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Labour Minister Treenuch Thienthong has dismissed speculation that she is set to succeed Gen Prawit Wongsuwon as leader of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) following a series of MP defections.

“As of now, Gen Prawit remains the party leader and continues to perform his duties as usual,” she told the media on Tuesday.

The speculation intensified after a string of defections from the PPRP, including former secretary-general Santi Promphat, who resigned from the party and joined the ruling Bhumjaithai Party along with his son, Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat. Their departure dealt another major blow to the PPRP, which now has only seven MPs left.

The remaining PPRP members are Gen Prawit, Ms Treenuch, Kwanruen Thienthong, Chotiwut Thanakamanusorn, Chaimongkhon Chairop, Krasae Trakoonpornpong and Wiriya Tongpa. The rest of the 21 MPs, once allied with Gen Prawit, have defected to the Klatham, Bhumjaithai, and Pheu Thai parties, among others.

In response to the exodus, Ms Treenuch reaffirmed her commitment to staying with the PPRP, saying the party remains united and is preparing for the next general election. “The number of seats we win is less important than our shared ideology and commitment to serving the public,” she said.

She also rejected rumours suggesting she might follow Mr Santi to Bhumjaithai.

“I am already working in the same team under Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s leadership,” she said, implying that there is no need to switch parties just to remain in the coalition.

Regarding the vacant post of secretary-general, Ms Treenuch said the PPRP’s executive committee would soon meet to select a replacement.

The new appointee, she said, should be someone capable of working cooperatively with other parties that share similar political goals.

Coursera, an online learning platform, is introducing a regionally localised pricing model that lowers course prices in Thailand by up to 40%.

This initiative makes its online learning courses more accessible, helps to stimulate artificial intelligence (AI) skill development to meet urgent demand, and supports Thailand’s ambition to become an AI hub, said Ashutosh Gupta, managing director for Asia-Pacific at Coursera.

Thailand stands to gain 2.6 trillion baht from an AI-led economy, accounting for 15% of Southeast Asia’s total AI potential.

“The world is going through a lot of change, disruption and displacement, presenting challenges and opportunities,” Mr Gupta said.

According to the World Economic Forum, 35% of key skills in Thailand will change in five years.

“If the Thai workforce were 100 people, 56 would need retraining by 2030, while nine are unlikely to be retrained. This highlights the urgent need for upskilling to prepare for the future of work,” said Mr Gupta.

“Learners must scale to meet urgent demand. We need to rethink training and learning.”

He said Thailand is advancing its AI skills through key initiatives like the National AI Strategy (2022-2027). These efforts focus on training 30,000 AI professionals, stimulating 100 AI innovations, and expanding adoption in over 600 organisations.

Investments target digital infrastructure, industry-aligned education, and flexible university programmes like the Higher Education Sandbox. The goal is to reach a top-50 global AI readiness ranking by 2025, supported by expanded degree programmes and scholarships, said Mr Gupta.

He cited Unesco data that found that access to higher education is limited, as 40% of people entering the global workforce had college-level education, while in Thailand the rate is 44%.

“To reduce this challenge, it needs to provide world-class courses with affordable prices,” said Mr Gupta.

Affordable prices

Coursera has introduced a regional geographic approach based on affordability that lowers the average course price by 40% in Thailand.

The company is partnering with OpenAI to become the first online learning platform embedded in ChatGPT, which can suggest the Coursera app to ChatGPT users and suggest appropriate content to Coursera’s learners.

This partnership allows Coursera to offer the most widely used AI tool in the world, and reflects OpenAI’s commitment to expand access to education, Mr Gupta said.

As of June 2025, Coursera recorded significant growth with 1.1 million registered learners, a fivefold increase since 2019.

The typical learner is 33 years old, and enrolment is split equally between men and women, with a focus on job-relevant, digital, and business skills, in a hands-on learning experience.

The most popular courses from January to September 2025 were “Introduction to AI” from Google, “Maximize Productivity with AI Tools” from Google, and “Discover the Art of Prompting” from Google.

The company has 30 enterprise customers and seven campus customers in Thailand.

There is huge demand for generative AI (GenAI) skills, with 250,000 enrolments for GenAI courses in Thailand.

“We see one enrolment every three minutes, up from one every 16 minutes last year,” said Mr Gupta.

There are more than 1,000 GenAI courses and projects on Coursera.

Of the top 10 popular courses in Thailand, nine are related to AI which reflect Thais’ focus on AI.

In Thailand, GenAI adoption varies significantly across generations, with millennials leading the way in reskilling efforts at 56%, followed by Gen X at 31%, Gen Z at 9%, and Boomers at 4%.

