The Royal Thai Navy holds a blessing ceremony on July 2 for the first 14 boats of the royal barge procession before they are launched on the Chao Phraya River on July 4.

That will bring total new borrowing in the fiscal year to 1 trillion THB, Deputy Spokesperson of the Government Radklao Suwankhiri told a news briefing on July 2. Meanwhile, Government Spokesman Chai Wacharonke said the additional borrowing will be used to fund the digital wallet handout, scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter, at a cost of 500 billion THB. The plan is opposed by the Bank of Thailand (BOT) and some economists for its potential inflationary and fiscal impact. In May, the country's cabinet approved a plan to increase the 2024 fiscal budget by 122 billion THB to help finance the stimulus programme. Rudklao noted that the additional loan of 276 billion THB is intended to support projects of the State Railway of Thailand and the new debt restructuring plan for SOEs, along with an additional loan of 3.47 billion THB from domestic sources.

Foreigners arrested for long overstays in PhuketThree foreign men are arrested in Phuket on Wednesday for overstaying their visas. A fourth was also arrested by immigration officials for overstay. (Photo: Phuket immigration office)PHUKET: Four foreign men were arrested for overstaying by from 234 days to over five years during random visa inspections on Wednesday morning. The four were - Mohamed, an Egyptian who had overstayed for 1,898 days; Zubair, a Pakistani with 1,734 days overstay; Haitham, an Egyptian with a 234-day overstay; and a Russian named Dmitrii, 413 days. The owners of the places were fined for not reporting foreigners staying there within 24 hours of their arrival, under Section 38 of the Immigration Act.

A Cambodian court handed jail terms of up to eight years to 10 activists of environmental group Mother Nature, on charges of plotting against the government and insulting the king, the group's founder and a lawyer said on Tuesday (July 2).

Overcrowding of venue for Hindu religious event in Uttar Pradesh blamed for tragedyPeople mourn next to the bodies of victims of a stampede outside a hospital in Hathras district in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India on July 2. (Photo: Stringer via Reuters)NEW DELHI - At least 107 people were feared dead in a stampede at a Hindu religious gathering in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, the broadcaster NDTV reported. The stampede happened in a village in Hathras district, about 200 kilometres southeast of New Delhi, where authorities said a large crowd had gathered on an area of open ground in response to a call from a local religious leader. Videos on social media showed bodies piled up on the ground outside a local hospital. “The incident happened due to overcrowding at the time when people were trying to leave the venue,” Hathras district administrator Ashish Kumar told reporters.

Thailand, India join regional plan for instant retail cross-border paymentsFILE PHOTO: The tower of the headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is seen in Basel, Switzerland on March 18, 2021. (Reuters)MUMBAI: The central banks of Thailand, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines are working together to start an instant cross-border retail payments platform by 2026, the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) said on Monday. BIS, dubbed the central bankers' central bank, said it aims to link each country's instant digital payment system -- like India's United Payment Interface (UPI) and Singapore's PayNow -- as part of Project Nexus, its initiative to enhance cross-border payments. India and the other four countries will be the founding members of the platform, while Indonesia will serve as a special observer, the BIS said. "Even with just the first wave of connected countries, Nexus has the potential to connect a market of 1.7 billion people globally, allowing them to make instant payments to each other easily and cheaply," Agustín Carstens, general manager of the BIS, said in a statement.

Pita LimjaroenratMove Forward Party (MFP) chief adviser Pita Limjaroenrat has accused the Election Commission (EC) of double standards for its petition to the Constitutional Court seeking to disband the party. Mr Pita said it is evident that Section 93 of the law cannot be exercised without a connection to Section 92. If both sections are exercised separately in a party dissolution case, a double standard will occur, he said. He also emphasised the need for a party facing dissolution to dispute the charges with the EC. The court ordered the MFP on June 19 to prepare evidence within seven days for a hearing this Wednesday.

