Election and referendum to cost B9 billion
Listen to this articlePeople cast their votes in a polling unit set up inside Ban Bang Kapi School in Bangkok for the last general election on May 14, 2023. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)The cabinet has approved a budget of nearly 9 billion baht for the Election Commission (EC) to stage the 2026 general election and a referendum on whether to draft a new constitution on Feb 8. Of the total allocation, 6.75 billion baht has been earmarked for the general election, 525 million for the referendum, and 1.7 billion baht for personnel and operational expenses, for a total of 8.978 billion baht. EC chairman Narong Klanwarin held a meeting on Tuesday with commissioners, secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee, his deputies and other staff to oversee preparations for the election and referendum. Key agenda items included candidate registration procedures, election management and dissemination of referendum guidelines.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 14:06 UTC
Manila ready to mediate Thai-Cambodian dispute
The comment followed discussions among Asean foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur, where Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro joined counterparts at Malaysia’s invitation to review the deteriorating border situation. Thailand, however, rejected the proposal, reaffirming that bilateral mechanisms remain the most appropriate format and insisting that the GBC meeting would be held in Ban Laem district of a meeting of Chanthaburi. The GBC (General Border Committee) is a forum for border security issues chaired by the defence ministers of the two countries. The JBC (Joint Boundary Commission) focuses on legal and technical land demarcation and is led by foreign ministry officials, while the RBC (Regional Border Committee) handles regional border management and cooperation, involving regional military commanders. “I have not seen any country condemning Cambodia and asking why they are laying landmines on Thai territory.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 13:51 UTC
Thailand to study tax on online gold trading
Central bank says ‘huge’ gold trade volumes beyond fundamentals are pushing up bahtListen to this article(Illustration: World Gold Council)Thailand’s finance ministry plans to study the possible imposition of a tax on online gold trading and will look at measures to limit gold trading volumes, permanent secretary Lavaron Sangsnit said on Tuesday. The BoT last week ordered tighter scrutiny of foreign exchange transactions linked to gold trading and instructed commercial banks to closely monitor foreign currency inflows. Gold trading in Thailand currently involves a 15% withholding tax on capital gains for 99.99% purity gold bar forward contracts on the Thailand Futures Exchange. While physical gold sales are generally exempt from value-added tax (VAT), excise tax of 10% may apply to jewellery. Gold traders have voiced opposition to a tax on physical gold and online transactions, saying such efforts to rein in baht appreciation would cause the country to lose its status as a gold trading hub.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 10:47 UTC
Cambodian shelling continues ahead of bilateral truce talks
Cambodian shelling continues ahead of bilateral truce talksListen to this articleDefence Ministry photos show burning communities that were hit by Cambodian rockets in Sa Kaeo province on Monday. The graphic on the left indicates 51 civilian areas in Sa Kaeo hit by Cambodian rockets in the period Dec 8-23. (Screenshots)Cambodia continued its attacks on Thai territory on Tuesday, even though both countries expect bilateral truce talks to begin on Wednesday. About 4pm on Monday, Cambodia fired BM-21 rockets that hit houses in Khok Sung district, Sa Kaeo. Nearly 200 rockets hit their areas and people were injured,” he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 10:44 UTC
Cambodia asks Thailand to move border talks to Malaysia
Cambodia asks Thailand to move border talks to MalaysiaListen to this articleCambodia has asked Thailand to hold bilateral talks in the neutral venue of Kuala Lumpur, with the two nations set to negotiate truce terms. "I would like to tell Cambodia to trust us on safety," Nattaphon said, adding it would be held near the border with Cambodia. Cambodia said Thailand launched air strikes on its territory on Monday, shortly after Bangkok announced the two nations had agreed to hold the bilateral talks. Cambodian defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata told reporters that combat was ongoing Tuesday morning. You know, they started with Cambodia, they started up again," he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 10:42 UTC
Myanmar nationals arrested with drones near Suvarnabhumi
Listen to this articleFour Myanmar nationals were apprehended at a hotel room near Suvarnabhumi airport, where police seized 10 drones from them on Tuesday. (Photo: supplied/ Wassayos Ngamkham)Four Myanmar nationals were taken into custody after a raid on a hotel room suspected of being a control station for drones reported flying near Suvarnabhumi airport. The suspects reportedly told police they had been hired by an unidentified Myanmar national to come and pick up the drones in Thailand. They were apprehended when police searched a room at the Grand BS Airport Hotel Suvarnabhumi in Lat Krabang Soi 30/4, about three kilometres from the airport. The suspects reportedly said they had been ordered to bring the devices to a boss, identified as Kevin Zo, in Myanmar, who would sell them to the Myanmar army.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 10:05 UTC
LGT Thailand supports flood relief efforts in southern Thailand
LGT Thailand supports flood relief efforts in southern ThailandLGT Securities (Thailand) Limited (LGT Thailand), part of LGT Private Banking Asia Pacific, has donated THB 250,000 to support emergency relief efforts for communities affected by the severe flooding in southern Thailand. The contribution underlines LGT’s long-term commitment to supporting the communities in which it operates. Another THB 100,000 was allocated to Prince of Songkla University, and the remaining THB 50,000 to The Mirror Foundation. The Prince of Songkla University, located in one of the affected provinces, has been operating as an emergency evacuation camp for flood victims. The Mirror Foundation is a well-established non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works across Thailand to support vulnerable communities through humanitarian aid, including in times of natural disaster.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 10:01 UTC
