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Ramayana Water Park in Chon Buri will transform into a world of spooky fun and thrilling adventures, allowing everyone in the family to celebrate Halloween with spectacular shows, exciting activities and magical moments, this month.

All the fun will be presented on three consecutive long weekends. The programme for Saturday to Oct 13 includes an EDM foam party with DJ at Monkey Beach Club, a fire show and a limbo dance at the Double Wave Pool and Halloween workshops for making bags and bracelets.

Adorable mascots will show up for a meet and greet with children on all three days, while delicious Halloween-themed treats and drinks will be available.

The weekends of Oct 23-26 and Oct 31 to Nov 2 will feature a ghost dance show, a Kids Kingdom Game Zone and, of course, a haunted house.

There will also be a Haunted House Mini Challenge offering exclusive Hanuman and Mermaid keychains as prizes, while sweet treats will be given away to kids in the Game Zone.

Ramayana Water Park is located around 20 minutes from South Pattaya and 90 minutes from Bangkok. It is open daily from 11am to 6pm, except Wednesdays.

Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has sounded the alarm over a sharp rise in influenza cases, which have now surpassed 700,000 nationwide, with 61 deaths reported.

As the country transitions into the cooler season, officials are urging vulnerable groups to get vaccinated immediately to curb further spread.

Dr Taweechai Visanuyothin, director of Disease Control Office 9 in Nakhon Ratchasima, said the situation is becoming increasingly worrisome. Between Jan 1 and Oct 8, a total of 702,238 flu cases were recorded across the country, with an incidence rate of 1,081.83 per 100,000 people. The death toll has reached 61, with most of the fatalities occurring among the elderly and young children.

Children aged 5 to 9 years old are the most affected group, followed by those aged under 4 and from 10 to 14. The highest mortality rates were found among people aged 60 and above, followed by those in the 50-59 and 40-49 age brackets, as well as children under four.

‘The changing weather during the end of the rainy season and the beginning of winter is a key factor,’ Dr Taweechai said. ‘It increases the risk of respiratory infections, especially influenza, which is spreading more easily this year.’

Influenza is transmitted through coughing, sneezing or contact with droplets from an infected person. Common symptoms include high fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, fatigue and muscle aches. The virus can affect people of all ages and often spreads rapidly in crowded environments such as schools, prisons, military camps and workplaces.

To reduce transmission, health officials recommend avoiding crowded places, wearing masks, and washing hands frequently. Vaccination is strongly advised for seven high-risk groups: pregnant women (from four months’ gestation), children aged six months to two years, individuals with chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and diabetes.

Also included in the high-risk category are people aged 65 and older, those with thalassaemia or weakened immune systems, individuals with obesity, and people with neurological disabilities who cannot care for themselves. These groups are urged to receive an annual flu shot to lower the risk of severe illness and death.

Health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and are working to ensure vaccine access across the country. The public is encouraged to remain vigilant and take preventive measures seriously as flu season intensifies.

Some 2,457 hotels across the globe were recognised for their hospitality, out of more than 7,000 hotels. The most outstanding ones are awarded One, Two, or Three Michelin Keys.

Sixty-two hotels in Thailand have been awarded Michelin Keys in 2025, including six Three Keys, 21 Two Keys and 35 One Key. Among the Thai hotels awarded are:

Three Michelin Keys

The Siam, Bangkok.

Phulay Bay, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Krabi.

Two Michelin Keys

New: Aman Nai Lert Bangkok.

Sala Samui Choengmon Beach, Koh Samui.

One Michelin Key

New: Dusit Thani Bangkok.

137 Pillars House, Chiang Mai.

In addition to the Keys, The Michelin Guide presented four special awards, recognising hotels for achievements that transcend traditional categories and celebrating excellence and uniqueness in specific areas of hospitality.

Michelin Architecture And Design Award: Atlantis The Royal (Dubai, UAE).

Michelin Wellness Award: Brgenstock Resort Switzerland.

Michelin Local Gateway Award: La Fiermontina Ocean (Larache, Morocco).

Michelin Opening of the Year Award: The Burman Hotel (Tallinn, Estonia).

The Finance Ministry is preparing to review tax deductions and exemptions as part of efforts to address concerns over public debt raised by credit rating agencies.

According to Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, the ministry is scheduled to review the medium-term fiscal framework (MTFF), which serves as the government’s fiscal discipline guideline, in November.

Several issues are under consideration, including adjusting the criteria for various tax deductions (which do not require amendments to the Revenue Code), reviewing previously granted tax exemptions, and promoting the use of digital systems for tax filing.

