Category: The Bangkok Post

Hyundai Mobility Thailand, a subsidiary of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, has announced plans to export battery electric vehicles (BEVs) produced at its Thai manufacturing plant to Australia starting in the final quarter of 2026.

The move underscores Thailand’s growing role in the global EV supply chain and highlights Australia as a key market in the company’s expansion.

Managing director Wallop Chalermvongsavej said Hyundai is studying suitable models and reviewing Australia’s strict import regulations, including the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).

The NVES sets limits on the average carbon dioxide emissions of new cars, sport utility vehicles and light commercial vehicles.

Australia also requires automakers to secure import approval before shipping vehicles, making compliance a critical part of Hyundai’s export strategy.

Hyundai’s Thai plant, which has an annual production capacity of 5,000 units, is supported by a battery manufacturing facility.

Together, they represent a 1-billion-baht investment, backed by incentives from the Board of Investment under the EV3.5 scheme.

Running from 2024 to 2027, the scheme offers tax cuts and subsidies to automakers in exchange for investment in BEV assembly plants.

The scheme also requires companies to maintain a production-to-import ratio, with automakers producing two BEVs locally for every one imported between 2024 and 2025, rising to three-to-one by 2027.

Hyundai recently rolled out the locally produced Ioniq 5 BEV as its first model in Thailand, aiming to produce around 100 units per month.

The company plans to offset 800 imported vehicles this year to meet the EV3.5 scheme’s requirements, Mr Wallop said.

At Hyundai’s Thai plant, 46% of EV component costs are sourced locally, exceeding the government’s 40% minimum requirement.

Hyundai targets sales of 2,800 Ioniq 5 units this year, up from 2,300 last year, and plans to expand its service network to 28 showrooms nationwide.

Looking ahead, Mr Wallop expressed optimism about the Thai economy in the second half of 2026, citing government stimulus measures, foreign capital inflows and resilient corporate earnings.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand index recently exceeded 1,600 points, up from 1,300 points last year, lifting consumer confidence in the premium car segment, he noted.

New Zealand actor Sam Neill died suddenly on Monday aged 78 after recovering from cancer, his ?family ?said in a statement on Monday.

“The loss was sudden and but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free,” a statement ?posted on Neill’s Instagram page said.

Neill died in Sydney, with the family paying tribute to a private hospital in the city ?for their care.

The Jurassic Park actor announced in April ?he cancer-free after undergoing treatment for stage-three blood cancer.

“Wry and dry, ?thoughtful ?and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same ?dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ?said in a social ?media post.

“He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing will make an official visit to Thailand in early August, Asean sources said on Monday, in what would be his second trip to an Asean member since the former junta chief took the presidency in April.

Gen Min Aung Hlaing went to Laos earlier this month in his first official visit to a fellow member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations after he became leader of Myanmar’s military-backed government following a general election held in December and January.

The sources did not provide the detailed schedule of his visit to Thailand, a key Asean member that has been working to get Myanmar to fully re-engage with the regional bloc after it excluded the country from annual Asean summits following the Feb 1, 2021 coup.

Asean in October 2021 decided not to allow Gen Min Aung Hlaing, then junta chief, to the annual summit due to lack of progress in the implementation of the so-called five-point consensus drawn up by Asean leaders following the coup, including an immediate halt to violence.

During an informal meeting on Sunday of Asean foreign ministers including Myanmar’s Tin Maung Swe in Bangkok, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow urged Myanmar to take concrete actions to implement the consensus.

Mr Sihasak held talks with Tin Maung Swe on the sidelines of the meeting, and the two sides reaffirmed their close ties as neighbouring countries, according to the Foreign Ministry. Border security, trade and Myanmar’s internal situation were among the main topics discussed, the ministry said.

Gen Min Aung Hlaing last visited Thailand in April 2025 to attend a summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation held in Bangkok.

At least 27 people were killed and 63 others were injured by a massive fire at a pub in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, late Sunday night.

The tragedy began at Rong Beer Na Ladprao beer hall on Lat Phrao Road near Soi Lat Phrao 1 Road at 11.57pm on Sunday, when many customers were inside. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about half an hour, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).

The fire killed 27 people and injured 63 others. The dead victims comprised nine men and 18 women. Of the 63 injured, 22 were in serious condition. The injured were taken to 16 hospitals.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt and DDPM director-general Teerapat Kachamat were among senior officials at the scene.

