My Top 10 (see below for Groks) 

1. Tourism / Hotels: IHG plans to double its hotel portfolio in Thailand over the next 3–5 years. The group has 39 hotels in the pipeline, including five openings in Bangkok this year under the Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn Express brands.
2. Tourism: Bangkok ranked 4th in Asia and 9th globally in Tripadvisor’s Traveller’s Choice – Best of the Best (Food category) for 2026, reinforcing Thailand’s positioning as a key global tourism destination.
3. AIRLINES: CAAT expects domestic airfares to remain stable during the election period (7–8 Feb) and urges travelers to plan ahead as ticket prices may rise on fully booked flights.
4. Tourism: The Tourism Ministry reported total visitor arrivals of 1.43m during Jan 1–14, down 6.67% y/y. Foreign arrivals through immigration checkpoints in the northeastern border area fell 50% in Jan, as authorities continue to strictly curb visa runs.
5. SEC plans to fast-track new rules for locally listed crypto ETFs, expand issuance of digital tokens linked to corporate bonds and mutual funds, and introduce a new regulatory framework for carbon credit trading. The SEC currently allows only wealthy individuals to invest in overseas crypto ETFs, and reiterated efforts to streamline IPO processes to attract more local listings amid the ongoing IPO drought.
6. THB strengthened further hitting 5-yr high sounding the alarm bell for the Finance Minister. Sensitivity: every 1 THB gain vs the USD shaves off 0.1-0.2% of GDP (+2% GDP growth is exp. – Fin.Ministry). BoT Governor Vitai stated the central bank’s intervention in FX mkt has had only min. impact on the THB and that “We don’t have enough power to set the THB level, to make THB weaken like others want,” he said. – Bloomberg. BoT will issue 2 new regulations on THB-denominated online gold transactions by Jan. 29 to stem appreciation. Both rules will exclude gold trading in dollar and physical trade. Rules out using tax measures, for now.
   1) regulation is about requiring info from gold traders on major gold transactions exceeding Bt20m.
   2) will be rules to set daily limit on THB-denominated gold trading on online platforms, which may be around Bt50-100m/day
7. ENERGY: The Dept of Mineral Fuels (DMF) has finished drafting amendments to the Petroleum Act to ensure continuity of petroleum production when licences expire, avoiding delays that can result in increased electricity bills. Setbacks in domestic gas production force TH to import more costly LNG to fuel power generation, thus driving up production costs. The amendment draft was completed by the DMF, it must wait for a new elected govt – Energy Ministry.
8. Tourism: (CAAT) stated – Based on data from late 2025 and early 2026, the peak tourism season, passenger vol. continued to rise, with CN passengers returning to around 75% of the pre-COVID, which it views as a positive signal for the next phase of recovery. Overall passengers in 2025 rose by 4.9m +3.54% yoy.
9. CAAT’s analysis of total passenger traffic nationwide showed:
   2019: 161.81m passengers; Dom: 73m / Int’l: 88m
   2024: 140.60m passengers; Dom: 63m / Int’l: 77m
   2025: 145.10m passengers; Dom: 67m / Int’l: 78m
10. Feb delivery futures closed at $5.045/mmbtu, the highest settlement for the front-month contract since Dec. 5, after surging to an intraday high of $5.630/mmbtu. Futures at settlement have +62.6% wow, on track for the biggest weekly gain in more than 3 decades.

Grok

I’ve set up a weekly Task on Grok. It’s fantastic…

Weekly Thai News Roundup: Political, Country, and Corporate Updates

This Grok Task aggregates recent developments in Thailand’s political landscape, general country news, and corporate sector. Drawing from web searches, expert X posts, and detailed summaries of key threads and articles, it highlights at least 20 news items across categories. For a comprehensive view, I’ve included insights from Thai journalists and analysts on X, such as economic shifts in the region and local political campaigns. Updates are as of late January 2026.

Political News

Thailand’s political scene is heating up ahead of the February 8 election, with parties focusing on debt relief, cannabis policies, and border tensions with Cambodia. Key themes include coalition formations, policy pledges, and anti-corruption efforts.

