Thailand

Thai Airways International filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2020, during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Transportation

Thai Airways aims to finish restructuring in 2024 as travel rebounds

Increased passenger traffic helps carrier halve capital needs under updated plan

2 July 2022
Thailand passed the first reading of the Marriage Equality Bill on June 16, improving prospects in the LGBTQ+ community for greater social and legal acceptance in a conservative society.
Society

Thai banks give nod for home loans to LGBTQ+ community

State-owned housing bank advances the gender equality finance agenda

1 July 2022
The megabank intends to leverage its own customer base and bring more retail investors to securities. (Source photos by Shihoko Nakaoka and Reuters) 
Business deals

MUFG to buy Nomura's Thai securities unit for $153m

Japan financial group to boost presence in top Southeast Asia equity market

30 June 2022
Leon Foong, head of the Asia Pacific market for Binance, said the company sees the current dip in cryptocurrency prices as a chance to rebuild the industry with stronger players. (Source photo by Francesca Regalado and Binance website)
Cryptocurrencies

Binance sees crypto recovery with closer ties to regulators

Largest crypto exchange signs deal with Cambodian authorities

30 June 2022
Men drink beer on the street in Hanoi. Vietnam is Southeast Asia's largest consumer of beer.
Food & Beverage

From Thailand to Vietnam, Asia acquires taste for buzz-lite alcohol

COVID and rising incomes fuel demand for healthier, low-proof alternatives

28 June 2022
Guillaume Perdigues, left, and his partner Vanessa Mapp pose for a photo in Strasbourg, France, at the start of their epic transcontinental walk in February 2019. (Courtesy of Vanessa Mapp)
Life

From France to Thailand on foot

Intrepid Western couple find their global 'dream trek' changes perspectives

24 June 2022
Thai oil refiners are being asked by the government to share their profits.
Energy

Thai oil refiners under heat as Bangkok seeks profit-sharing

Government wants refineries to contribute to consumer subsidies as inflation bites

22 June 2022
Anti-government protesters in Bangkok in January 2014: Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit's newly revised "A History of Thailand" is an essential reference work for all.
Arts

Books: A fresh take on the history of Thailand

Authors of acclaimed book put recent events in historical context

22 June 2022
Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport is expected to welcome many more tourists now that Thailand has dropped strict COVID restrictions.
Coronavirus

ASEAN tourism on the road to business as usual

Thailand to relax mask and alcohol rules; Indonesia drops mandatory insurance

21 June 2022
Bitkub CEO Jirayut Srupsrisopa: "You have to differentiate between a short-term shock that is happening in the market and long-term vision." (Source photos by Getty Images and AFP/Jiji)
Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrency exchanges must educate users: Bitkub CEO

Topp Jirayut says acquisition by SCB will go on despite regulatory setbacks

21 June 2022
A Good Cat electric vehicle by Ora, a brand of Great Wall Motor, is displayed at the Bangkok International Motor show. 
Automobiles

Southeast Asia on cusp of EV revolution as local production begins

Chinese and South Korean automakers zoom past Japanese rivals on electrics

21 June 2022
Chadchart Sittipunt speaks during his campaign rally at Lumpini Park in Bangkok on May 9: If he can get Bangkok moving forward again, so can Thailand.
Opinion

Bangkok governor's election win restores hope for also-ran Thailand

Chadchart Sittipunt faces daunting and dark challenges

21 June 2022
Pan Pacific International opens its fifth Don Don Donki store in Thailand on June 20, expanding to the suburbs of Bangkok.
Retail

Japan's Don Quijote opens 5th discount store in Thailand

Retailer targets Bangkok suburbs in expansion, looking beyond tourists

20 June 2022
The Grand Palace in Bangkok. By relaxing COVID restrictions, the Thai government looks to jump-start the country's sluggish tourism industry.
Coronavirus

Thailand to ease COVID entry rules for foreign visitors in July

Prearrival screening to be lifted, followed by mask policy

17 June 2022
Sanya Souvanna Phouma inside Funky Lam, a restaurant launched by the serial entrepreneur in Bangkok. "I was burning to create something new," Sanya says of his early days in the Thai capital after leaving France. (Courtesy of Sanya Souvanna Phouma)
Life

Bangkok's king of clubbing plots fresh projects

Lao impresario Sanya Souvanna Phouma returns to his roots

17 June 2022
Marchers walk past a picture of King Maha Vajiralongkorn during a 2020 pro-democracy rally in Bangkok.
Society

Thailand arrests web influencers accused of insulting royal family

Trio face up to 15 years in prison after appearing in videos that enraged royalists

17 June 2022
Thais pay their respects to Buddhist monks after the omicron surge, which pushed daily COVID cases to over 20,000 and sank insurers who had offered cheap coverage against the disease.
Coronavirus

Thai insurers sink into bankruptcy due to COVID claims

Huge payouts and scams weigh on entire non-life insurance sector

16 June 2022
Southeast Asian governments look to prevent cases of dengue fever, one of the diseases spread by mosquitoes.
Companies

Kao's mosquito repellent for Southeast Asia taps cosmetics tech

Product gets insects to fly away without using volatile chemicals

16 June 2022
Reviving Thailand's tourism industry will involve reduced dependence on the China market, more arrivals from new markets, and maintaining attention on domestic travelers.
Travel & Leisure

Thai hotels court Indian and local tourists to fill China void

Europeans top returnees but cannot match Arab and Chinese spending

15 June 2022
Tourists and locals in Bangkok celebrate Songkran by spraying each other with water guns and partying on Khaosan Road on April 13. Much of Southeast Asia is disconnected from the far-off war in Ukraine. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Not everyone sees Ukraine as the main issue

Emerging countries accuse the West of hypocrisy

15 June 2022
Abortion laws in Asia reflect demographic trends, the sway of religion and social traditions. In South Korea (pictured), abortion was illegal until 2019, when it was decriminalized despite opposition from the Christian community.
The Big Story

Abortion in Asia: The limits of choice

The overturning of Roe v. Wade could be a watershed for U.S. women's rights. Is the same true in Asia?

15 June 2022
Thailand's pet owner population grew to combat the plague of COVID loneliness.
Business trends

A king's best friend: Thailand sees pet ownership boom

Businesses rush to grab a piece of billion-dollar market

15 June 2022
Sources say that Shopee has stopped hiring as the company continues to lose money.
DealStreetAsia

Sea's e-commerce arm Shopee to cut staff across Southeast Asia

Startup faces headwinds as rising inflation weakens consumption

14 June 2022
Thailand decriminalized medical marijuana cultivation and possession on June 9, a step toward possible full legalization of the psychotropic. (Source photo by Reuters)
Politics

Thailand's 'marijuana wonderland': 5 things to know

Cannabis can only be grown and consumed for medical purposes or health promotion

14 June 2022
An image of the virtual world that Property Perfect plans to build in the metaverse. (Photo courtesy of Property Perfect)
Property

Thai real estate firms hang their shingles in the metaverse

With top share of crypto holders, could Thailand see a virtual property boom?

14 June 2022