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Tsu Japanese Restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok invites guests to an exceptional evening of Japanese-inspired cuisine at its Four-Hands Dinner on Friday, 17 October 2025, from 6.00 pm onwards. The event features a special collaboration between Chef Photchaman ‘Aom’ Arnupapdecha from Big Fish and Bar, Hua Hin Marriott Resort and Spa, and Chef Atsushi Yoshida, Japanese Head Chef at JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok.

This exclusive dining experience showcases a thoughtfully curated menu that blends the chefs’ distinctive culinary styles, rooted in a shared respect for precision and ingredient integrity. Each course reflects a seamless harmony of land and sea, traditional and modern, East and West.

Chef Atsushi Yoshida oversees the culinary direction of Tsu Japanese Restaurant, Nami Teppanyaki Steakhouse, and Chisana Nami at Erawan Bangkok. With over 26 years of experience in Japan, Hong Kong, the UK, and the Philippines-including roles at Michelin-starred restaurants Ginza Iwa and Umu-Chef Yoshida is known for his refined interpretations of Japanese cuisine grounded in tradition.

Chef Aom Arnupapdecha brings over 15 years of fine dining experience, including time in Australia at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, where she developed her produce-driven approach. As Chef de Cuisine at Big Fish and Bar, she merges Western techniques with local ingredients, crafting Mediterranean-inspired menus infused with Asian and Thai sensibilities.

The menu opens with a Rosette Waffle with Tuna Tartare, followed by a trio of Sustainable Hamachi, Salmon, and Kihada Maguro, served with homemade soy sauce and olive oil. The third course-Seabass and Prawns Aguachile-combines citrus, avocado, cucumber, and green chili for a refreshing coastal profile.

Next is a comforting Deep-Fried Eggplant with Duck Jibuni, followed by the main course: Glazed Pork Loin with shimeji mushrooms, sweet white onions, spinach, and kabayaki-pork sauce, accompanied by mashed potatoes and crispy garlic. The evening concludes with a seasonal dessert: Kasama Chestnut Mousse with Red Bean and Caramelised Chestnuts, evoking the flavours of a Japanese autumn. Each course is paired with carefully selected wines to enhance the experience.

The Four-Hands Dinner is priced at THB 3,531 net per person.

Tsu Japanese Restaurant is open for lunch from 11.30 am – 2.30 pm (Monday to Friday) and 11.30 am – 3.30 pm (Saturday and Sunday), and for dinner from 5.30 pm – 10.00 pm daily.

‘Thailand has comparative advantages where it makes sense to move now. Those comparative advantages also exist in the water sector. That’s why we’re combining this with the Water 2030 platform and agenda. This report will show how climate and water futures are critical to the overall sustainable development trajectory,’ said Melinda Good, World Bank Country Director for Thailand and Myanmar, during the ‘Climate and Water Futures’ forum at Sustainability Expo 2025 (SX2025) in Bangkok.

While the Bangkok metropolitan area is home to around 25% of Thailand’s population, it contributes more than 30% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Yet, according to Statista, Thailand ranks just behind Vietnam, Egypt, and Bangladesh in terms of population exposure to annual flood risk. The statistic underscores the urgency for Bangkok to focus on climate resilience and water management.

One sign of worsening climate challenges is the city’s increasing number of ‘rain bombs’ – powerful downdrafts produced by thunderstorms, not cyclones, capable of causing severe localised flooding and damage.

Climate and Development Report

At the forum, the World Bank launched Thailand’s Climate and Development Report – a timely release as Thailand prepares to host the World Economic Forum in exactly one year’s time.

‘We’ll have the whole economic world here and be able to show Thailand’s vision for this part of its future to the world,’ said Good.

Thailand aims to achieve high-income country status by 2037, requiring consistent annual GDP growth of around 5%. However, the report warns that without timely climate reforms and investments, this trajectory could be derailed. The cost of inaction could be steep: physical climate impacts could reduce GDP by 7-14% by 2050.

‘This is important if you subscribe to Thailand’s vision of becoming a more inclusive and sustainable society,’ said Kim Alan Edwards, World Bank Senior Economist. ‘To successfully navigate global megatrends such as climate change and build industries of the future – including sustainable food production, green manufacturing, and sustainable tourism – Thailand’s response to climate change will be critical.’

