Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

Re: “Authoritarians’ brave new cities”, (Opinion, Sept 23).

I am reading the latest novel by David Baldacci (Strangers in Time), set in London during the Blitz.

He writes: “But., as even a casual observer of history could say with complete confidence, such one-man governing structures never ended well for anyone, not even the strongman. Humans make poor gods. We’re just not up to it.”

It seems to confirm the saying that power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely. USA, be warned?

Keith McCulloch

Sum of woes

Re: “Irrational rationale” and “Revise the numbers”, (PostBag, Sept 22).

I appreciate the feedback from S de Jong and Ian Dann. Yet, as a university teacher by trade, I teach my students that a good paper needs to pass the “so what?” test, and I don’t see their criticisms of my inexact arithmetic as passing the “so what?” test; especially in view of the fact that I have been upfront that I am dyslexic with numbers, but not letters.

Yet, to S de Jong’s point, let’s revise the numbers using his numbers.

Let’s take his upper figure of 44,000 baht spent per tourist and multiply 44,000 times 1.75 million on a calculator. I came up with a figure on Google (and I checked this five times due to my dyslexia) of 77 billion baht or $2.4 billion that is and/or shall be absent from the Thai economy in 2025. Please note I am using S de Jong’s numbers, and I openly ask non-dyslexic readers to rerun this math.

To close, while I’m dealing with numbers that even a CPA may struggle with, this is a whole lot of greenbacks going into someone else’s — cannabis stench free — tourism industry and, by the way, if I happen to take my young nephews and nieces on a tourist trip, we’re going to somewhere weed free; where good people are high on proper moral values and not funny mushrooms.

Jason A Jellison

Tailored tourism

Re: “Reviving the China market”, (BP, Sept 28).

Instead of focusing on increasing the sheer number of tourists, we should tailor different services for different target markets, offering superior value for money to each niche. Just counting heads is a sure way to over-tourism, zero baht tours and low profits.

The Louvre Museum is a prime example of market segmentation. To help ensure quality experiences for all, the Louvre requires advance booking of timed tickets to manage visitor flow. On-site ticket availability is limited and subject to the museum’s attendance levels. Admission is free for those under 18, the disabled and their caregivers, and certain other categories like art teachers.

Importantly, there is no highly irritating discrimination by nationality; EU residents under 26 enter for free, regardless of nationality. The Louvre offers standard adult timed-entry tickets, tickets with an audio guide, a combo ticket (including Louvre entry and a Seine River cruise), and a priority access guided tour with an expert host — each at a price point suitable for its market niche.

Our Chiang Mai Historical and City Arts and Cultural Centres have expert guides available on demand, dressed in period costumes, and they really know their stuff, eg, my guide majored in Thai History from CMU. Why can’t other tourist attractions be like them?

For instance, Ancient City might offer audio guides or hosts who majored in religion/history, or Khao Keo Open Zoo’s hosts might be zoology majors, with foreign language skills as an add-on.

Think profit per head, not just heads.

Burin Kantabutra

China’s new visa programme aimed at attracting foreign tech talent kicks off this week, a move seen boosting Beijing’s fortunes in its geopolitical rivalry with Washington as a new US visa policy prompts would-be applicants to scramble for alternatives.

While China has no shortage of skilled local engineers, the programme is part of an effort by Beijing to portray itself as a country welcoming foreign investment and talent, as rising trade tensions due to US tariffs cloud the country’s economic outlook.

China has taken a series of measures to boost foreign investment and travel, opening more sectors to overseas investors and offering visa waivers for citizens from most European countries, Japan and South Korea among others.

“The symbolism is powerful: while the US raises barriers, China is lowering them,” said Iowa-based immigration attorney Matt Mauntel-Medici, referring to China’s new visa category, called the K visa, which launches tomorrow, Oct 1.

‘Exquisite’ timing

The K visa, announced in August, targets young foreign science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) graduates and promises to allow entry, residence and employment without a job offer, which could appeal to foreign workers looking for alternatives to US job opportunities.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it would ask companies to pay $100,000 (3.22 million baht) per year for H-1B worker visas, widely used by tech companies to hire skilled foreign workers.

