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As parliament prepares to debate three constitutional amendment bills today and tomorrow, senators remain divided over the timing, necessity and potential impact on political stability.

Pol Gen Sawat Tasana questioned whether constitutional amendments would genuinely benefit the public.

“Before deciding whether the timing is right, we should ask: which parts of the constitution harm the people or cause hardship? If amendments directly improve citizens’ lives, then perhaps people would support them,” he told the Bangkok Post.

He argued the government should prioritise urgent national concerns over constitutional revision.

“We face border issues with neighbouring countries, including Cambodia and the southern provinces, as well as challenges in the West. These demand immediate attention more than constitutional debates,” he added.

Pol Gen Sawat said while many politicians claim amendments would serve the public, in practice, changes often protect political interests.

“Let’s be honest — most amendments in the past have been about easing ethics regulations, simplifying referenda or introducing amnesty provisions. Do these help the public or politicians?” he asked.

Another senator, Alongkot Worakee, said he was unable to take a position on the proposals until he saw their full content.

“The House of Representatives is proposing party, while the Senate can only vote for or against — not amend the text,” he said.

“It’s like being presented with a meal; senators can’t change the ingredients, only decide whether to eat it.”

However, Mr Alongkot likewise raised doubt about the necessity of constitutional change.

“This is not a public demand but a political promise. If we make it too easy to amend the constitution, it will lose stability. Look abroad — do other countries revise their constitutions so often?” he asked.

The real problem lies not in the 2017 constitution itself, but in the excessive concentration of financial power within government.

“Soft Power funds and special agency budgets total more than three trillion baht. Reforming budget management would be more beneficial than rewriting the constitution,” he said.

Mr Alongkot also dismissed claims of “blue faction” influence within the Senate. The so-called “blue faction” refers to a group of senators perceived to be closely aligned with the Bhumjaithai Party, which uses blue as its identifying colour.

“When over 170 senators vote for a bill, are they all blue? It’s more about individual judgement than colour,” he said, predicting that the joint session today might devolve into political point-scoring rather than substantive discussion.

Pol Col Kob Atjanakitti echoed concerns over the timing, saying political and security issues should take precedence.

“The problem isn’t the constitution — it’s people who don’t follow it. Some just want to bend the rules for personal convenience,” the senator said.

He argued constitutional change would only deepen political divisions.

“There are many urgent problems that deserve the government’s full attention. Amending the constitution now will only heighten conflict,” he warned.

He also dismissed allegations of Senate factionalism. “There are no colours in the Senate — the only colour that matters is the colour of the nation,” he said.

However, not all senators shared the same reservations.

Pisit Apiwattanapong, spokesman for the Senate Whip Committee, took a more open stance, saying all three drafts had both strengths and weaknesses.

“None of the drafts is perfect, but each has merits worth considering. I personally support accepting all three in principle for the first reading.

“Once in the second reading, we can deliberate on which sections to merge or revise. That’s how legislation should proceed.”

He said that only one-third of Senate votes — about 67 members — are needed for the bills to pass the first reading.

“Given that threshold, I believe the first reading is likely to pass,” he added.

The government plans to attract 12 million foreign arrivals during its four-month tenure, driven by four events: the Amazing Marathon, Maha Loy Krathong 2025, Vijit Chao Phraya Light Festival and Amazing Thailand Countdown.

Nat Kruthasoot, deputy governor for tourism products and business at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the agency is preparing major events for the high season to welcome both short- and long-haul tourists.

He said following the success of the branded Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025, the agency is launching the 30-million-baht Maha Loy Krathong 2025 in November, aiming to reach a global level of recognition.

The celebrations are planned for Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, and are expected to generate 800 million baht in revenue from at least 450,000 visitors.

Meanwhile, the Amazing Thailand Marathon 2025 is expected to be a spearhead for sports tourism.

The event, slated for the end of November, features Olympic runner Eliud Kipchoge as ambassador for the second year.

The marathon is expected to draw at least 36,000 local and foreign participants, generating 894 million baht in revenue.

Mr Nat said although tourism spending power might be constrained due to the sluggish economy, the TAT still wants to expand every event to a larger scale.

Another highlight later this year is Vijit Chao Phraya, a light festival along the river in Bangkok, scheduled from Nov 1 to Dec 15 with a budget of 50 million baht. The duration was extended to 45 days from 30 days last year.

He said tourist bookings for boat cruises during this period are nearly full. The event is expected to attract at least 1.5 million visitors, generating 500 million baht in revenue.

For the New Year countdown, Mr Nat said the agency is focusing on regional celebrations, as Bangkok already hosts numerous events organised by strong private networks. Chiang Mai and Phayao are hosts of the TAT’s countdown events with a budget of 25 million baht, expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors.

