Sticky Rice and Grilled Chicken: Ang Thong's 40-Year Favorite

Pa Maai's restaurant in Ang Thong has served signature sticky rice with grilled chicken for over 40 years, earning a devoted following for tender, flavorful chicken paired with hot sticky rice at bargain prices.

49 min ago Khaosod

In Ang Thong, journalist Kanoksak Saengtrakar recommends not missing Pa Maai's restaurant to try their signature sticky rice with grilled chicken. Located near the entrance to Chanthanirimit Temple on Phi Phraya–Tha Ruea Road in Sang Daeng subdistrict, Mueang district, Ang Thong province, the shop has been operating for over 40 years and draws both passing customers and regulars who praise its delicious food at low prices. The standout dish is sticky rice with grilled chicken, which fills the air with an enticing aroma and delivers on flavor—the chicken is tender and juicy, never dry, and pairs perfectly with hot sticky rice. Owner Sommai Pueng Kaew, 60, started by selling sticky rice with grilled chicken and papaya salad at a market in Pathum Thani province, but relocated to her current roadside spot near Chanthanirimit Temple because of the distance. She began with grilled chicken and grilled liver at 10 baht per skewer and sticky rice at 5 baht per portion, later expanding to include Thai papaya salad, crab papaya salad, minced meat salad, and northern-style soup. The menu also features grilled catfish, spicy soup, bitter melon soup, eggplant dip, fried salted catfish, boxed curry rice at 20 baht, and fried sticky rice with pork. Open daily from 5 a.m. until sold out by noon. Contact 08-5984-0967.

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Tourism

Scoot Adds Phuket-Hat Yai Flights for Year-End Peak Season

Scoot launches three weekly flights to Guiyang, China from October 26, while boosting services across Southeast Asia for peak holiday season, including increased flights to Phuket and Hat Yai.

51 min ago Khaosod

Budget carrier Scoot, part of Singapore Airlines, announced the launch of three weekly flights to Guiyang, China starting October 26, 2025, operating with Airbus A320neo aircraft. The new route strengthens Scoot's China network and provides additional travel options for passengers planning trips before the year-end holiday season.

Guiyang sits in central Guizhou Province and is known for its diverse local culture, beautiful scenery surrounded by greenery and mountains, and pleasant cool weather ideal for tourism. Visitors can experience historic landmarks like Qingyan Ancient Town, one of China's most completely preserved ancient cities, and visit Huangguoshu Waterfall in the southwest, one of Asia's largest waterfalls.

Economy one-way fares to Guiyang start at 5,800 baht including taxes. Bookings open today through Scoot's website and app, with additional booking channels coming soon.

Following the Guiyang launch, Scoot will operate 81 weekly flights to China covering 16 cities. The airline is also increasing flight frequency across Southeast Asia in the winter 2026-2027 schedule (October 25, 2025 to March 27, 2026) to meet rising holiday travel demand.

Frequency increases include: Hat Yai from 12 to 14 weekly flights; Phuket from 17 to 21 weekly flights; Clark, Philippines from 7 to 10 weekly (December 2025); Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from 10 to 13 weekly (January 2026); Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam shifting to daily service with larger Airbus A320 family aircraft; Okinawa, Japan from 4 to 5 weekly; and Trichy, India from 12 to 14 weekly (December 2025).

Scoot CEO Leslie Thng said the airline is delighted to open the Guiyang route, strengthening its China network while connecting Singapore and other destinations to a major cultural and natural hub in southwestern China. The expansion supports Scoot's growing passenger numbers year-over-year.

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Tourism

Legendary Rayong Seafood Chain Reimagines Brand

Laem Charoen Seafood, a 50-year-old Rayong institution with 40 branches, has reimagined its brand with a new flagship store at Central World, featuring redesigned dishes and a beach-inspired aesthetic that honors the restaurant's seafood he

52 min ago Khaosod

Laem Charoen Seafood, a legendary seafood restaurant operating for nearly 50 years with 40 branches across Thailand, continues to innovate. The chain has recently revamped its brand format to stay current with shifting consumer trends. After COVID-19 reshaped dining habits toward smaller tables and solo diners, and as street food and viral restaurants have seized social media attention, the restaurant recognized it needed to change. The primary renovation involves the store layout, with a flagship concept store opening on the third floor of Central World, elevating the brand experience with design inspiration drawn from Rayong's famous beach and the original location at Rayong River mouth.

