Den Chai-Chiang Khong railway in the North to be running by 2028SRT governor Nirut Maneephan leads a tour of the inside of a new 2.7km railway tunnel called Mae Ka Tunnel. (Photos: SRT)The State Railway of Thailand is confident the 323.1-kilometre Den Chai-Chiang Rai-Chiang Khong double-track railway project will come into operation in 2028 as planned, with construction making good progress. "This double-track railway project has been anticipated for a long time by those living along the route, so locals have responded well to requests for cooperation," said Mr Nirut. An 87km section will be built from Chiang Rai's Muang district to Chiang Khong district of that province under the third contract, awarded to CKST-DC3 Joint Venture. The Den Chai-Chiang Rai-Chiang Khong double-track railway project is a part of the government's national transport infrastructure development strategy, said Mr Nirut.

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announces a plan on stricter gun control at Government House on Oct 5. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)The issuance of permits for individuals to carry firearms in public has been suspended nationwide to ensure people's safety, as instructed by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, interior permanent secretary Suttipong Juljarern said on Thursday. No licences will be issued to new importers or traders of blank guns or other imitations. Gun shops will no longer receive permits to order or import guns and ammunition until further notice. The United States topped the table with 393.3 million guns, followed by India (71.1 million) and China (49.7 million).

(Photo: Somchai Poomlard)The government insists the economy is in a crisis and requires a stimulus package to prevent the situation from deteriorating and a recovery harder to mount. In a post that likened the country's economy to a bleeding patient, Dr Surapong said this year's GDP growth was likely to be below 2%, or lower than previous forecasts. Last year, the Finance Ministry's Fiscal Policy Office projected GDP growth this year would reach 3.85% before later revising the figure down to 2.7%. Dr Surapong said GDP growth corresponds to money supply growth. In July, excess liquidity was negative 858 billion baht and this hit 1 trillion baht in August.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is preparing to rebalance stock market trading by accelerating the expansion of the retail investor base and disclosing more short-selling transaction information to restore investor confidence. As a result, the proportion of foreign investor trading in the market has increased, while trading among other investor groups decreased, he told a media briefing. Five years ago, foreign investors accounted for 42% of trading, and institutions and brokers accounted for more than 10% of trading. Mr Pakorn said the SET and the Securities and Exchange Commission have not noticed any unusual short-selling trading volume. "Short-selling transactions on the Thai stock market were still normal and such figures can be checked everyday," he said.

Company expects to benefit from higher global demand for polymers and improved production efficiencyThe PTT Global Chemical plant in the eastern province of Rayong. The company believes it will sell more polymers next year as the petrochemical industry outlook improves. (Photo: PTTGC)PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC), Thailand’s largest petrochemical producer by capacity, expects sales of its products to rise by 10% in 2024, up from a projected 17 million tonnes this year, attributed to higher demand in some overseas markets. Mr Kongkrapan believes both commodity-grade polymers and specialty polymers will record higher sales next year. So far, the cost and production efficiency measures have already helped the company cut expenses by 8 billion baht.

The government is consulting the Council of State about the legality of a bill seeking to borrow 500 billion baht to finance the 10,000-baht digital money handout scheme. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Tuesday the bill has been sent to the council, the government's legal advisory body. "We will try to ensure the council finishes its consideration as soon as possible," he said while acknowledging the scheme has its supporters and critics. Some coalition parties remain non-committal about the handout, saying they would wait for the Council of State's verdict first. "If the handout scheme benefits the public and is in line with the law, the coalition parties are duty-bound to support it.

With the wars in Gaza and Ukraine exacerbating global divisions, an even more profound geopolitical reconfiguration -- including a shift to a new world order -- may well be in the works. Though the current system is often referred to in neutral-sounding terms such as the "rules-based global order", it is undoubtedly US-centric. When it comes to creating an alternative world order, the current conflict-ridden environment may work in China's favour. Yet more forces and trends are making fundamental changes to the global order more likely. Though the details are impossible to know, a fundamental global geopolitical rebalancing now appears all but inevitable.

B10,000 handout may face legal roadblocksDeputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat speaks to supporters of the digital wallet scheme at the headquarters of the Pheu Thai Party last month. "If we don't do anything and allow the government's public debt to exceed 70%, it would derail the country’s credit rating," said Mr Julapun. By the end of this year, it may be less than 2.5%, said Mr Julapun. The tax refund depends on each person's tax base, he said. For consumers with the highest tax rate of 35%, they are eligible for a tax refund of 17,500 baht.

