Thailand

Pita Limjaroenrat, the former prime ministerial candidate of Thailand's Move Forward Party, visited the U.S. this week for the first time since failing to secure the leadership post. (Photo by Sompop Tatiyaratana)
Interview

Thailand's Pita wants to put country back on U.S. and international radar

Ex-prime minister hopeful eyes comeback in next election

1 November 2023
Carabao's CEO said the time was right to enter the market as consumers are now looking for "diverse tastes." (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Food & Beverage

Thai energy drink maker Carabao takes on beer giants Singha, Chang

Challenger aims to grab 10% market share next year as tastes change, CEO says

31 October 2023
Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks during a campaign rally in April. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Politics

Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter elected leader of Thailand's ruling party

Paetongtarn, 37, tasked with expanding Pheu Thai's support among young people

27 October 2023
Foxconn-led MIH Consortium shows off its Project X electric vehicle at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Oct. 26. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
Automobiles

Foxconn-led MIH sets EV sales targets for India, Thailand and Japan

Consortium aims to sell 100,000 three-seaters annually from 2025

26 October 2023
YouTrip is seeking to expand its footprint in Southeast Asia following a fresh $50 million in funding from investors. (Photo by Tsubasa Suruga)
Startups

Singapore's multicurrency wallet YouTrip to enter Malaysia, CEO says

Startup secures $50m in funding to tap regional travel and business demand

26 October 2023
Thai consumers are finding it harder to obtain car loans, a situation that has weighed on auto sales in the country. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Automobiles

Thai auto industry body cuts 2023 production forecast to 1.85m units

Downward revision triggered by tougher loan standards and high interest rates

25 October 2023
Bangkok hopes to encourage startups in areas such as energy, medicine and agriculture.
Startups

Thailand aims to boost innovation, foster 10,000 new startups

Country hopes to overcome conservative business image with four-year plan

24 October 2023
Thailand's Si Thep Historical Park has been named a World Heritage site. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Travel & Leisure

Thailand's new World Heritage site faces overtourism pitfalls

Si Thep park unprepared for surge in visitors or threat of artifact theft

22 October 2023
A BMW electric car is displayed at a motor show in Thailand earlier this year. The country is now gearing up to host an expo dedicated to EVs.
Your Week in Asia

Kishida policy speech, Bangkok EV show, Seoul Halloween tragedy memorial

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

22 October 2023
Rever Automotive CEO Pratarnwong Phornprabha represents the next generation of the Siam Motors founding family and is a nephew of current group head Phornthep. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Automobiles

Thailand's auto family backs China BYD's rise in kingdom

Japanese and South Korean carmakers threatened by Chinese brand

20 October 2023
EssilorLuxottica manufacturers Ray-Ban glasses as well as eyewear for other luxury brands.
Consumer

Ray-Ban glasses maker builds Thailand factory as Asia-Pacific hub

France's EssilorLuxottica set to open one of the largest plants worldwide

20 October 2023
Thai workers who were evacuated from Israel arrive at a military airport in Bangkok on Oct. 16. Thailand has been a big source of labor for Israel's agricultural sector.
Middle East crisis

How Thai workers became integral to Israel's economy

Experts say arrangement was 'strategic decision' to replace Palestinian labor

18 October 2023
A satellite terminal opened at Thailand's Suvarnabhumi Airport near Bangkok in September. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Transportation

Thailand, Vietnam and neighbors compete in airport expansion race

Airlines' passenger capacity for seven Southeast Asian nations to double by 2030

18 October 2023
Rohingya children stand on the floor of their burned shelter after a fire at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in March 2021.
Myanmar Crisis

Don't forget Rohingya, U.N. refugee chief says, as crises spread

Funding gap threatens host Bangladesh and efforts inside Myanmar

17 October 2023
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin speaks to reporters in Bangkok on Aug. 29. Thavisin will attend the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing during his visit to China. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
International relations

Thailand's Srettha chases green investment on first China visit

50 private sector representatives to join prime minister in Beijing

16 October 2023
Chinese companies such as BYD have taken a commanding lead in the Thai electric vehicle market. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Comment

Japan's battle for Thailand, Indonesia auto markets no lost cause

China and South Korea make inroads in Thailand and Indonesia with EVs, but is that sustainable?

16 October 2023
Currencies in Southeast Asia have trended lower against the dollar in recent months due to tepid regional economic growth and interest rate gaps with the U.S. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Market Spotlight

Malaysian, Thai economies suffer as currencies slide vs. dollar

ASEAN depreciations bring higher import costs and increase inflation risks

16 October 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping raises his glass and proposes a toast at the end of his speech during the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, April 26, 2019.
Your Week in Asia

Belt and Road Forum, Foxconn Technology Day, China GDP

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

15 October 2023
An independent Myanmar media outlet reports from a studio in Thailand. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's exiled media outlets keep reporting from next door

Journalists stand up to military regime, but financial sustainability a concern

15 October 2023
Haina Xiang, a Duolingo marketing director, says the company is studying the attributes of regional rivals, like Vietnamese app Elsa's strength in spoken language. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Startups

Duolingo taps Blackpink, GPT in Southeast Asian edtech battle

World's most-used language app enjoys record growth in Vietnam, Indonesia

14 October 2023
Members of Immanuel Orchestra practice at a church in Khlong Toei slum in Bangkok on Oct. 6. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Life

Student orchestra from Thai slum aims for best in first Japan tour

Young musicians find hope in music in spite of poverty-stricken lives

14 October 2023
Srettha Thavisin speaks during an election rally of his Pheu Thai Party in April, explaining its 10,000 baht handout plan. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

Thailand PM pushes $15bn handout despite economists' warning

Srettha to detail digital money project next month ahead of February launch

13 October 2023
Tourists walk past the Wat Arun temple in Bangkok on Sept. 10. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Travel & Leisure

Chinese travelers' slow return hits Southeast Asian economies

Share of China tourists declines in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia

13 October 2023
Thai citizens evacuated from Israel arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Oct. 12. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Middle East crisis

'Hamas kept firing at our car': Thai evacuees recount attack

15 citizens return home; authorities look for more aircraft as 6,000 wait

12 October 2023
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, left, holds a news conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 11. (Photo courtesy of Malaysian prime minister's office)
Automobiles

Malaysian automaker Proton eyes EV plant in Thailand

Thai PM Srettha announces plans during visit to Malaysia

12 October 2023