Explosive details of a woman’s 2-year nightmare as a slave within the house of a serving Special Branch police woman who claimed to be the mistress or minor wife of a Thai senator have sparked calls for investigations to be carried out and full transparency to allay public concern and anger.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/21/police-woman-kept-female-soldier-as-a-slave/

Carla Boonkong reports from Ratchaburi province.

Key threat to Thailand’s economy as the year progresses is an elevated level of inflation and the slowing of economic growth in the United States which is a key market for the kingdom. Foreign tourism is a bright spot with tourists from China again trickling into favourite hotspots such as Pattaya and more flight links planned from the Communist country.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/20/longer-visas-1-2-million-arrivals-in-august/

James Morris reports from Pattaya and Bangkok.

Bullish Anutin, this week, argued that social problems caused by his campaign to decriminalise marijuana were negligible and even pointed to a provision in the new Cannabis Act which could see recreational use of the drug fully legalised by a parliamentary amendment in the future although some of his most senior officials within the Ministry of Public Health are on record in forceful opposition to such a move and even the current free for all where secondary laws and regulations are being used to enforce minimal controls that allow the drug to be sold on the street.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/19/recreational-cannabis-use-can-be-legalised/

Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.

Emotional Prime Minister, on Wednesday, gave a speech at an army song contest in central Bangkok at which he urged unity in a world full of conflict. It comes as an eight-year deadline approaches on Tuesday 23rd August, a date after which many constitutional experts and the opposition claim his period in office must expire.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/18/pm-office-no-dissolution-as-crisis-grows/

Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.

The latest arrest of a foreign tourist for breaching Thailand’s strict laws on the conservation of natural resources follows a string of incidents since 2017. The 22-year-old Dutchman will be brought before the court in Phuket but is certain to be afterwards deported and blacklisted from the country if convicted of a criminal offence under the 2019 National Parks Act.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/17/dutch-tourist-arrested-for-parrot-fish-kill-roslan-bendenia/

James Morris reports from Phuket.

Electoral reform bill that was passed by parliament on Monday due to continued failure to make a quorum, is very likely to be reviewed by the Constitutional Court. If it is struck down, it could leave Thailand facing a constitutional crisis or holding the next General Election under the 2019 provisions and regulations.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/16/election-law-finalised-in-parliament/

Joseph O' Connor reports from Bangkok.

Dr Kurt Campbell, the key Biden administration advisor concerning Asia Pacific affairs, over the weekend, confirmed that the United States will conduct drills in waters off Taiwan in an effort to underline their status under international law while also unveiling a new roadmap for stronger deeper economic ties with Taipei. It comes as a former Thai senator from Khon Kaen, on Sunday, condemned the policy of the United States and expressed support for China.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/15/us-party-in-taiwan-risks-further-chinese-ire/

Carla Boonkong reports from Taipei and Khon Kaen province.

57-year-old father used an illegal gas gun to fire two shots at his son in the early hours of Saturday morning after being ambushed by him as he launched another violent tirade demanding money for drugs. Son had returned home to Udon Thani from Bangkok in February after losing his job.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/14/father-kills-37-year-old-son-in-drug-tirade/

James Morris reports from Udon Thani province.

Changes to the worldwide travel industry since 2020 are more like back to the future. Industry surveys show travellers are looking for tried and trusted holiday destinations. The success achieved so far by Thailand’s recovering industry is driven by visitors from traditional markets where the country’s nightlife and entertainment sectors have been proven, over the course of the emergency, to be a key factor in the kingdom’s appeal to foreign tourists and the money they leave behind.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/13/4am-nightlife-plan-foreign-tourism-poll-rejects-upmarket-shift/

Carla Boonkong reports from Bangkok.

The likely floundering of key electoral reform bills by Monday, August 15th is also a matter likely to be ultimately adjudicated by the Constitutional Court as the ballot system used in the next General Election will sway its outcome with the changes proposed last September likely ultimately to hand a decisive win to the Pheu Thai Party which is currently riding high in the polls.

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/08/12/country-in-a-constitutional-crisis-says-mp-rangsiman-rome/

James Morris reports from Bangkok.