PTG confirms plans to raise refined oil reserves
PTG confirms plans to raise refined oil reservesPTG Energy Plc, the operator of PT petrol stations, has announced plans to expand its refined oil reserves in line with a government directive aimed at safeguarding national energy security during the ongoing US-Iran conflict. Authorities last week ordered local oil retailers to raise their refined oil reserves proportion to 1.5% by March 31, up from the current 1%. Pithak Ratchakitprakarn, president and chief executive of PTG, confirmed the company holds refined oil sourced from six refineries. PTG acknowledged last week the cost of acquiring additional reserves poses challenges for oil retailers already grappling with fierce competition and thin profit margins. There are 6,126 touchpoints nationwide, and PTG plans to increase the figure to more than 7,000 by year-end.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 18:28 UTC
Noble keen to maintain its asset-light strategy
Noble keen to maintain its asset-light strategySET-listed Noble Development plans to maintain its asset-light strategy by seeking partners for joint ventures in new projects and investors to purchase rental condo units, a business it launched late last year. These include two single detached house projects worth 3.6 billion baht in Bang Na and Khlong Bang Phai in Nonthaburi. The company targets presales of 15.3 billion baht and transfers of 10.5 billion baht by the end of 2026, up from 9 billion baht and 7.8 billion baht last year, which had declined by 47% and 30%, respectively, from 16.9 billion baht and 11.2 billion baht in 2024. Revenue last year totalled 7.6 billion baht, down 34%, with revenue from residential sales declining by 30% to 4.7 billion baht from 6.6 billion baht. "However, we will take the situation into account when planning new condo projects before launching them for sale."
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 18:18 UTC
The future of work has arrived: Is your job future-proof?
Technological progress, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, is breaking down the old economic model that tied individual effort to secure, long-term work. Meanwhile, traditional full-time employment is giving way to precarious, mobile phone app-based work where benefits, career progression and long-term stability do not exist. And as machines displace both manual and cognitive labour, what kinds of roles, if any, can be considered future proof? FreelancingWith stable employment increasingly out of reach, millions are turning to freelancing and self-employment, more often as a last resort than a chosen path. Technology may not replace every job at once, but the economic logic is already rewriting the rules of employment.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 18:16 UTC
ONE Championship: Supergirl Jaroonsak seeks fresh start after turbulent two-year break
The 22-year-old Thai striker will face Hong Kong’s Yu Yau Pui in an atomweight Muay Thai bout at ONE Fight Night 41 on Saturday morning at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. At the time, talk was already building about potential Muay Thai or kickboxing title opportunities. Supergirl later revealed she had been violently ill on the morning of the fight, experiencing dizziness and vomiting before entering the ring. Supergirl had been helping open a new gym with her father, “Superdad” Jaroonsak, placing new pressures on a young fighter already adjusting to life in the spotlight. Supergirl at the scales during the ONE Fight Night 34 weigh-ins, where she failed hydration“If I go crazy it might be 50-50 and I might get hit.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 17:31 UTC
Cambodia to investigate gas station closures, ensures supplies
Cambodia to investigate gas station closures, ensures suppliesA petrol station in Bangkok, Thailand. (File photo: Somchai Poomlard)Close to a third of Cambodia's fuel depots and petrol stations have closed temporarily due to shortages but supplies would be made available, its Commerce Minister said on Thursday. About 2,000 of Cambodia's 6,300 petrol stations had stopped operating since Wednesday, Commerce Minister Cham Nimul was cited as saying by the Information Ministry. Thailand in July 2025 imposed a ban on fuel exports to Cambodia after the onset of armed conflict between the two countries. Thailand exported 2.2 billion litres of fuel to Cambodia in 2024.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 17:26 UTC
Middle East flights to Thailand gradually resume, says CAAT
Middle East flights to Thailand gradually resume, says CAATOutbound travellers check flight information at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province. CAAT reports that Middle East flights are gradually resuming, with some routes restored after airspace restrictions eased. (Bangkok Post file photo)Commercial flights between Thailand and parts of the Middle East are slowly resuming as airspace restrictions ease, though Kuwait and Bahrain routes remain suspended, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) reported on Thursday. Mr Sarun said the airline Emirates had informed CAAT that it currently operates two flights a day from Dubai to Thailand — down from seven daily flights under normal conditions — but plans to increase frequencies next week. Passengers who encounter service problems or feel they were not properly assisted can file a complaint with CAAT.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 16:51 UTC
Russia jails 15 for life over 2024 concert hall attack
Kremlin claimed attack had links to Ukraine but never provided evidenceThe Crocus concert hall in a suburb of Moscow burns after a shooting attack in which 150 people died, on March 22, 2024. (Photo: AFP)MOSCOW - A Russian court on Thursday sentenced 15 men — including four gunmen — to life in prison over the Crocus concert hall attack which left 150 people dead, the deadliest onslaught in Russia in more than two decades. The gunmen entered the concert hall shortly before a concert by the Soviet-era rock band Picnic. “For us all it’s like yesterday,” Ivan Pomorin, who was filming the Crocus Hall concert at the time, told AFP in the court. Hours after the attack, Russia brought them to court with signs of torture — including one barely conscious in a wheelchair.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 14:25 UTC
ttb launches collaborative financial management programmes for eateries
