When it was launched back in Sept 2022 they claimed it was going to attract one million 'wealthy or talented' foreigners within 5 years.

By May 2025, it had just attracted 6000 holders, so they lowered a lot of the requirements and removed the parts of the SMART visa scheme that overlapped with the LTR, that got them 6000, bringing the total to 12000

Considering they got 1.2% of the projected visa holders in 4 years, and unlikely to get the missing 988,000 in next year, from the governments perspective, should this be viewed as yet another failed visa scheme?

Customs officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport have detained two foreign passengers arriving from Jakarta after finding about $1.7 million (about 56 million baht) hidden in their luggage.

Customs Department Director-General Phanthong Loykulnant and Nuntita Sirikup, an adviser on customs control-system development, instructed officers to intensify searches and interception efforts, particularly for cash concealed by air passengers.

The passengers are accused of violating Finance Ministry regulations on foreign-exchange controls, as well as rules governing the transfer or transport of Thai currency, foreign currency and negotiable instruments into or out of Thailand. The case also involves the Currency Act, the Customs Act and other related laws.

BANGKOK — 4 October 2026,

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2026/10/05/two-foreigners-caught-at-suvarnabhumi-1-point-7-million-in-hidden-us-cash/

The documentary includes the 6 October 1976 massacre, the popular uprising of 14 October 1973, the killing of Chaiyaphum Pasae, the Tak Bai incident / massacre, and a brief mention of the 2010 Thai political protests.

It is about 56 minutes in length, with English subtitles available later with the special 90-minute version at VIPA on 19 October.

Documentary produced by The Isaan Record

Has anyone tried making them here but with local bananas?

This is mostly just me shaking my head in wonder... How does Siam Legal stay in business? I needed to reference something from the immigration website this morning and discovered thaiembassy.com is just a spoof website for these guys to lure in customers. Who would trust a business that operates like that? They aren't just camping on the url- they are intentionally leading you to believe you are on the government website- is there fine print? Sure. Should we need to verify and question this sort of thing? No.

The decision has attracted considerable attention among Chinese sports fans after the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced its Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards for the 20th Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Thailand’s sprint star Puripol Boonson won the men’s MVP award, while Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi won the women’s award.

However, the decision has raised questions among some Chinese sports fans, particularly because Zhang Zhan-shuo, China’s 19-year-old swimming sensation, delivered an outstanding performance, winning seven gold medals from eight events but missing out on the men’s MVP award.

Zhang enjoyed a remarkable Games, winning seven gold medals and breaking the Asian record in the 200m freestyle, as well as Games records in the 400m and 800m freestyle. In the 4×200m freestyle relay, he was one of China’s key swimmers and produced a dramatic comeback to overtake Japan at the finish, helping China win gold and set a new Asian record.

His performance prompted some Chinese netizens to question the MVP selection, with some arguing that it seemed unreasonable for an athlete who won seven gold medals to miss out on the award while an athlete with two gold medals was named the winner.

However, Chinese media have explained that the Asian Games MVP award is not determined solely by the number of gold medals won. The five-member selection committee considers performances across several areas, including world, Asian and Asian Games records, as well as the influence and significance of the sport itself.

Puripol, the 20-year-old Thai sprinter, delivered an outstanding performance by winning two gold medals in the 100m and 200m. He clocked 9.90 seconds in the 100m and 19.88 seconds in the 200m, breaking Asian Games records in both events and matching the Asian record in the 200m. He also won a silver medal in another event.

Chinese media therefore highlighted the distinction between the number of gold medals won and the overall value of an athlete’s performance to the competition. Zhang’s performance was likened to that of a “top scorer,” based on his haul of gold medals, while Puripol’s performance was viewed through the lens of a “most valuable player,” whose impact came in some of the Games’ most prominent events and earned recognition from the selection committee.

Another important consideration is that swimming features a large number of events, allowing a single athlete to compete in multiple disciplines and accumulate more medals than athletes in some other sports. As a result, the number of gold medals alone cannot be used as the sole measure when selecting the MVP.

Puripol’s award also represents a major achievement for Thai sports. In previous Asian Games, the men’s MVP award has often gone to athletes from Asia’s sporting powerhouses. Puripol becoming the first Thai athlete to claim the honor marks another historic moment for Thai athletics and Southeast Asian sport.

His 9.90-second performance in the 100m, one of the most closely watched events at the Games, was particularly impressive. His 19.88-second run in the 200m further underlined the Thai sprinter’s elite standing on the Asian stage.