The redesign features bowls and plates with beach and sea motifs, fishing equipment displays, and a room styled as a fish sauce fermentation room. Like the restaurant's menu—its greatest strength—the kitchen makes its own fish sauce and masters Rayong's traditional seafood dishes. The strategy keeps core strengths, removes dishes that lack identity, and creates new dishes that capture authentic Rayong seafood flavor.

Signature dishes include sun-dried squid that is tender and chewy despite the intense heat; shrimp marinated in fish sauce, split down the center and infused with pungent brine and lime juice that amplifies the sweetness; and eagle fish wrapped in spiced paste with custard-like filling and no vegetable base to prevent moisture and disintegration. New additions include fried river shrimp tossed in Rayong fish sauce, its head crushed and mixed with hot sauce in a wok until fragrant enough to coat the rice; snapper two-ways, crispy and fluffy from butterfly filleting, served with two sauces—a signature fish sauce and a three-spice chili paste; premium crab fried rice with distinct grains and large chunks of crab meat; and sour curry with salted egg and fish roe, a concentrated and balanced broth with plump, creamy roe. All dishes are now served on smaller plates, allowing customers to sample a wider variety. The renovated restaurant is now open for service.

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National

Officials Harvest Fragrant Sandalwood for Royal Funeral Rites

Officials harvested naturally fallen sandalwood from Khui Buri National Park to provide timber for Princess Bajrakitiyabha's funeral rites, following ancient royal custom with ceremonial blessings and traditional rituals.

54 min ago Khaosod

Deputy Prime Minister Supalee Suthammaphand and Natural Resources Minister Suchat Chomklin joined a ceremonial sandalwood harvesting at Khui Buri National Park to provide timber for the funeral rites of Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation identified and selected 20 naturally fallen sandalwood trees within the park following ancient royal custom. The ceremony began at 11:09 a.m. with Air Chief Marshal Somkid Sukhbang presiding, conducting sacred water rituals and blessing the trees while traditional instruments sounded. A golden axe was blessed before the first ceremonial cut, followed by flower offerings as attendees collected ritual items for blessings. Minister Suchat stated that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry fully supported the undertaking out of respect for the late princess's service to Thai people and the nation's natural resources. The selection process was conducted with careful attention to both ancient tradition and sustainable conservation. Khui Buri National Park covers approximately 969 square kilometers with diverse forest types including dry dipterocarp, moist dipterocarp, and mixed deciduous forests, home to many rare tree species including fragrant sandalwood (Mansonia gagei). The park was identified as one of Thailand's premier sources of high-quality sandalwood suitable for royal ceremonies. The 20 selected trees are naturally deceased specimens with an average circumference of 150 centimeters, aged over 100 years, featuring dense wood with yellow-brown coloring and distinctive fragrance as required by ancient tradition. Selecting naturally fallen trees maintains ecological balance without harming living forest.

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National

Muang Thong Star Posts Cryptic Message on Wages

Thailand international Cecilio Canela posted a cryptic message about unpaid wages on Instagram, joining other Muang Thong United players in highlighting the club's ongoing financial crisis.

59 min ago Khaosod

Cecilio Canela, a Thailand national team midfielder for Muang Thong United, posted a cryptic message on social media amid financial difficulties at the club. Multiple players have previously spoken out about not receiving salaries from the team. Most recently, Canela posted on his Instagram story saying, "Not paid, paid late, paid incomplete—three-year loop." However, there has been no official confirmation that the message is directly related to the club's financial situation. Muang Thong United was recently relegated from Thai League 1 to Thai League 2, finishing the season in 14th place with only 26 points from 30 matches.

