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The Department of Disease Control (DDC) says mpox remains under control in Thailand, with infections occurring sporadically and no evidence of widespread community transmission to date, despite a rise in cases since mid-2026.

DDC director-general Dr Montien Kanasawat said on Monday that Clade Ib had replaced Clade IIb as the dominant strain detected in the country.

Most patients are men aged 18-49, with sexual contact, exposure to infected household members and attending parties with infected people identified as risk factors.

Deputy DDC director-general Niti Hetanurak said the virus spreads mainly through close physical or sexual contact, contaminated clothing and towels, and prolonged exposure to respiratory droplets.

People with suspected infections should isolate, avoid sexual contact and seek medical attention, according to health authorities.

Confirmed patients may isolate at home if approved by doctors, but must remain isolated until all lesions have healed.

Commercial banks are being urged to strengthen their cybersecurity measures amid a global rise in cyberthreats involving artificial intelligence (AI) over the past 1-2 weeks.

According to Bank of Thailand governor Vitai Ratanakorn, the central bank met with commercial banks on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen cybersecurity systems and enhance their preparedness and defensive capabilities in response to the growing threat of cyber-attacks and financial crime worldwide.

The meeting brought together representatives of the Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA), banks’ chief information technology officers (CIOs) and the Thailand Banking Sector Computer Emergency Response Team (TB-CERT), which operates under the TBA.

“Cyberthreats have been increasing globally, and Thailand has also seen more attempts to infiltrate banking systems. So far, banks’ existing security systems have been able to withstand these attacks, allowing financial services to continue operating normally,” Mr Vitai said.

Hackers have attempted to target Thailand’s financial system using methods similar to those reported in other countries, seeking to gain access through third-party service providers and outsourced companies that work with banks.

The central bank has instructed financial institutions to tighten their cybersecurity controls and improve incident-reporting procedures. Banks are required to report suspicious activities and potential cyber-attacks daily to facilitate closer monitoring, faster assessments and information sharing among financial institutions and the Bank of Thailand.

Mr Vitai said the central bank and financial institutions had been closely monitoring the situation and coordinating their responses over the past week, including throughout the weekend.

“The situation in Thailand remains manageable, and there is no immediate reason for the public to panic over potential disruptions to banking services or to consider withdrawing cash or stockpiling food,” the governor said.

He added that banks had continued to invest in cybersecurity systems, while the latest meeting aimed to raise awareness of emerging threats and accelerate efforts to strengthen their cyberdefences.

CYBERSECURITY PUSH

Separately, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said on Monday that the government had been raising countermeasures to the highest level in response to growing cyberthreats.

He said he had held discussions with the central bank governor over the past weekend regarding cyberthreats targeting Thailand’s financial institutions. He had also discussed the matter with the TBA to prepare for potential attacks.

“Cyber-attacks can now occur across every sector of the economy. As a result, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the National Cyber Security Agency have stepped up cybersecurity measures across all sectors, not just the financial industry,” he said.

Regarding the financial sector, Mr Ekniti said the TBA and the central bank were working together to strengthen cybersecurity measures to the highest level, following reports of cyber-attacks targeting financial institutions overseas.

“We have received reports from the central bank’s governor and the TBA that cyber-attacks have been occurring continuously. However, we have seen an increase in attacks recently, prompting us to step up our defensive measures. Nevertheless, we are not taking this matter lightly, as it is a global problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, Payong Srivanich, chairman of the TBA, added that since Nov 7, the TBA and various financial institutions, including Kasikornbank and Krungthai Bank, had issued statements to reassure the public about the cybersecurity of Thailand’s financial system.

The financial sector has established a centralised system known as TB-CERT, which serves as a central cybersecurity coordination platform for Thai financial institutions and is connected to the Bank of Thailand to help monitor and safeguard the system.

He added that financial institutions had also coordinated with the National Cyber Security Agency and other industrial sectors to conduct cross-industry monitoring.

This is necessary because banking systems are interconnected with partner organisations through various integrations and external connections. Therefore, clear rules and protocols must be established to monitor different patterns of activity and identify potential threats.

In addition, financial institutions have emphasised the need for all relevant parties to continuously update their software to ensure that every system is updated in a timely manner, given the increasingly rapid evolution of cyberthreats.

Mr Payong said that although the banking sector had been targeted by cyber-attacks in the past, it had successfully defended itself through proactive measures.

“We must emphasise that we have raised our vigilance to the highest level. The Bank of Thailand has issued instructions directly to the CEOs of each bank, as well as through their respective CIOs. A video conference between the Bank of Thailand and the CIOs of all banks is also scheduled at noon on Monday,” he said.

