Under the theme "Designing the Future of Thai Coffee", the much-awaited Thailand Coffee Fest 2022 kicks off on Thursday, featuring more than 200 cafes and roasters as well as a wide range of related products and innovative services. The four-day event, a partnership between the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand and The Cloud, is held at Impact Exhibition Hall 5–7 in Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi province, until Sunday. It treats coffee drinkers, connoisseurs and proprietors, from Thailand and overseas, to an impressive roster of activities, including coffee omakase tasting, Thai coffee showcase by an award-winning barista, bakery pairing and a robot barista experience and stage talks by well-known guest speakers. Among the highlighted topics are an introduction to low temperature and low humidity drying, yeast processing coffee cupping, packaging design and coffee sustainability. The seventh edition of the country's largest annual coffee fair occupies 15,000 square metres and can accommodate 25,000 visitors daily.

No escape from mailed finesA traffic offender is considered by law to have acknowledged a fine once it has been sent to them via registered mail, according to the latest regulation by the Royal Thai Police (RTP). The traffic tickets must then be sent to them later. The regulation came after the RTP warned last month that motorists who refuse to pay their traffic fines could face arrest. Under the new measure now in effect, motorists who fail to settle their fines before the deadline will receive a warning. The measure was launched after many motorists were found to have failed to pay their outstanding fines and carried on violating traffic rules.

Group of 16 split on backing PMPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks to reporters at Government House this month. The group will meet Gen Prawit on Sunday to discuss the issue, he said. He said despite Setthakij Thai withdrawing from the coalition, there is no need for the Group of 16 to do so. He also said he will meet Gen Prawit on Sunday to bid him farewell. He has made it clear he will not support Gen Prayut, but he will vote for Gen Prawit in the censure motion.

Hostage-taker shot in shoulder, woman rescuedSpecial weapons and tactics police arrest the hostage-taker after shooting him in the shoulder, at Theparak community in Muang district, Khon Kaen, on Thursday. The man, whose name was not known, was shot in the left shoulder. He was armed with an M61 hand grenade and he took the shop owner's wife hostage. The officers tried to persuade him to lay it down, but he refused. The woman hostage runs from the shop after police shoot her captor, ending her three-hour ordeal.

Heavy rain to fade away from FridayRun-off from Rong Kla mountain range causes the Khwae Noi River to overflow in Nakhon Thai district of Phitsanulok on Thursday. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)​Weathermen forecast heavy rain nationwide throughout Thursday, and then gradual improvement until next Wednesday. Residents were warned to keep alert for hillside runoff in areas of persistent rain, she said. Heavy rain would continue only in some areas of the East and the western coast of the South. From next Monday to Wednesday the monsoon over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand would further lose strength and rain would become scarce.

7 rescued after night in rough seaTRAT: Seven crew of a fishing boat that capsized in a storm were rescued on Wednesday after nine hours in a wave-tossed sea clinging to lifebuoys. A navy patrol boat, Tor 227, was sent from the pier in Khlong Yai district to search for the crew. About 8am on Wednesday, the seven men, comprising the Thai captain and six Cambodians, were plucked from the sea to safety. They were taken ashore at Khlong Yai pier and taken to Khlong Yai Hospital for health checks. The strong southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

(Photo: Apichart Jinakul)Some are asking what if any role the Setthakij Thai Party led by Thamanat Prompow can play in overthrowing the government in the upcoming no-confidence debate. Mr Wanwichit said the Setthakij Thai leader is taking a big gamble on his political future and there is no guarantee the MPs under Setthakij Thai will all vote as instructed. Mr Yuttaporn said he does not believe all Setthakij Thai MPs will take their cue from Capt Thamanat in the no-confidence debate taking place on July 19-22. "Setthakij Thai has more than 10 votes in the bag, so we have a reason to worry. Deputy Pheu Thai leader and chief opposition whip Sutin Klungsang said Setthakij Thai would be judged by the people for its actions and it would be accepted if it kept its word.

The event highlights health travel, massages and herbals, serving the trend of Wellness Tourism showing Thailand's potential as a Global Medical & Wellness Hub. HighlightsWellness Travel: Travel packages in five regions are available. Central, the original Thai massage, including royal massage or nuad chaleisak, hot wax candle massage, and Nuad Mai Tabong cudgel massage. Don't miss Thailand Hub of Health & Travel: Wellness Travel, Health Massage, Wellness Herbals. Thailand Hub of Health & Travel is held in tandem with the Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration (SHA) guidelines for hygienic safety standards.