Mr Anutin, also the interior minister, said most fatalities resulted from smoke inhalation. He quoted musicians at the pub as saying that the fire started at a circuit breaker on the stage, followed by a blackout and an explosion.

Mr Chadchart said that flames spread rapidly through decorations on the ceiling and toxic smoke from the burning plastic was inhaled by victims.

He said pub was licensed, operated in a single-storey concrete building and musical performances were allowed inside. It had passed inspection in April.

The Bangkok governor quoted waiters as saying there were about 300 customers inside when the fire broke out. Normally, the pub attracted 600 to 700 people each night.

According to the governor, the fire spread through the ceiling towards the front entrance. That prompted customers to rush to the back of the premises where there were fire exits. Some customers became confused in the smoke and rushed into the toilets instead. Many victims had passed out in the toilets and also in front of the fire exits, blocking the escape route for other fleeing customers.

Suriyachai Rawiwan, disaster prevention and mitigation director of Bangkok, said there were fire exits at the rear of the venue and victims apparently mistakenly entered the toilets, where rescuers had difficulty reaching them.

Initially six bodies, three men and three women, were identified. They were Apinan Pengsri, Pisanu Taengsopha, Suwitcha Sirisalung, Nipaporn Jaemjaeng, Acharaporn Sutthisin and Kanoktip Srisuk.

The identification of the victims was continuing.

The Democrat Party is pitching its Southern Connect plan as a more effective alternative to the government’s Land Bridge project, arguing that it would better serve southern Thailand’s transport needs and strengthen regional trade links.

Speaking at a party seminar in Hat Yai district in the southern province of Songkhla on Sunday, Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said he had discussed flood mitigation and the Land Bridge proposal with party members.

The government’s Land Bridge project was intended to provide international shipping companies with an alternative route between the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, he said. However, he questioned the project’s viability, noting that most feasibility studies found it uneconomical, as cargo would require multiple transfers.

He argued that making the project commercially viable would likely require the need for heavy industry or petrochemical estates, raising questions over whether the benefits justified the costs for the South. If it became a major shipping route, he added, it could also affect tourism, increase the risks posed by large vessels and concentrate development along the Ranong-Chumphon corridor.

“If the state is prepared to invest about 1 trillion baht on a mega-project, why not invest instead in infrastructure that directly benefits people in the South?” Mr Abhisit said, proposing double-track electrified rail links connecting with Malaysia and Singapore.

He said his Southern Connect proposal would prioritise infrastructure while requiring less investment. It would also facilitate the transport of local goods to Malaysia, Singapore and Bangkok, he said.

He also said that if Thailand developed a port in Songkhla’s Thepha district, connecting the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand would require relatively little investment as some supporting infrastructure was already in place.

A probe into Department of Local Administration (DLA) recruitment exam results has found irregularities among 5,372 candidates, accounting for 35.84% of nearly 15,000 applicants who reported for appointment as local government officials.

Unsit Sampuntharat, permanent secretary for the interior, said the Interior Ministry had completed its own investigation into the alleged fraud in the 2025 local government recruitment examinations.

The review focused on identifying irregularities and determining whether any ministry officials were involved, while parallel investigations are being conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

He welcomed the appointment by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul of a committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt to examine the allegations.

The panel which includes national police chief Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch has been given 30 days from July 6 to complete its initial investigation.

He said the DLA had reviewed all 14,988 candidates who reported for appointment out of 15,520 candidates called for recruitment.

A total of 9,217 candidates, or 61.5%, were found to have normal scores, while 5,372 candidates were identified as having irregularities.

Among those irregularities cases, 3,044 candidates are flagged for general anomalies in the scoring system, representing 20.31%.

Another 1,522 cases involved discrepancies in which answer-sheet scores were one point lower than figures recorded in the electronic database, accounting for 10.15%. A further 806 candidates, or 5.38%, failed to meet minimum score requirements, including receiving fewer than 10 marks in English.

The DLA said another 399 cases, or 2.66%, remained under review due to technical and documentation issues, including unclear image files, missing image records and candidates whose names did not appear in the electronic database.

Original documents and answer sheets are being re-examined to determine the final outcome. Among the 10 examination centres nationwide, Chiang Mai recorded the highest proportion of normal results at 79.15%, followed by Phitsanulok at 72.9%.

Repairs to the leaky Purple Line train tunnel in Klong San district, Bangkok, were making progress and the water flow has already been reduced, the city governor said on Sunday morning.

