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Bangkok Post T H E N E WS PA P E R YO U C A N T RU S T  Wednesday, May 21, 2025 � 40 BAHT

PM backs
Pink Line
for free
hold on
handout
The Pink Line from
Muang Thong
Thani Station to
Muang Thong
Thani Lake Station
was opened for free
trial rides yesterday
additional details later.
before the official
launch on June 17.
3rd-phase delay tied “We are not saying we will scrap [the
handout programme]. We will imple-
Pattarapong to US trade tariffs ment it if the situation improves,” she
Chatpattarasill said.
“The sum of 157 billion baht must
�R
 elated story: Wichit Chantanusonsiri be spent where the country will
Page 2 receive maximum benefits. If the
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shi- economy is in good shape, the hand-
nawatra has defended the govern- out scheme will be the best meas-
Expenditure Senate election ment’s decision to postpone the third ure. But in current circumstances, a

Cabinet gives EC urged to help disband BJT

phase of the 10,000-baht handout handout programme is not the best
programme, saying uncontrollable economic stimulus,” she said.
circumstances made it impossible to Asked if the postponement of the

nod to 2026
implement it. handout scheme would put a dent in
The premier yesterday dismissed Pheu Thai’s voter support, Ms Pae-
Mongkol Bangprapa at the Pullman Hotel to sign letters of or violations of rights if any references criticism that the Pheu-Thai-led gov- tongtarn said the party had assessed
Apinya Wipatayotin

budget bill
resignation, showing they were under are made implicating members of the ernment had failed to fulfil its election the situation and come up with practi-
Bhumjaithai’s control. party in any wrongdoing in relation to pledge of implementing the scheme. cal policies.
Kusumalwati Sirikomut, a reserve sen- Ms Kusumalwati claimed she has the election. She said that money was already She also said an allocation of 157
ator and former Pheu Thai MP, peti- pictures and audio clips of these sena- “We are a political party. We cannot given to welfare cardholders, people billion baht, which comes from the
Mongkol Bangprapa tioned the Election Commission (EC) tors signing said letters. simply allow others to with disabilities, and those aged 60 central budget, must be spent by
yesterday, asking it to press the Con- She said she was unfazed damage our reputation and over under the first two phases Sept 30, otherwise the allocation will
The cabinet has approved the 3.78-tril- stitutional Court to dissolve the Bhum- by threats of legal action from without consequences,” of the scheme, but the third phase has be scrapped.
lion-baht budget bill for the 2026 fiscal jaithai Party for allegedly interfering in Bhumjaithai due to all the evi- he said. to be postponed due to unexpected The government has postponed the
year, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shin- last year’s Senate election. dence at hand. He said Bhumjaithai events, particularly the US’s reciprocal third phase of the 10,000-baht hand-
wawtra announced yesterday. Ms Kusumalwati said she has evi- Describing the alleged played no role in the tariffs, which have affected numer- out programme to instead spend the
Speaking after yesterday’s cabinet dence linking the coalition party’s sec- interference in the Senate Senate election, and he ous countries. funds on solving structural issues and
meeting, Ms Paetongtarn said the bill, retary-general, Chaichanok Chidchob, election as an attempt to himself had prohibited “Circumstances that have occurred investing in infrastructure projects.
proposed by the Budget Bureau, had to the formation of a group of people in destroy both the judicial members from doing so in are unforeseen and beyond our con- The third phase of the digital wallet
been scrutinised by the Council of State, Buri Ram who were mobilised to con- process and democracy the form of a written order trol,” the prime minister said, referring project, expected to cost 27 billion
the government’s legal arm. test the 2024 Senate election. in Thailand, Ms Kusumal- Kusumalwati: ‘Lots dated April 30, two months to the US’s trade tariff policy. baht, was to be given to 2.7 million
It will be tabled to the House of Rep- She said there is a digital trail of wati said she can prove Mr of evidence’ before the poll was held. Ms Paetongtarn said that the young people aged 16 to 20. Critics
resentatives for its first reading sched- financial transactions backing up her Anutin was the mastermind Senators arrived at the National Economic and Social Devel- have argued the funds might be better
uled for May 28-30, she said. claim that shows who the group sent behind the vote-rigging in the elec- EC office throughout the day yesterday opment Council and the Bank of used elsewhere, citing the limited eco-
She said she had already discussed money to. tion, which should warrant the par- to acknowledge the allegations against Thailand have recommended that a nomic impact of the first two phases.
the bill with coalition parties. However, Ms Kusumalwati said ty’s disbandment. them, said a source. budget of 157 billion baht be spent on Finance Minister Pichai Chun-
“Coalition parties see eye to eye on she has delayed submitting all of this Bhumjaithai spokeswoman Nan Deputy Commerce Minister Nap- issues that are more urgent than the havajira previously denied reports
the bill,” the prime minister said, adding supporting evidence to the EC until Boontida Somchai said the party’s legal intorn Srisanpang, a Bhumjaithai handout scheme. that there were insufficient funds to
that it is up to lawmakers to revise the agency formally requires it, as she team will pursue legal action against Ms member, said he had not received a “Issues must be reprioritised to finance the digital wallet scheme,
budget details or make adjustments as believes some members of the com- Kusumalwati for defamation. summons from the EC despite reports decide what’s most important and saying the circumstances had
they see fit. mission may be spying on behalf of “Today, the Bhumjaithai Party has to claiming the inquiry committee intends focus on what will benefit the people changed and adjustments must be
Songkram Kitlertphairoj, the prime her opponents. come out to defend itself against slan- to question him. most,” she said. made accordingly.
minister’s adviser, said the govern- Ms Kusumalwati also said she has der and distortions from ill-intentioned In related news, the cabinet has “We need to make adjustments Government spokesman Jirayu
ment is ready to explain the rationale evidence proving Bhumjaithai leader political opponents, who appear to have appointed PM’s Office Minister Chou- and redirect funds from the central Houngsub said yesterday the cabinet
for the bill, adding the bill is intended Anutin Charnvirakul was involved in the a specific agenda aimed at destroying sak Sirinil to temporarily oversee the budget to invest in infrastructure and approved adjustments to the 157-bil-
to make the most of budget funds, Senate election beyond his legal remit. the party,” Ms Nan said. Department of Special Investiga- human resource development among lion-baht spending plan, with funds
which come from taxpayers’ money, She said that after the election, Mr Mr Anutin said legal action would be tion (DSI), replacing Justice Minister other projects,” she said, adding that to be redirected to fund development
to improve the economy and upgrade Anutin instructed senators to meet taken for defamation, false reporting, Tawee Sodsong. the Finance Ministry will provide and investment projects.
people’s livelihoods.
“In addition to responding to peo-
ple’s needs, the government also aims
to boost confidence among domestic
and foreign investors,” he said.
Worker declared dead after falling into excavation pit
He said the government hopes the A construction worker who fell into a and Mitigation reported yesterday that used to prevent more of the surround-
opposition will cooperate with the gov- deep excavation hole on Lan Luang Sarawut was believed dead. He was ing soil from sliding into the hole, and
ernment and support the bill rather Road in Bangkok was declared dead buried under a pile of dirt and water an auger was used to clear a way back
than attempt to cause trouble, as hap- yesterday as the search continued for and had been without oxygen for more down. The work had to be done care-
pened with the deliberation of the 2025 his body. than 24 hours. fully, so as not to damage the body,
budget bill. Sarawut Chanthason, 33, from Si Sa Family members were waiting at the the office said.
“Parties should put people’s best Ket province, was carried down into a site for his body to be recovered. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sit-
interests first rather than play a politi- hole estimated at 19 to 23 metres deep According to local media, he had a tipunt visited the scene for an update
cal game,” he said. on Monday as surface soil collapsed girlfriend, and they were planning to on the operation and to ensure any
Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin from under his feet. wed in a couple of years after he had impacts on nearby residents were
Charnvirakul confirmed the prime min- He was working at the excavation saved enough money from his wages. minimal. The Mass Rapid Transit
ister met with coalition party leaders site for Lan Luang train station in Pom A team from Urban Search and Authority of Thailand (MRTA) said
to discuss the bill, and that all pledged Prap Sattru Phai district, part of the Rescue of Thailand and volunteers the worker’s family would receive
their support. Orange Line between Bang Khun Non were continuing the search for his full compensation.
At the debate, each coalition party Rescuers search for a missing worker’s body yesterday at the Lan Luang train and the Thailand Cultural Centre. body. The accident adds to public concern
overseeing government agencies will station construction site in Bangkok. Pornprom Satrabhaya The Office of Disaster Prevention Sheet piling and bracing were being over construction site safety.
explain details about their funding.
2 I  Bangkok Post I Wednesday, May 21, 2025