Setthakij Thai Party leader Thamanat Prompow. Deputy Setthakij Thai leader, Wichit Plangsrisakul, said on Tuesday the defeat in the by-election showed that people disagreed with the party supporting the government. The two MPs on Tuesday submitted a letter informing the prime minister they want to resign from those roles with immediate effect. Setthakij Thai is home to 18 MPs, including Capt Thamanat, who were all expelled by the PPRP for acting as renegades. Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew previously said he expected the debate to last five days, probably from July 18-22.

Robbery suspects freed on bailThree men, including the son of a well-known motivational speaker, charged with detaining a foreign businessman and robbing him of a luxury car and other valuables worth 4.5-million-baht last month were freed on bail on Tuesday, police said. On Tuesday, the Criminal Court released all three men on bail. Bails for Mr Tharit and Mr Petch were set for 1 million baht each and Mr Thobthong for 500,000 baht. All three are barred from leaving the country, and Mr Tharit and Mr Petch must wear electronic monitoring bracelets. Mr Petch is the son of Thitinart na Phatthalung, a well-known motivational speaker and author of the once-popular Khem Tid Chiwit (The Life Compass) book, while Mr Petch is an executive of PRX Co, the developer of PRX Metaverse.

Setthakij Thai Party leader Thamanat Prompow in its meeting in March 2022. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)Two MPs of the Setthakij Thai Party resigned as government whips on Tuesday after their party's loss in a by-election in Lampang province on Sunday. Phai Lik, MP for Kamphaeng Phet and Setthakij Thai secretary-general, and Boonyasing Warinrak, party registrar and list MP, resigned as government whips with immediate effect, according to media reports. Setthakij Thai leader Thamanat Prompow said his party lost the by-election in Lampang because its stance had been unclear. Setthakij Thai is home to 18 MPs.

For example, it has been reducing the cost of LPG gas prices for low-income people, street food vendors and the poor who hold state welfare cards. He said state welfare holders are eligible to buy cooking gas at lower prices since October last year until now. PTT has also provided crude oil to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand to help them lower the cost of generating power, Auttapol added. He said PTT has also granted 1.046 billion baht to help members of society affected by the Covid-19 crisis, through its “Same Breathe” programme. In total, PTT has spent 3.3 billion baht to help society via several measures from January to April this year, he added.

“A weaker baht will bring back foreign visitors as they need to spend less for the same amount of products and services,” ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn said on Monday. “However, how much effect this has on the overall tourism industry is yet to be evaluated as several countries are still suffering from economic recession. “Again, most travellers will be big spenders, as they are probably not worried about having to pay extra,” he said. The Bank of Thailand reported that this year the baht rose to the highest at 32.83 baht to the US dollar in February, before dropping to 34.57 in May and 35.13 in June. On July 7 the baht dropped to 36.36 baht to the US dollar, the lowest so far this year.

The Public Health Ministry has urged people to continue taking precautions against Covid-19 so as to avoid the risk of contracting the disease during a five-day holiday starting on Wednesday. The situation will remain under control if people follow precautions strictly, said Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Despite the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 [Omicron subvariants], booster shots help prevent severe symptoms and death," Mr Anutin said. During the long holiday, travel and tourism are necessary to stimulate the economy though people are advised to continue to take personal precautions, Dr Chakrarat said. The Public Health Ministry has asked hospitals to collect samples from patients with lung inflammation for further analysis, Dr Supakit said.

Police discuss the child sex trafficking case in Surat Thani province in May. The deputy director-general, Mr Phisit, allegedly phoned children at the shelter and persuaded them to provide sexual services. Since then, a number of officials have been implicated in the case, including Mr Phisit, other state officials as well as soldiers, teachers and doctors in the area. Mr Phisit has been charged with obstruction of justice while Mr Suwat faces the same charge as well a charge of duress by physical abuse. Police said that Mr Saengroj will be remanded in custody at Surat Thani Provincial Court until the trial due to concerns over potential interference in the investigation.