Edwards added that Thailand could move faster to seize green growth opportunities. The country is already a world leader in exporting eco-friendly air conditioners, a major player in sustainable manufacturing, and an emerging hub for electric vehicles and components. Still, there remains vast potential to capitalise further on global demand for green and climate-adaptive technologies.

Investment and Carbon Pricing

Edwards stressed the need for reforms and investments to accelerate Thailand’s transition. While carbon pricing is essential, he noted, it is insufficient on its own to drive transformation. A transparent policy framework is needed to reduce uncertainty for the private sector.

The report’s recommendations include market reforms in the power sector, greater investment in EV charging infrastructure, the implementation of energy efficiency mandates, farmer education programmes, refocusing agricultural subsidies, and expanded reforestation efforts.

According to the World Bank, Thailand will need an additional USD 219 billion in climate-related investment over the next 25 years. Carbon pricing could generate extra revenue equivalent to nearly 1% of GDP, but broader fiscal reforms – including adjustments to VAT, personal income tax, and other levies – are needed to finance public climate spending while maintaining fiscal stability.

No One Left Behind

Dr Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change and Environment, underscored the report’s findings on the importance of social protection to support vulnerable groups.

‘How can the vulnerable play a role in this adaptation? How can we echo the voices of our youth?’ he asked.

Dr Phirun noted that youth representatives had submitted their demands to his department, emphasising that ‘their voices are not of the future, but of the present.’ They have called for climate change to be included in all school curricula and for greater opportunities to collaborate with government and the private sector in strengthening their climate capabilities.

This call aligns with the message from Dr Chula Sukmanop, Secretary-General of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office, who highlighted the importance of public awareness. ‘When everyone is aware of water, it will be something manageable,’ he said.

EEC’s Sustainable Transition

The EEC partnered with the World Bank in producing the report. The region has shifted from oil-and-gas-based industries to environmentally friendly manufacturing while prioritising co-existence with local communities.

‘What we do now will bear fruit in the next five years,’ said Dr Chula. ‘We must ensure that the EEC has enough water resources to meet industrial demand. We call that water balance. We’ve established a committee to oversee water management and cooperation between the public and private sectors. Water might sound like a ‘chill’ topic, but it will become a hot issue if supply falls short.’

As Good emphasised, the World Bank Thailand Climate and Development Report quantifies the economic opportunities tied to decarbonisation and green, high-tech manufacturing. ‘That’s where we get to the futures part – where the economic opportunities lie.’

In the face of climate change, the world must shift its mindset from viewing resilience as merely a defensive strategy to embracing it as a proactive approach to designing a sustainable future, argued Dr Youssef Nassef, Director of the Adaptation Division at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Speaking on ‘Shaping the Future of Resilience’ at the Sustainability Expo 2025 (SX2025), Dr Nassef explained that the terms ‘resilience’ and ‘adaptation’ are often used interchangeably. He noted that the global response to climate change comprises two main components: addressing the root causes of the problem and adapting to its impacts.

However, he observed that adaptation has historically been viewed with scepticism, amid concerns it might divert attention from mitigation. Another challenge, he said, lies in measurement-while emission reductions can be quantified, resilience is far more complex and difficult to express numerically.

‘We have to move away from a problem-solution mentality to a mentality of creating a design for the future-one that takes into account economic realities and technological change, rather than trying to solve tomorrow’s problems with today’s outdated mindset,’ he said.

The concept of adaptation, he added, is now seen as a more integrated, forward-looking approach aimed at building systems that are flexible and future-oriented. This shift is embodied in the ‘global goal on adaptation,’ which spans all sectors and redefines how the international community understands and applies resilience.

Designing for the future means responding not just to immediate challenges, but also anticipating future needs by leveraging emerging technologies and long-term thinking. While tools such as technology and finance are vital for building resilience, Dr Nassef emphasised the importance of combining them with indigenous wisdom to achieve large-scale adaptation and sustainable development.

When it comes to sustainable urban development, Dr Nassef highlighted the critical role of neighbourhood design and the integration of sustainability principles into architecture. Citing studies showing that 75% of health issues are linked to environmental factors, he underscored that incorporating nature into the built environment-through approaches such as biophilic design-can create healthier and more resilient communities.

‘This is the mega driving force for everyone to see a transition or transformation in mindset, because it starts from that built environment,’ he said.