NATIONAL
Sky’s the
limit More charges loom
in temple funds case
Participants are
examined at the
20th annual Sky
Clinic event dubbed
‘Unlock Longevity’
from May 20-23, (CIB), along with anti-corruption So far, three individuals have been
emphasising Over 40 hidden agencies, returned to the temple yes- arrested: the former abbot; Aranyawan
high-quality long terday to continue reviewing finan- Wangthapan, 28, an online gambling
life. The initiative, accounts found cial documents. broker; and Ekkapot Phukhang, a
Investigators found that Wat Rai former monk and a close aide of the
which offers free Khing had at least 49 bank accounts, former abbot. Over 800 million baht
health check- WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM despite reporting only four to the is believed to have been transferred
ups and expert National Office of Buddhism. More into Ms Aranyawan’s bank accounts.
consultations, is Police are preparing to seek additional than 10 individuals were involved in Police are now targeting two key
being held on the arrest warrants in the high-profile managing the accounts. groups in their next round of arrest
walkway connecting embezzlement case involving Wat Rai CIB Deputy Commissioner Pol Maj warrants: individuals who directly
Khing in Nakhon Pathom, after dis- Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew said the benefited from temple revenues,
to the BTS National covering extensive financial irregulari- failure to declare income suggested and those involved in managing
Stadium Station. ties and undeclared accounts linked an intent to conceal the temple’s its finances.
Nutthawat to the temple. actual financial activities, possibly Investigators are also examining a
Wichieanbut The Central Investigation Bureau constituting embezzlement. Authori- woman known as “Toey”, who alleg-
ties revealed that income from temple edly managed all temple finances. She
events — amounting to 18 million baht is believed to have channelled income
— had been transferred not into the into private resort and music label
temple’s accounts, but directly into the businesses in Mukdahan province.
personal account of the former abbot, Once sufficient evidence is gath-
Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, 70, who ered, police will pursue charges
is today known as Yaem. against her and others for financial
Additionally, donation box collec- misconduct, he said.
tions and revenue from religious items, Intaporn Jan-iaem, director-general
land rentals, and festival stalls gener- of the National Office of Buddhism,
ated about 100 million baht annually, confirmed the office was not informed
most of which had not been prop- about most of the temple’s finan-
erly recorded. cial accounts.

Pink Line extension offers free rides

The Pink Line monorail extension frequently hosts concerts, exhibi-
to Muang Thong Thani officially tions, and large-scale events, accord-
opened to the public yesterday, with ing to NBM. With congestion long
free trial rides available until June 16. considered a major issue, the mono-
The Mass Rapid Transit Author- rail now provides a direct and reli-
ity of Thailand (MRTA), the project able alternative.
owner, and Northern Bangkok Mon- The opening will also significantly
orail Co Ltd (NBM), the project con- increase usage of the main Pink Line
cessionaire that operates the service, route between Khae Rai and Min
expect the new section to increase Buri, according to the operator.
overall ridership on the Pink Line by Initial estimates suggest the
up to 20%, offering a much-needed extension could drive daily ridership
connection to one of the capital’s on the Pink Line up by 15–20%, an
busiest event hubs. MRTA source said. “It marks a critical
The extension connects from step toward reaching our ultimate
Muang Thong Thani Station on target of 100,000 daily passengers.”
the main Pink Line. It is 3km long Currently, the Pink Line sees
and features two stations — Impact between 60,000 and 70,000 pas-
Muang Thong Thani and Lake sengers per day. The addition of the
Muang Thong Thani. Muang Thong Thani link is expected
The extension aims to improve to attract about 13,800 passengers a
accessibility to the area, which day during the initial period.