When it comes to the gender gap in GenAI skills, men comprise 62% of enrolments, while women account for 38%. However, enrolment growth is faster amongst women, rising by 370% compared with 190% for men.

The government plans to allocate around 10 billion baht to address non-performing loans (NPLs) among individual borrowers, according to Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas.

He said on Tuesday the bad debts the government purchases will be transferred to Bangkok Commercial Asset Management (BAM) Plc and Sukhumvit Asset Management (SAM).

These agencies will help restructure the debts to reduce the monthly repayment burden for the public.

Regarding progress on the government’s plan to ease small-scale debt burdens, Mr Ekniti said the Finance Ministry, Bank of Thailand and related agencies were instructed to finalise the debt restructuring plan within one month.

In principle, the plan calls for the government to draw about 10 billion baht from the unused portion of the Financial Institutions Development Fund allocated to the “Khun Soo Rao Chuay” (You Fight, We Help) programme, part of a total fund worth 26 billion baht, to acquire NPLs.

The debts are to be purchased at a discounted price, which should not affect banks’ balance sheets as provisions for these bad debts have already been fully set aside.

As for the asset management companies (AMCs) responsible for purchasing the debts, several options were initially considered — including the establishment of a new AMC.

However, that option would take time so the government decided to assign state-owned AMCs such as BAM and SAM to handle the purchases.

Once the debts are acquired, the AMCs are to manage, restructure and reduce the debts and extend repayment terms to enable debtors to regain repayment capacity.

The AMCs are also expected to work on enhancing debtors’ financial potential so they can eventually qualify for new credit.

The household debt resolution policy is one of the government’s five pillars to be implemented over four months. Other policies comprise:

Stimulating the economy and tourism through the “Khon La Khrueng Plus” co-payment scheme, expected to launch at the end of October.

Providing liquidity support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by having the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation provide guarantees totalling 50 billion baht for businesses in the supply chains of large companies. If large businesses support SMEs under the “Big Brother Helps Little Brother” scheme, the Revenue Department allows expenses to be deducted from taxes.

Increasing personal savings for retirement by having the Government Lottery Office allocate part of its marketing budget to savings accounts for those who purchase online lottery tickets. Each buyer receives an individual savings account that can be withdrawn at age 55. This programme is separate from the retirement lottery scheme.

Developing workforce skills for future industries, including bio-agriculture, smart farming, artificial intelligence and digital technology, data centres and electric vehicles. The Board of Investment has a Competitiveness Enhancement Fund worth 10 billion baht that can be allocated in collaboration with the private sector to select workers for reskilling and upskilling.

The House committee will summon Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaichanok Chidchob and relevant agencies on Thursday over allegations of a 40-million-baht bribery offer tied to online criminal activity.

Siam Hathasongkroh, chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy and Society, and a Pheu Thai MP for Nong Bua Lam Phu, said on Tuesday that Thursday’s committee meeting will focus on the alleged bribery attempt that Mr Chaichanok revealed during the government’s policy statement a week ago.

At that time, Mr Chaichanok claimed someone had approached him through an MP to pay 40 million baht per month to overlook crackdowns on call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling websites.

Mr Siam said the case must not be swept aside. “The minister is obliged to pursue legal action against those involved,” he said.

He added that the committee is increasingly concerned about the resurgence of cybercrime, noting that scam-related losses have exceeded 90 million baht per day — equivalent to at least one billion baht a month.

Without clear policies from the new administration, he warned, the damage to Thailand’s economy could deepen.

Mr Siam said the committee would also question the ministry about its cybercrime suppression strategy, noting that the previous administration under Paetongtarn Shinawatra treated the issue as a national priority, successfully preventing tens of billions of baht in public losses each year.

“If this government lacks genuine intent to address the problem, cybercriminal groups will return and harm the Thai economy again,” he warned.

Meanwhile, Phattarapong Supakson, known as “Lawyer Aun Buri Ram”, submitted a petition to the DES Ministry’s permanent secretary urging faster progress in the internal inquiry.

Advanced Info Service (AIS) is strengthening its entertainment and sports streaming platform AIS Play by teaming up with America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) to broadcast the 2025-26 game season to Thai fans.

Coverage of this year’s game season commences on Oct 22.

The NBA is a global sports and media organisation built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League. The group has established a major international presence, with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories.

Rungtip Jarusiripipat, head of entertainment at AIS, said the company has developed AIS Play into Thailand’s largest all-in-one entertainment hub, powered by the best network and curated global content.

The company aggregates core content creation and licensing, including major studios, independent filmmakers, content aggregators, sports rights holders and agents, leagues and federations.

She said bringing in world-class content such as the NBA marks another step in expanding the company’s audience base and enhancing the viewing experience.

