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An assistant teacher accused of assaulting a first-grade student with a metal ruler will be reassigned to an inactive post while the investigation continues, authorities said on Sunday.

The transfer was ordered by the director of Lampang Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, following outrage over the incident which left the child with bruises on his face and neck.

Deputy director of Lampang Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, Thanayut Kamphira, along with the principal of Ban Mae Chang School, and social welfare and child protection officials, visited the home of the victim in Mae Mo district to extend their support and gather information about the incident.

The boy, identified as Pot, 7, was struck in the face by the 23-year-old assistant teacher for taking his snacks without permission.

Mr Thanayut said the teacher will be reassigned to Lampang Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, effective on Oct 6. A committee will determine if the teacher’s actions warrant serious administrative sanctions, he added.

“We will be fair to all parties,” he said, acknowledging the emotional toll on the child’s family and pledging stricter oversight to prevent future incidents.

Regarding the assistant teacher’s licence, Mr Thanayut said the matter falls under the Teachers’ Council of Thailand (TCT).

Amonwan Weerathammo, secretary- general of the TCT, said Education Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat expressed concern and instructed the council to act swiftly.

“Violence in schools is unacceptable. Teachers are meant to nurture, not harm,” Ms Narumon said.

The assistant teacher holds a provisional teaching licence issued in May 2023, which is valid until May 2028. The case has been submitted to the Professional Standards Committee for review under the 2025 Code of Ethics.

Ms Amonwan added the committee may suspend the licence pending the results of the investigation. If the school’s administration recommends dismissal, it can proceed without awaiting the committee’s final decision which will follow in due course.

The Finance Ministry expects the “Khon La Khrueng” co-payment scheme and increased allowances under the state welfare card programme to lift private consumption by 0.87 percentage points.

According to a ministry source who requested anonymity, additional allowances under the state welfare card scheme are estimated to add 0.35 percentage points to private consumption, while the co-payment scheme will contribute 0.52 percentage points.

Combined, these two measures are projected to lift GDP by around 0.3 percentage points, said the source.

The funds are expected to primarily flow into the grassroots economy, directly benefiting retail (especially small shops), food and beverage, and personal services, which cover a wide range of small and medium-sized enterprises.

In addition, the two schemes are expected to increase value-added tax (VAT) collection by the Revenue Department by around 6 billion baht, assuming private consumption of 10 trillion baht and a VAT rate of 7%.

According to the Fiscal Policy Office’s forecast at the end of July, private consumption is expected to grow by 3.1% per year, within a range of 2.6% to 3.6%.

Roughly 33 million people are expected to benefit under the co-payment scheme and uptick in state welfare card allowances:

1. State welfare cardholders: 13 million people are scheduled to receive a top-up of 1,700 baht each. Combined with the existing monthly 300 baht allowance, this totals 2,000 baht per person. The money can be spent at “Blue Flag” shops under the Commerce Ministry, either gradually or in a lump sum, but must be used by December.

2. People outside the tax system: 9 million people are slated to receive a quota of 2,000 baht each under the co-payment scheme, with the government subsidising 50% of spending, capped at 200 baht per day. Funds must be used by December.

3. Taxpayers: 11 million people are expected to receive a spending quota of 2,400 baht each under the co-payment scheme, with the government covering 50% of spending, capped at 200 baht per day. Funds must be used by December.

The combined budget for the Khon La Khrueng scheme and the state welfare card top-up amounts to 66 billion baht.

The cabinet approved the state welfare card top-up project on Sept 30.

The Finance Ministry said the co-payment scheme will be submitted to the cabinet on Tuesday, with public registration open from Oct 20-26.

Individuals should be able to start using the scheme on Oct 29, noted the ministry.

Shops wishing to participate can register from Oct 15 until the end of the project in December.

Though Thailand has a high adoption rate for artificial intelligence (AI), the country’s global competitiveness and economic growth are threatened because 47% of businesses cite a lack of digital skills as the main barrier to expanding AI use, according to Amazon Web Services (AWS) research.

