Listen to this articleRattapoom “Film” Tokongsup waves to photographers as the Palang Pracharath Party introduces him and its other election candidates ahead of the 2023 general election, in Bangkok in early 2023. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)Singer Rattapoom “Film” Tokongsup has resigned from the opposition Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) amid a probe into alleged extortion related to The iCon Group case. The potential clients were the chief executive officer and a major dealer of The iCon Group direct marketing company. Mr Rattapoom last week insisted on his innocence and said the potential clients consulted with him about their communications plan and had a 20-million-baht budget for it. She was arrested in Pathum Thani province on Saturday on charges of extortion and bribe solicitation concerning complaints against the business of The iCon Group, which sold dietary supplements through networks of dealers.

Grand parade for arrival of Lord Buddha’s toothListen to this articleA procession takes relics of the Lord Buddha and his chief disciples — Sariputra and Moggallana — arriving from India to a ceremonial pavilion at Sanam Luang, Bangkok, in February this year. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)The government will organise a grand parade for the arrival of Lord Buddha's tooth, on loan from China, in Bangkok on Dec 4. The parade will escort the sacred tooth from Wing 6 at Don Mueang to the Maha Jessada Bodin pavilion on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, and then to Sanam Luang ground near the Grand Palace. The sacred tooth will be enshrined at Sanam Luang, where devotees will be abe to pay homage until Feb 14 next year. During the period there will be special activities at Sanam Luang, including a New Year transition prayer, New Year alms giving and ceremonies for the Lunar New Year and Makha Bucha Day.

At least 8 killed as super typhoon hits Philippines (Photo: bangkokpost.com)Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine authorities reported on November 18 that Typhoon Man-yi killed at least eight people and injured three others after landing in the country over the weekend. The storm struck Catanduanes Island on the night of November 16 before hitting Luzon Island on the afternoon of November 17, triggering flooding and landslides along its path. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured ongoing rescue operations in isolated areas and pledged aid for displaced residents lacking food preparation tools and access to clean water. Typhoon Man-yi significantly weakened as it moved through the mountainous region of Luzon, transitioning into a tropical depression as it crossed the East Sea and headed toward Vietnam on November 18. Several provinces have declared states of calamity due to the extensive damage./.

Govt speeds up rights boostListen to this articleThe Labour Ministry is speeding up its changes to the Labour Relations Act and the State Enterprise Labor Relations Act to ensure basic labour rights in the country meet international standards, says spokesman Phumipat Mueanchan. These revisions aim to support workers' rights to collective bargaining on wages, as outlined in ILO Conventions No 87 (1948) and No 98 (1949). If approved, the changes would strengthen labour rights in Thailand and address workers' fundamental demands. SSO deputy secretary-general Surasit Srikaew said 52.3% of Thailand's workforce operates in the informal sector, often without pensions or social security benefits. In addition, an MoU was signed between labour groups to promote labour rights goals, marking a collaborative milestone.

India's successful test of hypersonic missile puts it among elite groupListen to this articleNEW DELHI - India has successfully tested a domestically developed long-range hypersonic missile, it said on Sunday, attaining a key milestone in military development that puts it in a small group of nations possessing the advanced technology. The global push for hypersonic weapons figures in the efforts of some countries, such as India, which is striving to develop advanced long-range missiles, along with China, Russia and the United States. "The flight data ... confirmed the successful terminal manoeuvres and impact with high degree of accuracy," it added. The test-firing took place from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the eastern coast of Odisha state on Saturday, it said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called the test a "historic achievement" in a post on X, adding that it placed India among a select group of nations possessing such critical and advanced technologies

Residents in New Delhi are facing severe health consequences as air quality reaches extremely dangerous levels. India's government is implementing measures to try reduce the toxic smog over the city but allergy sufferers are being told they must leave the world's most polluted capital to save their health.

Police say seven suspects in Yasothon sold clips to members of private online groupsPolice question one of the seven suspects arrested in Yasothon for allegedly luring boys into filming obscene videos and selling the content to a private online group. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)YASOTHON - Seven transgender women have been arrested for allegedly luring boys into filming obscene videos and selling the content to a private group. An investigation found the group lured boys at concerts in the area before taking them to commit indecent acts and secretly recording videos to post for sale in their private groups on social media, he said. Police arrested the seven suspects and seized eight mobile phones used to distribute the videos, he said. They were charged with conspiring to traffic in people by creating and distributing obscene media featuring minors.

