Thailand

Four men were arrested in New York in a sprawling drugs for weapons scheme.  (Photo courtesy of the Department of Justice)
Politics

Yakuza leader arrested in U.S. for drugs for missiles plot

Surface-to-air missiles to Myanmar to be paid for with heroin and meth

8 April 2022
The Patpong Museum retraces the history of the Bangkok district from rice paddy to nightlife mile, via the Cold War. It features an exhibit on serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who picked up victims in the area and has returned to the spotlight following last year's release of the BBC/Netflix series, "The Serpent." (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Tom Vater, Netflix)  
Tea Leaves

Bangkok museum highlights curious fame of serial killer

Exhibition and TV drama keep Charles Sobhraj in the limelight

6 April 2022
PTT featured a Hozon EV in its exhibit space at last month's Bangkok International Motor Show. (Photo by Yohei Muramatsu)
Automobiles

PTT-Foxconn EV project eyes Thai production for Chinese automakers

Talks underway for first deal with startup Hozon amid Bangkok's electric drive

6 April 2022
While some crypto players based in Singapore decry the city-state's tightening of regulations, others welcome the scrutiny as a way to weed out bad actors.
Cryptocurrencies

Singapore's crypto players face added scrutiny under new law

Companies that provide overseas digital currency services must obtain licenses

5 April 2022
Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith has high hopes for a high-speed railway linking the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming with Vientiane. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Transportation

Laos' logistics vision for ASEAN: All rails lead to Vientiane

Government eyes capital as link from Southeast Asia to China

4 April 2022
The merger of True and Total Access Communication (DTAC) would give them more than half of Thailand's telecoms market, overtaking Advance Info Service (AIS), which leads at present with 40% of the market. (Source photos by Yumi Kotani) 
Telecommunication

Thailand telecoms megamerger gets shareholder approval

True and DTAC shareholders approve creation of country's largest operator

4 April 2022
Western sanctions on Russia have sparked a rally in oil prices that is negatively impacting Thailand's economy.
Economy

Ukraine war hits ASEAN growth outlook: JCER/Nikkei survey

Economists downgrade GDP forecasts for the Philippines and Thailand

4 April 2022
A traveler at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan.
Coronavirus

Japan lowers travel warnings for U.S., Thailand, 100 other nations

Many places had been on higher alert level since start of coronavirus pandemic

2 April 2022
Both Southeast Insurance and Thai Insurance are operated by Thai Group Holdings, which is controlled by billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi. (Source photos by screenshot from Southeast Insurance and Thai Insurance websites) 
Insurance

Thailand shutters two insurers over delayed COVID payments

Southeast Insurance and Thai Insurance sold generous policies at cheap prices

1 April 2022
The Bank of Thailand has revised down this year's economic growth forecast as it braces for higher prices. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Economy

Thailand cuts 2022 growth to 3.2% as Ukraine war hits prices

Central bank hopes tourism recovers in 2023 to push GDP expansion to 4.4%

30 March 2022
A supermarket in Singapore. Rising food and energy prices are expected to weigh heavily on Southeast Asian households.
Economy

Faster Southeast Asian inflation puts rate hike outlook in focus

Central banks feel pressure to contain surging prices

30 March 2022
True and DTAC will still need the nod from their shareholders as well as the Thai telecom regulator to create the country's largest mobile telecom company. (Source photos by Reuters and Keiichiro Asahara)
Telecommunication

Opposition grows to Thailand's telecom megamerger

Regulator's supervisor raises objections to True-DTAC deal

29 March 2022
A containership off Singapore: Europe accounts for 9% of ASEAN exports, according to Maybank.
Ukraine war

ASEAN faces 'collateral damage' from Ukraine war's Europe impact

From Singapore to Thailand, spillover threatens COVID-hit economies anew

27 March 2022
Author Shane Bunnag says his book "ended up as more than a chronology of a family; it became a compendium of Siamese knowledge, charting the patterns and repetitions, the seasons of a people." (Nikkei montage/Source photos by River Books, Shane Bunnag)
Arts

Books: A Siamese family's story across the centuries

'Chariot of the Sun' traces remarkable journey from 16th-century Persia to Greece and contemporary Thailand

25 March 2022
People shop in Bangkok's Chinatown. Cybercurrencies can no longer be used as payment for goods and services in Thailand.
Cryptocurrencies

Thailand bans bitcoin, other crypto payments starting in April

Regulators seek to tamp down risk of cybertheft and money laundering

24 March 2022
The Bangkok International Motor Show started this week, with Chinese cars such as the Good Cat targeting Thailand's nascent market for electric vehicles.
Automobiles

China, Japan automakers charge into Thai electric car market

EVs take center stage at Bangkok motor expo in wake of government subsidies

23 March 2022
A man works in a rice field in Khon Kaen, Thailand, in July 2017: the agricultural sector remains highly inefficient.
Opinion

Thai agriculture needs reform from ground up

Moribund sector's future looks bleak without fundamental change

23 March 2022
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power in 2014 and had planned to serve a full elected term until 2023, but his way ahead is far from clear.  
Asia Insight

Rifts in Thailand's fractious coalition threaten early election

Prime Minister Prayuth less certain of lasting full term to 2023

22 March 2022
Restaurants and shops in Japan will return to normal operating hours on March 21, as the government lift COVID-related restrictions amid a downturn in infections.
Your Week in Asia

Japan lifts COVID restrictions, Bangkok Motor Show, Tencent results

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

20 March 2022
People play with water pistols during the Songkran water festival in Bangkok in April 2019. This year Thailand has decided to resume the celebrations for the first time in three years, but in limited form, with water-splashing in public areas not allowed.
Coronavirus

Thailand plans watered-down Songkran celebrations for April

Government aims to class COVID as 'endemic' by July, nightclubs kept shut for now

18 March 2022
Much of the "The Serpent," a 2021 true-crime drama series that became a global hit on Netflix, was filmed on location in Bangkok. (BBC/Mammoth Screen/courtesy of Netflix)
Arts

Thailand makes it big(ger) in the movies

Higher production subsidies needed to compete with global competitors

18 March 2022
A CP Foods chicken processing plant: Five of the company's plants have received halal certification from Saudi authorities. (Photo courtesy of CP Foods)
Food & Beverage

Thailand's CP Foods to restart chicken exports to Saudi Arabia

Mending of ties after Blue Diamond Affair allows company to gain foothold

18 March 2022
The Philippines opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from over 150 countries in February.
Economy

Philippines, Indonesia to revamp tourism sector amid reopening

Southeast Asia pushes for a more resilient industry to deal with future crises

17 March 2022
According to Deloitte, 21% of Thai consumers would like at least part of their next vehicle purchase to be done online. (Screenshot from  CAR24, Carro, and Carsome webstite)
Automobiles

Thai used-car market heats up as foreign startups jump in

Online dealers hope to attract more consumers amid rising demand

17 March 2022
Capital A controls budget airline AirAsia as well as e-hailing service AirAsia Ride, which is launching in Thailand in April.
Transportation

Malaysia's AirAsia Ride to launch in Thailand next month

Capital A's latest business expansion comes as losses weigh on finances

16 March 2022