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Community

Young Weaver Revives Tradition With Modern Design

A Chiang Mai weaver trained in textile design returns home to modernize her village's traditional cloth while preserving its heritage, creating contemporary designs that introduce Ban Lai Kaew textiles to new markets.

1h ago Khaosod

From a girl who learned weaving thread by thread at her mother's side, Chanyaphat Puphped—Ja Jia—is now a young innovator determined to introduce the world to her village's textile heritage. Born in Doi Tao district, Chiang Mai, she pursued higher education in textile design, building on childhood experience with formal training in design, creativity, fashion, and marketing. After graduation, she initially stepped away from home to explore her own path, but gradually realized what she sought was not far away—it lay in the very cloth she had known since childhood. She returned to take up the craft from her parents, advancing the signature weaving of the Ban Lai Kaew weavers through new designs and contemporary aesthetics, while preserving the established markets her parents had built over decades.

"People ask if we sell the traditional patterns. We do," Ja Jia explains. "But we want to add more value and reach more people. We want new markets beyond what my father created." Her words reflect the clear intention of her generation: she has not simply come home to inherit what exists, but to discover how the gifts of her ancestors can flourish in a new era. This startup phase has become her laboratory for creative innovation. Yet she does not walk alone. Her father Tuey (Jantham Puphped), a lifelong master of natural dyeing and weaving, serves as mentor, critic, and collaborator. Her mother, Laa (Kanyarat Puphped), a skilled dyer, weaver, and seamstress, provides steady encouragement as her daughter learns and grows.

Each woven cloth carries more than beauty—it holds stories, beliefs, customs, and community values. Ja Jia must learn deeply beyond mere design; she must understand what can be adapted, what must be preserved, and where the boundaries lie. She listens openly to weavers of all generations, welcoming both agreement and dissent. Where differences might have built walls, the community instead chooses dialogue, adjustment, and common ground, moving forward together. When older weavers see their traditional patterns transformed into dresses, trousers, and jackets, their view of cloth itself shifts—from a product made according to inherited patterns to a space of experimentation and imagination.

"We used to make only our traditional Karen patterns," Ja Jia recounts. "But I wanted them to feel more modern, to reach more people. So I came back and adapted them for everyday wear." Presenting new ideas to elders in the community sometimes requires patience and time for hearts to open—as with her ongoing effort to encourage her mother to experiment with patterned animal designs on cloth.

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National

Scholar Urges New Police Chief to Sustain Community Policing Model

A scholar urges Thailand's new police chief to sustain community policing reforms that treat citizens as safety partners rather than bystanders, warning that good initiatives must become institutional rather than dependent on individual lea

1h ago Khaosod

Academics have advised the incoming national police commander to continue the community policing approach championed by his predecessor, aiming to rebuild public confidence and transform the volunteer police force into genuine safety partners. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nophadol Kannika, a lecturer in the Master's curriculum at the School of Public Administration, Siam Technology College, and a member of the National Police Policy Committee, discussed the leadership transition from Police General Kittisart Pansetchr to Police General Samran Nualma, stressing that the key is not merely changing leaders but ensuring good initiatives continue and become institutionalized rather than tied to individuals.

He suggested that the lasting image of the previous era should not be limited to arrests and drug seizures, but rather show police leaders opening space for greater public engagement with the force. "We are moving from a model where only police care for public safety toward a new concept where police and citizens jointly safeguard community security," he said.

This shift is evident in the emphasis on public participation, work through community police committees, and promoting a modern volunteer police program—one that serves not merely as a police reserve force but as a genuine community safety partnership. The new volunteer model is not another police unit, an armed force, or a transfer of official authority to civilians. Rather, it creates community members who know their neighborhoods, can identify vulnerable points, recognize irregularities, know how to report incidents, understand their limits, and assist police and neighbors lawfully.

For younger generations, this concept is best understood as a "network" where everyone plays a role: police enforce law, citizens observe and alert, and communities protect their own areas. When these three parts connect, safety need not always begin after a crime occurs.

