In the last week, there have been several disturbing references by senior political figures on the government side to the possibility of further extra-constitutional outcomes or a coup d’état in the country particularly linked to the return of the Thaksin family to power in Thailand or the use of street protests by members of the public in response to Constitutional Court decisions with a verdict due on the fate of suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha on September 30th and also a decision on the legal basis for conducting the country’s next General Election as the court, last week, unanimously took up a case challenging the electoral laws controversially passed by parliament in August.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/25/opposition-parties-lose-majority-support/

Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok and Khon Kaen.

The arrest of Dr Tun Min Latt who is at the heart of a vast conglomerate with extensive links to Myanmar’s ruling junta on suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering shines a spotlight on the murky links between Myanmar’s rulers and the criminality on Thailand’s borders linked with the Golden Triangle drug producing zone. At the heart of the story is a conglomerate supplying services to Myanmar’s junta which has long been adept at evading international sanctions and the law outside its borders.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/24/police-probe-myanmar-firm-drugs-money-laundering-thai-senator/

Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.

Move to scrap the Emergency Decree and the last of the entry criteria for incoming travellers is coming at a time when the full extent of the economic damage caused by it is becoming apparent while, at the same time, Thai consumers, appear to be in a confident, upbeat mood with sales of private cars in August up by a whopping 61.72% on the year before.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/22/thailand-to-scrap-all-emergency-provisions/

James Morris reports from Bangkok.

Baht’s depreciation is now being driven by a wider difference between interest rates in the United States and Thailand which had gone beyond a critical point at 150 to 175 basis points even before Wednesday’s rise and which could see it grow wider by up to a further 175 basis points by the end of this year if the Federal Reserve maintains its hawkish stance and with projected Thai interest rate rises. The situation ultimately may lead to the Bank of Thailand being forced to raise interest rates higher and faster than it wants given the capital movement we are now witnessing thus supporting the acting PM’s call for action.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/21/acting-pm-prawit-targets-35-baht-to-dollar-rate/

Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.

Plans to fly in Russian tourists via charter flights come as European countries have begun to block citizens of the Russian Federation due to the country’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine which has so far caused the death of 5,827 Ukrainian citizens since the war began on February 24th up to September 11th. This week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) told reporters that, in the coming months, airline connectivity between Thailand and the rest of the world will be at 50% of that seen in 2019 as figures reveal a sharp fall off in long haul flights and spending per capita.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/20/thailand-tat-seeks-russian-tourists-as-income-drops/

James Morris reports from Bangkok and Phuket.

The story of Anara Seitaleva shines a light on the shady world of transnational human trafficking linked with Thailand’s sex industry. It also raises questions about the apparent ability of Chinese criminals to operate freely in the kingdom and their links with Laos, Thailand’s neighbouring one-party Communist state closely linked to China.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/19/freak-death-of-kyrgiz-woman-in-pattaya/

Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok, Pattaya and Laos

Clash of outlook and culture over Cannabis will now define the Bhumjaithai Party in the months running up to a General Election in Thailand. Aside from the handling of the country’s pandemic emergency by Deputy Prime Minister Anutin, seen by the public as having a devastating impact on the economy, this signature policy achievement of Mr Anutin is also now in the crosshairs of not only opposition parties in parliament but also Minister Anutin’s key coalition partner, the Democrat Party, other MPs on the government benches and indeed some within his own Bhumjaithai Party who also do not support the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use by the public.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/18/drugs-an-election-issue-as-anutin-digs-in/

Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.

Slow and fragile recovery is being seen which is driven by boosted consumer confidence in Thailand despite inflation and an effective haircut in real wages. Employment levels in Phuket, the first foreign tourist destination to reopen, are still only at 50% of pre-pandemic levels.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/16/former-pm-thaksin-slams-new-minimum-wage/

James Morris reports from Bangkok and Phuket.

Wednesday’s ultimatum by Democrat Party MPs to the government and the Bhumjaithai Party attempts to call a halt to a rolling process which has led to a free for all concerning cannabis or marijuana use which was not what was promised or outlined at the start of the year when the cabinet voted to make access to the drug for medical use easier and broader. It is coming at a time when the scourge of illegal drugs is ravaging poorer or vulnerable parts of society in Thailand, particularly in southern provinces where there is a grassroots movement in some areas against drugs and drug culture which the legalisation of cannabis has come to represent in recent months.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/15/democrat-mps-challenge-cannabis-free-for-all/

Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok and Krabi.

Hours after the murder investigation commenced on Tuesday morning when the body was removed from the scene for an autopsy and the husband of the victim was questioned by officers, the superintendent of Klaeng Police Station indicated that police were still collecting evidence and that CCTV footage could be extremely significant as part of the process in identifying those responsible for the murder of the woman.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/13/murder-and-rape-19-year-old-woman-in-rayong/

James Morris reports from Rayong.