Category: The Bangkok Post

A brilliant Teerasak Poeiphimai hat-trick sparked Thailand to a commanding 6-1 victory over Taiwan in an AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifier at the Taipei Municipal Stadium on Tuesday night.

The win kept Thailand’s qualification hopes alive in Group D, with the Southeast Asian side moving up to nine points.

Thailand’s head coach, Masatada Ishii, praised his team for collecting six points from their two matches against Taiwan.

“I am pleased with the overall performance of the team in both matches, as we won both games,” said the Japanese coach.

“Of course, in the home match, Thai football fans came to watch and filled the stadium. For this game, we played away, but there were still many fans who came to support us. This motivated the team a lot.

“This was our second meeting with the same team, so we had analysed their game very well.

“If you ask me, we were not perfect; otherwise, we would not have allowed them to score that goal so early after the break.”

Thailand, who had secured a 2-0 win over Taiwan in Bangkok, dominated from the outset and opened their account as early as the fourth minute. Teerasak chipped the ball over Taiwan goalkeeper Huang Chiu-lin’s head from Seksan Ratree’s cross.

The hosts tried to respond but were unable to convert their chances, as Thailand calmly absorbed the pressure before doubling their tally in the 25th minute through Seksan, who slotted home from close range.

Taiwan came close in the 40th minute when Chen Po-liang dragged his shot just wide of the post. Masatada Ishii’s side extended their lead in first-half stoppage time, with Supachok Sarachat converting Weerathep Pomphan’s layoff from inside the area to make it 3-0.

Taiwan came out charging after the break and reduced the deficit in the 47th minute, with Kuo Po-wei firing a left-footed shot past Thailand keeper Patiwat Khammai. However, Thailand quickly reasserted their dominance, with Teerasak scoring his second in the 62nd minute from a corner before completing his hat-trick with a powerful drive from inside the box in the 75th minute.

The Southeast Asian side’s sustained pressure resulted in Huang Tzu-ming turning the ball into his own net after Santipharp Channgom’s cross deflected off the Taiwanese defender in the third minute of stoppage time, sealing the impressive victory.

Teerasak, celebrating his first international hat-trick, admitted the goals eased the pressure on him.

“I’m very happy to score three for the national team. It’s a special moment for me, and I want to thank the fans both in the stadium and back home,” he said.

Thailand will next play Sri Lanka in their fifth match of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers on Nov 18.

In the other Group D match, Turkmenistan remained in control of their destiny after sealing a 2-1 win over Sri Lanka.

The victory meant Turkmenistan returned to the top of the group, level on nine points with Thailand but holding a favourable head-to-head record against the Southeast Asian side.

The government plans to roll out a package of measures, in addition to the Khon La Khrueng Plus scheme, to stimulate domestic tourism and economic activity, which are expected to boost this year’s GDP by 0.4%.

Speaking after the new economic policy committee met for the first time on Wednesday, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said the panel has approved a raft of measures to revitalise the tourism sector, which has contracted by 8% over the past eight months.

The package, to be submitted to the cabinet for approval next week, comprises three key initiatives: a 20,000-baht tax rebate scheme for individuals; a programme to expedite seminar budget spending by government agencies, state enterprises, and local administrative bodies; and a tax deduction scheme for hotel renovations.

Under the tax rebate scheme, individuals will be eligible for deductions on travel expenses — once for trips to major provinces and 1.5 times for travel to secondary provinces. The scheme will run from Oct 29 to Dec 15.

The second measure aims to accelerate the spending of seminar budgets by the public sector without requiring new funds.

Agencies will be required to disburse 60% of the total six-billion-baht budget by the end of January, instead of waiting for the third and fourth quarters, to help drive faster economic expansion.

Mr Ekniti said the ministry will also study a proposal by the Thai Chamber of Commerce to allow companies to deduct travel expenses for employee leisure trips.

The third measure provides double tax deductions for hotel renovations in secondary provinces until March next year.

Eligible expenses include air-conditioning, solar panel, and wastewater treatment systems.

Other proposals under consideration include tax reductions for entertainment venues to encourage operators to register their businesses properly and gain tax benefits.

Mr Ekniti said the meeting also set disbursement targets for the current fiscal year at 75% for investment budgets and 93% for fixed budgets, with these targets to serve as key performance indicators for state agencies.