wildlife

Just 17 Irrawaddy dolphins

remain in Songkhla Lake
POST REPORTERS local livelihoods.
According to the Department of
PHATTHALUNG: The critically endan- Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR)
gered Irrawaddy dolphin population Director-General Pinsak Suraswadi,
in Songkhla Lake has dropped to just the primary threat to the dolphins is
17, prompting the Ministry of Natural entanglement in fishing gear, which has
Resources and Environment to accel- accounted for 68.6% of recorded deaths.
erate efforts to save the species and Other factors include pollution, sedi-
restore the lake’s fragile ecosystem. mentation, and declining fish stocks. In
The minister, Chalermchai Sri-on, response, the department has declared
visited the lake on Monday and stressed protection zones, banned dangerous
the need for conservation and devel- fishing gear, and introduced a dolphin
opment of the Songkhla Lake bridge monitoring system, alongside structural
to proceed hand in hand to ensure policy measures aimed at long-term
long-term ecological and economic preservation, he said.
sustainability. Mr Chalermchai also stressed that
He said the Irrawaddy dolphins — the Songkhla Lake bridge, which will
one of only five freshwater dolphin spe- reduce the travel distance between
cies and listed as a protected species Songkhla and Phatthalung from 80 kil-
— in Songkla Lake are now considered ometres to just seven, must not come
on the verge of extinction. at the expense of the lake’s ecosystem.
The ministry has a 10-year conserva- “Protecting the Irrawaddy dolphin
tion plan (2024-2033) focused on miti- is a shared responsibility,” he said.
gating threats, rehabilitating habitats, “We must work together to ensure
and supporting community-based eco- this national treasure remains for
tourism initiatives to create sustainable future generations.”

Deep South

2 defence volunteers killed

Abdullah Benjakat as Muslim women in hijabs. They fled
the scene after the assault.
Pattani: Two defence volunteers Authorities suspect the attack was
were killed and two others injured carried out by insurgents aiming to
by suspected insurgents during an escalate violence in the region.
evening run in the southernmost The area was placed under tight
border province. security as a bomb disposal squad and
Mai Kaen Police were alerted to the forensic teams moved in to investigate.
incident on Monday at around 5.30pm. Nearby, Laweng School remains
Four defence volunteers were shot open as usual, with heightened security
while jogging along a coastal road near in place to protect around 130 students
Laweng village in tambon Don Sai. and teachers.
Suhaimi Abu and Marosalee Tohseng According to a security source,
died from their injuries, while Dari the injured defence volunteers were
Laemoh and Mureedan Abu were being well-known and respected by local
treated at a hospital. residents.
Five defence volunteers were report- The attack follows an incident on
edly jogging at the time when four Saturday in which another defence
gunmen opened fire at them from volunteer was ambushed and shot in
two motorcycles. tambon Lam Paya in Yala while on his
The attackers disguised themselves way to Sadao checkpoint.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 I Bangkok Post NATIONAL I 3

iNBrief
Covid-19

XEC variant ‘spreading 7 Police intercept

times faster than the flu’ drug runs in North
CRIME: More than a tonne of
POST REPORTERS severe, its rapid transmission poses a crystal meth and ketamine have
heightened risk to vulnerable popula- been seized in two separate cases
The Public Health Ministry said it is tions. Despite the relatively low fatality in Chiang Rai and Phayao, accord-
keeping its guard up against the XEC rate, health authorities stress the impor- ing to Provincial Police Region 5
variant of Covid-19 as it is now spread- tance of taking preventative measures. (PPR5).
ing seven times faster than the regu- Dr Teera Woratanarat, from Chu- The drug seizures were
lar flu. lalongkorn University’s Faculty of announced in a press conference
Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said it Medicine, said this strain of Covid-19 led by PPR5 commissioner Pol Lt
is diverting resources and manpower to is spreading nearly seven times faster Gen Krittapol Yisakhon yesterday.
protect vulnerable groups while being than influenza. In the first case, 578kg of crystal
watchful of the spread of the virus in The Bangkok Metropolitan Admin- methamphetamine were seized by
schools. istration has urged schools to moni- police from a car at the government
Mr Somsak said that since Jan 1, the tor cluster infections among stu- complex in downtown Chiang Rai
country has officially entered its 21st dents closely. on May 13.
week of implementing certain disease According to Dr Teera, Covid-19 The driver managed to drive
control measures. Some 108,891 XEC remains the most common infectious the car away after the drug seizure,
cases have been recorded so far, with disease across all age groups, affecting only to crash it into a ditch in
27 deaths. young children, teenagers, working-age Muang district the next day.
The fatalities this year have primarily adults, and the elderly. In the second case, police were
affected the so-called “608 group”, which Over the past week, 43,213 hospi- tipped off that 529kg of ketamine
includes the elderly, with 80% of the tal patients were recorded as having were being transported in four
deaths occurring among senior citizens. it — both in-patients and outpatients vehicles, which had evaded police
Children have also been impacted — marking a 35.5% increase from the checkpoints in Phan district of
by the virus. The latest outbreak stems
from the XEC variant, a descendant
previous week.
Three recent deaths were reported
Foiling illegal entry Chiang Rai on May 17.
Police intercepted two vehi-
of Omicron. in the provinces of Kanchanaburi and The Ratchamanoo Task Force intercepts 44 Myanmar nationals, including 10 women, who were crossing illegally into Tak’s Phop cles and arrested two suspects. A
While this strain is not exceptionally Sukhothai and in Bangkok Noi district. Phra district yesterday. Among the group were eight acting as guides. RATCHAMANU TASK FORCE third vehicle had plunged into a
roadside ditch, and its driver fled

China-made sub deal decision looms

the scene.
On the following day, the fourth
vehicle was stopped by local police
in Muang district of Phayao. Three
suspects were caught.

