As passenger numbers continue to rise, Thailand is stepping up efforts to make your arrival experience faster, smoother, and safer. Minister of Tourism and Sports Surasak Phancharoenworakul recently l...
As passenger numbers continue to rise, Thailand is stepping up efforts to make your arrival experience faster, smoother, and safer. Minister of Tourism and Sports Surasak Phancharoenworakul recently l...
Thailand's industrial land market surged 17.5% in the first half of 2026, with prices in the Eastern Economic Corridor jumping over 31% as investors seek modern facilities for advanced manufacturing and technology projects.
Knight Frank Thailand reports that the Thai industrial real estate market continues to grow steadily in the first half of 2026, with industrial land transactions up 17.5% and nationwide average land prices rising 16.2%. Prices in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) have surged over 31% amid strong demand for advanced technology manufacturing investments.
Marcus Bertenshaw, Partner and Head of Logistics and Industrial Consulting at Knight Frank Thailand, revealed the Thailand Industrial Market Overview H1 2026 report, noting that the industrial real estate market remains resilient despite global economic uncertainty. Key drivers include investment in high-value industries, particularly electronics, technology, and advanced manufacturing, sustaining strong demand for industrial space and ready-built factories.
Bertenshaw emphasized that Thailand's competitive edge depends not just on attracting investment, but on capacity to accommodate modern, larger projects using advanced technology. Investors seek locations with robust infrastructure and long-term business expansion potential—factors that will determine Thailand's future competitiveness.
Although promoted investment figures and new project counts have normalized from historically high levels, industrial real estate demand remains strong, particularly from businesses expanding production capacity in value-added sectors. Industrial land take-up in H1 2026 reached 5,503 rai, up 17.5% year-on-year.
Knight Frank notes this reflects a strategic shift: investment is moving from quantitative expansion toward larger, technology-intensive projects requiring efficient long-term operational infrastructure. As of mid-2026, Thailand's serviced industrial land plots totaled 191,292 rai, up 3.1% from late 2025, with EEC accounting for 64.6% of supply. Developers are increasingly adopting built-to-suit and pre-leased models to meet tenants' specific infrastructure and facility needs.
Princess Ubolratana presided over the TO BE NUMBER ONE member assembly on July 15, recognizing outstanding anti-drug and community initiatives across Thailand's 76 provinces. The event honored nine Diamond Prototype projects and celebrated
On Wednesday, July 15, 2025, Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Phannawadee presided over the TO BE NUMBER ONE member assembly gathering for 2025 at Impact Forum, Impact Convention Center in Muang Thonburi, Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province. She presented commemorative gifts and a royal portrait alongside executives from major agencies including the Ministries of Public Health, Interior, Labour, Justice, Education, Social Development and Human Security, Higher Education Science Research and Innovation, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board. Royal awards were presented for outstanding TO BE NUMBER ONE Diamond Prototype projects from 2024—nine in total—and 13 awards for provincial governors and deputy governors with distinguished TO BE NUMBER ONE performance.
Public Health Minister Pattana Prompat stated that the annual TO BE NUMBER ONE member assembly aims to strengthen and sustain anti-drug and community initiatives at provincial, district, and Bangkok levels, while boosting morale among participants and partners. The gathering features nationwide competitions among provinces, districts, Bangkok zones, and community clubs, as well as creative activities showcasing members' talents and fostering knowledge exchange to improve drug prevention and rehabilitation efforts. This year's event ran from July 11–15, 2025, with 1,446 entries advancing to the national presentation stage. The TO BE NUMBER ONE network now spans 76 provinces and 50 Bangkok districts, with clubs and friendship centres established to provide creative platforms for members.
CJ MORE is opening retail storefronts at over 2,000 branches nationwide to help local entrepreneurs operate rental shops and community markets, creating income opportunities and strengthening local economies.
In many communities, retail shops serve not just as shopping destinations but as gathering places where people meet, exchange ideas, and create shared activities—becoming central to daily life. When these spaces are developed to create professional and income opportunities, they strengthen the local economy sustainably.
CJ MORE, a brand that has grown alongside communities, is advancing the concept of "CJ MORE Complete, Right, and Worth It" to elevate retail stores beyond mere neighborhood shops into "community hubs." The company is opening spaces in front of more than 2,000 branches nationwide for local residents to start businesses, generate income, and grow together through rental stalls and community markets, creating vibrancy and continuous economic stimulus at the local level.