Power of growthBy combining real sales data from POS systems with payment data received through ttb accounts, sales can be transformed into growth opportunities. ttb aims to be a financial partner for Thailand’s restaurant ecosystem by seamlessly connecting in-store sales, payments and banking services. This allows restaurant owners to gain clearer insights into their business and access financial services more easily, helping Thai restaurant businesses become stronger and achieve long-term sustainable growth. The goal is to transform Wongnai POS into a “restaurant operating system” that connects front-of-house operations, back-office management, financial services and accounting within a single integrated platform. These programmes help merchants better understand their businesses, improve management and leverage technology including AI to analyse data and expand their operations effectively.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 14:05 UTC
Klatham MP granted bail in online gambling case
Klatham Party MP Chonnaput Naksua arrives at the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road on Thursday, escorted by DSI officers after a three‑hour interrogation. The court later approved his release on 1‑million‑baht bail in the online gambling investigation. The Criminal Court on Thursday released Klatham Party MP Chonnaput Naksua on 1-million-baht bail, with a ban on travel abroad, while investigators continue to gather evidence on his alleged links to an online gambling ring. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) had brought the Songkhla MP to court to seek his detention following a three-hour interrogation. Mr Chonnaput arrived at DSI headquarters with his lawyer at about 11am to answer allegations of organising illegal online gambling and money laundering.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 13:21 UTC
People’s Party apologises for breach of members’ data
Apichart JinakulThe People’s Party has apologised for a data breach after it collected members’ laser ID codes, exposing them to identity theft and scam risks from misuse of personal data. According to the post, an initial examination found that the breach affected data used for membership applications. Last month the party insisted that the personal data including laser ID numbers of its members that it collected were secure. “The party sincerely apologises for what has happened and acknowledges the concerns of all members,” the statement said. “We recognise that protecting members’ personal data is critically important, and the trust of our members is our highest priority.”
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 13:05 UTC
Battery tax proposal to bolster competitiveness
Battery tax proposal to bolster competitivenessA new battery tax structure is expected to help strengthen Thailand's competitiveness in the energy storage industry, according to the Excise Department chief. The objective of the new battery tax structure is to support Thailand's energy transition towards clean energy and to promote the country's targeted industries. Under the proposal, excise tax rates would vary according to a battery's energy storage capacity, or energy density per weight, and its life cycle. "In addition, the new tax structure will enhance the competitiveness of domestically produced battery energy storage systems, or electrical devices capable of storing energy and supplying it to other devices, compared with imported products." The new battery tax structure is included in the medium-term fiscal framework for 2027-30, a master plan for the government's financial, fiscal and budgetary planning, aimed at guiding tax revenue management in line with fiscal policy objectives.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 12:38 UTC
Large fuel stash found in secret site
Large fuel stash found in secret siteAuthorities in Tak's Mae Sot district inspected a suspected fuel hoard of nearly 30,000 litres near the Thailand-Myanmar border following reports from villagers. The inspection followed a complaint from residents in tambon Mahawan, who alerted their village headman to a building where fuel was thought to be stored secretly. At the site on Highway 1090, on the inbound side toward Mae Sot, officials found a large number of 200-litre fuel drums, several of which were filled. At the time of the inspection, fuel hoses were being connected to transfer diesel into two nearby square storage tanks. When they opened 46 more drums, they found 9,200 litres of biodiesel, bringing the total amount of fuel discovered at the site to 26,800 litres.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 11:52 UTC
Chinese man jailed for phishing scam
(Photo: supplied/ Wassayos Ngamkham)A Chinese man has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for running a phishing scam in which Thai and foreign victims were tricked into entering their credit‑card details through fraudulent links. The suspect later used the stolen information to purchase valuables online and convert them into cash, authorities said. His arrest followed victims’ complaints of phishing, a scam in which attackers deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information or installing malware such as viruses, worms, adware or ransomware, Pol Lt Gen Panumas said. After obtaining victims’ information, Mr Yupeng purchased gold and mobile phones through online platforms before exchanging them for cash. Non‑custodial wallets are typically more complex and more difficult to trace compared with wallets held on conventional exchanges, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 11:47 UTC
Are Thai women truly equal?
Are Thai women truly equal? Interviews with farmers often show that many women see themselves as equal partners in household and farm decisions. Unlike in some parts of the world, there is little open resistance to women pursuing education, careers, or leadership roles. Much of the way gender equality is measured today reflects what might be called formal equality. But until lived equality catches up with formal equality, the question remains: Are we truly equal or just empowered?
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 11:28 UTC
Interest rate cuts have uneven impact for retail borrowers
Retail borrowers have begun to benefit from a series of policy rate cuts over several months. Slow adjustmentIn the policy rate transmission process, bank lending rates typically decline by about half of the total policy rate cut. For example, when the policy rate is reduced by 0.25 percentage points, lending rates may fall by 0.125 percentage points. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the new loan rate declined by 0.1 percentage points, while the effective interest rate dropped by 0.68 percentage points. For corporate borrowers, new loan rates fell by 1.35 percentage points and effective interest rates by 0.72 percentage points.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 12, 2026 10:56 UTC