The US government shutdown is likely to have a minimal impact on the Thai stock market, which bounced back to surpass 1,300 points on Tuesday, unless the standoff in Washington is prolonged, according to the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).

Soraphol Tulayasathien, senior executive vice-president of SET, said US legislators have shut down the government multiple times in the past and typically the event was short-lived. On average, shutdowns last 1-2 weeks, with the longest one taking 35 days to be resolved.

Mr Soraphol said investors remain largely unfazed by the situation, as the US stock market has not declined significantly since the shutdown began on Oct 1.

“The shutdown is expected to have a limited impact on the SET index, unless the situation is prolonged, as investors largely perceive it as a temporary external factor that may create short-term volatility in capital flow,” he told a briefing on Tuesday.

Mr Soraphol’s comments were made as the shutdown, the 15th since 1981, is on track to become the fourth-longest in US history, eclipsing the six-day shutdown in 1995. The longest shutdown lasted 35 days during President Donald Trump’s first term, from 2018-2019.

He said more significant factors are the new Thai government’s policy execution focused on “short-term stimulus, long-term gains, broad distribution” through its initiatives, alongside multi-stakeholder cooperation in economic and capital market reforms.

“Meanwhile, concerns over the US economy and its monetary and fiscal policies led global investors to increase their holdings in safe-haven assets, particularly gold, the price of which surged to record highs in global markets,” said Mr Soraphol.

“The SET index is expected to continue its recovery through the remainder of 2025, supported by a resurgence in fundraising activities among listed companies in both debt and equity markets over the past two months, while strong first-day performance of newly listed securities reflects improving investor sentiment, and selling pressure from long-term equity funds has begun to subside.”

At the end of September, when the Anutin Charnvirakul government took office, the Thai benchmark index rose 3% from the previous month to finish at 1,274.17 points, narrowing the year-to-date decline to 9%, driven by investor expectations for government stimulus measures that bolster the Thai bourse.

Foreign investors were net sellers of 96.2 billion baht worth of Thai stocks during the first nine months of this year, including net sales of 11.9 billion baht last month.

Average daily trading value of the SET and Market for Alternative Investment dropped 31% year-on-year for the period to 43.2 billion baht (roughly US$1.34 billion).

The SET’s forward price-earnings (P/E) ratio was 13.9 times at the end of last month, below Asian stock markets’ average of 14.1 times. The historical P/E ratio was 14.7 times, lower than Asian markets’ average of 16.0 times. The dividend yield ratio was 3.86%, higher than Asian stock markets’ average of 3.02%.

Starting a construction business – or any business – is a dream for many and a powerful engine that drives a nation’s economy. Yet those dreams often collide with complex and time-consuming government licensing procedures. What should ensure fairness and compliance instead becomes a major barrier that causes delays, frustration, and, more critically, opens the door to a deeply rooted problem: bribery. This silent force undermines trust and erodes national credibility.

This form of corruption typically involves offering or receiving benefits in exchange for the issuance of licences or permits for activities regulated by the state. The problem stems from lengthy, complicated processes that grant certain officials excessive discretion. Such gaps in the system provide opportunities for demanding or offering bribes in return for faster approvals. It may seem like a shortcut, but in reality, it is the first step into a damaging and self-perpetuating cycle.

What appears to be a temporary fix – paying a bribe to speed things up – eventually corrodes the entire system. As bribery becomes normalised, it weakens fair competition and discourages honest entrepreneurs. More importantly, society bears the cost: unsafe buildings due to substandard construction, and depleted marine resources from unregulated fishing. These are not isolated incidents – they are direct outcomes of corruption within the licensing process.

Common examples include construction permits in urban areas, where bribes are solicited to expedite approvals or bypass environmental checks. In coastal zones, bribes may be exchanged for fishing licences to evade monitoring requirements. Such acts not only compromise public safety and environmental sustainability but also damage the country’s reputation in the eyes of investors and international partners.

The Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (ONACC) is tackling these challenges head-on through its comprehensive initiative, ‘Together Against Bribery’ (TaB), which aims to address the problem systematically and sustainably. However, no effort can succeed without the participation of everyone.

Rejecting both the giving and taking of bribes is a powerful step towards breaking the cycle of corruption. When citizens, businesses, and officials unite in integrity, transparency becomes the norm rather than the exception.