“Basketball fans can now enjoy every key match on AIS Play, along with exclusive NBA access and premium entertainment from Prime Video — delivering excitement anytime, anywhere. This partnership plays a vital role in strengthening the basketball scene in Thailand,” said Ms Rungtip.

AIS customers can watch live NBA preseason games for free on Oct 4, 6, 10, 12 and 16, on AIS Play.

Somchai Lertsutiwong, chief executive of AIS, said recently that he expects AIS revenue from non-mobile and non-fixed broadband business to account for at least 20% of total revenue in three years, up from 10% at present.

The target calls for driving sustainable growth through new S-curve business areas, including digital finance, entertainment and retail services.

The NBA packages include NBA 2025-26 for 249 baht a month (excluding value-added tax [VAT]), offering every major NBA game live, including the regular season, playoffs, and All-Star Weekend, all via AIS Play.

This package also comes with Prime Video world-class entertainment, plus marquee regular-season matchups and key tentpole events, including the Emirates NBA Cup, Play-In Tournament, and NBA Finals.

Other packages include Play Sports for 599 baht a month (excluding VAT), which offers sports channels and major sporting events, including the Premier League, NFL and NBA, all via AIS Play. This package is available for subscription starting Oct 15.

Another package is called Play Ultimate+Sports for 1,499 baht a month for the first 12 months, then 1,799 baht a month (excluding VAT) thereafter. This package offers sports coverage from the Premier League, NFL and NBA via AIS Play, plus content from streaming platforms such as Disney+ Hotstar, Prime Video and others.

A 51-year-old man accused of committing multiple home burglaries while naked has been arrested in Chok Chai district.

Chaliaw Khramkrathok was stopped and taken into police custody while riding a motorcycle in tambon Tha Yiam of Chok Chai district on Tuesday afternoon.

He was named in arrest warrants for multiple burglaries in Chakkarat, Khon Buri and Nong Boon Mak districts since March this year.

According to police, the suspect has a house in Chok Chai district but tried to avoid arrest by living outside in paddy fields.

He had broken into several houses in Chakkarat and Nong Boon Mak districts in March, and into four houses in Khon Buri district last month, police said.

Mr Chaliaw stole personal valuables and cash and was often naked when he committed the thefts, and was filmed by security cameras.

He told police that he took off his clothes because he did not want to be recognised by his clothing. Sometimes he stripped off because his clothes were soaked by rain.

CIMB Thai Bank (CIMBT) plans to expand the number of its independent financial advisors (IFAs) to 500 by the end of this year, amid intensifying competition in the financial advisory profession.

According to Bhudinan Sethanandha, head of affluent and wealth management at CIMBT, the bank has grown its IFA network from 30-40 advisors at the beginning of the year to around 150, targeting 500 by year-end.

This expansion is driven by the strong growth of its wealth management business and a shortage of financial advisors across the industry, he said.

“Competition for IFAs in the financial sector — including banking, securities and asset management — has become increasingly fierce. CIMBT is among the first banks to actively recruit for this role,” said Mr Bhudinan.

Across the Thai financial market, there are around 20,000 IFAs, steadily increasing in recent years. IFAs at each financial institution possess varied areas of expertise, aligning with the distinct financial products and services of each institution.

At CIMBT, the bank focuses its IFAs primarily on the secondary bond market, which represents its service strength, he said. The secondary bond market in Thailand has posted continued growth.

Trading volume in the secondary bond market contributed largely by individual investors is expected to reach 55 billion baht this year, up 10% year-on-year.

CIMBT accounts for around 30% of this total trading volume.

The bank offers financial transactions to individual wealth clients via an omni-channel model that combines human advisory support with digital platforms, ensuring access to sophisticated financial products.

Mr Bhudinan said the bank plans to expand its IFA network next year to support the continued growth of its wealth management business.

CIMBT, a mid-sized bank, aims to triple its assets under management in five years, which will require building sufficient human resources to meet increasing demand, he said.

The bank also wants to increase its relationship managers for wealth management clients from more than 100.

CIMBT will continue to enhance its digital platforms to provide customers with greater convenience and efficiency for financial transactions, said Mr Bhudinan.

Flooding persisted in 19 provinces on Wednesday, mainly in the Central Plain and the Northeast, with water levels generally unchanged or a little down.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported on Wednesday that the Central Plain was the hardest hit, with eight flooded provinces – Uhai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Pathom.

Flood levels were unchanged in Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ayutthaya and Nakhon Pathom but lower in Uthai Thani, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri and Pathum Thani.

In Chai Nat the Chao Phraya River flowed through the Chao Phraya barrage at the stable rate of 2,400 cubic metres per second, according to the Royal Irrigation Department.