Germany and believed it is sufficient after Germany refused to sell the alternative engine. international relations. Prawit unhurt
Must decide soon: to make a decision on the fate of the engine to China as it was designated He said what must be taken into Mr Phumtham said he held talks
13.5-billion-baht submarine scheme, a military/defence item. China pro- consideration is the money paid to with his German counterpart, Boris after temple slip
scrap or move on possibly later this month or early June. posed a Chinese-made engine instead, China and preparations the navy has Pistorius, and was informed that Ger-
The submarine deal was signed and the navy previously sent a work- made for the submarine’s commis- many, as a member of Nato and the Politics: Palang Pracharath Party
under a government-to-government ing panel to observe the testing of the sioning, including the setting up of a European Union, is unable to supply leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon is
MONGKOL BANGPRAPA agreement with China Shipbuilding & CHD620 marine engine in China. submarine squadron, the building of the engines for the Chinese-built in fine health following a mis-
Offshore International Co. Construc- Mr Phumtham said that it is about a submarine dockyard and staff submarine due to an arms embargo step while taking a flight of stairs
The government expects to decide soon tion was reportedly halfway finished time to make a decision on the pro- training. on China. during a recent merit-making rite,
whether it will proceed with the subma- when it was delayed due to the Covid- ject, which is to either scrap it or go “I can’t let the issue stall as it affects He said that he also inquired about said party spokesman Pol Lt Gen
rine procurement project, says Defence 19 pandemic and then put on hold due ahead with it. Scrapping it would the military budget planning. The sub- their performance with diplomats Piya Tawichai.
Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. to an engine issue. mean the loss of seven to eight billion marine scheme will be finalised and it from Pakistan, which has the same Reports recently surfaced sug-
He said he has gathered input The original deal signed in May baht Thailand had paid, while going will be transparent,” he said. class of Chinese-made submarines, gesting that Gen Prawit suffered
and opinions from concerned par- 2017 stipulated a German-made diesel ahead would mean the country’s sub- He also called on the public not to and was told that the vessels func- a fall after attending a Buddhist
ties, including the navy, China and engine. However, the plan changed marine would be equipped with an dramatise the matter to avoid straining tion properly. ceremony at Wat Pho on Tuesday.
However, Pol Lt Gen Piya Tawi-
chai has clarified that Gen Prawit
Government merely lost his balance slightly and

UTN faction to meet

did not sustain any injuries.
The ceremony, held to honour
His Majesty the King and bless the
nation, saw Gen Prawit presid-

amid Klatham talk

Safety first ing as chair. While exiting the
temple afterwards, he stumbled
Prime Minister and bumped into a stair railing. As
Paetongtarn a precaution, his aides took him
Shinawatra attends for a medical checkup, but doc-
an exhibition Mongkol Bangprapa Capt Thamanat Prompow, when asked tors confirmed he was unharmed
showcasing if the group had been approached by and let him return home the
United Thai Nation (UTN) Party deputy the party. same evening.
defence technology, leader Suchart Chomklin is set to hold On Sunday, Capt Thamanat told Thai The party spokesperson reas-
equipment, and talks with 20 fellow MPs next week to Rath he would consider himself lucky if sured the public that Gen Prawit
research related to discuss the political situation and what he and Mr Suchart could share the same was in good health.
disaster relief and future direction to take amid specula- ideology as Klatham.
public assistance tion his group could be lured to the
Klatham Party.
He acknowledged that the MPs in
the eastern provinces are much sought-
Croatian cuffed
organised by the
Ministry of Defence Mr Suchart, who also serves as deputy after because the region is one of the key
commerce minister, said he would battlegrounds in the elections.
over illegal tours
at Government not make a decision about As a veteran politician, Chiang Mai: A Croatian man
House. the group’s political future he said he is determined to has been arrested in this northern
Nutthawat alone, as he brought them retain and expand his base. province for allegedly operating an
Wichieanbut with him to the UTN ahead Mr Suchart’s faction in unlicensed tour business catering
of the previous election. the UTN is another political to foreigners in the province.
He said the group is group believed to have been Authorities apprehended the
railways scheduled to meet next approached by Klatham, suspect at a luxury condominium
week, possibly on May 28 which is luring MPs and in the city centre yesterday. The