Thailand exported 221,092 tonnes of canned tuna in the first five months of 2024 with a value of 978.58 million USD, up 19.39% in volume and 13.40% in value compared to the same period last year. Thailand tops world’s canned tuna exports (Photo: bangkokpost.com)Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand exported 221,092 tonnes of canned tuna in the first five months of 2024 with a value of 978.58 million USD, up 19.39% in volume and 13.40% in value compared to the same period last year. Besides, by-product from canned tuna production is used as a raw material in the production of pet food. In 2023, the top five canned tuna export markets for Thailand were the US with a value of 482 million USD, accounting for 23.1% of the total, Japan at 257 million USD (12.3%), Australia at 172.68 million USSD (8.27%), Libya at 150 million USD (7.2%), and Saudi Arabia 137.92 million USD (6.61%). Supporting factors for the surge of Thai canned tuna exports this year are lower costs for raw tuna, growing demand for halal food, and geopolitical risks, which have led to higher product stocks, according to TPSO.

Thai visitors using a border pass or temporary border pass can now stay in Laos for 10 days, the Vientiane Times reported on Monday. Thai border pass holders "must also use the services of a Lao tour company registered with the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism", the Vientiane Times added. Vietnamese visiting Laos using a border pass receive the same benefits as Thais. Laos has also relaxed visa and border pass restrictions for about two dozen other countries, but the conditions vary. For example, tourists from China can visit Laos for 15 days with no need for a visa if they travel in a group.

Car bomb outside police flat kills 1, injures 16 in YalaFire erupts after an explosion at a police flat in Bannang Sata district, Yala, on Sunday morning. The explosion happened in front of a flat belonging to Bannang Sata police station at about 10.30am. The scene is in Bannang Sata municipality and is not far from the Bannang Sata district office and a market. Of the 16 injured people, six were police officers and ten were local residents. The incident was the first car bomb explosion in the far South this year.

US ambassador proposes to sell F-16 fight jets: PMA Thai air force F-16 fighter jet is seen in this picture taken in Nakhon Ratchasima province early this year. (Photo: Royal Thai Air Force)Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Sunday said the United States ambassador wrote to him to propose that the Thai air force buy F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, but said many points had yet to be discussed – including his requirement for the United States' reciprocal and equal investment in Thailand. The prime minister said the US ambassador, Robert Godec, wrote to him to ask the air force to purchase F-16 Block 70 fighter jets from the US company Lockheed Martin. Mr Srettha said he had discussed the air force's project to buy new fighter jets with air force chief ACM Panpakdee Patanakul on several occasions because it had used F-16 Block 35 jets for a long time. The US ambassador's contact was made as Sweden was offering to sell its SAAB Gripen fighter jets to the air force.

Tens of thousands of people took part in the big annual pride march in Paris on Saturday (June 29), with LGBT rights groups saying they fear discrimination if a far-right government takes power following the country's election. "The National Rally and its far-right allies are fundamentally hateful, particularly towards LGBTQIA+ minorities," Drag queen Simone de Boulevard told Reuters at the event. Another participant, Cian Grourke, said the National Front will ruin France if they are in charge.

A country full of Eastern promiseWatching the current Euro football championships has served as a reminder that the official name of the country known to most of us as Turkey, is now Turkiye, pronounced "Turkiya". The change was believed to have been made partly to disassociate the country from the large bird of the same name and other negative interpretations of the word "turkey". As a kid I was always vulnerable to the tasty Fry's Turkish Delight, a blob of gel which we were told was "Full of Eastern Promise". It turned out later that the model was anything but "Eastern" and was actually the daughter of a Yorkshire miller from West Riding. I recall walking around Bang Kachao in 1979 with colleague Tony Waltham.

Prajanchai becomes two-sport ONE world champONE Friday Fights 68: Prajanchai v Di Bella took over Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and continued the weekly series that features some of combat sport’s biggest names. The event played host to a multitude of elite Muay Thai and kickboxing outings on Friday and the main event was as scintillating as advertised. ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai completed his bid to become a two-sport king after toppling former champ Jonathan Di Bella for the vacant ONE strawweight kickboxing world title. And, as a result, Prajanchai earned the unanimous decision to capture the vacant strawweight kickboxing crown and walk away a two-sport world champion. Kongthoranee eventually grew into the contest, but Superlek cruised to victory and moved onward to his date with ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver in September.

Old guard prevails in Senate electionsA candidate arrives to cast his vote during the final round of Thailand's national Senate election in Bangkok on Wednesday. Yet, Pheu Thai may find it hard to comprehend why it has plunged this deep. This attests to another bitter fact: the Pheu Thai de facto leader has lost his spell. With the Senate under BJT control, Pheu Thai has to brace for tough times ahead. If that happens, it will be a real loss for Pheu Thai.