The measure specifically targets gold trading via mobile applications, which authorities believe is directly impacting the baht's exchange rate. The move is aimed at minimising the impact of skyrocketing gold prices on the baht which has gained 0.9% year to date as Asia's best performing currency. "Tightening oversight of online gold trading could somehow help soften the effect of jumping global gold prices on the baht's volatility but it could not slow the baht's strength," Ms Kanjana told the Bangkok Post. Siriluck Pakotiprapha, vice-president of the research department at gold trader Hua Seng Heng Futures Co, shared a similar view, noting that most Thai investors still prefer to use baht in gold trading. Locally, it projects gold bars to trade near 70,000 baht per baht weight, as prices soared 600 baht to 69,050 baht on Monday.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) has remained firm in its plan to have the country's three largest alcohol producers float shares on the Thai bourse, projecting that Thai Beverage Plc (ThaiBev) will become the first to list as early as this year. SET chairman Kitipong Urapeepatanapong said that alcohol producers are large-scale, highly profitable businesses that remain underrepresented in Thailand's equity market. Alcohol producers would be a new growth engine for the Thai stock market," said Mr Kitipong, noting that such businesses are widely accepted and actively traded on major stock exchanges worldwide. Beyond ThaiBev, SET has also approached Boon Rawd Brewery, the producer of Singha beer, Thailand's oldest beer manufacturers and one of its largest. While Boon Rawd may require additional corporate restructuring, Mr Kitipong believes it could be ready for a listing within three years.

War room touted amid Vietnam rivalryListen to this articleA pagoda decorated with millions of ceramic pieces woos visitors to the city of Da Lat in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. This situation requires the new government to establish a tourism war room in collaboration with private sectors to plan a proactive tourism strategy. "We need a tourism war room supported by private operators to plan the low-season and long-term strategy." Regarding the first-quarter outlook, overall hotel performance is expected to be similar to that of last year, both in terms of occupancy rate and room rate, he said. Mr Thienprasit said that since Chinese New Year in 2026 will fall in mid-February, the number of Chinese tourists might pick up next month.

Thailand last topped the Asean Para Games medal table in Singapore in 2015. Returning as hosts for the first time in 18 years, the home contingent is targeting 233 gold medals from 19 sports. However, she has never competed in the Asean Para Games as the sport was not included in the tournament after the 2008 Games in Thailand. Three-time Paralympic gold medallist Pongsakorn will be a part of the wheelchair racing team, featuring well-known athletes such as Chaiwat Rattana, Athiwat Paeng-Nuea, and the legendary Prawat Wahoram. "I am confident that all Asean member nations place great importance on the 13th Asean Para Games in Thailand.

"The regulation requiring rice exporters to hold at least 100 tonnes of rice in stock is intended to prevent traders from 'catching a tiger with bare hands' -- having no rice in stock. Stockpiling rice also enables the state to oversee the quality of rice for export, as historically some rice shipments were rejected and returned due to poor quality. Regarding stockholding costs, Mr Somporn said medium-sized rice mills naturally maintain rice stocks as part of their normal trading operations. "The cost of holding rice stocks is not very high because exporters normally need to keep a certain amount of milled rice in stock. FREE TRADE FOR RICEChookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said rice exporters have to ensure adequate rice for customers while safeguarding the country's food security.

Hotel worker held for room entry bidListen to this articlePHUKET: A hotel employee accused of attempting to enter a female guest's room late at night was taken into custody Sunday afternoon and brought before the Phuket Provincial Court, where he pleaded guilty to attempted nighttime trespass. The guest later filed a complaint with police. The hotel later clarified that he was a loss prevention supervisor, not the security chief, and confirmed that his employment has now been terminated. Following circulation of the CCTV footage, Phuket provincial authorities inspected the hotel on the orders of Governor Nirut Pongsitthithawon. The hotel said it immediately assisted the guest by moving her to another room and issuing a refund, excluding food charges.

Health volunteers hope to encourage voter turnoutListen to this articleMore than one million local health volunteers nationwide will go door to door to encourage eligible voters to exercise their right to vote in the Feb 8 general election, according to the Department of Health Service Support (DHSS). Volunteers will visit households to remind citizens of the importance of voting and to promote clean and fair elections. To support the campaign, the DHSS has issued a circular to provincial public health offices, presidents of local health volunteer clubs and all 12 regional health service support centres nationwide, inviting volunteers to take part in outreach activities under the no vote-buying scheme. Local health volunteers are also expected to play a key role in assisting vulnerable groups, including the elderly and persons with disabilities, by helping them access polling stations and exercise their voting rights. According to the DHSS, Thailand has about 1.07 million local health volunteers.