SRT depot plan rekindled despite delays or 29, to provide updates

on their work and discuss
their future political direc- Suchart: Mum on
veterans from other parties.
That number is expected to
climb to 35.
arrest followed an investigation by
Tourist Police Division 2, as part of
a crackdown on illegal tour opera-
Supoj Wancharoen operator collects all revenue and shares this project began in 2019, with a total tion. He said any discussions defection rumours The party has 25 MPs in its tors and unlicensed guides.
a portion with the state — as the most value of 40 billion baht, yet it has since about defecting are off-limits camp, with 24 being defec- The suspect, identified only as
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) suitable business model for this project, faced various delays. because he is still attached to the UTN. tors from the Palang Pracharat Party Andre, was found to be selling tour
board has approved the results of a new he said. ALG Joint Venture (Thailand), the Mr Suchart said the personal (PPRP). Its newest MP is the winner packages without the required
study conducted on planned further Thammasat University conducted selected bidder, has reaffirmed its inter- strengths of MPs are more important of the recent by-election in Nakhon Si permits. Officers discovered that
investment in the SRT’s Inland Con- the updated study, which also proposes est in the project, saying that despite than which party they are allied to, Thammarat’s Constituency 8. he had been offering the services to
tainer Depot in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang extending the concession period from the long delay, the new study has indi- when quizzed on whether he thought People’s Party MP for Chon Buri Krit international visitors in the popular
district, which has been delayed for sev- 18 to 20 years to improve the project’s cated higher potential returns, which Klatham or the Bhumjaithai Party Chevathamanon, who recently pledged tourist district of Chang Khlan.
eral years. financial viability and increase returns motivates both parties to proceed with would be able to best help the group allegiance to Klatham, is considered a He has been charged with
It is therefore expected that the con- for the SRT, he said. a new round of negotiations on the new achieve their goals. “cobra”, or renegade MP, as she cannot operating a tour business without
tract for this investment project will It followed a cabinet resolution on contract, Mr Veeris said. He declined to say if his group would defect unless she is expelled first. a licence and working in Thailand
be signed later this year, SRT governor Jan 17, 2024, instructing the SRT to The SRT expects to submit the consider forming its own party if they On Monday, Klatham welcomed two without a valid work permit. Both
Veeris Ammarapala said yesterday. expedite an updated study to align the updated study to the Ministry of were not happy with the policies of the heavyweights from the Thai Sang Thai offences carry heavy penalties, with
The board approved the study results project with current economic condi- Transport for review by June, and sub- existing parties. Party, Gp Capt Anudit Nakornthap and a maximum fine of 500,000 baht.
last Thursday, which pointed to a pub- tions, after the project was delayed for sequently forward it to the cabinet for Mr Suchart said he maintains good Karun Hosakul.
lic-private partnership (PPP) under a
net cost structure — where the private
many years, said the SRT governor.
Originally, the bidding process for
final approval, before signing the new
contract later this year, he said.
ties with key figures in the coalition par- Gp Capt Anudit is expected to be
ties, including Klatham chief adviser named the party’s chief strategist.
Two Indonesian
trawlers seized
Education PHUKET: Two Indonesian trawlers
More cars hit
Ministry backs ‘zero dropout’ rollout
were seized, and 18 crew mem-
bers were arrested off this island
on Rama II Rd province for illegally fishing in Thai
waters yesterday.
Three more vehicles have report- HTMS Longlom intercepted
edly been damaged by debris Chairith Yonpiam This policy aims to eradicate the referral, and monitoring. 1.02 million in the 2023 academic year the two vessels within Thailand’s
falling from the accident-prone number of children and youths miss- “The goal is clear: no child should be to 880,000 last year — officials acknowl- exclusive economic zone about
expressway being built above The Ministry of Interior has intensified ing from the education system. ‘missing’ from the state’s educational edge that further work is needed. 6.15am, the Region 3 office of the
Rama II Road. efforts to eliminate educational ine- The Ministry of Interior has been care,” Mr Manat said. “Local adminis- Mr Manat also highlighted the exem- Thai Maritime Enforcement Com-
The incidents reportedly quality by tasking local administrative appointed as a member of the national trations must play an active role in facil- plary work of provincial governors in mand Centre (TMECC) said.
occurred on Monday. bodies, including municipalities and steering committee and has directed itating access to formal and non-formal Surin and Buri Ram, who demonstrated Both vessels and the 18 crew
The driver of one vehicle tambon administrative organisations all provincial governors to establish education opportunities based on each strong collaboration across govern- members were taken to Phangna
posted a photo on Facebook on (TAOs), to lead a nationwide campaign corresponding provincial committees child’s potential, aligned with their legal ment, civil society, and the private naval base for legal action. The
Monday, which went viral. Fall- to bring all out-of-school children and since February this year. These commit- responsibilities in providing quality sector. These efforts showed how local seizure followed a complaint by
ing concrete damaged his roof youths back into the education system. tees are to work closely with Provincial education within their jurisdictions.” leadership can build educational net- the Andaman Sea fishing network
and shattered the rear window, Manat Suwannarin, a spokesman for Education Offices, he said. This push follows a recent resolu- works, pool resources, and tailor flex- that two foreign boats were spotted
he said. Two more vehicles travel- the Ministry of Interior, said yesterday Local administrative organisations tion by the national committee on zero ible learning approaches that address fishing about 56 miles southwest of
ling behind him were also hit by that the ministry, overseen by Anutin — including municipalities and TAOs dropouts, which instructed the Equita- students’ real-life needs. Phuket on May 15.
falling debris, resulting in simi- Charnvirakul, is working closely with — are now being mobilised to lead the ble Education Fund (EEF) to coordinate He said Mr Anutin, who is also a Vice Adm Suwat Donsakun,
lar damage. the Ministry of Education and other effort at the grassroots level. with provincial governors and ensure all deputy prime minister and oversees chief of the 3rd Naval Area Com-
One of the drivers told report- agencies to ensure that “no one is They are tasked with forming or local governments participate actively the Ministry of Education, has been mand, ordered the TMECC to
ers he had been contacted by an left behind”. assigning dedicated committees to in the campaign. personally monitoring the campaign’s monitor the two vessels, and the
expressway representative who A key component of this agenda is identify, assist, and reintegrate out- While significant progress has been progress and has commended prov- corvette HTMS Longlom was
accepted responsibility. the “Thailand Zero Dropout” policy, of-school children using the four-step made — the number of out-of-school inces that have shown leadership in deployed to the area.
endorsed by the cabinet in May 2024. process of prevention, intervention, children dropping from approximately addressing this pressing issue.
4 I  Bangkok Post I Wednesday, May 21, 2025

WORLD
Taiwan says ‘willing’ to talk to China
China

Sweltering
heat strikes Discussion can take
Taiwan’s coast guard warned on
Monday that China may use “cognitive
warfare” to “disrupt public morale” as