“The US has definitely shot itself in the foot on H-1Bs, and the timing is exquisite for China’s K visa,” said Michael Feller, chief strategist at Geopolitical Strategy.

Other countries, including South Korea, Germany and New Zealand, are also loosening visa rules to attract skilled migrants.

Immigration experts say the main attraction of the K visa is no requirement of a sponsoring employer, which has been regarded as one of the biggest hurdles for those seeking H-1B visas.

The H-1B visa requires employer sponsorship and is subject to a lottery system, with only 85,000 slots available annually. The new $100,000 fee could further deter first-time applicants.

“It’s an appealing alternative for Indian Stem professionals seeking flexible, streamlined visa options,” said Bikash Kali Das, an Indian student at Sichuan University.

India was by far the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries.

Unanswered questions

Despite its promise, the K visa faces hurdles. Chinese government guidelines mention vague “age, educational background and work experience” requirements.

There are also no details on financial incentives, employment facilitation, permanent residency, or family sponsorship. Unlike the US, China does not offer citizenship to foreigners except in rare cases.

China’s State Council did not respond to a request for comment asking for more details on the logistics and underlying strategy of the K visa.

Language is another barrier: most Chinese tech firms operate in Mandarin, limiting opportunities for non-Chinese speakers.

Political tensions between Delhi and Beijing could also become a factor that could limit the number of Indian K visa applicants China is willing to accept, experts said.

“China will need to ensure Indian citizens feel welcome and can do meaningful work without Mandarin,” said Mr Feller.

Alternative for whom?

China’s talent recruitment has traditionally focused on China-born scientists abroad and overseas Chinese.

Recent efforts include home-purchase subsidies and signing bonuses of up to 5 million yuan ($702,200). These have drawn back US-based Chinese Stem talent, especially amid Washington’s growing scrutiny on ties to China.

“The recruitment effort targeting Indian tech talent in China is growing but remains moderate compared to the more intensive, well-established, and well-funded initiatives aimed at repatriating Chinese Stem talent,” said Sichuan University’s Das.

A Chinese Stem graduate who recently got a job offer from a Silicon Valley-based tech company was also sceptical about the K visa’s prospects.

“Asian countries like China don’t rely on immigration and local Chinese governments have many ways to attract domestic talent,” he said, declining to be named for privacy reasons.

The US has over 51 million immigrants — 15% of its population — compared to just 1 million foreigners in China, less than 1% of its population.

While China is unlikely to significantly alter its immigration policy to allow in millions of foreign workers, analysts say the K visa could still boost Beijing’s fortunes in its geopolitical rivalry with Washington.

“If China can attract even a sliver of global tech talent, it will be more competitive in cutting-edge technology,” Mr Feller said.?

Last February, Donald Trump and his heir apparent JD Vance launched a televised frontal attack on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, telling him that Ukraine had “no cards”. Mr Zelensky should let Russia keep the conquered territories (about 20% of Ukraine) in return for peace.

Yet last Tuesday, shortly after his hour-long rant at the UN General Assembly, Mr Trump went on his Truth Social platform to say that Russia is a “paper tiger”. He claimed that Mr Zelensky is now “in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form”. He even added: “And maybe more than that.” (Moscow, perhaps?)

Those are very ambitious goals, and the harsh truth is that the Ukrainian army has been retreating all year. Retreating very slowly, to be sure, and inflicting far more casualties on the Russians than it suffers itself, but retreating nevertheless. So is this just Mr Trump’s usual hyperbole?

Mr Trump is well-known for echoing the views of the last person he talked to (except on the few subjects he actually knows something about). The last person he talked to before issuing those predictions was Mr Zelensky himself (they were both in New York), and it would have been Mr Zelensky’s duty to talk up the prospects for an eventual Ukrainian military victory.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Ukrainians will win, or even that Mr Zelensky truly believes they will, but the Russian offensive could well be called Operation Snail. The Russians hold about 114,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, but they only added 4,000 sq km in 2024 and probably the same again by the end of this year.

Russian casualties don’t matter much because Russia has four times the population of Ukraine, but this is taking a very long time, and that could be a problem for Mr Putin.

