Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is scheduled to visit the southern border provinces tomorrow to assess security measures after a series of violent incidents in Yala and Narathiwat sparked renewed concerns about unrest in the region.

The attacks, including a gold shop robbery in Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok district on Sunday and a wave of explosions in Yala’s Muang district on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, have raised fears of a resurgence in violence just weeks after Mr Anutin’s government assumed office.

Mr Anutin, who also serves as the interior minister, said his visit follows that of Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit, who inspected the situation yesterday.

The prime minister dismissed speculation that the attacks were a symbolic “welcome” gesture for the new administration, stressing that the government’s response must focus on proactive and coordinated measures.

“Security agencies, the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre and provincial governors must work together closely,” Mr Anutin said.

“We already have a solid security framework for the deep South, but its success depends on how effectively local officials and security units carry out their responsibilities. If I find any lack of commitment, changes will be made.”

The prime minister reiterated his administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards misconduct by state officials and said details of the Narathiwat gold shop robbery, in which a group of armed men escaped with over 35.6 million baht worth of gold jewellery, would be released by the agencies overseeing the investigation.

Meanwhile, authorities in Yala have temporarily closed two public parks for safety inspections after eight explosions on Wednesday night. No injuries were reported.

Seven of the bombs were planted near an artificial waterfall at Khwan Mueang Park, while another detonated on an islet at Sanam Chang Phueak Park between 8.03pm and 10.51pm, authorities said. Both parks are venues for traditional ceremonies marking the end of the Buddhist Lent.

Yala deputy governor Kongsakul Chantharat said the closures were necessary to ensure public safety.

The incidents followed three explosions at a youth centre in Muang district on Tuesday night.

Bomb disposal experts said the devices were timed pipe bombs, each weighing about 1 kilogramme, similar to those used in the earlier attacks.

Deputy national police chief, Pol Gen Samran Nuanma, and Lt Gen Norathip Pounok, commander of the Fourth Army Region and acting director of the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, also visited the affected sites on Thursday to oversee the investigations.

Lt Gen Norathip expressed deep concern for the well-being of the public, assuring that all security agencies will work together to safeguard the community with full force.

If anyone notices suspicious individuals, objects or has information that could assist in tracking down the perpetrators, they are encouraged to contact the 1341 hotline or reach out to the nearest special task force unit, available 24 hours a day.

Those who support violent offenders, whether by providing shelter, hiding them, or supplying provisions, are in violation of Section 189 of the Criminal Code.

Such actions are punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.

Phuket International Airport expects to welcome more than 16 million passengers this year, driven by rising international arrivals and new direct flight routes from Europe and Asia, said airport director Monchai Tanode.

He said during China’s Golden Week from Oct 1-8, passenger traffic rose by 60% compared with last year. The airport handled 228 flights, averaging 29 a day, with 34,375 passengers or 4,297 per day — about 65% of pre-Covid figures.

The top ten visitor nationalities were Russian, Chinese, Indian, South Korean, Australian, German, British, Israeli, Saudi Arabian and Malaysian.

Mr Monchai said Phuket is still in a low season and the airport, on average, handles between 280-300 flights a day.

Russian and Chinese travellers remain the largest groups, averaging 10,000-12,000 passengers per day. The number of daily flights is expected to rise to 380-400 in the high season, with maximum capacity set at 600.

He said two new airlines will launch routes during the high season. One is Centrum Air, which will fly directly from Uzbekistan to Phuket starting from Oct 31 with four weekly flights.

Air France will connect Paris to Phuket, starting from Nov 28, with six weekly flights using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Saudi Arabian, Israeli and Iranian airlines continue regular operations to Phuket, Mr Monchai said.

To prepare for the high season in late October, Phuket Airport has upgraded its runways, taxiways, and parking bays to handle 25 aircraft per hour. Coordination with the Immigration Bureau has also been strengthened to speed up international passenger processing, he said.

Mr Monchai said the airport also provides a new bus terminal to connect passengers to major destinations on three routes, and additional routes are being developed. Several ride-hailing services and metered taxis are available to meet peak demand.

Looking ahead, Mr Monchai said plans are underway for a new international terminal covering 100,000m², compared with the current 70,000m².

