Category: The Bangkok Post

The government is accelerating plans to overhaul more than 100 laws identified by the private sector as obstacles to doing business, with reforms aimed at lowering costs and strengthening Thailand’s competitiveness.

Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, who oversees legal affairs, said on Friday that the government has begun working with the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) to review regulations that hinder business operations and economic growth.

Mr Pakorn said business groups have so far proposed amendments to more than 100 laws and regulations, with most recommendations coming from the Federation of Thai Industries and the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Authorities are now categorising the proposals to determine which laws have the greatest impact on the economy and the country’s competitiveness, he said.

Rather than pursuing a lengthy master plan, the government will focus on targeted reforms that can be implemented quickly. Businesses have been asked to clearly identify problematic provisions and propose specific wording changes to streamline the amendment process.

Once draft revisions are prepared, they will be opened for public consultation before being submitted to the cabinet. The relevant agencies will then be tasked with carrying out the amendments under existing legislative procedures.

Priority would be given to reforms capable of delivering tangible benefits to businesses in the shortest possible time. The government is expected to focus on sectors deemed crucial to Thailand’s competitiveness, particularly tourism and manufacturing, where business operators have repeatedly cited high operating costs as a major challenge.

A tracking system has also been established to allow businesses to submit proposals and monitor progress on individual issues.

However, Mr Pakorn acknowledged that legal reform alone would not resolve all competitiveness concerns.

‘Originally, we expected the process to take around two months. Significant progress has already been made and we expect a much clearer picture within the next one to two months,’ he said.

‘We have to move quickly. … The country needs changes that people can see and feel.’

He noted that Thailand also faces structural cost challenges, particularly high energy prices, which affect virtually every sector of the economy. Without tackling these structural issues alongside regulatory reform, legal changes alone may not be enough to improve competitiveness.

Sompo Insurance (Thailand) has pledged to cover, in full, the cost of repatriating the body of travel YouTuber Bowornthat Pengsuk, known as Hlun Solo, who has died in Georgia at the age of 27.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the insurer offered condolences to his family, calling him a valued partner of the company. It said it had alerted the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) and mobilised its internal teams as soon as it learned of his death.

The insurer was reaching out to his family and close contacts to offer support, while also liaising with its network in Georgia to arrange the transfer of his body.

Coverage under the policy remains under review pending an official investigation, Sompo said, adding that any decision would follow the policy’s terms and conditions and that it could not yet give a final report.

Separately, OIC deputy secretary-general Adisorn Pipatvorapong said a check of Hlun’s insurance holdings found one travel accident policy with Sompo, worth 5 million baht, covering death from accident or murder but excluding death from pre-existing illness.

The insurance company has confirmed to the OIC that it will bear the full repatriation cost and that once it receives death certification, such as a death certificate or a medical or police finding clearly stating the cause of death and meeting the policy conditions, it is prepared to process the claim immediately.

The death of the popular travel blogger Bowornthat Pengsuk, better known as Hlun Solo, has highlighted questions over what happens to a content creator’s digital assets after death, including copyright ownership and revenue generated from online platforms.

Bowornthat, whose death at age 27 was confirmed in Georgia this week, built one of Thailand’s largest travel content communities, with 1.1 million YouTube subscribers, 3.4 million Facebook followers and 1.6 million TikTok followers.

His case has drawn attention to the legal status of digital content and the procedures heirs must follow to manage accounts and receive future platform revenue.

Among the major social media platforms, YouTube publicly provides guidance on handling deceased users’ accounts. Comparable information on similar procedures was not available from TikTok or Meta for this issue.

YouTube process

According to support information from Google, the parent company of YouTube, immediate family members or authorised representatives may request the closure of a deceased user’s Google account where appropriate. In certain circumstances, Google may also provide content from the deceased user’s account.

Google said its primary responsibility is to protect users’ information and privacy. It does not provide passwords or login credentials, and every request is reviewed individually.