Chadchart Sittipunt was speaking at the site of the leak, near Wong Wian Yai roundabout. He said five grouting machines were being used to strengthen the soil adjacent to the tunnel.

Tunnel grouting machines are specialized systems used to inject grout into the gap between pre-cast concrete segments and the surrounding ground.

Mr Chadchart said cement grouting had reduced water leakage into the tunnel from 50 cubic metres per hour to 20 cubic metres an hour as of Saturday evening.

“The present situation is free of concern,” he said.

Mr Chadchat said there should not be any further obstacles to the repair work. Rainfall was limited on Saturday. He was informed on Sunday morning there had been no further subsidence of nearby buildings or road surfaces.

Authorities had ordered the evacuation of two apartment buildings, and 111 residents agreed to move out. Seven residents had refused to leave the affected buildings, he said.

The water leak started in one of the two tunnels in the extended section of the Purple Line railway system on Wednesday. The extended section was the site of a huge sinkhole on Sam Sen Road in Dusit district last year.

The present leak was spotted at a sump pit in the tunnel. It caused the subsidence of about 30 centimetres of the surface of Prachadhipok Road, and big cracks appeared in some nearby buildings.

The government plans to launch a project that would allow vendors to offer ready-to-eat food at 40 baht per dish by next month, according to the commerce minister.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun said food vendors were being invited to take part in the 40-baht meal project. She expected it would be launched by the end of the month and would help bring down the cost of living.

The project would have an initial life of three months, but could be expanded.

Ms Suphajee said high fuel prices had led to food vendors raising their prices by 5-10 baht per dish. Prices were now above 50 baht.

The government would provide participating vendors with a raw materials subsidy, which could be 3,000, 5,000 or 10,000 baht per vendor. The government would finalise the subsidy amount, and pick the dishes that would be included in the 40-baht list.

Ms Suphajee expected 100,000 food vendors would participate. She based this on the roughly 250,000 food vendors who are already within the network of the Ministry of Commerce and take part in the ongoing Thais Help Thais Plus co-payment scheme.

The commerce minister said she would present the project to the cabinet in the third week of this month. If the cabinet gives approval, the project could be implemented before August, she said.

Ms Suphajee said vendors’ participation would be voluntary.

‘This will give people another choice of meals. The ministry will print clear signs that will be posted by participating vendors… If the project is well received it could continue and the number of eateries offering economical dishes could expand nationwide,’ Ms Suphajee said.

The Pathumwan Institute of Technology campus has been closed for a month and courses moved online to pre-empt possible clashes with rival schools as it celebrates its 94th anniversary on Aug 1.

The institute announced the closure of the campus from Sunday July 12 until Aug 8 for all students and classes, with only teachers and other personnel allowed in through the gate.

All courses and workshop classes will be conducted online during the four weeks, the announcement said.

The measure was deemed necessary to avoid possible brawling with students from Rajamangala University of Technology Uthenthawai campus during the anniversary celebration. Present and former students were expected to visit the school during this time and the atmosphere could escalate into violence.

Pathumwan Institute of Technology was founded on Aug 1, 1932.

Pathumwan Tech and nearby Uthenthawai vocational school have a long history of rivalry and have in the past brawled violently in the streets.

Repairs to the leaky Purple Line train tunnel in Klong San district, Bangkok, were making progress and the water flow has already been reduced, the city governor said on Sunday morning.

Chadchart Sittipunt was speaking at the site of the leak, near Wong Wian Yai roundabout. He said five grouting machines were being used to strengthen the soil adjacent to the tunnel.

Tunnel grouting machines are specialised systems used to inject grout into the gap between pre-cast concrete segments and the surrounding ground.

Mr Chadchart said cement grouting had reduced water leakage into the tunnel from 50 cubic metres per hour to 20 cubic metres an hour as of Saturday evening.

‘The present situation is free of concern,’ he said.

Mr Chadchat said there should not be any further obstacles to the repair work. Rainfall was limited on Saturday. He was informed on Sunday morning there had been no further subsidence of nearby buildings or road surfaces.

Authorities had ordered the evacuation of two apartment buildings, and 111 residents agreed to move out. Seven residents had refused to leave the affected buildings, he said.

The water leak started in one of the two tunnels in the extended section of the Purple Line railway system on Wednesday. The extended section was the site of a huge sinkhole on Sam Sen Road in Dusit district last year.

The present leak was spotted at a sump pit in the tunnel. It caused the subsidence of about 30 centimetres of the surface of Prachadhipok Road, and big cracks appeared in some nearby buildings.