Design work will finish early next year, with construction expected to be completed by 2029. The airport plans to upgrade restrooms in 2026 to improve passenger comfort.

Bangkok is stepping up the enforcement of its public smoking ban to better protect residents and tourists from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Prof Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, a health expert and member of the National Tobacco Products Control Committee, on Thursday revealed that he and Dr Chayanan Sithibusaya, Director of the Tobacco Products Control Office at the Department of Disease Control, raised the issue during a meeting with Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt.

Prof Dr Prakit stressed that cigarette smoke is among the most harmful indoor air pollutants. And while Thailand has had anti-smoking laws since 1992, enforcement in Bangkok remains inconsistent, he added.

The city has over 1.2 million smokers and hosted more than 32.4 million visitors in 2024, about 20% of whom are smokers, he noted.

In response, Mr Chadchart reaffirmed the city’s commitment to a health-friendly environment, highlighting its designation as a “Healthy City” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in October 2024.

The recognition was based on Bangkok’s progress in health promotion and disease prevention.

The Bangkok governor said that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will step up the enforcement of the Tobacco Products Control Act BE 2560 (2017) and the 2018 smoke-free zone regulation.

Violators face fines of up to 5,000 baht.

To strengthen enforcement, Bangkok will invite experts from Iloilo City in the Philippines, known for its successful tobacco control measures, to provide guidance on local ordinances and the creation of a dedicated enforcement unit.

About 20 officers will be tasked with ensuring compliance.

Citing Article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Prof Dr Prakit reminded the public that secondhand smoke is a carcinogen with no safe exposure level.

He urged the authorities to view smoke-free air as a basic human right.

Chulalongkorn University (CU) is the only higher education institution in Thailand to have risen in the latest global rankings, though it still lags well behind its regional counterparts.

CU was in the 501-600 group of the World University Rankings this year, moving up from the lower tier of the 601-800 cluster, according to the results from Times Higher Education released on Thursday.

Thailand’s top university, Chulalongkorn University (CU), performed better in the latest global rankings in the areas of teaching, research quality, industry engagement and international outlook. However, it saw a decline in the research environment category, which includes factors such as research budgets and the number of publications.

Mahidol University maintained its position as Thailand’s sole representative in the 601-800 group, while King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi retained its place in the 801-1,000 tier.

The rankings highlighted that Thai universities continue to trail behind their counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia, facing growing competition from Vietnam.

The National University of Singapore remained Southeast Asia’s top institution and 17th globally. In Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Perak and the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur led the way, both ranked in the 201-250 band.

Vietnam’s University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City was placed in the same 501-600 tier as CU, with three other Vietnamese universities also listed among the world’s top 1,000 -one more than Thailand.

Globally, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom retained the top spot for the tenth consecutive year, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. ‘Oxford retains the number one spot for the tenth consecutive year, driven by strong research environment scores,’ Times Higher Education said.

Tsinghua University in China was Asia’s highest-ranked institution at 12th place, though the report noted that its position has stagnated for three years.

‘The performance of Asia’s top universities has stalled for the first time in 14 years in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, while the US continues to decline even before the effects of the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education show up in the data,’ the publication said.

This year’s rankings assessed 2,191 universities across 115 countries and territories.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt raised the flag as an electric vehicle caravan from Bangkok to Beijing got under way on Friday, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Thailand-China diplomatic relations.

The 5,000-kilometre journey symbolises the enduring friendship and strengthened cooperation between the two nations, the governor said at the ceremony in Lan Khon Muang Square, in front of Bangkok City Hall.

The caravan consisting of 15 BYD Sealion electric vehicles will travel through major tourist destinations in various provinces of China before arriving in Beijing at the National Stadium on the evening of Oct 23.

A gala dinner will be held on Oct 24 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China. Participants in the caravan will then return to Thailand by air on Oct 25.

The caravan will pass through destinations such as Xishuangbanna, Kunming, Guiyang, Zhangjiajie, Xi’an and Pingyao, said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The event was organised by the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association, which was established in 1975 to promote ties between the two nations and their people.

‘He promised me a high salary and a bonus from the captain every time the ship docks.’