‘Although we have not yet made digital filing mandatory, I believe transitioning to a digital system – while allowing exceptions for those with limited access – will significantly expand our tax base and demonstrate the government’s fiscal discipline,’ Mr Ekniti said on Thursday.

He said current deductions are too scattered and lack a clear framework. The ministry must set an annual ceiling for total deductions to define a clear maximum limit, he said.

The review is expected to be completed by November, and a study team is already working on it, said Mr Ekniti.

Improving tax deductions and abolishing certain tax exemptions would increase government revenue by a considerable extent, he said.

Regarding proposed revisions to tax deductions, Mr Ekniti said he was interested in the Stock Exchange of Thailand’s proposal for an Individual Saving Account system.

Under this approach, individuals are allowed to choose their own investments within a specified limit – whether in stocks, bonds or other instruments. This creates a personal investment framework, eliminating the need to constantly launch new products such as long-term equity funds (LTFs), retirement mutual funds or ESG funds, which often overlap.

He said all these could be combined into a single system, giving people greater flexibility and choice: some may prefer to invest in government bonds, others seeking higher risk can choose equities, while others may invest abroad.

Investors would have greater freedom to select products suiting their preferences and risk appetite.

‘In the past, when the LTF scheme was introduced, everyone rushed to buy units just for tax benefits, but later many of those funds suffered losses. If people are allowed to choose where to invest independently, it would better match their interests and risk preferences,’ said Mr Ekniti.

These reforms are part of the MTFF revisions scheduled for November, aimed at addressing the government’s debt overhang, he said.

Rating agencies adjusted Thailand’s outlook due to three main concerns, including political issues, which the minister said are beyond the ministry’s control.

The second issue is Thailand’s economic growth potential, which the government aims to strengthen by focusing on human capital development and investment in new industries, such as data centres, digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), areas in which Thailand can compete globally.

The third issue is public debt and the fiscal deficit. He said the government intends to examine the government’s revenue structure to identify where the gaps or leakages lie, as well as review expenditures to determine which areas are overspending.

The administration also wants to emphasise investment spending, said Mr Ekniti.

These steps are likely to be implemented within four months, he said.

The Revenue Department provides several tax deduction categories, covering both personal deductions and investment-related deductions supported by the government.

Examples include investments in Super Savings Fund units, which allow taxpayers to deduct up to 30% of their assessable income, not exceeding 200,000 baht a year; investments in ESG funds, deductible up to 30% of assessable income, not exceeding 300,000 baht; mortgage interest, deductible up to 100,000 baht; and life insurance premiums for policies with a minimum term of 10 years, deductible for the actual amount paid, not exceeding 100,000 baht.

The World Bank has urged Thailand to “play a new game”, breaking free from the middle-income trap to unlock new growth engines.

Thailand must ‘dare to play a new game’ if it wants to escape the middle-income trap and achieve high-income status by 2037, noted the global lender, calling for bold structural reforms, smarter investment in human capital, and a new economic model centred on innovation and competitiveness.

Speaking at the ‘Thailand Economic Outlook 2026’ seminar, Melinda Good, division director for Thailand and Myanmar at the World Bank, said the nation’s traditional growth engines, once hailed for transforming Thailand from a low-income agrarian economy into an upper-middle-income nation within a generation, have stalled for more than a decade.

‘What got Thailand here will not get it there,’ Ms Good said.

‘The growth model that once delivered success is no longer sufficient in a world driven by digital transformation, innovation, and fast-changing global dynamics.’

She said Thailand’s economy has struggled to sustain strong growth in recent years, with GDP expanding by only around 2% in 2025, well below the 5% annual rate needed to achieve high-income status by 2037.

Despite these challenges, the World Bank still believes Thailand has significant potential to regain momentum.

Ms Good urged the country to capitalise on its existing strengths including a strategic location in Southeast Asia, robust digital infrastructure, and a strong global reputation for quality products, channelling these advantages into five key future industries: digital services, advanced and green manufacturing, agribusiness (‘Kitchen of the World’), sustainable and wellness tourism and the creative economy.

To unlock these growth engines, she said Thailand must focus on three versions of competitiveness: green, digital and services.

Ms Good said Thailand’s structural transformation has been frozen for more than a decade, with the share of agricultural employment remaining high and the economy yet to transition meaningfully towards high-value manufacturing or technology-driven farming.

‘Investment in flood management, water management and sustainable agriculture is just as crucial,’ she said. ‘For instance, Thailand’s green water management initiatives in the Eastern Economic Corridor will yield long-term benefits for both sustainability and investment.’