For heirs seeking revenue from a deceased creator’s monetised YouTube account, Google requires:

A court-certified will

A scanned copy of a government-issued identification card or driver’s licence

The deceased person’s death certificate, and

Any additional supporting documents.

The payment claim can only be submitted once. After approval, all future revenue generated by the monetised YouTube channel will be deposited into the newly designated payment account.

Rights generally pass to heirs

Dhiraphol Suwanprateep, an adjunct law lecturer at Bangkok University, said a deceased creator’s proprietary rights, including copyright and the contractual right to receive revenue under a platform agreement, generally form part of the creator’s estate and pass to heirs under the applicable law of succession.

However, he said the more difficult issue is not ownership of those rights but how they are exercised.

While heirs may inherit the legal entitlement to the creator’s assets and accrued or future revenue, digital platforms typically require their own verification procedures before recognising heirs or estate representatives, granting account access or releasing payments.

These procedures are intended to confirm that the person making the claim has legal authority to act on behalf of the deceased.

The verification process differs by platform and jurisdiction. Depending on platform policies, heirs may need to submit documents such as a death certificate, probate order, letters testamentary, letters of administration, a court appointment of an estate administrator or executor, proof of heirship, notarised declarations or other official documents.

Some platforms may also require identity verification or additional compliance reviews before processing payments or transferring account administration.

Platform agreements

Mr Dhiraphol said platform agreements also remain relevant. Although heirs generally inherit the creator’s contractual rights, they do so subject to the terms and conditions governing the creator’s relationship with the platform.

These terms may regulate account administration, monetisation, payment procedures and the platform’s licence to use the content.

As a result, while contractual terms do not necessarily prevent rights from passing to heirs, they may determine how those rights are exercised in practice.

He said three legal issues ultimately determine who receives the financial benefits generated by a deceased creator’s content: succession law, which determines who inherits the estate; copyright law, which governs ownership of the creative works; and the contractual terms and operational policies of the platform, which determine how inherited rights are recognised and implemented.

‘The legal position is generally straightforward: the creator’s proprietary rights, including the right to receive platform revenue, ordinarily pass to the heirs as part of the estate,’ he said.

‘The real legal issue is not inheritance, but implementation,’ he added. ‘Each platform has its own contractual procedures for verifying who is legally authorised to act on behalf of the deceased and to receive payments.

‘In practice, succession law determines who inherits the rights, while the platform’s terms determine how those rights can be exercised.’

Copyright is part of an estate

Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), said copyright in Hlun Solo’s YouTube videos will pass to his legal heirs if he did not leave a will.

She said YouTube videos qualify as audiovisual works under Section 4 of Thailand’s Copyright Act because they consist of creative elements such as footage, editing, the arrangement of video clips, background music, sound effects and captions, and are fixed in a storage medium.

As the creator, Hlun Solo automatically became the copyright owner upon creating the works. He held the exclusive rights to reproduce, adapt, communicate the works to the public, license those rights and take legal action against copyright infringement.

Under Thai law, copyright in audiovisual works is protected for 50 years from the date of first publication. Since each YouTube upload constitutes the work’s first publication, copyright protection for each video remains in effect for 50 years from the date it was first uploaded.

The department said copyright is property that may be transferred, sold or inherited in the same manner as other assets.

Statutory heirs

If the copyright owner leaves a valid will, ownership passes to the beneficiary named in the will. If there is no will, copyright passes to the statutory heirs under Thailand’s Civil and Commercial Code.

The order of succession begins with children, followed by parents, full siblings, grandparents, uncles and aunts. A surviving spouse is also a statutory heir.

The DIP advises beneficiaries under a will or statutory heirs to gather the relevant documents and apply to the court for appointment as the estate administrator. Once appointed, the administrator has legal authority to manage the deceased’s assets, including copyright in audiovisual works.

