Frequent disasters encourage Southeast Asians to prepare. A man drives a motorbike in a flooded street after heavy rains in Hanoi, Vietnam, in September 2023.
Natural disasters

Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia top global disaster-readiness poll

Alerts, household planning build resilience as volatility rises, Gallup says

25 August 2024
YKKO has opened its first Thai location in a Bangkok shopping mall. (Photo by Nikkei)
Food & Beverage

Myanmar's Yoma expands noodle shops to Thailand in restaurant push

YKKO and KFC operator keeps up store openings despite inflation and instability

24 August 2024
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra attends a news conference in Bangkok on Aug.16. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
24 August 2024
Amata founder and Chairman Vikrom Kromadit speaks to Nikkei Asia in an interview in Bangkok. (Photo by Toyoaki Fujiwara)
Supply Chain

Thailand's Amata eyes Laos as a hub for Chinese manufacturing exodus

Company is developing a new industrial site along the cross-border railway

23 August 2024
A rescue team works at the site of a small aircraft crash in Thailand's Chachoengsao province on Aug. 22. (Chachoengsao's Public Relations Department via AP)
Society

Small plane crashes in Thailand, all 9 aboard believed dead

Aircraft went down shortly after taking off from Bangkok airport

23 August 2024
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives for a nationally televised speech on his vision for Thailand.
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand's Thaksin says U.S. to toughen trade stance after election

Protections needed against cheap Chinese goods, ruling party boss argues

23 August 2024
 Bavarian Nordic's Imvanex vaccine is used to protect against the mpox virus.
Society

Thailand confirms mpox case is clade 1b, 2nd outside of Africa

First case of disease diagnosed in Southeast Asian country

22 August 2024
The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency over mpox but stressed that the disease is "not the new COVID."
Society

Asia on alert over mpox as cases detected in Thailand, Philippines

Indonesia and Malaysia tighten surveillance at international entry points

22 August 2024
According to a Reuters poll, 24 out of 27 economists expected the central bank to stand pat, while the rest saw a 25 basis point rate cut.
Economy

Thai central bank stands pat to assess impact of political instability

Bank of Thailand balances growth and risk by keeping policy rate at 2.5%

21 August 2024
Departures: Japan's Fumio Kishida, Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, and Srettha Thavisin of Thailand. (Source photos by Wataru Ito and Reuters)
Opinion

Rash of departing Asian PMs shows how parochial politics stifles economies

Region's leaders need to draw lessons from departures in Japan, Thailand and Bangladesh

21 August 2024
The friendship bridge spanning the Tiau River serves as an important commercial lifeline between the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram and western Myanmar's Chin state. 
Tea Leaves

Thai border town offers geopolitical lesson for India

Bangkok's discreet yet pragmatic stance on Myanmar refugees works better than India's hostility

21 August 2024
The nine Senate-approved judges of Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin with a 5-4 vote and no chance of appeal. (Screenshot from Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand's YouTube channel)
Turbulent Thailand

Thai court rules against elected politicians, not coup makers

Dismissed Srettha Thavisin only the latest in long list of political scalps

20 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra has risen to Thailand's prime ministerial post on the strength of her father Thaksin's influence, but with that influence weakening, tough challenges lie in store for the 37-year-old as she takes up her first role in government. (Photo by Shinya Sawai) 
Asia Insight

Thailand's latest Shinawatra PM walks the same economic, political tightrope

Paetongtarn takes office with growth the key issue as father Thaksin calls party shots

20 August 2024
Containers await shipment at a port on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. 
Economy

Thai GDP grows 2.3% in April-June quarter

Just-released figure beats analysts' expectations of 2.1% expansion

19 August 2024
Thailand Prime Minister-elect Paetongtarn Shinawatra, right, arrives with her father and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the Pheu Thai party headquarters ahead of a royal endorsement ceremony in Bangkok on Aug. 18.
Turbulent Thailand

Thai king endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister

Ex-PM Thaksin's daughter becomes youngest leader of Thailand

18 August 2024
Vietnam's new leader To Lam, a former police officer, was appointed Communist Party general secretary in August. 
Your Week in Asia

Japan-India 2+2, Thai GDP, Vietnam leader in China

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

18 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks during a press conference after she was elected Thailand's new prime minister on Aug. 16. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Turbulent Thailand

Paetongtarn Shinawatra 'ready to work hard' as Thailand's new PM

37-year-old daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra to form the next government

16 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is set to become Thailand's 31st prime minister.
Turbulent Thailand

Paetongtarn Shinawatra rises to become Thailand's second female PM

37-year-old novice leader under shadow of father Thaksin's influence

16 August 2024
AI startups are requiring larger investments to remain competitive. (Nikkei montage/Photos from SoftBank, Hanwha, SK networks website)
Artificial intelligence

SoftBank, SK, LG, and Hanwha to join AI startup fund

Asian conglomerates team up to meet growing need for quick cash

16 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the leader of Thailand's ruling Pheu Thai Party and a daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, speaks to reporters during a press conference in Bangkok on Aug. 15. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Turbulent Thailand

Thai ruling coalition backs Paetongtarn Shinawatra for prime minister

Conservative allies unite behind Thaksin's daughter in bid for stability

15 August 2024
Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday ousted Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from his post, citing a serious ethics violation. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Getty Images)
Opinion

Thai PM Srettha is out. Was this constitutional overreach?

Court blurs line between legal adjudication and political maneuvering

15 August 2024
Dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin speaks to reporters after the Constitutional Court's verdict on Aug. 14.
Politics

Thai Constitutional Court removes PM Srettha Thavisin from office

House of Representatives to select new prime minister on Friday

14 August 2024
The dollar is coming down from a prolonged period of strength, boosting Asian currencies. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Currencies

Ringgit, baht gain against dollar on speculation of U.S. rate cut

Asian central banks seen weighing own moves as inflationary pressures ease

13 August 2024
Thai authorities are purchasing blackchin tilapia at above market prices in an effort to control the population. (Thailand Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives)
Fisheries

Thailand grapples with invasive tilapia from Africa as CP deflects blame

Conglomerate brought in nonnative fish for research, pledges cooperation

13 August 2024