Unspent funds from the 2025 fiscal year total 300 billion baht, with only 65% of the investment budget disbursed, he added.

Government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said the measures are expected to increase economic growth by 0.4% of GDP.

Regarding the co-payment scheme, which opened for merchant registration on Wednesday, Mr Ekniti said it is expected to inject 88 billion baht into the economy, with 900,000 vendors and about 20 million people expected to participate.

The Khon La Khrueng Plus programme offers beneficiaries between 2,000 and 2,400 baht per person, with daily spending capped at 200 baht for up to two months.

Addressing tax concerns, Mr Ekniti said data collected under the co-payment programme remains confidential but emphasised that paying income tax is a legal obligation for all earners.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he had instructed the panel to focus on achieving quick wins.

The Athletics Association of Thailand has taken on the responsibility of contributing 17 gold medals to the Thai tally when the Kingdom hosts the 2025 Southeast Asian Games from Dec 9-20.

A total of six national sports governing bodies, including track and field, were invited to the first “Meet the Press” event on Tuesday at Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium. They told the media they hoped to deliver between 24 and 36 gold medals at the biennial tournament.

National Olympic Committee of Thailand president Pimol Srivikorn presided over the event and noted that the 2025 Games will feature 50 official sports, three demonstration events, and one “economically impactful sport”.

Over 2,000 Thai athletes are expected to compete, while Cambodia will send around 300 athletes — fewer than initially planned due to safety concerns, he said.

“I am confident that Thailand will win the overall title at this year’s SEA Games and make us proud,” Pimol added.

Sports Writers and Photographers Association of Thailand president Phaitoon Chutimakornkul, who co-chaired the meeting, expressed hope that the nine scheduled press briefings would help Thai sports fans assess the nation’s readiness and expectations ahead of the Games.

Pol Maj Gen Naphanwut Liamsanguan, vice president of the Athletics Association of Thailand, reaffirmed the goal of 17 gold medals in track and field, surpassing the 16 won previously.

He added that the association has enlisted an American sprint coach to help athletes improve their times.

The Thai Modern Pentathlon Association expects to claim two of the six gold medals up for grabs.

The Thailand Triathlon Association also hopes to win at least two of the 11 gold medals, though the host nation faces stiff competition from Cambodia, which has recruited top athletes from France and China.

The Thailand Equestrian Federation confirmed it is aiming for five golds and believes six are within reach, while the Thailand Polo Association is confident of sweeping both gold medals.

The Thai Cycling Association revealed that the sport will offer 17 gold medals across four disciplines, with Thailand expected to win six titles.

The second “Meet the Press” session is scheduled for Thursday, with badminton, tennis, squash, table tennis, gymnastics, shooting, and weightlifting set to present their plans and medal targets.

Despite growth in the industrial property sector, the market for warehouses outside industrial estates has slowed, as large users like e-commerce companies increasingly invest in their own facilities, according to property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield Thailand.

Phongphan Phloiphet, director of logistics and industrial, said warehouses outside industrial estates were in oversupply in the third quarter, with some recording vacancy rates as high as 30-40%.

“Competition among logistics players over the past 1-2 years has driven down service fees, putting pressure on warehouse rental rates. Some operators have exited the market, leaving an oversupply of space,” he said.

Large e-commerce companies, which are major warehouse users, have increasingly invested in their own facilities rather than relying on third-party operators, further increasing available warehouse space.

Mr Phongphan said the warehouse market saw heavy investment over the past three years, largely driven by Chinese investors.

Supply expanded rapidly to meet the high demand from e-commerce during the pandemic, leading to the current oversupply situation.

Additionally, ready-built warehouses (RBWs) have faced pressure from the US tariffs, which caused developers to hold back new RBW launches in the third quarter of 2025, as they awaited greater clarity on import duties.

As of the third quarter this year, Thailand’s RBWs market tallied roughly 6 million square metres, with a vacancy rate of 17.2%, down from 19% in the second quarter due to no new RBW supply being launched during that period.

The highest vacancy rate was in the eastern zone, particularly Samut Prakan, which recorded a vacancy rate of 21.5% across roughly 3.51 million sq m of space.

This was followed by the Eastern Seaboard zone with a 16.3% vacancy rate of some 1.6 million sq m and the Central zone at 14.2% of 881,497 sq m.