Baht declines as investors baulk at lack of fiscal disciplineA man visits a currency exchange booth last year. (File photo: Somchai Poomlard)The baht weakened to below 36 to the dollar on Monday as renewed concerns surfaced over Thailand’s fiscal discipline, following the government’s announcement on its digital wallet scheme on Friday, leading to outflows from Thai bond and stock markets, according to analysts. On Friday, foreign investors were net sellers of 3.75 billion baht in the Thai bond market, while they posted a net outflow of 2.39 billion baht from the Stock Exchange of Thailand, said K-Research. Poon Panichpibool, market strategist at Krungthai Bank (KTB), said concerns over Thailand’s fiscal stability and US interest rates are factors that could pressure the baht to weaken further, while foreign fund flows may fluctuate. KTB anticipates the baht could move in a range of 35.60-36.30 to the dollar this week, said Mr Poon.

Met says hat, coat and brolly weather to comeThe temperature in Thailand is expected to drop on Tuesday, indicating the arrival of the cool season. From Tuesday, a moderate to strong cool front from the north will sweep through the upper part of the country, accompanied by strong winds. After that the temperature will start to drop, marking the arrival of the cool season around Thursday. People in the southern region should brace themselves for heavy rainfall and strong waves, the agency warned. According to the department, this year's cool season will arrive late, about two weeks later than usual.

Djokovic top of the world after sinking Rune at ATP FinalsNovak Djokovic is guaranteed to be world number one at the end of 2023. TURIN (ITALY) - Novak Djokovic will finish the year as world number one for a record-extending eighth time after beating Holger Rune 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (1/7), 6-3 in his opening match at the ATP Finals on Sunday. Djokovic, on a run of 19 straight wins, has had an age-defying year, winning three Slams to become the all-time record winner of major titles. The 36-year-old came into the Finals in Turin off the back of his seventh triumph at the Paris Masters, his 40th victory at a Masters 100 event. On Monday Alcaraz makes his ATP Finals debut in the Red Group against Alexander Zverev, the second seed Djokovic's closest challenger.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, followed by Bank of Thailand governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, right, enters a meeting, which he chairs on the 10,000-baht digital wallet handout scheme at Government House last month. The government said it would seek to pass a bill allowing it to borrow 500 billion baht to fund the scheme. However, Ms Sirikanya said she thought authorities would find the bill unconstitutional and contrary to financial and budgetary discipline law. The money which will be injected through the handout scheme will be distributed fairly to the grassroots, not to certain groups as some sides claimed, Mr Danuporn said. Somkit Didaeng, 56, a bamboo shoot seller in the province, said she didn't like the fact that the digital money can't be used to repay a debt.

Israeli films Thai worker's Isan funeral after movie script comes trueJonatan, an Israeli filmmaker, at the funeral of Settha Homesorn, a Thai worker killed in Israel, at Settha's home village in Muang district, Nakhon Phanom province. The Thai worker, Settha Homesorn, 36, was one of 39 Thais confirmed killed in the Hamas attack. On Saturday, an Israeli man who identified himself as Jonatan, 30, arrived at the funeral, to the surprise of the local people. Through an interpreter, Mr Jonatan said he is the producer of a short film featuring the lives of Thai workers who work in agricultural farms in the area near the Gaza Strip. The Israeli filmmaker said he was very sad, but in order to complete the film, he came to Thailand to film Settha's funeral.

Thais continue to embrace mobile devices to manage the cost of living and increase revenue, while some are optimistic about generative artificial intelligence (AI), according to a Telenor Asia study. Thais are upbeat on the use of mobile devices as they have one of the best mobile networks in the region and affordable prices, said Petter-Børre Furberg, executive vice-president and head of Telenor Asia, citing the company's Digital Lives Decoded study. Amid an inflationary environment, Thais are also using their mobile devices to manage rising costs of living, noted the study. An overwhelming 93% use their mobile devices for banking or financial management weekly, and 55% are making investments online to create new revenue streams. Despite their love of mobile devices, Thais were the least concerned about privacy and security on their phone.

Van driver did not drug and rape girl: policeKHON KAEN: An investigation found an allegation made by the family of a 13-year-old girl, accusing a van driver of drugging and raping her, was groundless. Police said on Friday that the girl was not drugged and raped by the van driver, whose name was withheld. On Monday, the van driver surrendered to Waeng Noi police in Khon Kaen, insisting on his innocence. The family filed a complaint with the police against the van driver on Nov 3 after seeing the victim's behaviour change on Oct 31 when she met the same driver. "The girl admitted to investigators that nothing happened," said Pol Maj Gen Anuwat.