More than 600,000 businesses in Thailand report use of AI, yet only 16% of AI-adopting large enterprises are harnessing the technology to innovate new AI-driven products or services, compared with 40% of AI-adopting startups, reflecting a “two-tier AI economy”, noted the research.

The report “Unlocking Thailand’s AI Potential” was conducted in collaboration with Strand Partners, using an AI adoption survey in Thailand with participation from 1,000 business leaders and 1,000 nationally representative members.

Recent research by the Telecoms Advisory Service, commissioned by AWS, found cloud and AI added more than US$3.3 billion to Thailand’s GDP in 2023.

Cloud services are set to add $2.8 trillion to Asia-Pacific regional GDP by 2030, with nearly $203 billion alone coming from cloud-enabled AI, according to the research.

“AI adoption is gaining momentum. In Thailand, 150,000 businesses adopted AI solutions in 2024 — nearly one every three minutes,” said Nick Bonstow, director of Strand Partners.

“Now a total of 600,000, or 32% of Thailand’s businesses, have already adopted AI, a year-on-year growth rate of 33%.”

A total of 67% of Thai businesses that adopted AI reported an increase in revenue, with an average uplift of 17%, while 78% expect an average of 17% in cost savings, according to the report.

The top three sectors adopting AI are manufacturing, IT and technology, and financial services.

Some 32% of businesses in Thailand now use at least one AI tool, rising from 24% last year.

However, 72% of respondents remain focused primarily on basic use cases, rather than innovation such as developing new products or disrupting industries.

“This underscores the need to deepen AI adoption to unlock Thailand’s full AI potential,” Mr Bonstow said.

Only 18% of Thailand’s businesses have advanced to the intermediate stage of AI adoption, while 10% reached the most transformative stage of AI integration, compared with 9% of companies in Vietnam and 8% in the Philippines, he said.

Two-tier economy

Half of startups in Thailand use AI in some way, of which 40% are building entirely new AI-driven products.

The study found 73% of businesses overall and 84% of startups believe AI will transform their industry in five years, making Thai startups key to innovation and competitiveness on the continent, noted AWS.

While 44% of large enterprises are using AI, only 16% of these are delivering a new AI-driven product or service, and only 18% have a comprehensive AI strategy.

Similarly, 32% of small and medium-sized enterprises have adopted AI, but only 9% are leveraging AI for its most advanced uses.

“Our report warns of a two-tier AI economy, where startups are racing ahead and other businesses are left behind, said Mr Bonstow.

AI Skills Gap

A lack of skilled personnel is the leading reason that 47% of businesses in Thailand say is preventing them from adopting or expanding their use of AI.

This puts Thailand’s global competitiveness at risk and restricts economic potential, as AI literacy is expected to be required in 61% of jobs in the future, and only 29% of businesses feel prepared with their current workforce’s skillset.

Only 34% of employees received any digital skills training in the past year, noted the report.

Businesses are struggling to hire workers with the right skills and would be willing to increase salary offers by an average of 36% for a candidate with strong AI skills, according to respondents.

Firms spend 27% of their technology budgets on legal and compliance expenses, with 76% expecting these costs to rise over three years.

Vatsun Thirapatarapong, country manager of AWS Thailand, said to maintain Thailand’s competitive edge on the global AI stage, a clear “AI First” policy is needed to drive adoption.

He said this involves reimagining and automating government workflows, potentially requiring legal changes to enable fully online services.

A lawyer representing foreign businessman Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith, has filed a 100-million-baht defamation lawsuit against People’s Party (PP) MP Rangsiman Rome.

Thanadon Suwannarit, a legal adviser to the Agriculture Minister, Capt Thamanat Prompow, and also acting on behalf of Mr Mauerberger, filed the lawsuit.

The case stems from Mr Rangsiman’s speech in parliament on Sept 30, in which he alleged that Mr Mauerberger was linked to scam gangs and call-centre operations.