Store Fronts: Opportunities for Small Businesses to Grow with Communities
A key role of CJ MORE store fronts is creating opportunities for small entrepreneurs to operate "rental shops"—whether restaurants, beverage stands, barbershops, variety stores, or diverse local businesses—with easy customer access from convenient community locations. Beyond serving as a commercial space, CJ MORE supports these businesses by promoting standout and popular shops through content creation and the government's "Thai Helps Thai Plus 60/40" program, helping them gain wider recognition, reach more customers, and boost sales during economic challenges.
As shops become better known, entrepreneurs earn more income while customers enjoy benefits and discounts, creating more spending circulation within the community and benefiting all in the local economic chain. Rather than being merely commercial areas, these store fronts help small businesses grow, build customer bases, and develop stable operations.
Community Markets: Adding Life and Income for Local People
Another reflection of community hub status is CJ MORE community markets, where locals sell goods—fresh cooked food, homemade snacks, vegetables, fruits, agricultural products, or local specialties—creating important channels for small traders to earn income and supplementary revenue.
These community markets transform store fronts into gathering points for locals, becoming spaces for meeting, conversation, and daily vibrancy while offering customers affordable local goods and sellers direct access to consumers, creating continuous money circulation within the community.
To increase activity and support small traders, CJ MORE links spending between the store and market through promotions for Sabai Card members: when customers spend 150 baht in CJ MORE, they receive a 10-baht discount coupon for market purchases, encouraging them to visit market vendors, increasing traders' earning opportunities, and creating continuous spending circulation within the area.
Travel YouTuber Hulun Solo's team last contacted him on July 10 before losing all communication, his subtitle translator revealed nearly three weeks later. The 25-year-old said Hulun typically checked in within a week and had not informed h
The team behind travel YouTuber Hulun Solo has revealed they last contacted him on July 10 before losing touch entirely. Patchravallai, 25, a subtitle translator for the channel, told Thai media on July 30 that the last exchange occurred when Hulun asked her to compile her June work and then transferred her payment on July 10. After that date, she could not reach him.
Patchravallai explained that she did not know Hulun was traveling to Georgia because he independently planned his trips, filmed them himself, and only sent footage for editing afterward. She admitted she had warned him repeatedly about safety during his early travels to remote destinations, but respected that it was his work. Normally, Hulun would go silent for no more than a week before checking in, or would inform her beforehand if he was traveling to areas without internet.
She described Hulun as a supportive boss and kind mentor who gave her a chance to learn despite having no prior subtitling experience. Team members were close due to their shared background in the Chulalongkorn University rural outreach program. Patchravallai expressed that Hulun was well-liked, funny, and deeply loved his family and his work, making his sudden disappearance and death in Georgia a devastating loss.
Thailand's women's volleyball team faces a 90-minute commute to the SEA V Cup 2026 venue in Hanoi, while host Vietnam's team stays near the arena, violating international standards that require hotels within 30 minutes of competition sites.
Thailand's women's volleyball team is frustrated with host Vietnam for placing three competing nations' delegations in hotels far from the competition venue—requiring nearly 90 minutes of travel—while Vietnam's own team stays near the arena. The Thai squad, coached by Kiatiphong Ratchatigerngkrai, arrived in Hanoi to compete in the SEA V Cup 2026 opening leg and has begun training. Coach Ratchatigerngkrai stated that international regulations stipulate hotels should be no more than 30 minutes from the competition venue, yet Thailand's team faced a nearly 90-minute commute on the first day, causing fatigue. He said Vietnam accommodates its own team near the arena while the other three competing nations are housed much farther away, and he intends to raise the matter with tournament officials. Thailand's opening match against Indonesia is scheduled for July 31, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.
The Department of Rural Roads cleared an overgrown highway median in Pathum Thani that had become a rendezvous site littered with used condoms and other intimate items, with plans to install fencing to prevent future illicit use.
The Department of Rural Roads has sent staff to demolish a barrier and clear overgrown vegetation along a highway median in Pathum Thani after discovering hundreds of used condoms, lubricant gel, wet tissues, insect repellent, and women's undergarments scattered across the area. The site, located near the Department of Rural Roads' Ratchaphruek branch along Ratchaphruek Cut New-Kanchanapisek Road in Bang Dueao, Mueang District, Pathum Thani Province, had become notorious and drew widespread public criticism.
On July 30, 2569, Pariwat Rotnual, director of maintenance operations for Bangkok and its metropolitan areas, led more than 10 department staff with tractors to cut trees and clear dense vegetation covering the abandoned site in order to open up the landscape. Pariwat explained that the operation involved removing overgrown grass and cutting down trees that blocked views, as the area had become overgrown with dense vines and vegetation.