“Thailand’s natural attractions have become familiar to tourists, so we are creating new events and celebrations to draw demand,” he said.

“We remain focused on high-value tourism, with less dependence on volume and price discounts.”

Timor-Leste will be made a full member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Oct 26. President José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste often joked that joining Asean was more difficult than going to heaven. Not anymore.

After more than two decades of aspiration, the world’s youngest Asian nation has finally realised its dream of joining the regional bloc. When Dili gained independence in 2002, its leaders repeatedly declared that Timor-Leste would one day become an Asean member. For the record, the 11th membership holds the longest accession process for any new member in Asean’s history. It was granted observer status in 2023.

Lest we forget, Brunei joined Asean on Jan 7, 1984, barely a week after its independence. Vietnam was the first of the former Indochinese countries to join the bloc. Laos and Myanmar joined in 1997, while it took two additional years for Cambodia to join in 1999 due to its domestic situation.

At the time, Asean had no formal rules or criteria for admission. Economic and institutional readiness was not the issue. After all, it was the post-Cold War era, and young Asean simply wanted to promote regional peace and cooperation. After the signing of the Paris Peace Accord, Southeast Asia was able to consolidate further, enhancing stability and economic growth.

For various reasons, it has taken Asean a long time to decide to bring Timor-Leste into the fold. With the Asean charter in place in 2008, the bloc has become a rule-based organisation with political-security, economic, and socio-cultural frameworks. Some members preferred to delay Dilli’s membership for as long as possible, arguing that this small half-island nation lacked the necessary preparedness to comply with all these rules.

Furthermore, the country was simply too different from the rest of Southeast Asia. After all, Timor-Leste is the only Asean country where Portuguese is an official language, alongside the local tongue, Tetum. The Indonesian language is a working language.

Truth be told, the biggest barrier in the last lapse for joining Asean was Myanmar’s staunch opposition. Nay Pyi Taw has experienced both the best and worst of times with Timor-Leste.

During Myanmar’s democratic period between 2011 and 2021, especially after 2015, its ties with Timor-Leste blossomed. The two countries shared democratic ideals and even boasted the Nobel Peace Prize-winning leaders Ramos-Horta and Aung San Suu Kyi. The two nations supported each other in various international fora.

However, after the military coup in February 2021, their relations turned upside down. Dili became the region’s harshest critic of the Tatmadaw — Myanmar’s junta. It openly condemned the Tatmadaw’s power seizure and strongly supported the National Unity Government (NUG), Myanmar’s opposition group in exile. It even allowed the NUG to establish a liaison office in Dili early last year, much to Nay Pyi Taw’s fury.

Apparently, the two countries have already reached out to each other during Timor Leste’s Foreign Minister Bandito dos Santos Freitas’s visit to Nay Pyi Taw on Sept 17-19. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the bloc’s fundamental principles and its charter, particularly non-interference in the internal affairs of member states. They also agreed to reopen their diplomatic missions and restore visa exemption.

Looking back at the 46th Asean Summit in late May, except for Malaysia, other members were uncertain whether Timor-Leste would be accepted this month. Indeed, just one day before their summit retreat, their foreign ministers were still insisting that Timor-Leste must stick to the roadmap prepared by the Asean Secretariat. If that were indeed the case, then it would take additional months or even years.

However, the next morning, when the heads of government held their retreat, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim managed to get a consensus with strong support from Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong that Timor-Leste should be admitted as its 11th member in October.

Myanmar, isolated and silenced, could not object. However, on June 14, Nay Pyi Taw sent a letter to the Asean chair threatening to block the membership, accusing Dili of “interfering in internal affairs”. The letter warned that if “Timor Leste persists [with] its blatant violation of the principles of non-interference”, Asean should reject its membership “and suspend all procedural steps until Dili rectifies its approach”.

As part of the accession process, at the recent Asean Economic Ministerial meeting, the ministers reviewed the progress made and gave Dilli a collective thumbs-up. As of Sept 26, it has already fulfilled most of the technical and institutional requirements for full membership that are enshrined in 66 key Asean Economic Agreements. For the other two pillars — political/security, as well as social and cultural, it has aligned with nearly all of them.

As a vibrant democracy, Timor-Leste’s entry will enhance Asean’s international image. The West must now have second thoughts about the bloc being a club of one-party rule or dictatorial despots. This Christian nation has one of the world’s freest presses and the region’s strongest democratic credentials — alongside some of the world’s highest-income economies.