northern, place ‘among equals’ Mr Lai marks the first anniversary of

his inauguration.
As Taiwan comes under pressure

central areas TAIPEI: Taiwan is prepared to talk to

China as equals but it will continue to
build up its defences, the island’s Presi-
from Washington to move more fac-
tories to US soil and reduce their trade
imbalance, Mr Lai said Taiwan would
HONG KONG: Temperatures above dent Lai Ching-te said yesterday as he not “put all our eggs in one basket”.
40 degrees Celsius scorched parts of marked his first year in office. Taiwan would increase its economic
northern and central China yesterday Mr Lai, a staunch defender of Tai- resilience by diversifying markets and
with authorities issuing heat warnings wan’s sovereignty and detested by Bei- boosting domestic demand.
and offering aid to farmers to protect jing, delivered wide-ranging remarks Mr Lai also announced plans to set
food production. on the need “to prepare for war to avoid up a sovereign wealth fund to “boost
Temperatures in China’s northern war” and also bolster the island’s eco- Taiwan’s economic momentum”, but
Hebei province, Henan province, a key nomic resilience. did not provide details about its size.
wheat-producing region known as Chi- After promising to stand up to China The president has seen his first term
na’s granary, and the eastern province and defend democracy at his inaugura- in the top job engulfed in domestic
of Shandong all reached 40C yesterday. tion, Mr Lai insisted Taiwan was “will- political turmoil as opposition parties,
In Zhengzhou, Henan province and ing” to communicate with Beijing if which control the parliament, seek to
Shahe, Hebei province, the mercury there was “parity and dignity”. stymie his agenda.
soared to highs of between 41C and China has rebuffed Mr Lai’s previous The main opposition Kuomintang
42.9C on Monday, their highest ever offers to talk. party (KMT) has called Mr Lai a “dicta-
for the month of May, authorities said. “Peace is priceless and there are no tor” and accused him of pushing Taiwan
The high temperatures are expected winners in war,” he said, but added “we closer to war with China, while Mr Lai’s
to continue until today, the country’s cannot have illusions” and vowed to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
National Meteorological Centre said. continue “to strengthen our national suggests the KMT is a tool of Beijing
China is facing hotter and longer defence capabilities”. and is undermining Taiwan’s security.
heat waves and more frequent and Taiwan will “actively cooperate with Tensions have escalated into physical
unpredictable heavy rain as a result of international allies, shoulder to shoul- fights inside parliament and thousands
climate change. The country is espe- der to exert the power of deterrence, of supporters of the DPP and opposition
cially vulnerable to global warming, to prepare for war to avoid war, and to parties holding street protests. KMT has
authorities have said, because of its achieve the goal of peace,” Mr Lai told also threatened to recall Mr Lai.
huge population. journalists at the Presidential Office. Yesterday, Mr Lai said the govern-
Chinese meteorological data show China, which claims Taiwan is part of ment wanted to “strengthen coopera-
2024 was the warmest year for the coun- its territory and has threatened to use tion among political parties” and that
try since comparable records began force to annex it, has held several rounds his team would start providing “impor-
over six decades ago, the second straight of large-scale military drills around the tant national security briefings” to the
year in which milestones were broken. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te walks past soldiers at a naval base in Taoyuan on Oct 18, 2024. AFP island since Mr Lai took office. opposition. AFP
Last year’s warmer weather was
accompanied by stronger storms
and higher rainfall and led to spikes Cambodia Australia
in power consumption in China, the
world’s second-largest economy.
The National Meteorological Centre
yesterday issued a yellow warning for
Students re-enact Khmer Rouge crimes
high temperatures. The centre has a PHNOM PENH: Cambodian students The Khmer Rouge atrocities are then acted out slitting victims’ throats,
three-tier, colour warning system for wearing all black and wielding bamboo commemorated at museums and sites shooting or clubbing them in a re-
high temperatures, with red being clubs and wooden rifles staged a dra- including Choeung Ek, a notorious enactment of Khmer Rouge attacks
the most severe, followed by orange matic re-enactment of a genocide former “Killing Field” in Phnom Penh, on civilians. People walk past
and yellow. that killed two million people in the where an annual Day of Remembrance Some attendees cried at the con- a sign outside St
In Zhengzhou, Henan’s capital, large 1970s yesterday. event was held. frontingly vivid re-enactment. “My tears Paul’s Cathedral
sprinkler trucks and sprinklers were A quarter of Cambodia’s population Hundreds gathered at Choeung fell when I watched the performance,” against the
used to cool down urban areas, state died of starvation, forced labour or tor- Ek, where about 15,000 people died attendee and survivor Chruok Sam, 70, development of
broadcaster CCTV reported. ture or were slaughtered in mass killings between 1975 and 1979, holding prayers said. new coal and gas
In Lanling county, in the south of under Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge between in front of a display of victims’ skulls. He lost 12 family members under the fields, in
Shandong province, agricultural experts 1975 and 1979. Students brandishing mock weapons Khmer Rouge and said the performance Melbourne,
were instructing vegetable farmers to showed “exactly the same” as what he Australia
ventilate their plants using sheds and had experienced in 1975. yesterday. AFP
water spraying, CCTV said. He hoped the re-enactment would
In Shanxi, authorities issued an
orange heat warning and implemented
water spraying to cool down many parts
help young generations learn more
about what he called “the most heinous
and cruel regime on Earth”.
Opposition coalition splits
of the northern province, known for its
coal production.
Cold air moving from west to east will
Another survivor, 63-year-old Em
Ry, said she was still scared and had
never been able to forget Pol Pot’s time
in wake of election defeat
cool much of China’s north tomorrow in power. SYDNEY: Australia’s National Party has sought specific commitments.
and Friday, with a drop of 6-12C. She was forced to work all day and split from its conservative coalition part- “As the largest non-government
In China’s southern Jiangxi more only ate a “spoonful of corn”, she said, ner of over 60 years, the Liberal Party, political party, the Liberals will form
than 100 mm of rainfall was recorded and lost several family members includ- citing policy differences over renewable the official opposition,” she added.
across much of the province. ing her grandmother. energy and after a resounding loss at a The Liberals were reduced to 28 out
Last weekend, heavy rains in China’s Prime Minister Hun Manet, who was national election this month. of 150 seats in the House of Representa-
southern Guangdong and Guangxi at the opening of a new cement plant in “It’s time to have a break,” Nationals tives, its worst result, as Labor increased
provinces killed at least six people and central Kampong Speu province, urged leader David Littleproud said yesterday. its tally to 94 from 77, registering its
disrupted trains and power supply, people not to forget the past. The split shows the pressure on largest-ever majority in an Australian
with disaster alerts issued in parts of Students perform a re-enactment of Khmer Rouge crimes to mark the annual ‘Day “We must move on, but we cannot Australia’s conservative parties after election. The National Party retained
the country. Reuters of Remembrance’ in Phnom Penh yesterday. AFP forget our painful past,” he said. AFP Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor 15 seats.
party won a historic second term in The Liberal Party lost key city seats
the May 3 election, powered by a voter to independents supporting gender
INDIA backlash against US President Donald equality and action on climate change.
Trump’s policies. Ms Ley, a former outback pilot with

