TAT introduces campaign to entice Japanese visitorsKajorndet Apichartrakul, newly appointed director at TAT's Tokyo office, centre left, and representatives from seven leading Japanese tour companies promote Thai tourism at "Tourism Expo Japan 2022". TAT aims to bring at least 1.25 million Japanese tourists to Thailand in 2023, generating 75 billion baht. Under this campaign, he said Thailand must increase Japanese travellers' average spending per trip, which remains relatively low at only 6,400 baht, the lowest among Northeast Asian markets. He said with 1.12 million plane seats available in 2022, Japanese travellers will gradually return to Thailand, with 350,000 visitors expected this year. As of Sept 20, 166,709 Japanese tourists have visited Thailand this year, which is a far cry from 2019 when 1.8 million arrived.

Conflict tourism: Kashmir hottest new destination for IndiansKashmir, India's hottest new travel destination, is also the site of its deadliest insurgencySRINAGAR (INDIA) - Standing on a fortified Kashmir street, an Indian tourist poses triumphantly for her husband's camera, clutching the national flag in each hand and flanked by two soldiers carrying rifles. India's hottest new travel destination is also the site of its deadliest insurgency, where regular skirmishes break out between separatist militants and Indian troops, half a million of whom are stationed in Kashmir. "The way tourism is being promoted by the government is telling Indians: go spend time there and make Kashmir yours." Sarmad Hafeez, the local government's tourism secretary, told AFP that the official budget to promote tourism had "quadrupled" in the past two years. "If Kashmir is a part of India," a tourist from West Bengal told AFP, "then we should ask why there are so many security forces everywhere."

G-FAIR KOREA IN BANGKOK invites Thailand buyers to connect with trusted suppliers in the categories of Consumer Products; Beauty, Health and Medical Products; Smart City Technologies; and Industrial Products at Bangkok’s first G-Fair Korea, from 28-29 September at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Center at CentralWorld from 10am to 6pm.This year’s theme for the event is Smart Life, Smart Business, Smart Future. Thailand attendees can explore how state-of-the art products from Korea are making our “Smart Future” possible—without having to travel. Attendees will connect with more than 100 suppliers from Korea and can take advantage of exclusive offers for retail and wholesale products. Since its inception in 1999, G-FAIR KOREA has drawn thousands of exhibitors across diverse industries and topics; connecting buyers and marketers to facilitate the sale of new products and creation of new trading partnerships. Gyeonggi Province plans to open its GBC (Gyeonggi Business Center Bangkok) to strengthen economic ties and cooperation with Thailand, establishing a bridgehead for Korea-ASEAN economic and trade exchange.

Rak clarified that EXIM Thailand has armed Thai entrepreneurs with the capability to comprehensively adapt to changes in and deal with risks of international business operation coupled with risk hedging tools, e.g. EXIM Thailand will help them pay compensation and make debt collection aiming to relieve Thai entrepreneurs' concerns about the said risks. In view of operational performance, as of the end of August 2022, EXIM Thailand recorded total outstanding loans of 67,458 million baht for international projects, a 4,271 million baht or 6.8% growth year-on-year. In the first 8 months of 2022, total outstanding loans to the CLMV and new frontiers amounted to 53,815 million baht, a year-on-year growth of 7,804 million baht or 17%. EXIM Thailand is fully ready to work collaboratively with the public and private sectors in supporting Thai entrepreneurs in their business start-ups or expansion in global markets with confidence.

District firefighters and rescuers rushed to the factory to help get workers to safety and plug the leak. According to the Thawi Wattana district office, the factory was Indorama Polyester Industries on Phetkasem Road in Tambon Khun Kaew. The office said the factory managed to shut the valve to stop the leak, but the chemical that had already seeped out had caused a stench across many areas, as well as those adjacent to Bangkok. Officials said the chemical was sulphur dioxide and the seepage occurred from a leaked oil coil of a machine.

No strict Covid controls from Oct 1Travellers head for antigen tests for Covid-19 at Suvarnabhumi airport. The changes were announced by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after a meeting of the National Communicable Disease Committee on Wednesday. Mr Anutin said that the National Communicable Disease Committee also agreed to redefine Covid-19 as a communicable disease under surveillance, instead of as a dangerous communicable disease, from Oct 1 to September next year. Infected people might have to follow different disease control policies at their workplaces, Dr Sophon said. After following disease control measures strictly for five days, Covid-19 cases would not have to take an antigen test, he said.

The event, which was organised under the concept of “Take action to combat global warming: The solution for Thailand’s and the world’s survival”, also launched the “FTI : CC/RE/REC X” platform, or FTIX, a trading platform focusing on carbon credit, renewable energy and renewable energy certificate. In his keynote speech, Varawut said: “What we launched today is the world’s first trading platform for clean energy and carbon credit, which will show the global communities that Thailand is committed to fighting climate change issues. FTIX serves as a trading platform for carbon credit, renewable energy and renewable energy certificate (REC) for enterprises aiming to use 100 per cent of renewable energy (RE100). It also fully integrates with TGO’s system. The FTI had entered the FTIX platform in the ERC Sandbox 2 project organised by Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to pilot a trading platform that is transparent and reliable for small, medium and large entrepreneurs.

The world's wind and solar projects combined to meet more than a tenth of global electricity demand for the first time in 2022, according to research company BloombergNEF (BNEF). At the same time overall electricity demand, production from coal-fired power plants, and emissions all surged in 2021 as the global economy regained its footing following the Covid-19 pandemic. With nearly 3,000 terawatt-hours of electricity produced, wind and solar accounted for a combined 10.5% of global 2021 generation, BNEF found in its annual Power Transition Trends report. Wind's contribution to the global total rose to 6.8% while solar climbed to 3.7%. Hydro and nuclear projects met just over one-quarter of the world's electricity needs.