New RBW supply is also in the pipeline, totalling around 459,000 sq m from five projects — four in Samut Prakan, and one in Bangkok — scheduled for completion between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the fourth quarter of 2028. Four of these projects are located in industrial estates.

“New investment in warehouses should be approached with caution, particularly for those outside industrial estates, where demand is largely driven by factories within the estates, which are currently on the rise,” Mr Phongphan noted.

In the third quarter of 2025, serviced industrial land plots (SILPs) within industrial estates tallied 221,458 rai, with the vacancy rate falling to 7.13% from 8.69% in the previous quarter.

The average land price edged up to 8.04 million baht a rai, compared with 7.87 million baht a rai in the second quarter. Meanwhile, an additional 16,297 rai of new SILPs were under construction.

The highest average land prices were recorded in Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao, and the northern part of Chon Buri, ranging between 12-14 million baht a rai.

In the lower areas of Chon Buri and Rayong, they ranged from 5.5-7.5 million baht a rai while in Ayutthaya prices averaged around 6 million baht a rai.

The Bhumjaithai (BJT) Party has warned that the charter amendment bills proposed by the Pheu Thai Party and the People’s Party (PP) lack protections for Chapters 1 and 2 of the current constitution and risk violating the charter.

A joint sitting of parliament was held on Tuesday to deliberate on three constitutional amendment bills proposed by the PP, BJT, and Pheu Thai. All three seek to amend the constitution by introducing a new Chapter 15/1 concerning the drafting of a new constitution.

Parit Wacharasindhu, a list MP from the PP, explained the core principles of his party’s charter change bill, which proposes the establishment of 135 constitution drafters.

The process would establish a 35-member Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) responsible for drafting the new charter, and a 100-member Constitution Drafting Advisory (CDA) Council to collect public opinions. CDC members would be chosen from party-list-style candidate groups of 17-70 individuals. The entire country would serve as one constituency, where voters elect 70 candidates, from whom parliament would select the final 35 members.

Advisory Council members would be directly elected by voters in each province, with one to five representatives depending on population. Each province would form its own constituency.

Mr Parit said that the PP’s bill maximises public participation while complying with Constitutional Court rulings. It also stipulates that the new constitution must preserve Thailand’s unity as an indivisible kingdom and maintain a democratic system with the King as head of state.

However, Korawee Prisananantakul, a BJT MP for Ang Thong, said that the charter amendment bills proposed by Pheu Thai and the PP carry a significant risk of contravening the Constitutional Court’s ruling. This concern arises from the fact that both bills propose that members of the CDA be directly elected by the people in the initial stage before being shortlisted by parliament. This process may conflict with the Constitutional Court’s decision, which prohibits the direct election of CDA members by the public.

He further noted that neither bill explicitly guarantees that Chapters 1 and 2 of the 2017 Constitution, which concern the indivisibility of the kingdom and the monarchy, will remain untouched. Chapter 1 of the constitution contains sections that define Thailand as a single, indivisible kingdom with a democratic regime and establish the King as the head of state. Chapter 2, meanwhile, outlines royal prerogatives. In particular, the PP’s bill is complex and does not even establish a formal CDA. Instead, it only proposes a 35-member CDC responsible for drafting the new constitution.

Chousak Sirinil, a list MP from Pheu Thai, insisted that Pheu Thai has no intention of amending either chapter.

Thailand’s SEA Games squad produced a disciplined performance to hold China’s U23 side to a 0-0 draw in a Fifa Day friendly at the Kunming Haigeng Training Center on Tuesday.

The Thais started brightly and almost struck inside two minutes. Iklas Sanron broke down the left and squared for Thanakrit Chotemuangpak, whose effort grazed the side netting.

Near the 30-minute mark, another chance surfaced for the visitors, but Yotsakorn Burapha’s shot was deflected wide.

The visitors thought they had the breakthrough in the 36th minute when Auttapon Sangtong slipped a pass to Yotsakorn, who finished from close range only for the assistant referee to raise his flag to rule it offside.

After the break, a couple of more opportunities were wasted when Iklas’ shot was deflected by a Chinese defender in the 76th minute and Yotsakorn sent his effort sailing over the bar six minutes later.

Thailand U23 team coach Thawatchai Damrong-ongtrakul expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to test several new players in the friendly against China.