Following this cleanup, the department will allocate budget to construct fencing similar to that found along motorways to seal off access and prevent the area from being used as a gathering point for illicit activities in the future.
Police have identified a Thai pickup truck driver in connection with a fatal hit-and-run that killed a Russian woman in Phuket's Koh Kaew area, though the investigation is still ongoing with no charges filed yet.
PHUKET: Police have confirmed that a Thai man has been identified as the driver of a pickup truck involved in the fatal hit-and-run that killed a Russian woman in Koh Kaew, but no charges have yet been filed as the investigation remains ongoing, police confirmed today (July 30).
Nearly 900 government volunteers cleaned and landscaped Wat Sarakhet temple in Ko Lanta on Monday as part of a royal-initiative project to honor the monarchy and promote community service.
On Monday, July 20, 2026, Somdet Phra Wachirathitsajarn (Thongchai Sukyanon), a member of the Supreme Sangha Council and abbot of Wat Sarakhet Rajvora Mahaviharn, assigned Phra Maha Sakkidda Sunyanon to welcome and facilitate 904 royal-initiative volunteers from the Department of Science Service (DSS) under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MESRI). The volunteers participated in a development activity at the temple, led by Petchaman Tahjin, deputy director of the DSS, to express loyalty and gratitude to His Majesty, whose royal vision is to alleviate suffering, promote well-being, and encourage citizens to contribute to the common good.
Working together, the volunteers cleaned and improved the landscaping around the ordination hall, the bodhi tree plaza, and surrounding temple areas to create a clean, beautiful, and orderly environment for Buddhist devotees and visitors. This activity reflects the DSS's commitment to implementing royal principles in its operations, fostering public consciousness, promoting virtue and ethics, and building a society of sharing and sustainable development.
The project aimed to present merit in honor of His Majesty's birthday and to continue his vision of creating benefit and happiness for the nation and its people. Through this collective effort, the volunteers demonstrated their loyalty and commitment to upholding Buddhist teachings, preserving the sacred site, and serving the community.
A 1959 amulet by Phra Mettavihari featuring intricate half-figure carving has become one of Thailand's most sought-after Buddhist medals among collectors. The piece is among several celebrated amulets from respected monks that commanded pre
The article traces the origins and specifications of several celebrated amulets from respected Thai Buddhist monks. Phra Mettavihari's inaugural medal, created in 1959, featured a half-figure design and intricate carving details, becoming one of the most prized in collecting circles. Phra Kru Jan Sirithorn of Wat Dong Noi in Lopburi produced his first-edition amulets in multiple materials with numbered codes, accompanied by three consecration ceremonies with revered abbots. Luang Pu Gem Khemako of Lampang's Suwan Trai Lak Saan created the "Lampang Regiment Medal" in 1974, distributed to soldiers, comprising 2,513 pieces in gold, silver, bronze, and copper. Luang Pu Hiang Punnachchanto, an Eastern Thailand meditation master from Chachoengsao, cast lead amulets in 1962 marked on the back, now considered extremely rare and mostly held in Bangkok.
Democrat leader Thawee Sodsong questioned potential conflicts of interest in the Senate election fraud case, noting that five of seven Election Commission commissioners were approved by the same Senate under investigation for irregularities
On July 30, 2025, Democrat Party leader Pol. Gen. Thawee Sodsong posted on Facebook about the Senate election fraud case, emphasizing that the standard of "credible evidence" would be decisive in the case and critical to public confidence in the Election Commission (EC).
As Thai society watches the EC's landmark decision on senators' appointment procedures under the 2018 Organic Act—involving over 229 political party executives, representatives, and senators—Thawee warned that the EC's decision will test the rule of law, institutional credibility, and public faith in the country's justice system.
Thawee raised several concerns: First, he noted that while 138 senators are under investigation for election fraud, the same Senate approved five of seven EC commissioners, including Thitijet Nuchnanart, Narongchai Kalawarin, Anant Suwannarart, Narongchai Rakroi, and Chiruit Visaljit. This overlap of interests risks undermining public confidence, he argued, even without proving actual misconduct.
Second, Thawee pointed to suspicious practices including the use of identical candidate numbers across voting sessions, bloc voting or "vote locking" that produced unnaturally clustered results (selected senators clustered at 50–79 votes while many others received only 20–28 votes), the appointment of a separate subcommittee to review appeals despite an existing investigation subcommittee, changing the EC secretary's evaluation from "fail" to "pass," and the EC's refusal to accept the Department of Special Investigation's report containing financial evidence. He recommended the entire matter be referred to the Supreme Court for investigation.