If the Ukrainians lose, they lose their entire country. If the Russian army loses, it just goes home again. In a war of attrition, therefore, Ukrainians are likely to be more patient in adversity. Whether that will be enough to outweigh Russia’s material advantages is hard to guess, but there is one new factor that might tip the scales: the Flamingos.

You have to hand it to a country that names a new and hopefully decisive weapon after an awkward-looking bird. (The Ukrainians even painted the first prototype pink.) It’s a big and cheap cruise missile — 3,000km range and a thousand-kilo warhead, but not supersonic, not stealthy, not guided (apart from GPS). Not even very accurate: probably a 15-metre CEP.

What makes it special is that it is entirely Ukrainian-built in converted underground garages. And nobody else can tell Kyiv that certain categories of Russian targets are off limits.

The Flamingos are not hard to shoot down, but Ukraine says it can build around 200 a month, and with a one-tonne warhead, they don’t have to be very accurate.

The Ukrainians are concentrating on hitting oil refineries, pipelines and pumping stations all over European Russia, with the goal of starving both the domestic and foreign markets for Russian oil. Almost all those targets can be repaired in time, but there are many hundreds of them, and it becomes a race between Ukrainian missiles and Russian repair crews.

Kyiv hopes it can win that race, in which case the Russian government’s income starts to fall. (About 30% of the federal budget comes from oil sales, mostly foreign.) The Russian economy won’t collapse, but living standards might fall steeply enough to make the war against Ukraine seriously unpopular.

Or they may not. Hoping that some single new weapon can win a war is rarely a good bet. What can be said with confidence is that the Flamingos do even things up a bit in this David-and-Goliath war, and that they are a weapon that is not given or withheld according to Donald Trump’s mood swings.

And don’t imagine that the worst is past. The most dangerous part of this war will arrive when the Putin regime collapses or Ukraine starts to go under.

Deputy Prime Minister Bowornsak Uwanno on Monday explained the constitutional amendment process, confirming that the next general election will involve four separate ballots: two for polls and another two for referendums.

The four ballots are: one for electing constituency MPs, another for party-list MPs, a third for a referendum on constitutional amendments, and a fourth for a referendum on whether to revoke the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cambodia.

Speaking to a House session, Mr Bowornsak said the government’s policy clearly supports holding a referendum to amend the constitution, emphasising the importance of listening to the public and encouraging participation from all sectors.

This approach aligns with the Constitutional Court’s ruling and aims to uphold the democratic system with the King as head of state.

Mr Bowornsak explained that drafting the new constitution is the first step in the process. The second step involves a referendum to approve or reject the draft constitution, which will be the first question posed to voters.

The new draft constitution will introduce an additional Chapter 15/1 of necessary legislative details.

Among these updated and new provisions are a new stipulation regarding the formation of a 99-member constitution drafting assembly (CDA), whose members would be selected exclusively by parliament, to produce the document.

In the initial stage, parliament will determine how to involve the public in drafting the new constitution, in a manner that does not contradict the Constitutional Court’s ruling that prohibits a direct election of the CDA by the public.

Should parliament approve this, the second step will be to draft the new constitution by the CDA or other authorised persons as stipulated in Chapter 15/1, following the referendum, Mr Bowornsak said.

Mr Bowornsak said that two major political parties have already confirmed that they will not amend Chapters 1 and 2 of the constitution.

He explained that any changes to these chapters in the new constitution would immediately raise issues that could potentially contradict the current constitution.

Chapter 1 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.

The health and wellness trend and product innovation in protein beverages in Thailand should increase demand for high-protein imported products in the final quarter of this year, according to the US Dairy Export Council (Usdec).

Dali Ghazalay, regional director for Southeast Asia at Usdec, said the council observed growing demand for dairy whey and other dairy proteins in Thailand, which is a leader in food and beverage innovation development in this region.

Stephen Cain, vice-president of economic policy and market analysis at Usdec, said from January to July 2025, Thailand imported 1,240 tonnes of high-protein whey products, up 177% year-on-year. This surge was largely fuelled by rising demand from sports nutrition, functional beverages and medical/clinical nutrition segments.

“Imports are expected to remain elevated into the final quarter of this year, supported by ongoing demand,” he said.

Mr Cain said the US supplied 1,073 tonnes of whey products to Thailand, accounting for 86.5% of the total market, followed by New Zealand at 3.8%.

