Thailand
A tourism and manufacturing economy navigating a slow-moving succession question the law won’t let anyone discuss openly.
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Aug- 2026 -14 AugustSociety
Thailand’s birth records hide a property-ownership loophole for foreign buyers
Between 1,000 and 1,500 suspicious registrations at Bangkok hospitals may have let foreign parents bypass Thailand's restrictions on land and business ownership through false Thai citizenship claims.
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13 AugustCompass
Thailand is quietly winning the race for Chinese tourists from Japan
With 5.1 million Chinese arrivals projected for 2026, Thailand has overtaken Japan in the first half—a shift driven by airlift capacity, safety perceptions, and political friction between China and Tokyo.
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10 AugustPower
Thailand’s parole system keeps releasing killers. Now it faces the gallows.
Five bodies in Chonburi—two Russian tourists, three Thai residents—have reignited a debate the country thought it had settled: whether a broken risk-assessment process justifies resuming executions.
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9 AugustSociety
The gun was legal. The 14-year-old reached it anyway.
A student killed seven people at an elite Bangkok school using his grandfather's registered handgun, reigniting a debate Thailand has failed to resolve since 36 died in 2022.
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6 AugustEarth
Malaysia’s durian boom is collapsing under its own weight
Prices for premium Musang King fruit have halved in a year as growers race to adapt to heat, flooding, and oversupply that China's market appetite created.
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6 AugustCompass
Japan’s stronger yen won’t fill hotels until next year’s bookings open
The yen has rallied from 164 to 155–157 against the dollar, but most 2026 travel packages are already sold. The real surge in Japanese tourists to Thailand begins when operators…
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5 AugustEarth
Southeast Asia’s rice belt faces its driest months as El Niño strengthens
The ASEAN Meteorological Centre warned on 4 August of below-normal rainfall through October, with an El Niño index of +1.59 that could rank among the strongest in 75 years, threatening…
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3 AugustTech & AI
Malaysia’s AI boom is outpacing its political system
With 5.8% Q2 growth and data centre investments at 18% of GDP, the country ranks among the world's top four AI hardware exporters—but fuel subsidy costs doubling to RM40 billion…
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1 AugustCompass
Bangkok’s August slump just became an athlete’s destination
The Hyrox race brings 22,000 competitors to Bangkok August 13–16, and hotels are bundling ice baths, spa discounts, and loyalty perks to convert a four-day event into multi-night stays during…
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Jul- 2026 -29 JulyCompass
Thailand’s tourism bet waits for a visa that hasn’t arrived
With the baht down 5.9% and Indian visa-free entry cabinet-approved but not yet published, Thailand is banking on policy levers that remain half-engaged—even as July arrivals fell 3% year-on-year.