My wife is Thai but moved to USA in late 90s before adulthood. Now relocating to Thailand. She went to apply for her Thai ID today and apparently it’s a long process where multiple witnesses are needed. We booked flights for 3 of her family members to fly to Bangkok for this event and vouch for her. She recalls the government officials asking the same questions over and over for 5 hours. At the end of the event, they said that the mayor is not in town and would not be able to give stamp of approval to complete her Thai ID registration. They said to come next week with the same witnesses to complete the process. I’m kind of pissed off that I spent $300 on flights/taxis for nothing and will have to do it again next week to finalize her ID.

On the ride home, my wife was talking to the driver and explained what had happened. The driver mentioned that the gov officials were looking for a bribe to expedite the process. Is this a thing in Thailand?

From the account of Col. Somjing Singhaseni, 4th Division Special Operations Unit

In 1978, the government supported local residents in forming a group known as the “Voice of the People.” The group consisted of villagers who were trained by the military and encouraged to adopt an anti-communist ideology.

One day, members of the Voice of the People from Mae Suai district, Chiang Rai, were returning home after attending an activity in Pang Kha village. As they traveled back toward Mae Suai district along the road near Tap Tao village, they were ambushed by communist insurgents.

The insurgents attacked the villagers’ songthaew with an RPG and rifles, killing a total of 27 people.

“As the vehicle rounded another bend, we reached the area between Tap Tao and Pang Kha villages. What I saw from a distance was a large group of people gathered around something. Staff Officer Siri ordered the driver to stop, then jumped out. I followed him. What appeared before our eyes was…”

The large Daihatsu songthaew had been riddled with bullets and RPG shrapnel. Its windshield was shattered, both front tires were blown out, the roof was torn open with gaping holes, and both sides of the vehicle had been completely destroyed.

But what left everyone horrified was the sight of their fellow Thai villagers lying tangled together inside the vehicle. Some had lost their heads, leaving only their necks. Some had their eyes blown out and entire sections of their faces torn away. Intestines spilled onto the floor. Some had been torn in half, with their upper or lower bodies missing. Many had lost their arms or legs, while their chests were riddled with shrapnel from grenades.

Several victims had been thrown from the vehicle and lay dead in grotesquely contorted positions along the road, their bodies scattered in different directions. The stench of blood filled the entire area.

“It was an extraordinarily brutal massacre, unlike anything I had ever witnessed in my life. I never imagined that such killing could be carried out by human beings against one another. It seemed more like the work of bloodthirsty animals or demons.

“No one could have imagined that the communists could be so ruthless, especially in killing people who had no means of fighting back. Why did they kill them? What had they done wrong? Is this what they meant when they shouted from the rooftops every day that they loved the people and were fighting for the people?”

Warning: Images of violence --->

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BwVT5Xw8z/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18xcEhL6QP/

I'm only referring to like street food and small shops, regular daily food kind of stuff. I think foreign food offerings and nice restaurants and such have greatly improved over the years, but I feel like simple street food has suffered some pretty big enshitification in the time I've lived here. I wonder if its just me.

This thought struck me this weekend for a couple of reasons:

My favorite place to get Thai pork sausage closed up. I'd been going to this shop occasionally for nearly 20 years, and it was locally well known and well regarded. I realized that I really don't have a replacement for it. This was sort of the last old fashioned place in my area that was really good, none of the other shops even come close.

And I visited a shop I seldom go to (because it's a bit far in a direction I don't go that often), but they sell my favorite pad krapaw gai. This place is honestly just as good as the first time I ever tried it, literally the same. Almost every other shop in my area just isn't nearly as good as they used to be, but this shop seems like they haven't dropped quality at all. I once asked the owner why it was so good, and he just said something like "because we cook everything old style", whatever that might mean. Its not like its any special kind of dish, its just regular pad krapow, but for some reason it has consistently remained good over the years, while others have not. The main thought that struck me is that I still like Thai food just fine - but maybe the quality I was accustomed to just isn't common anymore.

I've been here almost 20 years, and I wonder how much it might be me just getting old and how much is a real-world thing. It seemed like for maybe the first five years or so, I could basically choose any random shop from anywhere and there would be a high chance it would be really good. Now it seems like I have a short list of favorites that is shrinking all the time, with old favorites falling off quicker than new ones are added. I used to basically count on getting pretty good food from anywhere, only occasionally making a mental note that someplace isn't good. Now is seems entirely the opposite.

Anybody else who's been here a while feel the same? Or am I just 'memberin' the good ol' days that weren't actually real?