Society often judges police by their mistakes, which the public has every right to scrutinize. Yet society may overlook officers who do not go home at night while others sleep, those standing in sun and rain, or those running into danger as others flee. "Fairness must work both ways," he stressed. "Police who err must be checked, but those doing well must also be seen."

One key image from Police General Kittisart's tenure should not merely be the message "police must do better," but rather a signal to junior officers that "if you do well, the organization will recognize you." If good people work hard but go unseen while shortcuts lead to advancement, the force loses good people one by one.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nophadol said that encouraging good officers, meeting with subordinates, and opening space for public participation are not trivial matters but constitute building an organizational "culture" that values integrity and listens to citizens. Modern police must be proactive, not merely responsive. As crime evolves—with some offenders abroad, operating via phones and the internet rather than guns—the police approach must evolve too.

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Community

Ling and Om Set for Major Concert in October

Popular duo Ling and Om are headlining a major concert called "The World Between Us" on October 17-18 at Impact Arena in Bangkok, with ticket sales launching September 5.

1h ago Khaosod

The wait is over for fans of the popular duo Ling Siriluck Kong and Om Kannaphat, who are joining forces to present a full-scale concert titled LINGORM 'THE WORLD BETWEEN US' CONCERT on October 17-18, 2025, at Impact Arena in Muang Thonburi.

This concert represents another major milestone for Ling and Om following their consistent success with performances and fan engagement activities through the LINGORM Thailand Fan Meeting Tour, which recently visited Khon Kaen, Phuket, and Chiang Mai.

The World Between Us will invite fans to experience "the world of Ling and Om" through special performances and large-scale concert production, complete with intimate moments for fans to create lasting memories together. Early teasers have already generated significant excitement and anticipation among the fanbase.

Ticket sales will open on September 5, 2025, through ThaiTicketMajor, with further details about pricing and special privileges to be announced soon.

This concert marks an important milestone for Ling and Om, bringing fans not just moments to enjoy but inviting them to step into "the world between us." Fans are urged to prepare to purchase tickets for the Impact Arena event on October 17-18.

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National

Panel Seeks Relief for 5,925 Employees Squeezed Out of Quota

A parliamentary committee is pushing to restore rights for nearly 5,900 local government employees wrongly excluded from civil service positions due to an exam fraud scandal, with officials seeking to allow them to choose their work locatio

1h ago Khaosod

On August 20 at Parliament, the parliamentary committee on decentralization, local government, and special administrative systems, chaired by Ranong MP Kongkrit Chaturmalee of the Bhumjaithai Party, met to consider restoring certain rights lost by civil servants and local government employees already hired who were not involved in the 2568 civil service exam fraud. Deputy Interior Minister Vorasit Liangprasoet, Deputy Director-General Siripun Srikongplee of the Department of Local Administration (DLA), and representatives from three local government associations—the Provincial Administrative Organization Association, the Municipal Association, and the Subdistrict Administrative Organization Association—attended the discussion.

Chairman Kongkrit reported that while the deputy minister provided clarification, some points could not be fully addressed due to other commitments; the DLA was tasked with providing additional explanations. The subdistrict organization chairman raised a key concern: whether the roughly 3,000 officials already appointed and cleared of fraud would have the right to choose their preferred province after fraud convictions were cancelled. Verasak Hadda, chairman of the Subdistrict Administrative Organization Association, expressed confidence that local authorities must comply with the central committee's order to remove more than 5,000 individuals involved in fraud by August 30 or face criminal penalties under Section 157 of the Penal Code.

Hadda further noted that once fraud cases are dismissed, innocent appointees currently locked into their assigned provinces should gain the right to reselect a location, as they need protection. However, regulations require officials to remain in their original position for two years before transfer. The DLA acknowledged the concern and pledged action. The committee chair and vice-chair gave a 15-day deadline for reconsideration. Deputy Chair and Spokesman Kittisak Engchuan stated that while the DLA insists appointees remain in place, lawsuits are inevitable because their rights have been diminished. The committee therefore proposed a special central committee resolution to remedy the situation; after new scores are announced, this group is expected to rank high and should have the right to choose their work location.