Ms Good said Thailand’s investment in research and development (R and D) and education for future-ready skills remains far below that of economies that have successfully escaped the middle-income trap, such as South Korea, or rapidly advancing peers like Vietnam.

‘Thailand already has many tools in place – from widespread mobile broadband and PromptPay to the Thai ID system and growing foreign direct investment in data centres,’ she said. ‘However, while Thais are highly connected digitally, only about 5% possess intermediate-level digital skills.’

Thailand’s digital startups could attract as much as US$1.8 billion in venture capital annually. To seize this opportunity, the country must urgently invest in digital skill upgrades, said Ms Good.

She also emphasised the need to open up and enhance competitiveness in the services sector by removing regulatory bottlenecks, improving infrastructure and pursuing trade agreements with deeper commitments to services.

‘Thailand’s service sector remains more closed than many of its regional peers, even though it’s among the fastest-growing sectors globally,’ said Ms Good.

‘Liberalising this sector would attract more foreign investment and empower Thai entrepreneurs to compete in digital innovation.’

Thailand has strong advantages in health and wellness tourism, while ‘green services’ offer further potential to drive sustainable growth, she said.

‘Thailand must turn global megatrends into opportunities, especially by going green, going digital, becoming the ‘Kitchen of the World’, leading in digital services and building high-value service sectors,’ said Ms Good.

In October 2026, Thailand is scheduled to host the IMF-World Bank Group annual meetings for the first time since 1991, where global investors and large corporations will gather to discuss precisely these challenges and opportunities, she said.

The Criminal Court has sentenced Kornkanok, known as “Mae Takk,” and Karnpol, known as “Pa Beer”, to 20 years in prison and fined them and their company, K2N Gold Co Ltd, over two million baht for selling falsely advertised gold.

However, the court suspended their prison terms for five years, citing their remorse and efforts to compensate victims.

The Office of the Attorney General filed the case against K2N Gold and three defendants for fraud and violations of the Computer Crime Act, the Consumer Protection Act, and the Direct Sales and Direct Marketing Act. All three pleaded guilty.

The court found that although the gold jewellery sold was genuine, the couple falsely advertised it as 99.99% pure gold and offered free gold giveaways.

This amounted to unauthorised direct marketing, deceptive advertising, improper product labelling, and public fraud, totalling 60 counts. K2N Gold, Karnpol and Kornkanok were each fined 675,000 baht, and the couple were sentenced to 20 years in prison.

However, the court noted the defendants had accepted responsibility, recovered products worth 82 million baht from 3,929 customers, and refunded 57 million baht to 1,610 customers.

They also deposited funds with the court to reimburse 36 remaining victims. Considering their cooperation, the court suspended their sentences for five years.

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) have jointly initiated the ‘Internet Khon La Khrueng’ co-payment scheme for mobile internet usage.

The scheme is primarily aimed at helping low-income elderly and disabled people to access the internet to upgrade their digital skills, according to Trairat Viriyasirikul, NBTC’s acting secretary-general.

In addition, the NBTC has asked mobile phone service operators to help subsidise the cost of replacing mobile phones for these groups of people to support the scheme, which also aligns with its plan to shut down the Third Generation (3G) networks soon.

DES Minister Chaichanok Chidchob and his team recently held discussions with NBTC chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck and Mr Trairat on their organisations’ collaboration to drive the economic recovery.

Mr Trairat said the planned co-payment scheme for mobile internet usage would complement the government’s ‘Khon La Khrueng Plus’ co-payment scheme.

The government’s scheme will provide tools for micro-businesses, households and individuals to upskill digital learning to foster sales.

Mr Trairat said the Internet Khon La Khrueng project will be funded by the NBTC. Final details of the project have yet to be finished.

‘There may be several million people targeted by the Internet Khon La Khrueng project. We’re waiting for several targeted people from the Social Development and Human Security Ministry,’ Mr Trairat said.

Anyone can take part in digital skill training at NBTC’s USO net centres nationwide for free.

Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said the government’s ‘Khon La Khrueng Plus’ scheme was allocated 44 billion baht and is expected to bolster gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Mr Ekniti said the ministry plans to allocate 10 billion baht from the Board of Investment to provide upskilling and reskilling training for people.

In principle, each of the courses would take around four months to complete.

The skills training courses cover several sectors, such as agriculture teaching, smart farming, automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics.

‘The skills training programme is partly to help attract investment, as well as bridging the gap of the skills shortage when it comes to labour,’ Mr Ekniti said.

He said the programmes will directly serve the demand side rather than the supply side.

Some fares on the Green Line will have to increase because the current fare structure of the light-rail mass transit service is unsustainable, according to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt.