Govt arrests eleven people accused of spying for Pakistan Under the long-standing partnership
in state and federal politics, the Lib-
eral and National coalition had shared
three finance degrees, was elected as
the party’s first woman leader after
opposition leader Peter Dutton lost his
NEW DELHI: Indian authorities have Himalayan territory since their 1947 involved “in sharing classified details” travelled to Pakistan at least twice power in governments, with the Nation- seat in the election.
arrested nearly a dozen nationals for independence from Britain. related to New Delhi’s strikes deep into and had been in contact with an offi- als broadly representing the interests “She is a leader that needs to rebuild
allegedly spying for Pakistan following Broadcaster NDTV reported on Pakistan’s territory on the night of May cial from the country’s embassy, local of rural communities and the Liberals the Liberal party, they are going on a
their most serious conflict in decades, Monday that authorities had arrested 6-7. media reported. contesting city seats. journey of rediscovery and this will pro-
local media reported citing police. nine alleged “spies” in the north- A preliminary investigation showed Others arrested include a student, “We will not be re-entering a coali- vide them the opportunity to do that,”
At least 60 people died in fighting ern states of Haryana, Punjab and they were in “direct contact” with a security guard and a businessman. tion agreement with the Liberal Party said Mr Littleproud.
earlier this month triggered by an April Uttar Pradesh. handlers from Pakistan’s intelligence The India Today reported 11 such after this election,” Mr Littleproud said, The Nationals remain committed to
22 attack on tourists in Indian-adminis- Punjab’s director general of police agency Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) arrests. It said the accused were “lured citing policy differences. “having the door open” for more coali-
tered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Gaurav Yadav said on Monday that and “had transmitted critical informa- through social media, monetary incen- Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley, who tion talks before the next election, but
Islamabad of backing — a charge Paki- his team had arrested two people tion concerning the Indian Armed tives, false promises, messaging apps was installed in the role last week, had would uphold the interests of rural
stan denies. “involved in leaking sensitive mili- Forces,” Mr Yadav added. and personal visits to Pakistan”. pledged to revisit all policies in the wake Australians, he said. Australia has the
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed tary information”. In Haryana, police arrested a travel The arrests come after the worst of the election loss. She said yesterday world’s largest uranium reserves but
in full by both countries, which Police had received “credible intel- blogger last week on similar charges. flare-up in violence between the rivals she was disappointed with the Nation- bans nuclear energy. Reuters
have fought multiple wars over the ligence inputs” the two men were Police say the accused woman since their last conflict in 1999. AFP als decision, which came after they had

MIDDLE EAST

44 killed as Israel steps up Gaza assault

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defence agency besieged coastal territory, according of reservists before launching its Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
said Israeli strikes killed at least 44 to rescuers. expanded military offensive, and it sent He also said it was necessary for Israel
people yesterday across the war-rav- “Civil defence teams have transferred in ground troops on Sunday. to prevent a famine in Gaza for “dip-
aged Palestinian territory, where Israel [to hospitals] at least 44 dead, mostly Israel’s security cabinet approved lomatic reasons”, after his government
has intensified a military offensive children and women, as well as dozens earlier this month a plan to expand its announced it would allow limited food
aimed at crushing Hamas. of wounded” across Gaza since 1am, military operation in Gaza, which one aid into the territory.
Aid trickled into the Gaza Strip on agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal official said would include the “con- The Israeli leader said aid had
Monday for the first time in more than said yesterday. quest” of the territory and the displace- resumed because “images of mass
two months, following intense interna- Mr Bassal said eight were killed in a ment of its population. starvation” could harm the legitimacy
tional condemnation over Israel’s total strike on a school sheltering displaced Israel resumed major operations of Israel’s war effort.
blockade that has sparked shortages of people in Gaza City and 12 in a strike on across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock WHO warned that Gaza’s “two mil-
food and medicine. a house in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. over how to proceed with a two-month lion people are starving”.
The Israeli army stepped up its Another 15 were killed in a strike on ceasefire that had largely halted the war The leaders of Britain, France and
military offensive in Gaza on Saturday, a gas station near the Nuseirat refugee with Hamas. Canada issued a harsh condemnation
saying it was aimed at “the defeat of camp and nine in a strike on a house in The war was sparked by Hamas’s of Israel’s conduct of the war, slam-
Hamas” — the Islamist group that runs the Jabalia refugee camp. unprecedented October 2023 attack ming its “egregious actions” in Gaza,
the Palestinian territory. There was no immediate comment on southern Israel. particularly the expanded offensive and
Palestinians move with their belongings through Jabalia as they flee the northern Since then, scores of Gazans have on the strikes from the Israeli military. “We will take control of all the terri- the “wholly inadequate” resumption
Gaza Strip towards Gaza City on Monday. AFP been killed in Israeli strikes on the Israel called up tens of thousands tory of the strip,” Israel’s Prime Minister of aid. AFP
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 I Bangkok Post I 5
6 I WORLD Bangkok Post I Wednesday, May 21, 2025

inBrief
Sri Lanka train hits Ukraine talks to start ‘immediately’
wild elephant

D
COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan express
Russia signals onald Trump said Russia
and Ukraine had agreed to
‘Right path’
Mr Putin said that Russia would “pro-
signalled concerns that the Russian
president may be stringing him along.
train killed an elephant and was
derailed yesterday, despite safety willingness “immediately” start cease-
fire talks on Monday after
pose and will be ready to work with
the Ukrainian side on a memorandum
White House Press Secretary Karo-
line Leavitt said fresh sanctions were
measures introduced after the
country’s worst wildlife railway to engage in the United States’ presi-
dent spoke for more than two hours
on a possible future peace agreement
defining a range of positions.”
still an option if Russia fails to reach
a deal.