“Democracy is our identity. We fought for it, and we will not change,” said a senior aide to President Ramos-Horta during a recent conversation in Jakarta. That statement captures the spirit of the youngest member of the Asean family.

Dili can also serve as a bridge between Asean and the Portuguese-speaking world. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will attend the upcoming Asean Summit as a special guest of the Asean chair — a symbolic sign of Timor-Leste’s expanding diplomatic reach. The new member is also part of the South Pacific Forum, linking Asean more closely with the Pacific community.

One frequently asked question is whether Timor-Leste will align itself with Western positions on key geopolitical issues. Asean members have long maintained diverse but moderate foreign policy outlooks, avoiding extremist approaches. The bloc’s collective decisions are based on resilience, pragmatism and consensus.

For Thailand, Timor-Leste carries very special meanings. The Chuan government (1997-2000) played a crucial role in the nation-building there.

Thailand led the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor during the 1999-2002 period. The late Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan and former commander of UN East Timor forces, Gen Boonserng Niemprasert, are still household names there.

At a recent conference in Jakarta, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow posited that in a world of confrontation and division, Asean stands as a modest yet vital example of regional coexistence. No matter how uncertain the global environment becomes, he reiterated, Asean is here to stay — and to keep the region’s dream of unity alive.

With a new, young, bold member, the future of Asean looks more exciting.

An Indian man was arrested and charged after a man was seen wildly threatening people with a pistol-shaped lighter in Siam Square in Bangkok.

The incident occurred about 4pm on Monday in front of Novotel Bangkok in Siam Square soi 6, Pathum Wan district.

Police called to the scene were confronted by a man, later identified as Indian national Sahil Ram Thadani, 41.

A video shown by news outlets showed an Indian man walking around making loud noises and pointing a gun-shaped object at members of the public.

Police and security guards worked to control the situation, but the man disobeyed and threatened officers with the object in his hand, which was later found to be a cigarette lighter.

Mr Thadani was taken to Pathum Wan police station where he was charged with threatening behaviour and causing a public disturbance. Police said his behaviour was believed to be a result of hallucinations from ingesting cannabis.

A police report revealed the man used to be a director of three companies in India that had all ceased operations.

Busanan Ongbamrungphan lost to world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles final of the US$475,000 (approx 15.2 million baht) BWF Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, on Sunday.

The Thai fourth seed went down 19-21, 16-21 in 43 minutes as top seed Yamaguchi picked up her third title of the year.

The Japanese star won her third world crown in Paris and also triumphed at the Korea Open last month.

For Busanan, it was her first final appearance in 13 months. The Thai also lost to Yamaguchi the last time she made it to a final — at the 2024 Japan Open.

Busanan’s defeat ended a disappointing Sunday for Thailand as Kunlavut Vitidsarn was beaten by Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen in the men’s singles final earlier in the day.

Chou won the marathon decider, 21-11, 13-21, 21-19, in an hour and 17 minutes for his first title of 2025.

An obstacle for renewable power and ageing fossil fuel-fired power plants is presenting a new revenue channel for power companies, with SET-listed power producer Ratch Group driving growth by selling “inertia” to a customer in Australia.

Inertia, provided by synchronous condenser technology, refers to the grid’s ability to resist sudden changes in power frequency and maintain a stable electricity supply.

Through inertia sales, Ratch contributes inertia to the grid, enhancing grid stability and helping prevent blackouts, which is a growing concern as more solar and wind power are integrated to meet rising clean energy demand.

STUMBLING BLOCK

Like other countries, Australia is promoting the use of clean energy and finding ways to ease some of the downsides.

The sun and wind are intermittent sources of energy, unable to ensure a steady supply of electricity due to uncertain weather patterns.

“A more technical term is renewable energy lacks the moment of inertia,” said Nitus Voraphonpiput, chief executive of Ratch, a power generation arm of Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.

By converting part of its 25-year-old Townsville Power Station in Queensland to a synchronous condenser, the company contributes inertia to the grid system, helping power transmission operator Power Link provide a continuous supply of electricity.

“It’s the first power plant in Australia repurposed to have a synchronous condenser,” said Mr Nitus.

The plant continues to sell electricity, while selling inertia simultaneously to earn extra money.

Ratch spent A$32 million installing a synchronous condenser, which started operations on Aug 10, and it projects earnings of $6.8 million a year.

Under a new agreement signed with power company QPM Energy Ltd, Ratch can operate the Townsville Power Station for another 10 years after its original 25-year power purchase agreement with QPM expired on Feb 6 this year.

“I believe Thailand will have similar synchronous condensers in the future,” he said, adding the US also converted old power plants to synchronous condensers.

Germany and Saudi Arabia are also utilising synchronous condensers, according to media reports.