He made the comment on Wednesday after Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) councillors approved a plan to settle the city’s 32-billion-baht debt owed to the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) for the operation and maintenance of the Green Line extensions.

A new fare structure will cap fares across the entire line at 65 baht, but fares for some short trips will be lower than they are now.

The Green Line consists of two sections: the original core route, operated under a government concession with a maximum fare of 45 baht, and extensions 1 and 2, operated by the BMA, said Mr Chadchart.

The BMA spends around 8 billion baht a year running the two extensions but collects only 2 billion baht in fare revenue, with the gap covered by the city budget, he explained.

The new fare structure will reflect actual operating costs. It will feature a 17-baht base fare, plus or minus three baht per unit of distance. This would lower fares for short-distance riders – for example, a trip from Chatuchak to Central Ladprao could drop from 15 baht to just 3 or 4 baht – while longer trips would cost more.

However, total fares for any journey would be capped at 65 baht.

At the council meeting on Wednesday, members approved a supplementary budget for the 2026 fiscal year to allocate up to 32.6 billion baht for debt repayment.

A panel overseeing the issue made two recommendations. First, the BMA should outline a payment plan for operation and maintenance expenses of the extensions from September 2025 to the end of fiscal 2026, to avoid late payments that could incur high interest penalties.

Second, agencies should expedite disbursements to reduce the interest burden. The council unanimously passed the ordinance with 48 votes, authorising the debt repayment.

The debt settlement, worth 32 billion baht, is scheduled for completion by the end of this month, and will be in compliance with an earlier Administrative Court order, said Mr Chadchart.

He said the BMA would use accumulated surplus funds, which are uncommitted and free of financial obligations, for the repayment.

‘The decision to repay the debt is about lifting a long-standing burden. The court has ruled the contract must be honoured, he said.

‘Delaying payment would only increase costs due to high interest rates. We’re now paying several million baht in interest every day.’

The Sasin Golf Club emerged victorious at the 12th Big 4 Business Schools Golf Competition, held on October 3, 2025, at The Royal Golf and Country Club.

The annual tournament brings together a network of alumni from four leading business schools, including the Thammasat Business School Alumni Association, the Sasin Alumni Association, the NIDA Business School Alumni Association, and the Kasetsart Executive MBA Alumni Association, fostering friendship and networking among the country’s top business leaders.

The Royal Trophy was graciously bestowed by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. In keeping with the tournament’s tradition of giving back to society, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Phra Dabos Foundation.

The Thai army has announced it will begin mine sweeping in border villages in the eastern province of Sa Kaeo on Friday, which is also the deadline authorities have set for Cambodians to leave the area.

The First Army Area said on Thursday that its Burapa Task Force had informed the commander of Cambodia’s 51st Infantry Division that it would start to collect landmines in Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaeo villages in Khok Sung district of Sa Kaeo on Friday.

‘The mine sweeping is aimed at securing a safe environment in Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaeo, which are in Thai territory, to support authorities’ operations in protecting sovereignty and the peaceful lives of Thai people,’ the First Army Area said in a statement.

The information was also intended to prevent misunderstanding and information distortion by Cambodia, the statement said.

The Burapa Task Force said the mine-sweeping plan was based on the agreement Cambodia and Thailand made on landmine clearance in their General Border Committee meeting in Koh Kong province of Cambodia on Sept 10.

Evacuation deadline

Sa Kaeo governor Parinya Phothisat, meanwhile, on Wednesday reaffirmed the Oct 10 deadline that he had announced last month for Cambodians to leave Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaeo.

If Cambodia ignored the deadline, the governor said he would not negotiate with the Cambodian side any longer.

Thailand allowed Cambodian refugees to take shelter in the two border communities while fleeing massacres during the Cambodian civil war over four decades ago. Dozens of families from Cambodia have settled there permanently.

On Thursday Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the Sa Kaeo governor was responsible for the evacuation of Cambodians from the Thai villages. The armed forces would take action in accordance with martial law imposed along the border with Cambodia, he added.

In the encroached villages, administrative, police and forestry officials also shared responsibility in relation to their respective areas of authority, the prime minister said.

In a related development, activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet said he would place 60 containers to form a border barrier in Ban Nong Chan on Friday.

Mr Guntouch, also known as Gun Jompalang, has built a large online following as a crusader on behalf of people seeking justice. Lately he has turned his attention to whipping up ultra-nationalist sentiment.

In August he brought a convoy of 14 septic tankers to the border village, suggesting he would spray their contents at Cambodian protesters on the opposite side of a barbed wire barrier if they got out of hand.