Mr Thanadon said the Criminal Court had accepted the case, with a hearing scheduled for Nov 24.

Responding to questions about the connection between Capt Thammanat and Mr Mauerberger, the lawyer explained the two knew each other via former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and that Mr Mauerberger had investments in Dubai.

Mr Mauerberger has conducted businesses in Thailand and Singapore, in real estate, yacht and aircraft trading, said Mr Thanadon. After Mr Rangsiman made the claims, Mr Mauerberger’s companies in Singapore were scrutinised, but no irregularities were found, he said.

Mr Thanadon said that Mr Mauerberger had previously been mistaken for another individual who faced prosecution by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2021, but stressed they were not the same person.

He said Mr Mauerberger’s role as an adviser to Cambodia’s former prime minister Hun Sen was purely consultative, with no salary or official position attached. The invitation was only for an investment discussion.

‘I only carry out my duty as assigned by Capt Thamanat. If Mr Mauerberger’s guilt is proven, I will definitely withdraw myself from the case,’ he said.

‘The lawsuit is not intended to intimidate or silence Mr Rangsiman, but to prove whether the information obtained from investigative journalist Tom Wright is true,’ he said.

Mr Thanadon said in this case, Mr Rangsiman would not receive legal amnesty for informing parliament of that information, because the information was not heard in a confidential session.

Meanwhile, Mr Rangsiman insisted Mr Mauerberger is the same individual who was prosecuted by the SEC based on facts raised in the meeting of the House Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy and Reform.

He warned that Capt Thamanat may not understand his role in the cabinet.

He argued that rather than threatening with legal action, Capt Thamanat, in his role as deputy prime minister, should focus on cracking down on scam networks.

Equity strategists are raising their year-end estimates for the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index, citing improving domestic political stability and likely interest rate cuts under the new Bank of Thailand governor that could lift corporate earnings and investor sentiment.

Apichat Poobunjirdkul, senior strategist at Tisco Securities, said the formation of a new government and the arrival of a new central bank governor at the start of this month have reinforced market confidence.

Although the government only has four months in office, the inclusion of respected technocrats in key ministries is seen as a constructive move. If policy implementation proves effective and aligns well with the central bank, Mr Apichat expects sustained market support for the rest of the year.

Tisco believes the Monetary Policy Committee will cut its policy rate once more in the final quarter of the year, most likely at the December meeting, due to subdued domestic demand, weaker external conditions, contracting loan growth, deteriorating credit quality, and persistently high household debt.

Two additional cuts are expected in the first half of 2026, leaving the policy rate at 1.25% at the end of this year and 0.75% by year-end 2026.

Historical data since 2000 shows the SET typically reacts positively to easing cycles, delivering average gains of 25% in four of the last five down cycles. The only exception was during the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak.

The current cycle, which began in October 2024, is expected to bottom out by mid-2026, he said.

Tisco projects support for the index at 1,260-1,270 points, with further downside at 1,200-1,220, while resistance stands at 1,315 and 1,360 points.

Meanwhile, weakening US economic indicators, uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s policies, geopolitical risks, and a US government shutdown all favour gold, said Mr Apichat.

Asia Plus Securities (ASPS) also sees a supportive backdrop for Thai equities in the last three months of 2025. External risks, including controversies regarding US tariffs and political noise, have eased while excess liquidity from global fund flows and search-for-yield dynamics should underpin the market, noted the brokerage.

ASPS expects the Thai index to trade between 1,250 and 1,420 points, building on nearly 20% gains in the previous quarter.

As US equities are trading at all-time highs, the brokerage sees risks for global volatility and profit-taking emerging. In contrast, Asian markets, with earnings yields of 6-8% compared with 3% in the US, remain attractive, particularly as Federal Reserve rate cuts typically benefit emerging markets.

ASPS recommends non-financial stocks and seasonal plays such as tourism, hotels, and consumer sectors, which tend to perform strongly in the final quarter of the year.