Thailand is expected to lose roughly 200 billion baht in export value this year if the US imposes tariff rates of 25-36% on Thai products, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).

Russians, Chinese and Indians were Phuket’s largest groups of tourists in the first five months of this year, generating around 223 billion baht in revenue, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

The House of Representatives on Wednesday began intense deliberations on five bills to foster social harmony and grant amnesty for political offences, submitted by MPs and citizen groups.

Suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has denied Chinese President Xi Jinping discouraged Chinese from visiting Thailand because of her party’s plan for legal casinos, saying that people’s safety was the prime concern.

Two senior monks have been defrocked following the seizure of sex videos and over 80,000 images featuring sex between a woman and high-ranking clergy at well-known temples in Bangkok and other provinces.

Anutin Charnvirakul, former interior minister and leader of the now opposition Bhumjaithai Party, blames a sharp decline in Chinese arrivals and losses in Thailand’s tourism sector on the Pheu Thai-led government’s dismissive attitude towards Chinese President Xi Jinping’s repeated warnings against its casino legalisation policy.