The court order appointing the estate administrator can then be used to manage the deceased’s YouTube account, oversee the channel, and administer any revenue generated from the platform.

A severe drought and the peak travel season have left Koh Samui facing a water shortage that is affecting businesses, prompting tourism operators to call for greater investment in water infrastructure to keep pace with rising visitor numbers.

Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, vice-president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said tourism in Samui this year is performing better than usual despite the Middle East conflict, as the resumption of flights has encouraged tourists to plan their trips.

Unlike the low season in the Andaman provinces, June and July are considered the island’s peak season, attracting robust occupancy rates, he said.

However, Samui is facing extremely dry weather caused by the El Niño phenomenon, resulting in a prolonged drought and reducing the volume of raw water available for consumption.

Demand for water increases annually, and even during off-peak months, visitor arrivals exceed those recorded before the pandemic, said Mr Ratchaporn.

The island is estimated to require 34,000 cubic metres of water per day, but the mainland can supply only 16,000 cu m daily via pipelines.

He said the Koh Samui branch of the Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) is coordinating with PWA Surat Thani to increase water supplies to the island.

The authority is also repairing the island’s damaged water production plants, which use a reverse osmosis process to convert seawater into freshwater.

The water distribution plan is being adjusted to ensure supplies are distributed efficiently to residents across all zones, said Mr Ratchaporn.

In addition, deputy interior minister Jeseth Thaiseth asked the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation to carry out artificial rainmaking operations when weather conditions permit.

According to the PWA, it plans to implement a seven-day strategy to distribute water alternately across three zones from Aug 3.

The northeastern zone, comprising Choeng Mon, Mad Lang and the airport departure area, receives water on Wednesdays, while neighbouring areas such as Chaweng Noi, Yaek Bo Phut, Fisherman’s Village and the airport arrival area receive water on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. The remaining areas, covering the central and western parts of the island, receive water on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The authority advised operators and residents to conserve water and store adequate supplies during the scheduled water distribution periods.

Mr Ratchaporn said some hotel operators bought groundwater from private suppliers at a cost of 150-300 baht per cu m, compared with an average of 20-30 baht per cu m for tap water. The move creates a cost burden for operators, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which have chosen to absorb the additional expense to avoid affecting tourists.

He said there have been no significant booking cancellations linked to the water shortage.

“This problem is not simply a management failure, but rather the inability of infrastructure to keep pace with tourism growth,” said Mr Ratchaporn.

Samui has a registered population of roughly 70,000, plus 400,000-500,000 workers and tourists during the high season, he noted.

The island has at least 600 licensed hotels with 24,000 rooms, excluding numerous homestays and pool villas.

Samui has more investment in the pipeline, including property developments, restaurants and airport expansion projects, which means the government needs to plan for long-term water security, including additional raw water storage facilities, reverse osmosis plants and underwater pipelines, in line with long-term tourism projections, said Mr Ratchaporn.

For the remainder of this year, Samui’s forward bookings look robust, and visitor arrivals are expected to surpass the 4 million recorded last year, he said.

Thailand’s steel industry continues to grapple with global price volatility and mounting competition from Chinese exports, according to Tata Steel (Thailand) Plc (TSTH), a subsidiary of India’s largest steelmaker.

Anurag Pandey, president and chief executive of TSTH, said disruptions to shipping routes via the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea coupled with US President Donald Trump’s military adventures have contributed to unpredictable swings in global steel prices.

“It’s difficult to estimate global prices of steel such as billets and slabs, as they are determined by many factors that change rapidly,” Mr Pandey said.

China’s slowing economy, weighed down by a prolonged property sector crisis, has weakened domestic steel demand. As a result, Chinese producers have sharply increased exports, particularly to Southeast Asia, intensifying competition and pressuring Thai manufacturers.

China’s steel exports hit a record 119 million tonnes in 2025, with shipments from January to May 2026 rising to 44.6 million tonnes, up from 41.2 million tonnes a year earlier, according to TSTH.