Be the eyes and ears of your community. Report any suspicious acts or information to ONACC. Together, we can stop this silent threat and make a transparent, bribe-free society a reality.

Thailand’s motorcycle market should record more sales in the final quarter of this year thanks to government stimulus measures that are expected to increase consumer purchasing power and lift business confidence, says Thai Honda, a manufacturer and distributor of motorcycles and multi-purpose engines.

The recovery is expected to be fuelled by an uptick in the granting of auto loans by banks and car financing companies as they are likely to consider relaxing the lending criteria, said Samphan Kwanjai, general manager of Thai Honda.

The projection of more loans being granted is based on a decline in non-performing loans among car buyers, following banks’ months-long strict criteria in lending money amid the high level of household debt and the state’s 10,000-baht cash handout scheme that helped motorcycle owners partly repay their loans.

“We have a new government that wants to stimulate the economy in the short term,” said Mr Samphan.

“We are positive about the government’s efforts that should increase people’s spending.”

However, Thailand is continuing to face economic uncertainties, caused by internal and external factors, during the second half of this year, which could affect the automotive industry, said Yuichi Shimizu, president of Thai Honda.

Low prices of agricultural products can weaken people’s purchasing power while the global economic slowdown will affect the Thai economy, he said.

Thai Honda expects its motorcycle sales to increase by 2% year-on-year to between 1.36 and 1.4 million units in 2025 while total sales of motorcycles in the domestic market are expected to increase by 1% to 1.7-1.75 million units.

From January to August this year, total motorcycle sales increased by just 1.4% to 1.18 million units, according to the Federation of Thai Industries. In August, the sales volume fell by 1.1% to 130,283 units.

Last year, Thai Honda produced 1.57 million motorcycles at its plant in Bangkok’s Lad Krabang Industrial Estate, with 1.35 million units sold domestically and the remainder exported.

Mr Shimizu said the company is not concerned about the regional value content rule that requires manufacturers to use a certain amount of locally sourced materials for production to benefit from US reduced tariffs.

“Locally made materials currently account for 82-90% of our total motorcycle parts, meaning we support local products and employment,” he said.

The firm employs 8,620 workers, most of whom are Thai.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn stressed the need for collaboration across borders, sectors, and communities to achieve food security, sustainability, and resilience, at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the 2025 regional observance of World Food Day on Oct 16.

The princess — who also serves as the FAO Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific — highlighted how more than half of the world’s undernourished population lives in Asia, where many still face hunger and lack access to nutritious food.

Smallholder farmers continue to struggle with limited resources, while communities remain vulnerable to climate-related disasters.

She noted that climate change has worsened natural disasters, destroyed harvests, and displaced countless people, while water scarcity and unsustainable practices have further degraded agricultural lands.

These burdens, she said, fall hardest on smallholder farmers who lack the support they need.

“Hand-in-hand means governments working together to craft policies that protect the vulnerable and promote sustainable farming; businesses partnering with farmers to strengthen supply chains, reduce food loss and waste, and ensure fair prices; and researchers sharing innovations so that even remote farmers can benefit from climate-smart agriculture,” she said.

“We must develop agri-food systems that are resilient to climate change, inclusive of all people, and able to provide every individual with safe, affordable, and diverse nutrition. At the same time, we must safeguard biodiversity and natural resources to ensure that future generations inherit a healthier, more sustainable planet,” she said.

“As FAO Special Goodwill Ambassador, I am committed to this cause,” she continued. “But true progress depends on all of us — governments, international organisations, farmers, businesses, and communities — joining hands to strengthen and transform our agri-food systems into engines of health, prosperity, and sustainability.”

Dr Alue Dohong, FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Asia and the Pacific, added that 2.6 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, facing the triple burden of hunger, malnutrition, and obesity.

Yet, he said, innovation and partnership offer hope for “better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all”.

He also expressed deep gratitude for the princess’s enduring support.

Chartthaipattana Party (CTP) director Nikorn Chamnong yesterday suggested an extraordinary parliamentary session be held in mid-November to accelerate the deliberation of charter amendment bills to guarantee that a charter rewrite referendum can take place alongside the next general election.

Mr Nikorn, a former secretary to the House committee on the referendum bill, said the three charter amendments are set for the first reading on Oct 14-15, but time constraints could make it impossible to hold a charter referendum along with the general election as planned by the government.