China urges Thailand, Cambodia to resume ceasefire as soon as possible
China urges Thailand, Cambodia to resume ceasefire as soon as possibleListen to this articleDeng Xijun, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Special Envoy for Asian Affairs, fourth from left, meet with Thai government officials in Bangkok on Sunday to discuss the situation along the Thailand-Cambodian border. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)BEIJING — The top priority for Thailand and Cambodia is to agree to a ceasefire and stop fighting as soon as possible resume dialogue, and resolve their border disputes peacefully, a special Chinese envoy to the region said. On Sunday, Deng met with senior Thai officials after he visited Phnom Penh. Displaced people walk after receiving food at a temporary shelter amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Buri Ram province, Thailand, on Dec 16, 2025. China, which calls itself a "friend" and "close neighbour" to both Cambodia and Thailand, has been seeking to facilitate mediation.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 08:35 UTC
Gold sets 50th daily record this year on rate-cut bets and risk
(Photo: Somchai Poomlard)NEW YORK — Gold rose to a record high — the 50th day it has done so this year — on escalating geopolitical tensions and prospects for more US rate cuts. Silver rose as much as 1.4% to within a cent of $70 an ounce. Spot gold rose 0.9% to $4,484.18 an ounce as of 11.52am in Singapore, having hit a record of $4,497.74 earlier. In Thailand, gold prices rose 900 baht on Tuesday morning. The buying and selling prices were 65,850 and 65,950 baht for bullion, and 64,536.12 and 66,750 baht for gold ornaments.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 06:02 UTC
China calls US ship seizures ‘serious violation' of international law
China's foreign ministry on Monday said the United States' seizure of another country's ships was a serious violation of international law, after the U.S. intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 05:50 UTC
Foreign tourist arrivals down 7.25%
Foreign tourist arrivals down 7.25%Listen to this articleTourists observe the Angkor Wat replica and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha Temple within the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok in July 2025. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)Thailand's foreign tourist arrivals from Jan 1 to Dec 21, 2025, fell 7.25% from the same period a year earlier, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said on Tuesday. There were 31.76 million foreign visitors over the period, the ministry said in a statement. Malaysia was the largest source market with 4.38 million visitors, followed by China with 4.36 million. Last week, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) maintained its forecast for foreign tourist arrivals this year at 33 million.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 05:47 UTC
Spain's traditional Christmas lottery draw starts in Madrid
Spain's traditional Christmas lottery draw kicked off on Monday (December 22) at the Royal Theater in Madrid where the children of San Ildefonso school began calling out the winning numbers that will spread nearly $3.1 billion (2.7 billion euros) across Spain.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 05:47 UTC
Unsafe levels of smog cover Bangkok, 26 provinces
Unsafe levels of smog cover Bangkok, 26 provincesListen to this articleUltra-fine dust reached unsafe levels in Bangkok and 26 provinces, primarily in the Central Plains, on Tuesday morning, according to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda). Very good air quality was detected in 11 southern provinces, with PM2.5 levels between 9.5 and 14.6 µg/m³. The provinces included Phuket, Narathiwat, Pattani, Mae Hong Son, Yala, Trang, Satun, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Krabi. Other provinces experienced either good or moderate air quality. The Meteorological Department attributed the smog accumulation to stagnant air, which is expected to persist until Wednesday.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 05:11 UTC
Deadly clashes in Aleppo as Turkey urges Kurds not to be obstacle to Syria's stability
The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) meanwhile said they had "issued directives to our forces to cease responding to attacks". Syria's interior ministry said Kurdish forces attacked government personnel at joint checkpoints in the two Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods. The defence ministry denied attacking SDF positions, while the Kurdish-led force denied targeting Aleppo neighbourhoods. In October, Syria announced a comprehensive ceasefire with Kurdish forces following deadly clashes in the districts. Shaibani said authorities had received an SDF response to a Syrian defence ministry proposal on integrating the Kurdish-led forces.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 05:05 UTC
Starving lions, bears found caged in abandoned Cambodian border casino
Starving lions, bears found caged in abandoned Cambodian border casinoListen to this articleOne of the two lions found in cages inside the now-abandoned Cambodian casino opposite the Thai Trat border. (Photo: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation)Five emaciated animals, two lions and three bears, were found abandoned in cages when Thai marines inspected a captured casino building immediately across the border from Trat province. There were a pair of lions, two asiatic black bears and one sun bear. (continues below)Two of the bears found caged inside the deserted Cambodian casino, just across the border from Thailand's Trat province. (Photo: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation)The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation sent a veterinary team to the site on Monday to assess the animals’ condition and arrange for their immediate relocation to better quarters.
Source:Bangkok Post
December 23, 2025 05:05 UTC