Ratch has not planned to convert its ageing power plants in Thailand to synchronous condensers, as it is awaiting the right time when the downsides of renewable energy usage in the country become clearer, said Mr Nitus.

The Thai government is promoting renewable energy, which comprised 22% of all energy production in 2024. The country cannot avoid this stumbling block as it aims to be less dependent on fossil fuels in its campaign against climate change, he said.

“If the renewable power proportion exceeds 30% or 40%, then we will start devising a synchronous condenser plan,” said Mr Nitus.

CASSETTE TAPE

Though grid operators can use a battery energy storage system (BESS) to deal with this obstacle, Ratch sees a business opportunity with synchronous condensers, which he compared to a cassette tape.

The company invests in many energy assets in Australia, and is developing new BESS projects. Ratch also is fond of synchronous condensers, which form part of the Australian government’s grid security policy.

A synchronous condenser is not a new invention — the technology is used in conventional power plants. Coal and gas-fired power plants as well as biomass-based power facilities are equipped with features to add inertia and control electricity voltage at appropriate levels.

“This is like a cassette tape that should have been discarded, but it was brought back into use again,” said Mr Nitus.

A synchronous condenser’s moment of inertia — essentially its resistance to changes in motion — helps to maintain the grid’s electrical frequency when there is a sudden drop in power supply.

“It’s like tossing a small stone onto the ground,” said Sahachthorn Putthong, chief executive of Ratch-Australia Corporation, who threw a pebble in front of the company’s synchronous condenser.

“The stone tries to maintain speed while moving, but it faces friction on the ground.”

BESS can also prevent outages, offering functions to add inertia and maintain voltage levels, but it requires higher investment.

“A synchronous condenser can make use of our old assets,” said Mr Nitus, adding that enhancing the value of ageing power plants is part of Ratch’s business strategy.

The 234-megawatt Townsville Power Station uses both gas and steam turbines to generate electricity, supplying power to 33,106 households a year.

“The facility has now become a hybrid business, selling both electricity and inertia,” he said.

SPRINGBOARD

Ratch is seeking new business ventures, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), other than its core businesses directed by Thailand’s power development plan (PDP).

Authorities are drafting a new PDP with a greater focus on renewable energy, which could shape Ratch’s business path over the long term, said Mr Nitus.

The company aims to increase its renewable energy proportion to 30% of total power generation capacity by 2030, up from 16% at present.

“However, the Thai PDP has been delayed for a while. If we wait for its completion, we will lose opportunities,” he said.

Ratch needs new partners to give it a springboard to diversify from its power businesses and develop new revenue channels, said Mr Nitus.

SAF is a biofuel for aircraft, and Ratch wants to invest in this business abroad.

“Overseas investment is preferable because Thailand already has big players in the SAF business,” he said.

Some 32% of Ratch’s total revenue of 2.9 billion baht in the first half of this year came from foreign countries, while 68% was from domestic sources.

XSpring Asset Management (AM) says its XSpring Nuclear and Uranium Technologies Fund (X-NUCTECH) posted a return of 31.9% in baht and 39.3% in US dollars within only three months of its launch.

As of Oct 6, the fund’s assets under management (AUM) surged by 704% to 371 million baht from an initial size of 46 million baht when launched on July 14.

Nuclear and uranium stocks have surged as power demand grows, propelled by government policies, global electrification and artificial intelligence (AI) spending. The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates global nuclear capacity to grow by more than 160% by 2050 as it becomes indispensable to achieving clean energy ambitions.

X-NUCTECH invests primarily in the VanEck Uranium and Nuclear Technologies UCITS ETF A USD Acc (NUCL), which has been one of the world’s top-performing funds in 2025 with a year-to-date return of 94.2%. NUCL has posted consistent growth over the years, gaining 3.71% in 2022, 39.2% in 2023, and nearly 30% last year.

Such continuous growth reflects the steady rise of global investments in nuclear energy, said Yosakorn Follett, chief executive of XSpring AM.

“This year is a breakthrough year for alternative investments as global interest rates trend downward,” he said.

Many investors have shifted away from low-yield deposits towards higher-return assets, particularly mutual funds, a trend that is expected to continue into 2026, said Mr Yosakorn. X-NUCTECH stands out as the company’s top performer, reflecting investors’ growing confidence in the long-term potential of nuclear energy, he said.

“The fund’s rapid growth underscores investors’ recognition of nuclear power as a critical solution in the global energy transition,” said Mr Yosakorn.

“AI and data centres are driving exponential energy demand, doubling every 3.5 months according to international research. Nuclear power is regaining prominence as one of the few scalable and stable energy sources capable of supporting the modern digital economy.”