He said the Thai cheese market also posted promising growth, with the country importing 15,555 tonnes of cheese products over the first seven months, up 7.7% year-on-year.

The primary sources were Australia, accounting for 35.6% of the total market, followed by New Zealand at 32.9% and the US at 9.2%.

Mr Cain said the demand driver for cheese is the rebound in food services in Thailand, including pizza, quick-service restaurants, casual dining and convenience food.

Growth in bakery items requiring cheese toppings or fillings is also contributing to this expansion, he said.

“The tourism recovery and adoption of a more Western diet have also increased cheese consumption in Thailand,” said Mr Cain.

He said he anticipates cheese imports will remain strong in the fourth quarter, driven by growth in food service and preparations for festivals and holiday menus.

In addition, Mr Cain said the strong demand for high protein is evident worldwide and there is no sign that this trend will reverse soon.

“The supply of whey protein cannot keep up with the growing demand, so don’t expect the prices to ease too much in the near term,” he said.

G-Able Public Company Limited (G-Able), Thailand’s leading provider of digital solutions and end-to-end IT infrastructure services, has announced the signing of a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s most comprehensive and widely adopted cloud platform. The agreement underscores G-Able’s mission to empower Thai enterprises with advanced cloud technologies, enhance competitiveness, and fuel innovation across industries.

Dr Chaiyuth Chunnahacha, Chief Executive Officer of G-Able Public Company Limited, said: ‘This strategic collaboration marks an important milestone in our mission to help Thai enterprises harness cloud and AI technologies. Together, we will enable organisations to accelerate digital transformation within their local business context.’

Through the SCA, G-Able will collaborate with AWS to develop cloud strategies and solutions tailored for medium and large Thai enterprises, expand resources and expertise by obtaining AWS Competencies, and strengthen digital capabilities for businesses. The collaboration will focus on four key areas:

Cloud Migration: Supporting enterprises in moving from on-premises IT infrastructure to AWS quickly and securely, while reducing downtime and costs.

AI and Machine Learning: Applying AI to analyse data, understand customer behaviour, forecast markets, and design personalised services.

Data Analytics: Developing data platforms that can aggregate, analyse, and present real-time business insights.

Generative AI: Enabling enterprises to create new content, models, and services using tools such as Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Q. G-Able has also developed its own AI platform, Allyx, built on AWS, to support a wide range of use cases including chatbots, document summarisation, search, and AI automation (Agentic AI) across industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and education. In addition, G-Able integrates Amazon Q in QuickSight with Allyx to empower business users to access data and create dashboards with greater ease.

G-Able will also expand specialised services in cybersecurity and automation to help enterprises strengthen IT infrastructure management and streamline business processes. The company has already supported numerous Thai public and private sector organisations in migrating workloads to AWS and in piloting AI and analytics solutions.

Kirsten Gilbertson, Head of Partner Management, ASEAN, AWS, said: ‘G-Able’s strong technical expertise and its ability to meet customer requirements in Thailand make them a strategic AWS Partner in ASEAN. Together, we will help Thai enterprises accelerate cloud adoption and leverage advanced technology services to succeed in the digital economy.’

Dr Chaiyuth added: ‘This collaboration with AWS will be a key enabler for Thai enterprises to achieve sustainable growth in the digital era.’

Skeet and trap shooting star Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit is boycotting the SEA Games, to be held in Thailand in Deember, accusing event organisers of a lack of transparency and mismanagement.

Her withdrawal is not the first controversy to hit this year’s biennial multisport event. Two badminton layers have also questioned the fairness of the player selection process.

Sutiya announced her decision on Monday, saying she would not participate in the selection process for the national team for the games, because she had suspicions about transparency in the way the Skeet and Trap Shooting Association handlies its budget and financial support from sponsors.

‘That is why I have distanced myself from the Skeet and Trap Shooting Association. And I have decided that I will not contest the SEA Games and will cheer on younger players,’ Sutiya told reporters. ‘I hope the younger players perform well.’

The SEA Games will run from Dec 9-20 with events spread between venues in Greater Bangkok, Chon Buri and Songkhla.

The Skeet and Trap Shooting Association targets three gold medals.