In 2013, Rizky Oktaviana was recruited to work on a Taiwanese fishing vessel in Cape Town with promises of high pay that would improve his quality of life. Instead, he endured 22-hour working shifts, verbal abuse, and unsafe conditions. He and his crewmates were forced to work, even if they were ill, or the weather was dangerous. When the ship was detained for suspected illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Rizky and 73 other Indonesians were abandoned in Cape Town, detained without any legal representation, and left uncompensated after repatriation.

With the support from the Union of Indonesian Migrant Workers (SBMI), IOM, and International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Cape Town, Rizky was released and later joined SBMI as a paralegal, eventually becoming the Coordinator of the Maritime Department. His journey embodies the resilience of fisher-led advocacy: despite systemic exploitation, fishers like Rizky have transformed personal hardship into collective leadership. In 2017, Rizky succeeded in advocating the inclusion of migrant fishers as migrant workers in Indonesian law.

In September, Rizky shared his experience at two panels during the regional UN Responsible Business and Human Rights (UN RBHR) Forum in Bangkok. The panels were co-organised by Greenpeace Southeast Asia, SBMI, Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Better Engagement Between East and Southeast Asia (BEBESEA), Human Rights Working Group, Human Rights Now (HRN), Indonesian Ocean Justice Initiatives (IOJI), and others.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN EXPLOITATION AT SEA

Rizky’s ordeal is not an isolated tragedy but a mirror of the systemic link between forced labour and IUU fishing. Both thrive under secrecy, weak enforcement, and the global seafood industry’s race to the bottom. Vessels that flout conservation rules are often the same ones that cut corners on labour rights. Overfishing drives boats further offshore for longer periods, making isolation at sea a tool to silence migrant fishers. Illegal transshipments not only enable unreported catches but also extend forced labour conditions, trapping workers for months or even years without reprieve.

The symbiotic relationship of overfishing and labour exploitation within the seafood industrial complex feeds on abuse and sustains environmental destruction. The concentrated power of US and EU brands also benefit from obscure traceability and cheap supply. The result is a system that extracts maximum value from the sea while treating fishers as disposable. As oceans get warmer and fish populations migrate or decline, vessels push further into remote waters. At the same time, climate-driven migration increases the pool of people seeking work and a better life. Environmental degradation and labour exploitation are locked in a feedback loop, with climate stress accelerating both.

This raises two urgent questions: what role and commitment can the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) bring to enhance the regional protection of migrant fishers, and what concrete commitments can businesses make to respect their human rights? When Asean leaders adopted the Asean Community Vision 2045, they pledged to combat IUU fishing. Yet, two years later, Southeast Asia remains a site of both ecological plunder and human suffering.

THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD IS SLAVERY FREE

Back to the recent UN event, Greenpeace Southeast Asia and allies asked Asean to move from promises to enforceable action. Asean has been called on to deliver on three urgent fronts: a stronger regional enforcement against IUU fishing, an integration of migrant fishers’ rights to environmental governance, and a recognition that sustainable oceans demand rights-based protection from businesses.

We believe that the way forward is to confront IUU fishing as both an environmental and a human rights issue. That means mandatory tracking of vessels, banning transshipments at sea, and ensuring transparency of fisheries data. Retailers and global seafood buyers have a critical role to play: they must refuse to profit from IUU fishing practices sustained by slavery at sea. Slavery-free and sustainable seafood should not be a niche demand but the baseline expectation.

Together with an alliance of civil society organisations, labour unions, and business stakeholders, Greenpeace Southeast Asia co-drafted and signed a Joint CSOs and Multistakeholders Statement. It highlights the Asia-Pacific fishing industry’s systemic challenges: gender-blind policies, persistent gaps between obligations and protections, and the urgent need to embed human and environmental rights in development goals. Asean’s upcoming declarations on the Right to Development and on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment will ring hollow if enforceable standards (like ratifying the ILO Work in Fishing Convention [C-188] to strengthen regional fisheries management) remain unchecked.

The Thai National Shippers’ Council (TNSC) is confident that the country’s exports will grow by 5% this year despite a potential slowdown in the final quarter.

Chairman Dhanakorn Kasetrsuwan said total export value rose by 13.3% year-on-year to $223.2 billion in the first eight months of this year, while imports increased by 11.3% to $224.9 billion.

The council remains confident that exports will grow by 3-5% this year, driven by strong growth in the first and second quarters, offsetting the slowdown in the second half, he said on Friday.