An academic has urged Thailand and its neighbours to act urgently against toxic pollution in northern rivers, warning that switching water sources will not protect communities from contamination linked to mining activities across the border.

The call came after the Provincial Waterworks Authority’s Mae Sai branch in Chiang Rai temporarily suspended tap-water production because of excessive turbidity and arsenic in raw water drawn from the Sai River.

Suebsakun Kitnukorn, a lecturer in Mae Fah Luang University’s School of Social Innovation, said on Facebook on Monday that switching to the Mekong as an alternative water source would not eliminate the risk of contamination, citing water-quality tests linked to mining activities in Myanmar.

He proposed five measures to tackle pollution in the Kok, Sai, Ruak and Mekong rivers.

These include temporarily suspending mineral imports from Myanmar and exports to China until both countries demonstrate a serious commitment to tackling the pollution, and requiring companies to document the origins of minerals through a traceability system.

He also urged the Thailand-Myanmar Joint Water Quality Inspection Working Group to meet in Mae Sai or Tachileik as soon as possible, as agreed in August.

Mr Suebsakun called on Myanmar ministers to visit communities affected by the pollution in Mae Sai. He also proposed a national committee bringing together government officials, academics, civil society groups and farmers to coordinate efforts to protect six rivers, including the Salween and Kraburi.

The Mae Sai waterworks suspension followed tests on Nov 5-6 that found excessive turbidity and arsenic in raw water. The Pollution Control Department reported turbidity levels exceeding 10,000 NTU and arsenic concentrations of 0.30 milligrammes per litre, beyond the treatment system’s capacity. Production was halted for five hours before resuming.

Although normal production and distribution have resumed, about 60 users in higher parts of Ban Pha Daek remained without tap water. Authorities deployed water trucks to supply them.

A separate preliminary inspection at Ban Hua Fai found reddish-brown, murky water containing 0.25mg of arsenic per litre, compared with the standard of 0.01mg.

Officials said heavy rain upstream may have contributed to the elevated metal concentrations.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) ?said on Tuesday it would launch a vaulting service to hold bullion for ?foreign central banks and lower taxes on some companies in the gold market as it competes for a bigger slice of the precious metals trade.

“Developing our gold market is an extension of Singapore’s role as a trusted financial centre,” said Deputy ?Prime Minister Gan Kim ?Yong, who is also Singapore’s minister for trade and industry and chairman of MAS.

The gold vaulting service will hold bullion reserves on behalf of foreign central banks, international financial institutions and sovereign entities in Singapore’s national currency vault, which has room for 500 metric tonnes.

“With growing demand for gold as a reserve asset, central banks are looking ?for more options to strengthen their resilience,” Gan said.

“There’s interest that has been expressed to us. Because these were confidential, I won’t be able to share details of which particular central banks have approached us,” he added.

MAS and the Ministry of Finance will ?also seek to introduce a new tax framework from April next year, extending tax relief for gold to wholesale services between institutional participants, such as ?vaulting, , recasting, assaying and broking.

“Taken together, these initiatives will put in place the key building blocks for a deeper and more vibrant ?Singapore ?gold market, facilitate price discovery and risk management during Asian trading hours, while strengthening Singapore’s role as a trusted connector to established ?gold centres and global liquidity,” MAS said in a statement.

The move comes as Singapore prepares to launch an over-the-counter gold clearing system by the end of the year.

Live trading and market ?operations are expected to commence by March 2027, with gold market ?liquidity building throughout the year, MAS said in its statement.

Separately, SGX’s physically deliverable gold kilobar futures are targeted for launch in the second quarter of 2027, the statement added.

Elsewhere in Asia, Kong’s government has ?been pushing to expand bullion storage ?and develop the city as an international gold trading centre.

House secretary-general Siroj Phaetphan on Monday denied political interference in guidelines governing the House’s 35 standing committees after opposition MPs accused parliamentary leaders of restricting oversight powers and delaying action on urgent public issues.

Mr Siroj said the committees had operated under the same principles since 2019, but the Secretariat moved to formalise them after legal concerns about committee powers.

Under Section 129 of the constitution, committees must act collectively when seeking documents or summoning individuals to provide information. Such actions require majority approval rather than decisions by individual lawmakers, he said.

The guidelines are intended to ensure legal compliance and protect parliamentary staff from possible investigations or disciplinary action over procedural mistakes.

“There has been no political pressure. We operate on the basis of the law, the constitution and parliamentary regulations,” Mr Siroj said. He warned that civil servants could be held responsible for procedural violations while politicians might escape the consequences.

Mr Siroj said he had not received a formal invitation from the House committee on legal affairs, justice and human rights for Speaker Sophon Zarum to explain the guidelines next week. The speaker could attend or send his first deputy or the secretary-general, he said.