprise Policy Office (Sepo).

Tibordee Wattanakul, director-general of Sepo, said investment spending by state-owned enterprises is projected to reach 236 billion baht in 2026, while next year it is expected to rise to 280 billion baht, closer to the pre-Covid level of 300 billion baht. The increase reflects the economic recovery, he said.

Regarding the disbursement of state enterprise investment budgets, during the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, from October 2025 to August 2026, 218 billion baht was disbursed out of a total investment budget of 236 billion baht, roughly 92% of the allocation.

Mr Tibordee also discussed the performance of the Vayupak Fund, an investment fund offering units to the public owned by the Finance Ministry.

The fund’s net asset value (NAV) increased by 28% this year as of the end of July, growing in line with the Stock Exchange of Thailand index.

The Vayupak Fund focuses on investing in securities offering attractive returns, financial stability, business sustainability and good corporate governance, delivering robust performance aligned with the Thai bourse, he said.

As of July 31, the fund had an NAV of 596 billion baht, up from 490 billion at the end of 2025. The value comprised NAV of 156 billion baht for Type A investment units (held by general investors) and 440 billion baht for Type B investment units (held by the Finance Ministry).

According to Mr Tibordee, Sepo will continue to monitor the fund’s performance to ensure it remains capable of generating attractive and stable long-term returns for the public.

The fund should continue to serve as an important mechanism for developing the country’s money and capital markets, as well as supporting the economy, he noted.

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo has turned her first music festival into a US$20 million fundraising effort for women’s causes, with the singer’s Daisy Chain Fields drawing 45,000 fans to Great Park in Irvine, California this past Aug 29.

The festival initially raised $10 million for 10 non-profit organisations before philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced an additional $10 million contribution through her organisation, Pivotal, doubling the total.

The beneficiaries are Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeFrom, Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Women’s Law Center and Planned Parenthood.

Rather than keeping philanthropy separate from the entertainment, 23-year-old Rodrigo incorporated it throughout the festival. The Daisy Chain Reaction philanthropy village gave visitors the opportunity to meet representatives from the organisations and learn more about their work, spanning reproductive health, maternal care, economic security, legal advocacy and gender equality.

Art was another central part of the experience. At the entrance, visitors encountered Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree, an interactive installation that invited festivalgoers to write their wishes on tags and attach them to its branches. The festival also featured work by the Guerrilla Girls and artist Jenny Holzer.

The music lineup reflected Rodrigo’s interest in connecting generations of women artists. Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Bikini Kill, Stevie Nicks, The Breeders and Santigold were among the performers, with Rodrigo closing the festival alongside a series of special guests.

The festival was inspired in part by Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair, the groundbreaking touring festival she co-founded in 1997 to spotlight women in music at a time when female artists were often underrepresented on festival bills.

Lilith Fair went on to become one of the most successful touring festivals of its era, and its influence was evident in Rodrigo’s decision to build Daisy Chain Fields around an all-women lineup and a wider mission of solidarity. McLachlan, who was among the festival’s performers, joined Rodrigo onstage for ‘Building a Mystery’ and ‘Angel’.

All of the performers waived their fees, allowing more of the festival’s proceeds to go towards its charitable partners.

For Rodrigo, Daisy Chain Fields represents an expansion of her activism beyond the traditional concert stage. After one day, the festival had combined pop music, visual art and advocacy into a single platform, working to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide.

A woman accused of acting as an agent for a major corporate mule-account network, backed by a Chinese financier, has been arrested in Bangkok. Police say accounts supplied by the network had been linked to more than 27 fraud cases.

Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) searched a house at a luxury housing estate in Phasicharoen district on Wednesday, where they arrested the 31-year-old suspect who was wanted on a warrant issued by the Chanthaburi Provincial Court on Aug 13.

The woman, identified only as Ranwarat, or Pim, faces charges of fraud, entering false computer data into a computer system, and opening or allowing another person to use bank accounts.

The arrest followed complaint filed in August by a solar-panel business owner in Chanthaburi who was contacted by a prospective customer via the shop’s Line account seeking to buy a large quantity of solar-powered lamps worth 395,000 baht.

After establishing contact, the customer reportedly persuaded the victim to help purchase concertina razor wire worth 700,000 baht, claiming it was to be delivered to a military camp in Chon Buri.