According to Depa's latest study of the digital content industry in 2021, its value grew by 7% to 42 billion baht last year, buoyed by a flourishing gaming sector. Kasititorn Pooparadai, senior executive vice-president at Depa, said the study gauges the digital content industry by taking into account three categories -- games, animation and character. She said the country's digital content industry will continue to grow in the coming years. It is projected to hit 53.7 billion baht in 2022 and surge to 62.4 billion in 2024. Ms Kasititorn said Thailand still has a small number of key players in each sector of the digital content industry.

The partnership agreement signing ceremony between Bitkub and TRON was hosted on September 17, 2022 at the Bitkub M Social venue, The EmQuartier department store with Mr Sugrit Phutaviriya, Chief Marketing Officer of Bitkub Online Co., Ltd., Ms Liyawal Chakphatrapakin, Academy Business Manager of Bitkub Labs Co., Ltd., and Ms Rachel Hou, Marketing Manager of TRON taking commemorative photos to commence the partnership. Mr Sugrit Phutaviriya, Chief Marketing Officer of Bitkub Online Co., Ltd. provided insights to the partnership as follows:“Under this collaboration with TRON, we are determined to drive more than just marketing values. Bitkub has been aware of the influx of interest towards cryptocurrencies and digital assets since 2017, with many investors just entering the marketing lacking the essential knowledge to effectively invest in this highly volatile market. With this kept in mind, the company has moved forward with providing adequate tools to invest wisely to induce risk-awareness and education. This is indeed reflected in the provisions of learning airdrops under the NewTRON: Pitching Competition activity, hosted to stimulate targeted education amongst young investors and prepare them for upcoming market trends.”

Festival spending projected to hit B42.2bnVegetarian snacks for sale on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok's Chinatown during last year's annual vegetarian festival. According to the UTCC, spending during this year's festival is expected to increase by 5.2%. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)Spending at this year's annual vegetarian festival, scheduled to run from Sept 26 to Oct 4, is expected to improve compared with tepid spending in 2021, when the pandemic was still raging. According to the latest survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), spending during the festival is expected to increase by 5.2% this year to 42.2 billion baht. "Yet overall spending sentiment has not returned to normal as most people believe the pace of the country's economic recovery remains relatively slow.

According to the Korea Power Exchange, renewable energy capacity totalled 27,103 megawatts as of September — 20.1 per cent of the total 134,719MW power generation facilities. Renewable energy includes solar, hydro and wind power as well as bio-backed generation. Data showed that liquefied natural gas accounted for the highest share of the total energy output with 30.8 per cent, followed by coal at 27.2 per cent, renewable energy with 20.1 per cent and nuclear power with 17.3 per cent. Electricity generation capacity by renewables first outpaced nuclear power generation in September last year and has since been growing. But nuclear power is likely to curb the growth of renewable energy in power generation again in the years to come as the incumbent Yoon Suk-yeol administration has made moves to nullify the previous government’s drive to phase out nuclear power.

Moscow-held Ukraine regions to vote on annexation by RussiaA Ukrainian serviceman handles a machine gun near the southern frontline in the Mykolaiv region. (Photo: AFP)KYIV (UKRAINE): Moscow-held regions of Ukraine will vote in the coming days on annexation by Russia, separatist officials said Tuesday, as Kyiv's troops wrest back territory captured by Moscow's forces. Authorities in the southern Kherson region of Ukraine also announced on Tuesday they would hold a vote over the same dates on annexation from Russia. - 'Sham' votes -"Ukraine will solve the Russian issue. Putin, she said, wants to threaten the full use of Russia's military, including nuclear weapons, in defending Russian territory, including newly annexed regions.

Boonsong granted temporary release to attend mum's funeralFormer commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, second from right, attends the funeral rite of his mother in Chiang Mai province on Monday. (Photo: Sarawut Saetiao Facebook Account)Former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom was granted temporary release from prison to attend his mother's funeral, Wuttichai Jenwiriyakul, director of the Klong Prem Central Prison, confirmed on Tuesday. The prison chief made the comment after photos of the convict showing up at his mother's funeral in Chiang Mai on Monday were shared online. Boonsong had filed a request for temporary release so that he could attend the funeral, and all procedures were properly followed, Mr Wuttichai said. Mr Somsak said he had not received any reports from concerned agencies about the former minister's presence at the funeral, although the Corrections Department chief has the authority to grant temporary release to prisoners.

Now Thailand is hit by La Niña phenomenon, but no storms to cause huge floods like 2011Thailand was hit by major floods in 2011 due to the La Niña phenomenon, which made the rainy season arrive sooner than usual. This was made worse by five storms that had hit Thailand that year, increasing the average rainfall by 27 per cent. The La Niña phenomenon has also taken place this year, resulting in rains arriving sooner than expected, however, Thailand has not been directly hit by storms this year, while the average rainfall so far has been recorded as 21 per cent above the normal amount.”There are estimates that there will be around 10 per cent more rainfall than usual, rising slightly from 8 per cent more last year. Causes of flooding in ThailandNatural causes:- Low pressure masses- Storms, such as depression and tropical storms and typhoons- Monsoon trenches- Southwest monsoon- Northeast monsoon- Dams collapsingMismanagement:- Disagreement between government and local administrations- Lacking capable officials to deal with natural disasters- Lacking coordination among government agencies- Ignorance of people in remote areas