Thai Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha led a 2014 coup, later becoming prime minister under the military junta.
Thai election

Thailand heads for 1st Senate election since coup as economy slows

Return to democracy still work in progress after civilian rule was toppled a decade ago

17 May 2024
Thai workers march along a road to mark International Labor Day 2024. The Thai government is adamant about raising the minimum wage, but businesses are lobbying against the move.
Work

Thailand could lose jobs with minimum wage hike, business lobby says

Labor-intensive industries may move across border or hire migrants at low pay

16 May 2024
Chaithawat Tulathon at the Move Forward Party headquarters in Bangkok on May 14, when he spoke to Nikkei Asia. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca)
Interview

Thailand's Move Forward leader says amnesty for political prisoners a priority

Biggest opposition party has an alternative ready in case a court orders its dissolution

15 May 2024
A Toyota dealership in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia's car sales reached nearly 800,000 in 2023. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Automobiles

Malaysia overtakes Thailand as ASEAN's second-biggest auto market

Sales tax exemptions boost demand for national cars Perodua and Proton

15 May 2024
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's ruling Pheu Thai Party faces challenging economic conditions. (NIkkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Hiroki Endo)
Politics

Thai ruling party grapples with slow economy 1 year after election

Political pledges languish as weak global demand weighs on manufacturing

14 May 2024
Two Thai telecom towers face west across the Moei River near Myawaddy toward one of some 16 Chinese-funded scam centers that have sprung up just inside Myanmar in recent years.
Myanmar Crisis

Thailand, Japan signal policy shifts on engaging Myanmar's resistance

Bangkok orders telcos to cut internet to casino scam centers along border

13 May 2024
One of the strays at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s shelter for dogs and cats in the city's Prawet district. Now under renovation, the facility will be able to shelter 1,000 dogs and cats when it reopens later this year. (Courtesy of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration)
Life

Bangkok mobilizes volunteers to combat stray pet crisis

Hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats roam Thai capital's streets

12 May 2024
China accounts for half of the world’s steel production, and exports a third of its steel to Southeast Asia. (Photo by Tomoko Wakasugi)
Trade

Thailand considers new anti-dumping measures against Chinese steel

Southeast Asia braces for supply glut from imports and too much domestic capacity

10 May 2024
Persistent inflation has led central banks to refrain from cutting interest rates, increasing pressure on borrowers servicing payments and on banks' payouts to depositors.
Finance

ASEAN banks grapple with uncertain U.S. Fed interest rate cuts

From loan stresses to payouts, lenders manage murky financing prospects

10 May 2024
MinebeaMitsumi's existing factory in Cambodia makes components for autos and machinery. (MinebeaMitsumi)
Companies

Cambodia, Thailand draw $320m in investments from Japan's MinebeaMitsumi

Bearing maker adds solar power capacity in region key to CO2 reduction goal

10 May 2024
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin speaks to reporters about Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara's resignation at the Government House in Bangkok on April 29.
Politics

Thai cabinet reshuffle puts ruling party 'at risk,' experts say

Replacements of key ministers cause rift within Pheu Thai amid waning popularity

8 May 2024
A Thai air force F-16 performs during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, northeast of Bangkok, in 2015.
Defense

Thai air force to replace 12 fighter jets with new planes

Kingdom eyes technology transfer in deals with Sweden, U.S.

7 May 2024
BYD's revamped flagship Atto 3 electric sport utility vehicle is priced nearly 20% lower than the current model. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Automobiles

Chinese EV makers bring price war to Thailand even as sales sag

Competition in crowded market could spur forays into hybrids

7 May 2024
People line up to cross into Mae Sot, Thailand from Myanmar on April 12: Immigrants should be seen as human capital. 
Opinion

Thai policy toward Myanmar must move forward

Bilateral relationship too enmeshed now in protocol and bureaucracy

3 May 2024
Thaksin Shinawatra's arrival in Bangkok in August 2023: It is hard to ignore speculation that the former prime minister struck a deal to return from exile. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Opinion

Thaksin in no position to reclaim reform banner from Move Forward

Pheu Thai's alignment with conservatives has shattered pretense of progressivism

1 May 2024
Former foreign minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara, left, walks along Friendship Bridge No. 1, linking Myawaddy, Myanmar, with the Thai border town of Mae Sot on April 12. (Photo by Gwen Robinson)
Politics

Thailand taps former diplomat as foreign minister after Parnpree quits

Myanmar task force loses chair as Pheu Thai factions reshuffle cabinet

29 April 2024
Topp Jirayut Srupsrisopa said a listing of Bitkub Capital Group’s cryptocurrency exchange would create a proxy stock for Thailand’s digital services economy, in an April 19 interview with Nikkei. (Nikkei montage/Photo by Kenya Akama and Getty Images)
IPO

Thailand's Bitkub aims for ASEAN expansion with 2025 listing

Crypto exchange founder Topp hopes to create regional digital champion though IPO

26 April 2024
Eoin O’Brien as Ryan Owens in a scene from “Kiss of the Con Queen,” which premieres on April 27 at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida. © De Warrenne Pictures
Arts

Thai film exposes alleged Hollywood 'Con Queen'

Fraud victims get revenge in 'true crime' saga

26 April 2024
Apple's most recent official supplier list shows the company is sourcing from more companies from China. (Nikkei montage/Source Photo by Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Apple moves closer to China despite supply chain shifts

Japan, Taiwan and U.S. supplier numbers dip as iPhone maker expands in Southeast Asia

26 April 2024
A sickly woman rides in an aid truck to return to Myanmar after refugees were told by Thai soldiers to return home on April 24. (Photo by Mauk Kham Wah)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar refugees sent back from Thailand as military, rebels regroup

Thousands take shelter at border as rebels hold off military convoy

25 April 2024
People fleeing violence in Myawaddy, Myanmar, arrive in Mae Sot on Thailand's side of the border on April 20.
Myanmar Crisis

Thailand downplays risk as Myanmar sends troops to key border town

Number of refugees in Thai temporary shelters falls to 600, foreign minister says

24 April 2024
An illuminated sign uses Arabic script to advertise an indoor night market in Bangkok's Nana district, a popular area for Middle Eastern visitors, on April 20. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Tea Leaves

Saudis bask in Bangkok's mojo

Middle Eastern visitors flock to Thai capital and balmy beach resorts after diplomatic deal

24 April 2024
A soldier from the Karen National Liberation Army, a prominent resistance group in Myanmar, patrols on April 15 in Myawaddy, in an area hit by an airstrike by Myanmar's military regime.
Myanmar Crisis

ASEAN calls for halt to violence on Thai-Myanmar border

Malaysian, Thai lawmakers seek inclusive talks, preparations for refugees

19 April 2024
New Zealand aircraft maker NZAero supplies the Royal Thai Air Force with its two-seat CT-4 airtrainer for military training operations. (Courtesy of NZAero)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

New Zealand aircraft maker eyes Thailand as ASEAN service hub

Governments thaw strategic and defense partnership after 10-year freeze

18 April 2024
Former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, left, and current leader Chaithawat Tulathon react during a press conference in Bangkok on Jan. 31.
Politics

Will Move Forward join Thailand's graveyard of political parties?

Reform-minded opposition group awaits court verdict a year after election win

17 April 2024