Xi Jinping, China's president, during a bilateral meeting Dina Boluarte, Peru's president, not pictured, at the Government Palace in Lima, Peru, on Thursday. (Photo: Bloomberg)LIMA — As United States President-elect Donald Trump threatens to impose tariffs on the entire world, Xi Jinping is once again wasting no time in positioning himself as the premier defender of the international trading system. China's leader warned on Friday that the global economy was fracturing as protectionism spreads, leading to "severe challenges." For Xi, it is a role he played when Trump first rose to power in 2017. "It wasn't easy," Trudeau said of the first round of trade discussions with Trump.

In a remote Indonesian village, teacher Abidin uses the Korean alphabet Hangul to transcribe and preserve the endangered Cia-Cia dialect, ensuring its survival for future generations.

Thai Airways is no longer classified as a state enterprise. "The Finance Ministry and Sepo are reviewing the need for an additional capital injection into Thai Airways," he said. "The company's performance has been consistently good, prompting shareholders, including the ministry, to reconsider whether a further capital infusion is necessary." The Finance Ministry sought to add these administrators to provide a micro-level of focus on securities and the company's valuation, he said. "With the government holding a 40% stake in Thai Airways, it would be difficult to deny such involvement entirely."

Illustrative image (Photo: https://www.bangkokpost.com/)Bangkok (VNA) - Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is projected to raise Thailand's GDP by 6% by 2030, with hefty contributions from the trade and manufacturing sectors, according to a joint online survey by SCB X and SCB Economic Intelligence Centre (SCB EIC) of the country. According to the SCB X-SCB EIC survey of small- and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) business readiness for GenAI, conducted from April 18 to 25, 2024, the companies are increasingly familiar with GenAI and have started using AI more widely, especially in the manufacturing and service sectors, for marketing and sales, as well as seeking additional information and new business ideas. However, the survey noted that Thai SMEs are not fully prepared for the arrival of GenAI, particularly in terms of data readiness and infrastructure. In another study, the "IDC Data and AI Pulse: Asia-Pacific 2024", commissioned by AI analytics firm SAS, only 23% of organisations in Southeast Asia were described as transformative in their AI adoption. The survey highlights the challenges faced by early adopters, such as a lack of specialised skilled personnel (41%), managing costs associated with AI development and deployment (30%), and lack of clear evaluation criteria for AI solutions (29%).

People's Party submits push to limit Senate's roleThe Democracy Monument in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, in July 2024. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)One of the proposals for an amendment to the constitution submitted by the People's Party (PP) seeks to exclude the Senate from the charter amendment process, according to the secretariat of the House of Representatives. According to the House secretariat, the PP has submitted 17 proposals seeking to amend the constitution section by section. The section stipulates that a charter amendment bill requires the support of at least one-third of the new 200-member Senate, or 67 senators. Before it was dissolved and reborn as the PP, the Move Forward Party pushed three charter amendment proposals.

Thailand’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) will start looking into the legal aspects of a small modular reactor project this month to prepare Thailand for using nuclear energy. The ongoing development of a small modular reactor within a new power generation facility in Hainan, China. (Photo: bangkokpost.com)Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) will start looking into the legal aspects of a small modular reactor project this month to prepare Thailand for using nuclear energy. Thailand uses natural gas as a major fuel for power generation but the supply of natural gas is decreasing. As the result, the country needs to find new fuels while it is also committed to using more clean energy, as stated in its 2024 power development plan.

Study-work policy to keep kids in classListen to this articleThe Digital Economy and Society Ministry is pushing a policy allowing students to earn additional income while studying in a bid to bring out-of-school children back into the classroom. Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong chaired the first meeting of the Thailand Zero Dropout committee on Tuesday, which Nahathai Thewphaingarm, assistant to the Prime Minister's Office's minister and vice-chairwoman of the committee, also attended. The committee is addressing the issue of children and youth dropping out of school, in line with the government's education policy. More broadly, the Thailand Zero Dropout committee aims to streamline the education system and offer people access to lifelong learning across all age groups in response to the government's nine-point education master policy announced on Sept 12. Mr Prasert, also deputy prime minister, said the dropout problem needs to be systematically tackled in the long term.

Thailand set to reap $2 billion 'rainbow tourism' boonListen to this articleThe Love Pride Parade 2024 is held in Bangkok to celebrate Pride Month in July. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Thailand's landmark move to legalise same-sex marriage is set to boost “rainbow tourism” by attracting four million more visitors annually, and generate about US$2 billion in revenue, according to travel platform Agoda. Thailand became the first nation in Southeast Asia earlier this year to legalize same-sex marriage, and the third in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal. Tourism is a key growth driver for the Thai economy, the second largest in Southeast Asia. In 2019, Thailand saw record foreign arrivals — almost 40 million — which generated $60 billion in revenue.