Sutiya would have been a front runner if she competed

She asked Deputy Prime Minister Thammanat Prompow to look into all the problems at the Skeet and Trap Shooting Association and other sports organisations in the country.

As deputy PM, Mr Thammanat oversees the Sports and Tourism Ministry. The cabinet minister responsible for sports is Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn. Both are members of the Klatham Party, part of the new coalition government.

Sutiya has competed in four consecutive Olympics – in Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020. She won a gold medal in 2016.

The skeet shooter is not the only player disgruntled with the performance of sports organisation leaders ahead of the SEA Games.

Ratchapol Makkasasithorn and Nattamon Laisuan on Sept 19 accused the Badminton Association of Thailand of being unfair after they were ruled out of the national squad.

Ratchapol and Nattamon won the mixed doubles at the Thailand National Championship in December. The win would have given them an automatic berth in the national team under the old rules, which gave priority to winners of the annual competition. The second priority was to be ranked in the world top 20.

The badminton association amended the regulations in April, putting global ranking above winning a national championship. Players in the top 32 of the world are now automatically selected, followed by winners of the national championship.

The change dropped Ratchapol and Nattamon from selection as the pair are not ranked in the top 32, ending their hopes of representing Thailand at the December SEA Games.

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand says it plans to fill the sinkhole on Samsen Road in Dusit district of Bangkok and reopen the road for traffic by Oct 9.

Sand was being dumped into the sinkhole to prepare for the quick reconstruction of the Samsen road surface, MRTA deputy governor Kitti Akewanlop said on Tuesday.

The job will require 7,000 to 8,000 cubic metres of sand and workers can dump about 2,000 cubic metres a day, he said. On Tuesday the sinkhole was about 10 metres deep from the original road surface.

‘The road surface will be rebuilt on Oct 8 and two lanes will reopen on Oct 9 as planned,’ Mr Kitti said.

He also said that the adjacent Samsen police station building did not shift after the collapse as earlier feared, and officials concerned had confirmed its safety.

Apart from the police station, the sinkhole stood next to Vajira Hospital. Patients and relatives have been advised to take public transport for now. Hospital executives say that 7,000 to 8,000 patients and relatives visit the hospital every day.

The sinkhole was 30 metres wide, 30 metres long and 20 metres deep when it formed suddenly on Samsen Road on the morning of Sept 24. The MRTA initially blamed it on soil sliding into a tunnel and underground station of its Purple Line extension route.

The contractor for the section in question is the CKST joint venture, made up of SET-listed Ch. Karnchang Plc and Stecon Group Plc. The family of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul are major shareholders in the latter.

A 21-year-old man set himself on fire at a bus stop and ran out into the traffic on Phahon Yothin Road in Bangkok on Tuesday, horrifying pedestrians and motorists.

The incident occurred around 10am at a bus stop in front of the Land Development Department office in Chatuchak district.

A surveilance camera recording showed the man, whose name has not been released, standing behind the bus stop and holding a large jar containing a liquid believed to be petrol.

He poured the liquid over his body before setting himself on fire with a lighter.

According to 3 Plus News, he walked around while on fire, terrifying two university students waiting for a bus, before running out onto the road and falling to the ground, underneath Senanikom BTS Station.

The sudden sight of his burning body startled motorists. One motorcyclist fell off his bike and was injured. He was taken to nearby Paolo Hospital along with the self-immolated man by emergency responders called to the scene.

A witness told police the man had a heated phone conversation with someone before setting himself ablaze. His mother said she learned her son had been having a problem with his girlfriend over the past few days.

His condition was not known.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday flew his private jet to the northeastern province of Loei to receive a donor’s organs that can be used to save at least seven patients.

According to the Public Relations Department, Mr Anutin arrived at Loei airport at 12.15pm to receive the organs from Loei Hospital.

Mr Anutin has been a volunteer pilot for the Thai Red Cross Society since 2014. The flight on Tuesday was his first volunteer mission since he became prime minister.

The organs came from a 19-year-old man who was a native of Chiang Khan district of Loei. He had been declared brain-dead after an accident.

The donated organs comprised a heart, liver, two kidneys, two eyes and a pancreas which can be used to save at least seven patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok.

The donor is the 20th organ donor from Loei and the 141st in Thailand.