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National

UOB Keeps Thai Stocks Neutral, Backs Foreign Equities on AI Wave

UOB raised its Thai GDP forecast to 1.9 percent but keeps Thai stocks neutral, instead recommending investors diversify into US, China, Taiwan, and South Korea to capitalize on the artificial intelligence investment cycle.

1h ago Khaosod

UOB has raised its 2024 Thai GDP growth forecast to 1.9 percent but maintains a neutral rating on Thai equities due to limited economic growth and concentrated market recovery. The bank recommends diversifying into the United States, China, Taiwan, and South Korea to capture the AI investment cycle, alongside three long-term investment themes.

UOB assesses global economic growth in the second half of 2024 as remaining solid, driven primarily by US consumption and technology and artificial intelligence investment. Despite mounting complexity—including elevated inflation, uneven sectoral growth, and geopolitical tensions—UOB forecasts US economic expansion of 1.7 percent, supported by high-income and high-asset households representing 20 percent of all households yet accounting for 60 percent of total consumption. Chinese economic growth is projected at approximately 4.6 percent, driven by industrial production and exports. US inflation is expected at 3.5 percent, suggesting the Federal Reserve will likely hold interest rates through the remainder of 2024 and may begin rate cuts in 2025.

Abel Lim, head of deposits and wealth management at UOB Thailand, said that despite global uncertainty, investors should not withdraw from risk assets. The key is selecting risk appropriate to expected returns, emphasizing quality companies with clear profits and cash flows, diversifying investments, and using market downturns as opportunities to accumulate long-term assets.

AI is reshaping investment opportunities, expanding from chip makers to energy infrastructure. UOB sees US growth sustained by labor market strength, high-income household spending, equity market wealth effects, and AI investment, with the economy exhibiting a "K-shaped" recovery where wealthy groups maintain high spending while others face income and purchasing-power pressures.

AI investment remains a key driver, extending beyond chip manufacturers and AI model developers to data centers, cloud computing systems, cybersecurity, memory chips, cooling systems, power generation, and electrical grids. UOB views Agentic AI—capable of planning, integrating data, and executing tasks autonomously—as a critical development that will boost efficiency and create new economic demands, broadening AI cycle investment opportunities from technology companies to infrastructure businesses.

Three Investment Themes for Structural Change

UOB identifies three key themes with investment potential in the second half of 2024 and beyond:

1. Agentic AI expands opportunity from software to infrastructure. AI is evolving from data creation and summarization to task automation. Agentic AI can plan, retrieve data, connect with software, validate information, and execute processes automatically. This expansion extends investment opportunities from technology companies and semiconductor manufacturers to data centers, cloud systems, cybersecurity, memory chips, cooling systems, power, and electrical grids, as increased processing requires electricity, cooling systems, and efficient data infrastructure.

2. From "Just in Time" to "Just in Case". Risks from COVID-19, geopolitical conflicts, trade tensions, and supply chain disruptions are prompting supply chain restructuring.

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Weather

Nan Communities Face Devastating Flash Floods After Water Recedes

Nan province communities are assessing devastation after flash floods swept through on August 20, with upstream water from Pua and Tha Wang Pha districts continuing to inundate riverside areas and economic zones despite receding water level

1h ago Khaosod

Residents in Nan province are assessing damage after devastating flash floods swept through communities on August 20. Although water levels at some measurement stations have begun to recede, floodwaters from upstream areas in Pua and Tha Wang Pha districts continued flowing into Nan municipality, compounded by heavy overnight rain that caused wild streams to overflow and inundate economic zones and riverside communities from night through early morning. Local residents have begun documenting the destruction left behind.

One Facebook user from Ban Rong in Pua district, Nan province, posted images with a message stating: "Ban Rong, at the entrance to our village, was ground zero receiving the full force of the flash flood surge from the river pouring into the community. It looked like a doomsday movie—it came fast and hard with no time to prepare. Sending strength to all families. August 19, 2025." Photo credit: Chanerin Jitaree

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