“We tried out many players I had never worked with before and they all performed well. For many of them it was their first time playing abroad, and they handled it admirably. This gives us more options to consider for upcoming tournaments,” he said.

Thawatchai praised the spirit and resilience of his squad but added: “We still have many things to fix, but I appreciate this group of players.”

Looking ahead, the coach said: “Our next target is the 2025 SEA Games, but this warm-up with China gave us a lot. We will also face them again in the AFC U23 Championship, so applying what we learned here will be valuable.

“When we adapt these experiences to matches against Asean opponents, it should help us improve further.”

The Thai U23 squad will return home this afternoon, and the coaching staff will get down to work again for training plans for the 2025 SEA Games, hosted by Thailand from Dec 9-20, and the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia from Jan 6-24.

About 7,300 tonnes of invasive blackchin tilapia have been removed from natural water sources and aquaculture ponds across 19 affected provinces, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow said.

Capt Thamanat, who’s also a deputy prime minister, announced on Tuesday that the eradication campaign, led by the Department of Fisheries in coordination with various agencies, is based on seven comprehensive measures to relieve the burden on fish farmers and halt the species’ rapid spread.

Prachin Buri and Phatthalung provinces have now completely eradicated the species, while the number of affected provinces has dropped from 19 to 17, according to Capt Thamanat.

Of these, nine are now classified as low-density areas (fewer than 10 fish per 100 sqm), namely Chachoengsao, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samut Songkhram, Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Surat Thani and Songkhla.

Eight others reported having moderate species prevalence: Chanthaburi, Chon Buri, Rayong, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumpon and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

To further strengthen ecological recovery, the Department of Fisheries has released over 1.13 million predator fish compatible with local ecosystems, helping to naturally control any remaining blackchin tilapia populations.

Working with agencies such as the Rubber Authority of Thailand and the Land Development Department, the Department of Fisheries has also turned eradicated fish into valuable resources, he said. Nearly 5,000 tonnes were processed into bio-fermented water for rubber farming, and over 2,000 tonnes were converted into fishmeal for animal feed, generating more than 34 million baht in value.

Thitiporn Laoprasert, acting director-general of the Department of Fisheries, added that under the Blackchin Tilapia Outbreak Mitigation Action Plan, continuous monitoring will ensure sustainable control.

For fiscal year 2025, the department aims to release over 78 million aquatic animals to revive biodiversity.

Auto hire-purchase lending is likely to remain flat in the second half of 2025 despite falling interest rates and competitive new car pricing, says Tris Rating, citing cautious lending practices, weak consumer purchasing power, a glut of used cars and limited truck demand.

According to Tris, hire-purchase loans across all vehicle categories declined throughout 2024 and into the first six months of 2025, though passenger cars showed early recovery signs driven by competitive used car pricing and growing hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) demand as consumers shift towards sustainable options.

“Auto hire-purchase lending will likely remain flat in the latter half despite favourable conditions, including supportive regulations, competitive new car pricing, motorcycle market normalisation, and falling interest rates,” the credit rating agency said in a recent report.

Some positive momentum is expected for used cars and HEVs, but “broader stagnation will persist” due to used car oversupply, weak consumer purchasing power, limited truck demand, and cautious lending practices, added Tris.

Motorcycle hire-purchase is the only segment showing a clear recovery following stricter credit standards, with most companies reporting declining non-performing loan (NPL) ratios. Market conditions have stabilised as a result of reduced loan-to-value ratios and dealer commissions.

“Still, lenders remain cautious, now requiring down payments or upfront instalments for customers with weaker credit,” noted Tris.

“The truck leasing outlook remains challenging given economic weakness. Most lenders show declining NPL ratios since the first quarter, though aggregate data remains elevated.”

Credit costs dropped in the first quarter, then rebounded in the second quarter along with increased write-offs. However, losses from repossessions declined as fewer truck repossessions improved resale prices.

New car hire-purchase portfolios from six captive finance companies in Tris’s database showed improving trends, with declining average NPL ratios due to conservative lending.

“Conversely, used car non-bank financial institution [NBFI] lenders still face ongoing challenges with elevated and volatile NPL ratios, rebounding in the second quarter after declining in the first three months,” noted the agency.