On October 3, Pol Lt Col Parinya Tho Pengcharoen, Deputy Inspector of Thong Lor Police Station, received a report of a fatal accident in which a car struck two pedestrians on Thong Lor Road, in front of Soi Thong Lor 3 in Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana district, Bangkok. He immediately went to the scene with rescue workers.

At the scene, two injured German women, aged 22 and 23, were found in critical condition. Rescue workers rushed both women to a hospital, where they later died from their injuries.

The driver was identified as a 28-year-old man, whose surname was withheld. He appeared to be intoxicated and admitted to being the driver of the gray MG HS PHEV involved in the crash. The vehicle struck the two pedestrians as they were crossing the road.

Police took the man to Thong Lor Police Station for a breathalyzer test. His blood alcohol level was measured at 145 milligrams per 100 milliliters.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated, causing a collision that resulted in the deaths of others, and was taken into legal custody for further proceedings.

Edit: The deceased were a 23-year-old Thai woman, Ms. Thitima, and a 22-year-old German woman, Ms. Michelle.

หนุ่มเมาแล้วขับ! ซิ่งเก๋งชนสาวไทย-นักท่องเที่ยวสาวเยอรมัน ดับ 2 ศพ ขณะข้ามถนนทองหล่อ ตรวจเมาพุ่ง 145 มิลลิกรัมเปอร์เซ็นต์

I'm half Thai and half Caucasian, but I grew up in Europe. I usually go back to Thailand about once a year and stay for around 1–2 months.

One thing I've noticed pretty consistently is that I seem to get a lot more initial interest from women when I'm in Thailand compared with my home country in Europe. This happens both in real life and on dating apps.

My experience back home has generally been pretty dry, so the contrast whenever I go back to Thailand feels quite big.

I speak Thai at an intermediate level. I can have conversations and get by fairly well, but I'm definitely not a native speaker and there are still plenty of things I don't understand.

I'm curious to hear from both Thai people and other luk khruengs. Is this kind of difference just a fairly normal experience for Thai/Caucasian luk khrueng men in Thailand, or is my experience unusual? More generally, how are luk khrueng men perceived socially in Thailand?

Away from Bangkok’s skyscrapers and busy roads, the Thonburi canals reveal another side of the city. Long-tail boats pass old wooden houses built along the water, with weathered walls, raised homes and colourful details reflecting in the canal.

This is the Bangkok I enjoy discovering as a travel photographer — quieter, more personal and closely connected to everyday life on the water. The Thonburi khlongs feel like a different world, yet they are only minutes from the city’s modern skyline.

I chose 70mm to bring the traditional houses and long-tail boat into a tighter composition. f/9 keeps the architecture and background details sharp, while 1/1000 sec freezes the movement of the boat and water. ISO 400 keeps the image clean while retaining enough exposure in the bright daylight.

Explore Bangkok beyond the skyline.

📍 Thonburi Khlongs, Bangkok, Thailand

Sony Alpha 7 IV · Sony FE 24–70mm f/2.8 GM II · 70mm · f/9.0 · 1/1000 sec · ISO 400

I just spoke with an OAS/CPP representative in Canada. I was giving her my new Direct Deposit details ... she asked over and over and over for the Thai Bank's "7 digit routing" code. My Bank, although I did ask ... said that they have no idea whatsoever what a "7 digit" routing code was.

Am I missing something here?

Does anyone know or have experience with a "7 digit" routing code with a Thai Bank?

I am going to my Bank to inquire again but I know they will look at me like I'm from another planet.

Anybody know ANYTHING about this?

Many thanks, BM

Over 5,000 US military personnel have been steadily disembarking in Phuket Province as the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) anchor off the coast of Phuket for an official visit to Thailand from October 4 to 9.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HqFuNNiUq/

Could anyone please help me with this? I’ve been trying to get in touch with Thailand Post, but I keep getting exactly the same response every time.
My parcel hasn’t had any tracking updates for almost three weeks now and I’m getting increasingly worried that it might have gone missing.
The last tracking update showed that it was handed over to the airline at Suvarnabhumi Airport on 16 September, but there’s been absolutely no movement since then.
Has anyone experienced something similar, or knows who I could contact to get some proper information? I’m starting to get really concerned as it’s quite a valuable parcel.
Thank you.

There is much conflicting information about foreigners that acquired land / house and used the once popular method of a company. If looking to sell the property, and have a thai buyer what is the best approach to selling the company along with the property? Understanding that the DBD and other agencies are auditing and looking for these. If the plan is to undo the error and give the property back to a thai national what is the problem in doing this ? Everything I find online is saying this is what the Thai government wants. Has anyone successful sold and excited successfully ?