Petition over Pheu Thai eventListen to this articlePheu Thai Party list MP candidate Chaturon ChaisaengActivist Srisuwan Janya on Monday filed a petition with the Election Commission (EC) seeking an investigation into Chaturon Chaisaeng, a Pheu Thai Party party-list MP candidate, over the dissemination of a video clip featuring youth football players that promoted approval of a constitutional amendment in the upcoming referendum. Mr Srisuwan submitted the complaint to the EC and its secretary-general, arguing that the clip may violate the law. The activist said that although the clip has since been deleted, the alleged offence was already complete under the law, prompting the petition for a full investigation and penalties. Critics said it was inappropriate to involve minors in political campaigning and claimed the video steered voters toward a "yes" vote, undermining neutrality. He maintained that the expressions by the coach and players reflected their freedom of expression and were not an endorsement of any political party.

US seeks Thai help on Gaza peace planListen to this articleThailand is reviewing an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join a US initiative to end the Gaza conflict. The government said it has acknowledged the US initiative, including plans to establish a Board of Peace of which Thailand could be a member, and is carefully considering the substance and implications of the proposals. In principle, Thailand said it welcomes initiatives that could contribute to lasting peace in the Middle East and support humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people, emphasising that any process should reflect Palestinian aspirations and gain regional support. Thailand reaffirmed its position backing a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, in accordance with international law and UN resolutions.

Listen to this articleMassage parlour tycoon-turned-politician Chuvit Kamolvisit eats an orange at a press conference, where he denied attacking the People's Party with false information. Wisuttipong RodpaiThe People's Party (PP) has denied allegations of a secret political deal with Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, dismissing claims that it had promised him the post of deputy prime minister in exchange for securing 10 MPs in southern Thailand. However, he said Mr Chuvit had continued to circulate allegations that had already been publicly clarified by PP, prompting doubts about his motives. Mr Wiroj said the latest criticism by Mr Chuvit went beyond fair criticism, accusing him of stitching together unrelated information and using personal conjecture to falsely allege a deal with Pol Gen Surachate. "The People's Party accepts all sincere criticism from the public, even harsh words," Mr Wiroj said.

Labour Dept says ITD safety awards were project-basedListen to this articleThe Department of Labour Protection and Welfare on Monday clarified confusion surrounding safety awards given to Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD), the main contractor involved in last week's crane collapse incidents. Saroj Khomkhai, the department's director-general, said that the awards for outstanding safety and occupational health were based on evaluations of two specific projects, not an endorsement of the company's overall construction record. He said each assessment was conducted separately, and that each project was required to manage safety and occupational health systems and strictly meet the department's criteria and conditions. Awards for outstanding safety and occupational health were presented for a project manufacturing construction frameworks in Saraburi, and for the construction of the Corrections Department's hospital building in Bangkok. Mr Saroj said the awards were based on safety performance over two consecutive years for industrial operations and one year for construction projects.

Charter debate draws interestListen to this articleElection Commission secretary-general Sawaeng BoonmeeA public debate on the referendum on whether to approve the drafting of a new constitution will be held on Jan 25, following strong interest from both supporters and opponents of constitutional redrafting. Election Commission (EC) secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee said that registration to participate in the debate on the referendum vote has exceeded expectations. As of Monday, 40 people had registered, with 30 supporting amendment and 10 opposing it. Once registration closes, the EC will hold meetings for each side to select two representatives each to take part in the debate. He said that amending the constitution section by section would provide greater clarity about which provisions are being changed.

Mercury set to drop again this weekListen to this articleA new cold spell is expected from Tuesday until Saturday with temperatures in the upper North dropping 1–3C. The Thai Meteorological Department has forecast a fresh bout of cold weather affecting upper Thailand, with conditions turning cool to cold. The drop in temperatures will be driven by a new, moderately strong high-pressure system, or cold air mass, moving south from China to cover upper Thailand and the South China Sea. In the Central Plains region, cool to cold weather is expected with morning fog. Bangkok and its surrounding areas are expected to be hit by cool conditions with morning fog.

Listen to this articleWorkers use heavy machinery to remove debris from the site of the crane collapse in Sikhiu district, Nakhon Ratchasima. All three died together when a construction crane collapsed onto a train travelling from Krung Thep Aphiwat to Ubon Ratchathani on Jan 14. Nanthika Na Nakorn, the family's sister-in-law, said the tragedy was made even harder by the family's faith in rail travel. The Morning death struckThe disaster occurred on a section of track in Sikhiu district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, where a large crane was being used to construct part of the high-speed rail project. By morning, she was in Pak Chong in Nakhon Ratchasima, travelling from hospital to hospital, until she learned her daughter's body was at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital.

Nutthawat WichieanbutThe Election Commission (EC) is examining allegations of vote-buying after a survey suggested more than a quarter of prospective voters would back candidates who offer cash, with payments reportedly ranging from 3,000 to 7,500 baht per person. He noted that the EC aims to achieve a high voter turnout, and that the turnout in the upcoming election is expected to exceed the previous election's 75%. He said the EC is fully aware of vote-buying, although the exact amounts involved are not always known. The JSCCIB launched the result of its nationwide survey on Sunday, which involved 4,814 respondents, including 3,043 citizens and 1,771 representatives from the business sector. She said the survey found that Bangkok and surrounding provinces recorded the highest reported vote-buying rate at 7,500 baht per person, followed by other regions at lower levels, ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 baht per person.