In the Northeast, there was flooding in Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Sukhothai, Phichit and Nakhon Sawan. Flood levels were unchanged in Phitsanulok, Phichit and Nakhon Sawan and were receding in Uttaradit, Phetchabun and Sukhothai.

Four other northeastern provinces — Chaiyaphum, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani and Yasothon — also experienced flooding, with stable flood levels.

The only eastern province affected was Chachoengsao, where flood levels were rising in Bang Nam Prieo district.

The Meteorological Department said from Thursday to Tuesday next week rain would decline in the North and the Northeast and increase in the Central Plain, the East and the South.

Prime Minister and Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) leader Anutin Charnvirakul has welcomed several prominent politicians from Nakhon Ratchasima’s influential “Baan Yai” (Big House) political clan, as well as some former Pheu Thai Party MPs, who have officially joined the BJT ahead of the next general election.

Those switching sides included Kosol Patama, incumbent Pheu Thai MP for Nakhon Ratchasima; Phongsakorn Annopphon, former Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen; Thawirat Rattanaset, former Pheu Thai MP for Nakhon Ratchasima; and Tattirat Rattanaset, son of veteran politician Wirat Rattanaset. The group submitted their membership applications to join the BJT in preparation for the upcoming polls.

Mr Anutin said the move underscored that the government was on track to dissolve the House within four months, reaffirming that all political parties must now prepare for elections expected early next year.

“We’re all one family,” he said. “I’ve known Mr Phongsakorn for over 30 years — we once belonged to the same party, and I’ve always respected him as an elder brother. Mr Thawirat and Mr Tattirat are like my own nephews. We’ve known each other for a long time.”

When asked if the new recruits signalled an effort to strengthen the BJT’s presence in Nakhon Ratchasima, Mr Anutin said the party aimed to combine a new generation of leaders with seasoned politicians who understand local needs.

“Our party’s strength lies in its accessibility,” he said. “We listen to MPs and deliver what people need. That’s how we earn and keep the public’s trust.”

On whether more MPs from other parties would join, Mr Anutin said the BJT remained open to anyone committed to serving the nation.

“We don’t discriminate or set restrictions,” he said. “Anyone dedicated to public service, free from personal gain or ethical problems, is welcome.”

Asked if the BJT aimed to emerge from the next poll as the biggest political party, Mr Anutin said the focus was on connecting policies with the people through local candidates.

“Many MPs have told me in parliament they like our policies and want to join next time. If someone has the trust of the people and integrity, we’ll gladly welcome them,” he said.

Mr Anutin added that the current wave of political movement was a healthy sign of competition.

“Pheu Thai has just launched its team of MPs — that’s good. Other parties like the People’s Party, Kla-Tham, and the Democrats are also regrouping. This benefits democracy. Every party must keep improving its policies and strategies for the people’s benefit,” he said.

Mr Kosol told reporters he was unsure whether more Pheu Thai MPs would follow suit, but said that former Pheu Thai MP Noppadon Patama, his relative, had also been invited but had not made a decision yet due to family commitments. He said he decided to join the BJT because of the mutual respect and open working style within the party.

“I feel comfortable here. Mr Anutin showed me respect and invited me to work together in the future,” Mr Kosol said, adding that while he remains a sitting Pheu Thai MP for now, he was expressing his intention to contest the next election under BJT’s banner.

Port forward Teerasak Poeiphimai says he is ready to help the War Elephants in their upcoming home-and-away AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying matches against Taiwan.

Thailand’s men’s national football team held their first training session in Bangkok on Monday evening, kicking off preparations for their Group D qualifying games Thursday and on Oct 14.

Thursday’s clash will take place at Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium at 7.30pm. The return fixture will be played at Taipei Municipal Stadium, and will start at 5.30pm (Thai time).

Teerasak said he is in a confident frame of mind following his recent performance for Port.

“Scoring in my recent club game has boosted my confidence. I just hope our fans will come and support the team,” said the striker.

“Being the lone striker brings some pressure, but I’ll do my best to help the team win and earn three points from each match.

“It’s a big advantage to be playing the first game at home. If we can score some goals on Thursday, it will ease the pressure before the away game in Taipei next week.”

Meanwhile, winger Anan Yod­- sangwal of Lamphun Warriors, who has replaced injured Buriram United forward Supachai Chaided in the national squad, said he is pleased to be recalled and will try to perform at his best.

He added that he feels less pressure than during his first national call-up, and that his recent league goals and assists have made him mentally stronger.

Anan described Taiwan as a quality side with strong support and said the Thai team will study their opponents and adapt accordingly.

Both matches will be broadcast live on Thai Rath TV (Channel 32), BG Sports Channel on YouTube, and True Visions NOW.