The victim, believing the story, transferred the money to a bank account bearing the name of a limited partnership, thinking it belonged to a legitimate business.

However, the customer could not be contacted after the transfer, prompting the victim to realise that he had been scammed and file a police complaint.

During preliminary questioning, the suspect told police that financial trouble led her to look for ways to solve her problems. She started out by registering a limited partnership, with herself as its director, despite the entity having no genuine business operations.

She then opened a bank account in the partnership’s name and sold it through Facebook groups advertising the purchase of bank accounts, earning 80,000 baht.

An examination of evidence found on her seized mobile phone showed that she had also worked as a broker arranging for other such corporate mule accounts to be set up.

After realising such accounts could generate relatively high returns, she began advertising on Facebook for people willing to open limited-partnership accounts.

Investigators said checks on bank accounts she had previously sold revealed links to fraud cases reported by victims nationwide, with more than 27 cases involving various schemes, including being duped into performing activities and investing money. Investigators believe there are many more victims who had yet to file complaints.

The suspect also told the officers that during the Songkran period this tear she had contacted a Chinese financier known as ‘Ah Yao’ via Line and Telegram. He allegedly offered her money to recruit people to open ready-to-use limited-partnership mule accounts.

He said he would provide mobile phones and SIM cards sourced from the black market for her to use in recruiting account holders. In return, she was reportedly paid between 80,000 and 150,000 baht per account, depending on how ready it was for use.

The suspect said she earned about 100,000 baht a month during the four to five months she worked with the Chinese national.

Investigators are now expanding the probe to arrest the Chinese financier and bring all those involved to justice.

No more licences will be issued for new data centres in Bangkok, governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Wednesday, responding to growing concerns about potential negative impacts associated with the facilities.

About 30 or 40 data centres exist in the capital but they have not caused any negative impact on resources, the environment or safety, Mr Chadchart said at a briefing at City Hall.

Most of the data centres built in recent years were small-scale operations serving the internal requirements of individual businesses, he said. The emergence of large-scale and standalone data centres began about five years ago as demand rose for facilities to serve external organisations.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has received requests for the establishment of six large-scale data centres.

‘It has given permission to three projects and the other requests have been shelved for revision of relevant regulations. … There are no new licences for big projects now,’ Mr Chadchart said.

Regulations need changing because existing laws do not adequately define data centres, the governor said. Past permission was based on conditions for the construction of warehouses and was not subject to city-planning and factory rules.

Power and water consumption

Kasem Sathonghak, assistant governor of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, said existing data centres in Bangkok were designed to consume 20 megawatts of electricity each but their real power consumption was only about eight megawatts.

‘The Metropolitan Electricity Authority can supply power,’ he said. ‘Their energy consumption is very small compared with large facilities like department stores which consume more than 100 megawatts each.’

Supichete Thavorntaveevong, deputy governor of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, said larger data centres in Bangkok consumed about 7,800 cubic metres of water per month. By comparison, large hospitals need about 20,000 cu m and big department stores use 30,000 to 40,000 cu m per month, he said.

‘There has not been any impact on water services in Bangkok yet. The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority is ready to support data centre supervision by the Ministry of Energy and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. We will try to prevent or minimise impacts,’ he said.

Mr Chadchart said data centres did not discharge polluted water because they used water for cooling but City Hall would investigate if hot water was released into waterways.

Chaichanok Chidchob, the digital economy and society minister, claimed on Tuesday that many data centres were operating without permission in Bangkok. Authorities were investigating fuel stockpiling as well as the foreign investment status of some facilities, he said.

Two larger-scale data centres approved in the Rama IX area of Bangkok are Edgnex, a joint venture between the UAE-based property developer Damac Group and the MAI-listed IT services provider Proen Corp, and Telehouse, owned by the Japanese telecom company KDDI.

Thitipat Chotidechachainan, secretary to the energy minister, said data centres need to store fuel for electricity generation in case of blackouts. But Energy Minister Akanat Promphan has suspended the issuance of new fuel storage licences pending the revision of the relevant regulations concerning data centres.

‘We will have a data centre board to set conditions for water and electricity consumption and environmental protection,’ she said, referring to a new central body being set up to oversee the fast-growing sector.