Thailand has been hit hard by the influx of low-cost Chinese steel, especially wire rod products.

Imports of wire rod steel accounted for 66% of total steel imports in the first five months of 2026, reaching 636,000 tonnes.

This flood of cheap steel has dragged Thai factory capacity utilisation below 30%, Mr Pandey said.

TSTH has urged the government to introduce stronger measures, including anti-dumping regulations and stricter quality standards for imported steel, to protect domestic producers.

Despite these challenges, Thailand’s overall steel consumption grew 1.6% year-on-year to 7.64 million tonnes in the first five months of 2026, driven by a 10.8% rise in long steel demand from construction activity and restocking.

Sanjay Kumar Shrivastav, chief financial officer of TSTH, warned that the strong baht is pressuring Thai exports, making them more expensive and imported goods cheaper.

“A stronger baht makes imported finished goods, especially cheap steel from China, more competitive in the Thai market,” he said.

TSTH reported first-quarter revenue for its fiscal 2027 (April-June 2026) of 6.78 billion baht, a 0.73% year-on-year decline, though profit climbed nearly 10% to 410 million baht. Sales volume slipped 1.18% to 334,000 tonnes.

Supanida Katethong advanced to the women’s singles quarter-finals of the US$250,000 BWF Taipei Open on Thursday.

The Thai fourth seed defeated Wen Yu Zhang of Canada 21-17, 21-11 in the second round yesterday and will play Tanvi Sharma of India next.

Mixed doubles pair Supak Jomkoh and Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn also progressed, edging Presley Smith and Jennie Gai of the US 21-13, 19-21, 30-29.

The Thai duo fended off nine match points to knock out the third-seeded US pair and set up a last-eight clash with Indonesians Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja, who defeated Akira Koga and Natsu Saito of Japan 21-14, 24-22.

Another Thai mixed doubles pair, Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat, also needed three games to progress as the fourth-seeded duo rallied to defeat Chen Tang Jie and Clarissa San of Malaysia 17-21, 21-12, 21-16. They will play Wu Guan-xun and Lee Chia-hsin of Taiwan next.

Women’s doubles pair Hathaithip Mijad and Napapakorn Tungkasatran were also pushed to three games as they overcame Lee Seo-Jin and Lee Yeon-Woo of South Korea 21-19, 13-21, 21-15.

Ornnicha, who is also competing in the women’s doubles event, and playing partner Sabrina Sophita Wedler were due to face Japan’s Nanako Hara and Riko Kiyose later yesterday.

Men’s singles player Kantaphon Wangcharoen lost to Wang Yu-kai of Taiwan in the first round on Wednesday.

Line BK, one of Thailand’s first digital banking platforms, is upbeat about achieving double-digit loan growth this year after posting solid expansion in the first half despite the country’s sluggish economic conditions.

Tana Pothikamjorn, chief executive at Kasikorn Line Co Ltd, which operates the Line BK platform, said although the company recorded high single-digit loan growth in the first six months of 2026, it remains confident its total loan portfolio will expand by double digits for the full year.

Line BK grew its outstanding loan portfolio to 29 billion baht as of the end of June, up from 27 billion at the end of 2025, representing growth of 7.4%.

During the period, the company’s customer base exceeded 8.8 million, up 12% year-on-year, while the number of lending customers rose 15% to around 931,000.

“Loan growth of more than 7% in the first half is a satisfactory level given the economic headwinds and our responsible lending approach,” Mr Tana said.

Although demand for credit remains strong, access to financing has become more challenging as borrowers’ repayment capacity weakens amid Thailand’s slowing economic growth and high household debt levels, with Line BK utilising a prudent approach focused on responsible lending, he said.

Although the company is targeting double-digit loan growth this year, maintaining asset quality remains its top priority, said Mr Tana. During the first half, Line BK kept its non-performing loan ratio at a satisfactory level and expects to maintain healthy asset quality through the end of the year, he noted.

