Thailand

Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries pose for a photo in Vientiane on July 25. ASEAN now faces significant centrifugal forces amid the reshaping of global orders. 
Comment

OECD or BRICS? Key members' differences might weaken ASEAN unity

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand all pursue different 'diversification' strategies

12 August 2024
People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, second from left, and other members pose for a photo during a press conference in Bangkok on Aug. 9. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Politics

Thailand's disbanded Move Forward reborn as People's Party

New group becomes largest opposition in parliament with over 140 lawmakers

11 August 2024
Tourists wearing traditional Korean hanbok visit Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. Some Thais are angry that South Korean immigration agents seem to be indiscriminately taking away their much-anticipated vacations.
Travel & Leisure

'Ban Korea' movement drives Thai tourists to China, Japan

South Korean travel industry says boycott has been unnoticed

11 August 2024
Myanmar traditional restaurant chain Khaing Khaing Kyaw first expanded business operations into the Thai market in November 2023 and has since opened a second branch in Bangkok in March this year. (Photo by Htet Phyoe)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar businesses flood Thailand to follow fleeing customer base

Growing number of restaurants, shops in Bangkok reflect population exodus from war-torn state

9 August 2024
Workers make Honda SUVs at an auto plant in China's Hubei province.
Automobiles

Japan's automakers lose market share in China, Thailand as EVs spread

Companies rethink their strategy in these countries as competition accelerates

8 August 2024
Former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat speaks as he walks on the day Thailand's Constitutional Court delivers its verdict on a case seeking the dissolution of the opposition group.
Politics

Thai Constitutional Court orders Move Forward Party to dissolve

Largest opposition group accused over its policy to amend lese-majeste law

7 August 2024
A Hyundai electric vehicle being charged in Seoul: Hyundai's Thai factory, to be located just southeast of Bangkok, will start production in 2026.
Electric vehicles

Hyundai to invest $28m in Thailand for EV assembly and batteries

Production to start in 2026, challenging Chinese makers' dominance

7 August 2024
HP has built up a massive China-focused supply chain for PCs but is now looking to reduce its reliance on Asia's biggest economy.   
Supply Chain

HP plans its most aggressive shift of production away from China

Thailand emerges as major factory destination as PC maker hires engineers in Singapore

7 August 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris could become the first female U.S. president.
U.S. elections 2024

Harris could become the 1st female U.S. leader; Asia's had several

Over 13 Asian countries and regions including Australia and Taiwan have had women heads

4 August 2024
Supporters of the Move Forward Party let off smoke bombs outside the parliament on the day of the second vote for a new prime minister in Bangkok on July 19, 2023. 
Opinion

Thailand's establishment silences voices of change

A reset is taking place to preserve the autocratic power of royalist-conservative forces

4 August 2024
Thai Vice Foreign Minister Russ Jalichandra meets Qatari Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, a chief negotiator in the Gaza conflict, on July 25. (Thai Foreign Ministry)
Interview

Thailand laments Mideast escalation with 6 citizens in captivity

'Hard to be optimistic' about farm workers held in Gaza, says vice foreign minister

2 August 2024
Paddy is loaded onto a truck as farmers harvest a rice field in Thailand's Chainat province. Bangkok has significantly increased its exports of the grain to the Philippines this year.
Commodities

Thailand, Vietnam vie to grow rice market share in the Philippines

Faltering domestic supply forces Manila to rely on imports from neighbors

2 August 2024
GDP for the ASEAN six is expected to increase by an average of 5.1% annually until 2034, outpacing China's projected growth of 3.5% to 4.5%. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Reuters)
Economy

Southeast Asia to outpace China's GDP growth and foreign investment: report

Think tank projects 5.1% average growth next decade in six key economies

1 August 2024
The Bangkok headquarters of CP All, one of the companies whose shares have benefited from announcements related to the government's digital wallet initiative.
Equities

Thailand's top stocks reap gains on digital wallet rollout

Food retailers, convenience stores and lenders among main beneficiaries

1 August 2024
Owners of the Chinese electric cars are complaining that new discounts from the company hurt the cars' resale value. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Electric vehicles

EV price war angers Thai BYD owners as buyers wait for more cuts

New incentives for hybrids come as weak demand hits banks and factories

29 July 2024
The secretary general of the Thailand Board of Investment pleads with Chinese EV maker GAC Aion, "It would be great if you could lend support to our parts producers by using some auto parts produced by Thai companies." (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Electric vehicles

Thai subsidies for Chinese EV makers wreak havoc on auto sector

Massive oversupply forces legacy Thai companies to cut production or close down

28 July 2024
China's Marvel Garment, the largest tenant in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone, employs about 17,000 workers. (Phnom Penh SEZ)
Business trends

Cambodian industrial park seeks to draw tenants from Thailand, Vietnam

Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone diversifying its investors as supply chains move

28 July 2024
Half the top 10 listings in Southeast Asia in terms of amount raised were from Malaysia. (Photo by Norman Goh)
IPO

Southeast Asia IPO fundraising down 60% in first half as Indonesia slumps

Higher interest rates dampen listings in region with fewer big-ticket debuts

27 July 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi last month.
Opinion

New coalition governments in Asia must embrace compromise

Thailand, Malaysia, and India have to balance policy and voter expectations

26 July 2024
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is likely to stay in power until the next general election, expected in 2027.
Opinion

Malaysia sheds short-termism to become Asia's comeback kid

Investors embrace political stability as alarms sound over Thailand's fragility

24 July 2024
Thailand's Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira says the government's ($14 billion) digital wallet program is needed to raise incomes in the countrty. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Economy

Thailand sets $14bn digital wallet registration for August 1

Srettha government stands firm on handout to revive flagging economy

24 July 2024
This SRT train in Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station prepares to depart for Vientiane on the newly opened line on July 19. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Transportation

Thailand's new rail links carry hope for expanded Chinese trade

Laos-China railway become a key gateway for Thai and Malaysian exports

23 July 2024
Meth seizures in Thailand like this one have become commonplace as more drugs from Myanmar flow into and through the country.
Crime

Myanmar crisis pushes Asian meth seizures to new highs

Flow of drugs increases as armed rebels use sales to fund war efforts

23 July 2024
BYD's first electric vehicle factory in Southeast Asia in Rayong, Thailand. The Chinese group aims to expand in Vietnam, though for now, all its models for sale there will be imported.
Electric vehicles

BYD sets sights on aggressive expansion in Vietnam

Chinese EV group's plans pose formidable challenge to local rival VinFast

18 July 2024
Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pave the way for Thailand to join the BRICS grouping. (Photo from Maris Sangiampongsa's X)
International relations

Thailand attempts to strike a balance with BRICS and OECD bids

New foreign minister makes first visits to China, India and Saudi Arabia

18 July 2024