However, members are monitoring several risks that could affect exports for the rest of the year and into 2026.

The main one is US tariffs, which are contributing to instability in the global economy and highlight the fragility of global trade, Mer Dhanakorn said.

Other concerns include the baht’s appreciation, limited access to credit for small businesses, shortages of raw materials for export production, and product circumvention.

Where the latter is concerned, the council has urged the authorities to tighten controls on the misuse of Thai-origin status for exports to third countries.

Mr Dhanakorn outlined the council’s recommendations for the government, focusing on baht stability in line with regional currencies, enabling exporters to hedge at reasonable costs.

‘We expect the baht to be at 33-34 per dollar,’ he said.

The TNSC also called on the government to lower business operating costs. This includes a review of policy interest rates, commercial bank lending rates, labour and energy costs, as well as postponing new laws or business fees.

‘The government needs to reconsider the draft Labour Protection Act that proposes reducing the working time from six days to five days, as this could result in a 16% increase in production costs,’ he said.

The council has asked that the government include private sector representatives in the discussions of new laws to ensure all perspectives are considered.

The TNSC recommended accelerating the approval and disbursement of the government budget to stimulate domestic demand, expand funding for overseas trade promotion and expedite or expand free trade agreement negotiations with key trading partners.

To support small and medium-sized enterprises that have potential but lack capital, the council recommended setting up a fund for joint investment, which the government can divest when the businesses become financially stable.

The council also wants the government address logistics issues, particularly congestion at Laem Chabang port.

Moreover, the government needs to strengthen the regulation and oversight of import prices and taxes, including both conventional and online trade, to ensure consumer safety and fair competition for domestic businesses.

Indian tourism operators remain confident in Thailand as a top destination, with the country planning to host the “Grand Diwali Celebration” next week, aiming to draw at least 100,000 travellers, while annual arrivals are expected to reach a record high of 2.5 million.

Puneet Kochhar, director of Kochhar Travel, an outbound tour company based in Delhi, said while some northern Indian tourists prefer to stay at home during the festival, other markets still plan to travel during this period, such as the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Thailand was the most popular overseas destination among Indian travellers who made bookings with the company, he said. The majority were from Delhi and Mumbai, he noted.

Mr Kochhar said Indian tourists did not have a perception that Thailand is unsafe in the way the Chinese market did.

The company is expecting to bring 1,000 Indian tourists a month to Thailand in the fourth quarter, comprising both leisure tourists and wedding groups.

Even though other Southeast Asian destinations, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, are growing in popularity among Indian tourists, they have yet to catch up with Thailand.

Nikorn Sachdev, treasurer of the Indian Association of Thailand, said a booming Indian economy, the visa-free scheme and an increasing number of flights should help drive the Indian market for the remainder of this year, particularly with regard to this month’s Diwali festival.

On the subject of a recent incident on an escalator at the Surasak BTS skytrain station during the Navaratri festival at Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Bangkok, Mr Nikorn said the incident should not hamper tourism confidence among Indians as it had not resulted in any severe injury.

He said Indians were already familiar with attending enormous celebrations drawing huge crowds.

However, he said he hoped the authorities would strengthen regulations to manage the crowd more efficiently during next year’s event.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is holding the “Amazing Thailand Grand Diwali Festival 2025” at Ong Ang Canal and the Pahurat area from Oct 16-31. This is the fourth consecutive year the event has been held and the TAT is hoping to attract at least 100,000 visitors and generate revenue of more than 650 million baht.

TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the event is being billed as the largest Diwali festival outside India. The festival is subject to relevant safety measures, such as tourist police using artificial intelligence detection cameras and vehicles, she said.

As of Oct 7 this year, Thailand welcomed over 1.82 million tourists from India, which is among the country’s top three inbound markets.

The average length of stay was 6.6 nights and expenditure was 36,704 baht per person per trip.

The agency is confident of securing 2.2-2.5 million arrivals this year, representing a new high for this market.

During November and December, the TAT will launch an Indian passport privilege campaign in tandem with shopping mall partners.

Three branches of the Central Department Store, including CentralWorld in Bangkok, Pattaya and Patong, will also offer a special shopping privilege for Indian passport holders.

CentralWorld projects a 30% rise in Indian visitors year-on-year in October.