Commercial banks with auto hire-purchase exposure saw mixed trends. Some reported rising NPL ratios from portfolio contractions with modestly higher absolute NPLs, while others recorded declining NPL ratios alongside portfolio reductions, according to Tris.

Government debt relief programmes, including “You Fight, We Help”, have provided modest NPL stabilising support for banks and their subsidiaries so far.

Despite challenging market conditions, a positive trend was lower losses from repossessed vehicles based on recovering used car prices, said the agency.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Thailand plans to directly supervise the auto hire-purchase and leasing business, aiming to enhance market conduct to improve consumer protection and industry practices. The new regulation is due to take effect 180 days from the date of publication, on Dec 2, 2025.

“While these supervisory measures may slow loan growth and increase compliance costs, the overall impact is expected to be contained,” Tris said.

The Finance Ministry is expanding the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation’s coverage, allowing it to guarantee loans from NBFIs not owned by traditional financial institutions.

However, Tris does not expect NBFIs to actively expand loan portfolios via the guarantees.

Kasikornbank (KBank) has successfully implemented its early retirement (ER) programme and aims to reduce employee costs by 10-20% over five years as it increasingly adopts artificial intelligence (AI).

Kattiya Indaravijaya, chief executive of KBank, said the ER programme delivered the expected results and will help lower personnel expenses.

The bank continues to invest in information technology systems to support growing demand for digital banking and AI-driven services, she said.

Ms Kattiya did not disclose how many employees retired early. As of June this year, KBank employed about 18,300 staff.

The country’s third-largest lender by total assets, the bank recently introduced a one-time ER scheme open to employees 45 and older.

The voluntary programme was available from Aug 15 to Oct 7, targeting eligible applicants aged 45-59.

Chongrak Rattanapian, co-president of KBank, said the bank plans to continue to reduce both staff numbers and employee expenses by 10-20% over five years.

Traditional branches will continue to be slashed as more transactions are digital, he said.

In the first half of 2025, personnel expenses at the bank tallied 14.3 billion baht, up from 13.7 billion year-on-year. Personnel costs accounted for 51% of total operating expenses.

Mr Chongrak said the bank operates roughly 750 physical branches nationwide and plans to reduce this number by 10-20 branches a year, targeting around 700 outlets in a few years.

This reduction aligns with the decline in branch transactions and the strong growth of digital banking activities, he said.

“We aim to maintain our cost-to-income ratio in the low 40% range by controlling operating expenses and accelerating digital and AI adoption,” said Mr Chongrak.

As of June this year, KBank operated 749 branches nationwide, down from 756 year-on-year.

Branch numbers have steadily declined from 839 in 2021 to 824 in 2022, 808 in 2023 and 781 in 2024, according to KBank data.

During the first half of 2025, branch-based transactions accounted for only 0.3% of total banking transactions, down from 2% in 2021, while mobile banking transactions surged to 94.5%, up from 86% over the same period.

Meanwhile, the number of users of KBank’s K-Plus mobile banking app has risen steadily from 17.1 million in 2021 to 23.4 million in the first half of this year.

The bank wants to increase the number of K-Plus users to 23.9 million next year.

A 69-year-old blind German man sat waiting for his wife at their home, unaware that she had taken her own life inside until a neighbour arrived on Tuesday evening.

Police were called to the two-storey house in tambon Khlong Udom Chonlachon at 6.30pm on Tuesday, where they found the body of a 53-year-old Thai woman who had hanged herself beside the staircase. Her husband, blind in both eyes due to a car accident, was sitting at a table outside.

A neighbour told police the couple had rented the house for over a year. The woman typically worked as a taxi driver in Bangkok for two to three days at a time, preparing meals for her husband before leaving. The neighbour would check in and cook for him if she was away for longer.

On the day of the incident, the husband called out, asking the neighbour to turn on the house lights. When the lights came on, the woman’s body was discovered.

The husband told police his wife had returned home that morning distressed after a traffic accident. The other party was demanding 40,000 baht in compensation, which the couple did not have. She had returned home to wait for negotiations.

Officials from the provincial Social Development and Human Security office visited the home on Wednesday to assess the man’s situation and found his visa had expired. He has lived in Thailand for 16 years on a German pension.

The man reportedly said he wishes to remain in Thailand. Authorities are coordinating with tourist police, immigration and the German Embassy to contact his relatives. Meanwhile, neighbours continue to provide him with meals and care.