The company continues to invest in technology and enhanced its KLine Score credit assessment model to improve customer accessibility, strengthen the user experience and support more responsible lending decisions.

Line BK launched a new loan campaign along with new features aimed at expanding access to credit, while improving customers’ digital financial literacy under its responsible finance framework.

Mr Tana said the gradual rollout of virtual banks in Thailand is expected to intensify competition in the digital banking sector, while accelerating financial innovation and promoting greater financial inclusion. Backed by its solid foundations, Line BK is confident it can continue expanding its business while maintaining prudent asset quality, he noted.

According to Fitch Ratings Thailand, retail lending growth has been driven primarily by non-bank lenders in recent years, as commercial banks continue to deleverage their consumer loan portfolios.

Thailand’s household debt fell to 86% of GDP in the first quarter of 2026, from a peak of 96% in the same quarter of 2021. Commercial banks’ exposure to the retail lending segment has declined the past three years, with loan growth limited or contracting.

“Retail lending growth has been driven mainly by non-banks, and we expect this trend to continue for 1-2 years,” Fitch said.

Japanese prosecutors have decided not to indict a 28-year-old Thai woman arrested after 900 grammes of crystal methamphetamine was found hidden inside coffee sachets she carried into Japan, concluding she had no apparent intent or prior links to an international drug-trafficking network, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board said on Friday.

ONCB deputy secretary-general Areepak Ngernbamroong said Japanese authorities had informed Thai officials that prosecutors decided not to proceed with charges against Juthathip Thongnoi, who was detained at Fukuoka Airport on July 12 after drugs were discovered concealed in a 12-kilogramme shipment of coffee products she had agreed to carry to Japan.

Details behind the decision are still being coordinated with Japanese authorities. However, preliminary information indicated prosecutors believed Ms Juthathip was unaware the package contained narcotics and was acting only as a courier transporting goods for a customer.

They also found no evidence linking her to any transnational drug-trafficking syndicate and noted she had no prior drug-related record.

Ms Areepak said decisions to prosecute or not prosecute foreign suspects in drug cases depend on available evidence and the circumstances of each case.

Following the non-indictment decision, Japanese immigration authorities are expected to coordinate with Thailand’s Department of Consular Affairs to facilitate Ms Juthathip’s return home as soon as possible.

Ms Juthathip is reportedly scheduled to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Saturday aboard Thai Airways flight TG649 from Fukuoka at about 2pm.

Criminal proceedings will be handled by the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, while authorities shift their focus to expanding the investigation into those behind the suspected trafficking network.

According to Ms Areepak, investigators are also examining the role of a male courier who delivered the package to Ms Juthathip’s home before her departure. Narcotics police and a team led by Pol Maj Gen Theeradej Thamsuthee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, had reviewed CCTV footage and confirmed that the man personally delivered the parcel by car after being hired to do so.

Police have also traced his movements after the delivery, but he has yet to contact authorities to demonstrate he was not involved in the network.

“The courier has yet to come forward. Investigators will determine whether the available evidence is sufficient to seek a court’s arrest warrant,” Ms Areepak said.

The case drew public attention after Ms Juthathip’s family insisted she had unknowingly transported the package for a customer through her parcel-carrying service for Thais living in Japan. Officials at Fukuoka Airport later found crystal meth hidden inside coffee sachets in a parcel Ms Juthathip accepted shortly before the trip.

Bangkok’s resale condo market is attracting more buyers as affordability becomes a growing concern, with purchasers opting for larger units at steep discounts rather than paying record prices for newly launched projects, according to property consultancy Savills Thailand.

Prapaporn Boonkajornkul, deputy managing director of the consultancy, said the widening price gap between new and resale condos has become the strongest driver changing buyer behaviour, particularly among Thai owners.

“Thai buyers are less concerned about a building’s age than usable space,” she said.