According to Ms Thitipat and Mr Chadchart, the law limits fuel storage for internal use by organisations at 500,000 litres. Data centres must reserve fuel for 48 hours of electricity generation.

A data centre on Ramkhamhaeng 28 Road sought permission to reserve 200,000 litres. Another data centre on Rama IX Road has also received approval. Officials will check to ensure the facilities observe their approved limits.

Mae Hong Son: The Immigration Bureau (IB) has arrested a German man wanted in his country for assaulting and obstructing a public official, after he allegedly evaded arrest for more than three years.

Jrgen Herbert Schneider was arrested at a guesthouse in Mae Hong Son on Tuesday after frequently changing residences to avoid detection, according to the IB.

The arrest was part of a nationwide crackdown on foreign criminals wanted in other countries, conducted under directives from IB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Phanumart Boonyalak and deputy commissioner Pol Maj Gen Phantana Nuchanat.

Authorities said Mr Schneider had displayed aggressive and violent behaviour and had previously threatened embassy officials.

Following his arrest, Immigration Division 3 commander Pol Maj Gen Songprod Sirisukha revoked his temporary permission to stay in Thailand under the Immigration Act.

Mr Schneider was handed over to IB investigators as Thai authorities coordinate his extradition to Germany.

Police detained a 14-year-old boy on Wednesday after he entered a secondary school in Kamphaeng Phet and fired a pistol. No injuries were reported.

The teen entered the compound of Wachiraprakarn Witthayakhom School at 2pm and fired about eight bullets from his 9mm handgun into the sky, media outlets reported.

Teachers and students were ordered to stay inside classrooms and lock the doors for safety.

The suspect, whose name was not disclosed, is currently under police detention.

Daily News reported the gunman was a student of the school who was serving a suspension. He reportedly told officers he had returned to the school looking for a teacher.

According to local media reports, the boy had broken into his father’s car and stolen the handgun used in the shooting. His father is a patrol officer at the Muang district police station.

Parents quickly went to the school to bring their children home.

The incident in the northern province was the latest in a handful of incidents, along with some false alarms, that have had students and parents on edge recently.

They followed an attack on Aug 7 at Debsirin Nonthaburi School that killed seven people, including the gunman, who had shot his grandparents to death earlier.

A man believed to be in his 30s died in a fall from a moving escalator at a shopping centre near Asok intersection in Bangkok on Monday night.

Emergency services were called to Terminal 21, near the BTS Asok station and the MRT Sukhumvit station, about 9.48pm, where a man was reported to have fallen from the fourth floor to the ground floor.

He was found unconscious and not breathing, with severe injuries.

Witnesses told Lumpini police the man had been standing alone on the escalator, descending from the fourth floor. About halfway down he suddenly grabbed at the handrail and then plummeted to his death on the floor below. The impact of his landing startled other shoppers.

No other details were known. Police are investigating.

The cabinet on Tuesday approved in principle the establishment of a National Disaster Insurance System to provide coverage for floods, storms and earthquakes, expected to cover about 30 million households.

The scheme is part of a shift in the government’s approach to disaster management, from waiting for disasters to occur before providing relief to preparing a system to manage risks in advance, government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said.

Under the new framework, the government will cover residential properties in three categories of natural disasters – floods, wind storms and earthquakes.

Under the initial compensation criteria:

Floods: An initial payment of 10,000 baht per incident per household will be made.

Storms or earthquakes: An initial payment of 5,000 baht per incident per household within 15 days, followed by additional compensation based on actual damage. Total compensation will be capped at 100,000 baht per incident per household.

Death: A benefit of 2 million baht will be paid for each death resulting from a disaster covered by the scheme.

The system was developed in consultation with the Thai General Insurance Association and government agencies including the Office of Insurance Commission and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

The scheme is expected to cost 15.5 billion baht per year. The government would purchase insurance policies directly for households, while shifting catastrophic risk and larger payouts above basic limits onto private insurers.

The aim of the new system is to ensure people receive protection and compensation quickly when disasters strike, while enabling the government to manage risks and allocate relief budgets in a more systematic and efficient manner, Ms Rachada said.

The relevant agencies have been instructed to look into repealing, amending or improving related regulations and laws to prevent duplication with existing disaster relief and compensation measures, she added.