While X-NUCTECH’s local returns in baht were slightly tarnished by the currency’s recent strength, XSpring AM expects this to improve as exchange rate conditions normalise, he said, adding the fund’s long-term prospects remain strong given the global shift towards clean, efficient and carbon-neutral power sources.

The asset manager is positioning itself as an innovator in thematic and alternative investments, focusing on high-potential global trends such as energy transition, digital transformation and AI, said Mr Yosakorn.

KEX Express (Thailand) Plc said on Tuesday that its voluntary delisting from the Stock Exchange of Thailand will have no impact on its operations, customers or business partners.

Shares of KEX were to be delisted on Wednesday, with Tuesday as the last trading day, following the successful completion of a tender offer earlier by its major shareholder, SF International Holding (Thailand), or SFTH.

The express delivery provider continues to operate as usual and remains focused on its strategic transformation to redefine delivery standards in Thailand, it said in a statement.

The Thai market continues to play a vital role in driving KEX’s growth as part of SF Group’s regional network in Southeast Asia it said.

Chief executive Jiawei Zhang said the delisting was a strategic move to enhance flexibility and operational efficiency, enabling the company to respond more quickly to changing market dynamics in an increasingly competitive landscape. With 98.9% of company shares now held by SFTH, KEX will benefit from direct support and integration with SF Group’s extensive logistics network, technology, financing and expertise, he said.

The company is expanding its services to deliver both convenience for the mass market, as well as premium, customised logistics solutions that create long-term value.

Recently, KEX launched KEX Sameday, a same-day delivery service designed for customers requiring time-sensitive or high-value parcel delivery.

‘We will continue to grow and invest in Thailand and across Southeast Asia for the long term. Our mission remains clear: to deliver fast, reliable, and high-quality logistics services that our customers can always trust,’ Mr Zhang said.

Microsoft has tightened access to Internet Explorer (IE) mode in its Microsoft Edge browser after discovering that hackers were exploiting a critical zero-day vulnerability to take control of users’ computers.

Gareth Evans, head of security for Microsoft Edge, said the company’s threat intelligence team received reports that cybercriminals were using IE mode to compromise devices through a previously unknown flaw.

Although Internet Explorer was officially retired on June 15 2022, Microsoft retained IE mode within Edge to allow legacy websites and enterprise systems relying on outdated technologies such as ActiveX or Flash to continue functioning.

Investigations revealed that the attackers were not targeting Edge directly but instead using a social engineering strategy combined with a zero-day vulnerability in Chakra, the old JavaScript engine once used by Internet Explorer. This flaw allowed malicious code to be executed remotely without the user’s knowledge.

The attack typically began with hackers creating fake but convincing websites designed to trick users into visiting them. Once on the page, users would be prompted to ‘reload this page in Internet Explorer mode’. When the option was activated, the Chakra zero-day vulnerability was triggered, enabling the attackers to escalate privileges and gain full control over the victim’s computer.

What makes the situation more concerning is that Microsoft has yet to release a patch for the Chakra engine vulnerability. As a precaution, the company has now removed all shortcuts for enabling IE mode – including toolbar buttons, right-click menus and options in the main browser menu.

For those who still need to use IE mode, users must now manually enable it via Settings ? Default Browser ? Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer (IE) mode, switching from Default to Allow. They must then add the URLs of specific sites that require IE mode.

Microsoft said the change is aimed at increasing security and ensuring that IE mode is used only for trusted sites specified by the user, making it more difficult for hackers to exploit fake or malicious websites.

Many streets in Bangkok were flooded after heavy rain on Tuesday, with the rain expected to persist into the evening in northern Bangkok.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reported at 1.45pm there was flooding on sections of Onnut 59 Road in Prawet district, Sukhonthasawat Road in Lat Phrao district, Sukhumvit 39 Road in Watthana district, Chaeng Watthana 10 Road in Laksi district and Charoen Krung and Rama III roads in Bang Kho Laem district.

The inundation occurred from 12.30pm-1.45pm and flood levels ranged from five to 25 centimetres.

Floodwater receded from Onnut 59, Sukhumvit 39 and Chaeng Watthana 10 roads between 1.15pm and 3pm.

The Meteorological Department forecast rain for 70% of the capital on Tuesday.

About 3pm the department said there was light and moderate rain in Bangkok’s Sai Mai, Don Muang, Laksi, Bang Khen, Lat Phrao, Chatuchak and Bang Sue districts.

The rain was moving northwestwards and would stay in Laksi, Don Muang, Sai Mai and Bang Khen districts for 30-60 minutes from 3.30pm-4pm, the department said.