“Many are choosing older condos because they can buy significantly larger units for the same budget.”

More than 70% of buyers in Savills’ resale business are Thai, while foreigners account for roughly 30%.

Thai buyers typically prioritise larger living spaces over building age, whereas foreigners continue to favour newer developments with modern facilities, said Ms Prapaporn.

Sukhumvit, Sathon and Silom remain the three most active resale locations, with demand concentrated in two-bedroom units measuring 70-80 square metres and priced from 10 million baht.

The pricing gap has widened sharply in prime districts. In Thong Lor, newly launched condos now exceed 200,000 baht per sq m, while comparable resale units can still be purchased for only 60,000-70,000 baht per sq m.

The price gap is also evident in Suan Phlu, where resale condos sell for less than 100,000 baht per sq m, compared with 180,000-200,000 baht per sq m for new developments.

She said price remains the biggest factor influencing purchasing decisions. Units originally offered at 180,000 baht per sq m often attract buyers after being discounted to around 120,000 baht per sq m.

More than 70% of Savills’ resale inventory comes from units under its property management portfolio, providing buyers with greater confidence in building quality, maintenance history and transaction transparency.

Mortgage financing remains widely available for resale purchases, with buyers typically borrowing 60-70% of a property’s value and paying the remainder in cash.

The shift comes as Thailand’s housing market grapples with slowing demand and mounting inventory.

Kasikorn Research Center recently forecast unsold housing stock nationwide would exceed 610,000 units this year, driven largely by a surge in second-hand homes entering the market as developers continue scaling back new launches.

Earlier research by SCB Economic Intelligence Center and Krungthai Compass pointed to rising resale activity as affordability constraints intensify, with buyers increasingly favouring existing homes in established locations over newly launched projects carrying substantially higher prices.

“For buyers, the growing resale market offers wider choices and stronger bargaining power,” Ms Prapaporn said.

“For developers, however, it intensifies competition as unsold inventories continue to accumulate amid subdued purchasing power.”

She said resale condos are likely to remain an attractive option for buyers seeking larger homes in established locations without paying premium prices for newly launched projects.

As the government’s “Thai Chuay Thai Plus” co-payment scheme approaches its halfway point, industry associations view its impact as minimal.

Somchai Pornrattanacharoen, honorary advisor to the Thai Wholesale and Retail Trade Association, said small retailers participating in the scheme could see sales rise by up to 50% during the programme.

However, non-participating small operators may see sales decline by around 50%, while VAT-registered businesses could also see sales fall from normal levels.

This means the sales increase among participating retailers largely reflects a redistribution of spending rather than an increase in overall consumption.

“The Thai economy remains deeply sluggish. The scheme is unlikely to encourage consumers to spend more than they normally would,” he said.

Instead of offering cash handouts, the government should use its borrowing to support small retailers by providing free selling channels and strengthening the business environment so smaller retailers can compete with e-commerce platforms that are disrupting the market, said Mr Somchai.

Chanon Koetcharoen, president of the Restaurant Association, said smaller vendors participating in the scheme told him their sales increased by 10% on average compared with periods without the subsidy.

Most consumers tend to spend more heavily in the first half of the month after receiving the subsidy, he said.

Typically, May to September is the low season for the restaurant industry, as rain discourages dining out, especially in the evening.

This co-payment scheme allows customers to order via food delivery platforms, helping to increase delivery sales during this low season, said Mr Chanon.

Many restaurants that typically operate only during the daytime have extended their hours into the evening, hoping to capture additional sales from delivery customers who are discouraged from dining out by rain, especially those using the co-payment subsidy, he noted.

Thanavath Phonvichai, president of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said Thailand is facing high energy costs and the effects of ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East.

He said he anticipates consumers will spend a larger share of their income on higher energy bills, adding the co-pay scheme has not yet shown a significant impact.

Mr Thanavath said he viewed the scheme as a relief measure rather than a booster given the economic landscape.