If parliament passes the charter amendment bills in its first reading on Oct 15, a House committee would likely spend until Dec 12 reviewing the bills, with the second reading possible on Dec 17. A 15-day gap is required before the third reading, likely placing final approval toward the end of December.

The election of MPs law requires that a general election be held within 45 to 60 days after a House dissolution. If the House is dissolved on Jan 31 next year, the snap poll would fall around March 29.

Under the existing referendum law, a referendum must be announced at least 90 days before it is held, making it impossible to hold a charter referendum and a general election on the same day.

Although the amended version reduces that window to 60 days and allows concurrent voting, the bill has yet to come into force.

Mr Nikorn suggested that an extraordinary parliamentary session be held in mid-November to accelerate the second reading, while the third could take place once the next session begins. This would allow sufficient time for a referendum to coincide with the general election in March 2026, he said.

He also warned that the charter amendment bill proposed by the People’s Party (PP) could face legal obstacles as it calls for a 100-member constitution drafting assembly (CDA) elected directly by the public.

According to Mr Nikorn, the direct election of charter drafters is deemed to contradict the Constitutional Court’s latest ruling that charter drafters cannot be directly elected.

Asked whether the timeline might require delaying the planned House dissolution, Mr Nikorn said if those factors are not addressed, the House dissolution timeline may be affected.

Former deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn on Tuesday petitioned the House committee on national strategy and reforms to investigate national police chief Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch for alleged misconduct and abuse of power.

The petition, accepted by committee chairman Rangsiman Rome, claimed that Pol Gen Kittharath acted unlawfully and in bad faith when he ordered a disciplinary probe in April this year to look into a Chulalongkorn University law exam scandal.

Pol Gen Surachate said that the investigation falsely named him as a suspect in a criminal case despite the police chief being fully aware that he was never charged in connection with the alleged theft of exam papers.

Even though this was later corrected, the damage was done to his reputation and he had already filed a defamation lawsuit with the Criminal Court, he said.

He claimed that the probe against him was an attempt to block his possible return to the police force. He added that he has now filed two criminal defamation lawsuits against Pol Gen Kittharath and plans to take the case to the corruption and misconduct court.

The controversy dates back to March this year, when cyber police arrested figures connected to the Betflik online gambling network, ultimately uncovering communications among officers about removing exam papers from Chulalongkorn’s evening law programme.

Kanittha Lertbanjerdwong, also known as Dr Nid, was identified as a key intermediary who claimed to be Pol Gen Surachate’s personal secretary.

According to the investigation team, evidence indicated she delivered stolen exam papers to Pol Gen Surachate’s legal team for completion before returning them to examination authorities.

Ms Kanittha was arrested in April while Pol Gen Surachate maintained he was never involved in any way.

Mr Rangsiman said the panel will examine the complaint and review all evidence to ensure transparency and fairness, adding that Pol Gen Kittharath might be summonsed to answer questions.

Authorities are preparing for the repatriation a 24-year-old Thai chef who died after falling ill on a roadside in Cambodia, amid reports he had been denied medical treatment at a local hospital there.

The deceased was identified as Methacharn ‘Mean’ Yorsang, 24, a native of Phra Phrom district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

According to the Thai Overseas Assistance Coordination Centre, Methacharn was found lying sick and helpless on a roadside in Cambodia with no money or identification documents. He was reportedly turned away by a Cambodian hospital near the border, denied meical treatment, shortly before he died.

About 8am on Wednesdsay, the Thai-Cambodian Border Coordination Centre confirmed it had arranged with Cambodian authorities to repatriate his remains through the Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province.

His relatives were travelling to the border and would decide on funeral and legal arrangements after receiving the body on Wednesday afternoon.

A representative of the Thai Overseas Assistance Centre said that when the case was first reported on Tuesday, Methacharn had still been conscious and responsive and complained of severe abdominal and chest pain.

He had reportedly attempted to walk to the Poipet border checkpoint in hope of returning to Thailand but was denied entry. He later died after seeking treatment at a Cambodian hospital and being rejected.

Further investigation by local reporters revealed that Methacharn was the subject of an active arrest warrant issued by Phaya Thai police in 2025 on charges of fraud and violating the Computer Crime Act.