#	Headline	Summary
1	Pita returns to rally voters as People’s Party eyes 150+ seats in final push	Pita Limjaroenrat rallies in Bangkok as the People’s Party targets over 150 seats, with potential coalitions involving Pheu Thai and Thai Sang Thai aiming for 260-270 seats.
2	EC summons five parties to clarify spending-heavy campaign pledges	The Election Commission requires 51 parties to disclose policy costs, summoning five for details on pledges like debt relief and jobs grants.
3	People’s Party urges insured workers to vote down draft SSO board rule	The party campaigns against a Social Security Office rule reducing elected worker reps, warning it weakens labor voices.
4	Online policy poll: charter change and Thai-Cambodia MOU top netizens’ agenda	Social media poll shows constitution change and Thai-Cambodia MOU leading concerns at 36% from 170,226 posts.
5	Sorawong pitches Pheu Thai’s retirement lottery and jobs pledge	Pheu Thai promotes retirement lottery, jobs grants, debt relief, tourism boosts, and relisting cannabis as a narcotic.
6	Constitutional Court clears Phumtham, Tawee in Senate probe	No evidence found of interference in EC’s probe into alleged Senate vote-rigging.
7	Democrat Party denies deputy leader linked to drug suspect	Party denies link in Nakhon Si Thammarat case, plans defamation suit over shared surname.
8	Nation TV to air Eastern candidates’ visions at NATION ELECTION 2026 roadshow	Roadshow features party figures and Eastern candidates, with live coverage.
9	EC teams up with Meta, Google, TikTok to police Election 2026	Partnership to curb disinformation and monitor “red zones” for vote-buying.
10	Supreme Court jails ‘Jeng Dokjig’ 5 years, 4 months over 2010 unrest	Upholds sentence for political activist tied to 2010 protests.
11	Bhumjaithai leads; People’s Party, Pheu Thai, Democrat, and Kla Tham trail — Poll	NIDA Poll projects Bhumjaithai winning 140–150 seats, ahead of rivals.
12	Thailand sets Feb 8 for general election despite border clashes	Snap election amid nationalist sentiment from Cambodia conflict.

Expert Insight from X: Journalist @phongsasiphong highlighted Pheu Thai’s campaign in a thread featuring candidate “Mai” from the band Innam competing in Buriram, emphasizing local outreach and policy pitches like debt relief. The thread underscores grassroots efforts in key provinces.

Country News (General)

Recent events include deadly infrastructure accidents, ongoing border tensions with Cambodia, and natural disasters like floods. Ceasefire efforts continue, but safety concerns dominate.

#	Headline	Summary
13	Another crane collapses in Thailand, killing two, after 32 die previous day	Second crane incident near Bangkok kills two, following prior day’s deadly train crash.
14	At least 28 people killed as crane falls on train in northeast Thailand	Crane collapse derails train, killing 22-28 in northeast.
15	Crane collapse causes deadly train crash in Thailand	Infrastructure failure leads to fatal rail accident.
16	What happened in the deadly Thailand rail accident?	Details on crane-induced train derailment and casualties.
17	Construction firm in spotlight after deadly Thailand crane collapses	Firm faces scrutiny over repeated fatal crane failures.
18	US to support Cambodian-Thai ceasefire with $45m aid pledge	Aid for border stabilization post-ceasefire.
19	Thai army says Cambodia claims new border strike was accident amid truce	Mortar strike on Thai soldier attributed to Cambodian “error.”
20	Thai forces blockade Cambodian village with shipping containers	Preventing villagers’ return amid border disputes.
21	Thailand releases Cambodian soldiers as ceasefire holds	18 soldiers freed under truce terms.
22	Thailand, Cambodia agree to build on ceasefire in talks in China’s Yunnan	Second day of talks to strengthen Saturday’s truce.
23	Hat Yai Flooding Catastrophe a Massive Blow to Thailand’s PM Anutin	Disaster kills 267, criticizing government’s slow response ahead of election.

Expert Insight from X: Journalist @prim_chuwiruch noted the re-criminalization of cannabis, projecting market impacts from a 36.5 billion baht industry, amid policy shifts.

Corporate and Business News

Thailand’s economy shows export records but faces baht strength and tariff risks. Key moves include foreign investments, tech expansions, and regulatory caps.

#	Headline	Summary
24	Telenor selling stake in True Corp for $3.9 billion	Norwegian firm exits Thailand stake in telecom giant.
25	Cathay Pacific passenger numbers jump 27% in 2025	Airline reports strong recovery in passenger traffic.
26	Gold prices continue magic ride	Gold surges past $4,900/ounce, with targets at $5,400.
27	State agencies urged to take action on exchange rate	Calls to address baht rally impacting exports.
28	Bank of Thailand to cap online gold trading	Central bank limits to curb baht pressure.
29	Sony to spin off TV business into joint venture with Chinese maker TCL	Partnership to enhance TV market presence.
30	E-commerce growth eases as brands rethink operating models	Slowdown prompts brand strategy adjustments.
31	Thai industrial sentiment retreats after 7-month high	Decline in December sentiment post-November peak.
32	Perfect Paper strives for world-class standards	Company pushes for global quality benchmarks.
33	Thai exports hit record high in 2025, outlook weakens	Exports up 12.9% to $339.6 billion, but 2026 risks contraction.
34	Google launches cloud region in Bangkok, Thailand	New region with three zones, part of $1bn investment.

Expert Insight from X: Economic journalist @gorya_ilada discussed Vietnam’s oil discovery as Southeast Asia’s third-largest in 20 years, potentially revitalizing production, contrasting with Thailand’s export focus. A linked FT article summarizes Vietnam’s Communist Party congress amid US tariffs, aiming for 10% growth in 2026 and developed status by 2045, with leadership shifts under To Lam.

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