‘‘
accident three months ago on the
same route. dialogue with on the phone to Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president added that
talks with Kyiv last week in Istanbul
Mr Trump still hoped to meet Mr
Putin, she added, after the US presi-
Local officials said the young
wild elephant crossing the track Ukraine, but Mr Putin said separately that he was
ready to work with Ukraine on a memo-
had put the world “on the right path”
to resolving the conflict but said more
dent said that face-to-face talks were
the only way to end the conflict.
near Habarana was run over
by the same train involved in stops short of randum towards a possible peace deal
— but fell short of giving Mr Trump
compromises were still needed.
Mr Trump reportedly spoke to
Mr Trump had held out the possi-
bility of joining Russia-Ukraine peace
the Feb 20 accident that killed
seven elephants. agreeing to an the unconditional 30-day ceasefire
he sought.
There’s a bit Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelen-
sky before the call with Putin.
talks in Istanbul last week if there was
a chance of meeting Mr Putin, but the
After that crash, officials
imposed speed limits on trains unconditional Mr Trump had set up the call amid
increasing frustrations with both
of an impasse On social media, Mr Trump said he
had “informed” Mr Zelensky, Euro-
Russian leader was a no-show.
Mr Zelensky refreshed his push for
passing through elephant habitats.
No passengers were injured in ceasefire as Moscow and Kyiv after promising
during his election campaign to end here ... If pean Commission President Ursula
von Der Leyen and the leaders of
a “full and unconditional” ceasefire
ahead of the call.
the accident, which occurred some
180 kilometres east of Colombo. demanded the grinding three-year-old conflict in
24 hours. Russia is not France, Germany, Italy and Finland
of the resumption of peace talks in a ‘Bloodbath’
Railway authorities said an
investigation was underway, and by the United “Just completed my two-hour call
with President Vladimir Putin of willing to do
call immediately after his conversation
with Mr Putin on Monday.
Last week’s Istanbul talks were the first
direct negotiations between the sides
engineers were trying to put the
Colombo-Batticaloa train back on States, writes Russia. I believe it went very well,” Mr
Trump said on his Truth Social net- that, then we’re
With Ukraine saying Russia
launched a “record” drone attack at the
for three years, with US officials also
attending. But the meetings ended
the track after the pre-dawn smash.
Wildlife officials have said that Danny Kemp work on Monday.
“Russia and Ukraine will imme- eventually just
weekend, the White House had ear-
lier warned that Mr Trump was “weary
without a commitment to a ceasefire.
After the negotiations, Mr Trump
139 elephants have been killed by diately start negotiations towards a and frustrated” with the slow-moving announced that he would speak by
trains over the past 17 years, since
authorities began collecting such
Ceasefire and, more importantly, an
END to the War.” going have to peace efforts.
Vice President JD Vance reiterated
phone with Mr Putin in a bid to end the
“BLOODBATH” in Ukraine, which has
data. AFP Mr Trump added that the “tone
and spirit of the conversation say, this is not that Mr Trump was losing patience.
“There’s a bit of an impasse here,”
destroyed large swathes of the country
and displaced millions of people.
NZ govt defers were excellent.”
The Vatican — where Pope Leo XIV our war.
Mr Vance said as he left Rome, where
he met both the pope and Mr Zelensky.
Ukraine’s allies have since accused
Mr Putin of ignoring calls for a truce
vote on Maori MPs was recently elected as the first Amer-
ican pontiff — would be “very inter- JD Vance
“If Russia is not willing to do that, then
we’re eventually just going have to say,
and pushed for fresh sanctions
against Russia.
SYDNEY: The New Zealand gov- ested” in hosting the Russia-Ukraine US Vice President this is not our war.” On the ground, the Russian army
ernment yesterday deferred a vote talks, Mr Trump added. Mr Trump has directed much of his continued its attacks. Moscow claimed
over the rare suspension of three The Kremlin leader appeared to give and European Union. frustration towards Ukraine — includ- its forces had captured two villages in
indigenous lawmakers from parlia- one of the most concrete signs yet of “It was very informative and very ing during a blazing Oval Office row Ukraine’s Sumy and Donetsk regions.
ment for performing a haka, the being ready to discuss an end to Mos- open and overall, in my opinion, very with Mr Zelensky in February. Russia also fired 112 drones on Ukraine
Maori ceremonial dance, during cow’s invasion of its neighbour, which useful,” Mr Putin told Russian media But while abstaining from exten- overnight, 76 of which were repelled,
the reading of a contentious bill has been allied with the United States after the call. sively criticising Mr Putin, he has also the Ukrainian air force said. AFP
last year.

G7 eyes Ukraine, trade tensions

A parliamentary privileges com-
mittee last week recommended PUBLIC HEALTH
temporarily suspending three Te
Pati Maori parliamentarians for
acting in “a manner that could have WHO adopts
the effect of intimidating a member
Tariffs, security, and AI top a packed agenda in Alberta, writes Beiyi Seow
of the house.”
The Te Pati Maori members landmark
T
performed the haka last November op finance leaders from the G7 A source briefed on US participa- warn of unpredictability as leaders deal for success is that the US wants to
ahead of a vote on a controversial
bill that would have reinterpreted
a 184-year-old treaty between the
nations gather in Canada starting
yesterday, with concerns includ-
ing war in Ukraine at the fore while the
tion in the G7 meeting in Banff, Alberta
said Washington is not inclined to “do a
communique just for the sake of doing
with internal tensions.
“This is an unusual G7,” said Ananya
Kumar, a deputy director at Wash-
engage and negotiate a trade deal with
these countries.”
While officials told AFP they are
pandemic
British and indigenous Maori that
still guides policy and legislation.
Co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-
advanced economies grapple with fall-
out from US President Donald Trump’s
sweeping tariffs.
a communique.” They said a consensus
will have to align with Trump adminis-
tration priorities.
ington-based think tank, the Atlan-
tic Council.
not expecting trade agreements to be
unveiled this week, they maintain that
parties have made progress in talks
agreement
Packer and Rawiri Waititi should In talks running through till tomor- Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Trade Chills and the Banff gathering will be another GENEVA: The UN health agency yes-
be suspended for 21 days and row, leaders are set to discuss global Carney earlier invited Ukrainian While talks often centre on major policy chance to find common ground. terday adopted a landmark Pandemic
representative Hana-Rawhiti economic conditions, with participants President Volodymyr Zelensky to the priorities across members and guests, Leaders will be seeking out Mr Bes- Agreement on tackling future health
Maipi-Clarke for seven days, the seeking a common position on Ukraine, G7 summit in June, and such as sanctions on Russia, sent, who helped broker a de-esca- crises, struck after more than three
committee said. while issues like non-market practices Ukraine’s Marchenko was the economic impact of Mr lation in staggering tit-for-tat levies years of negotiations sparked by the
Chris Bishop, the leader of the are also on the agenda. due to field media ques- Trump’s tariffs has cast a with China. Covid-19 crisis.
house, said delaying the vote would Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii tions yesterday. pall, she told AFP. “He has shown that he can be the The accord aims to prevent the dis-
allow the suspended members to Marchenko also will be present at the In recent months, Mr adult in the room,” said Carl Weinberg, jointed response and international
participate in the federal budget meeting of Group of Seven finance ‘Back to basics’ Trump has slapped a blanket chief economist at research group High disarray that surrounded the Covid-19
tomorrow. The vote will take ministers and central bank governors A US Treasury spokesperson 10% tariff on most US trading Frequency Economics. pandemic, by improving global coor-
place following the budget, he in Canada’s western province of Alberta. said Treasury Secretary Scott partners, threatening higher But Mr Bessent remains “under pres- dination and surveillance, and access
said. reuters The talks come amid an uncertain Bessent would look to get the rates on economies includ- sure from the Trump administration to to vaccines, in any future pandemics.
approach among the G7 democracies grouping “back to basics ing the European Union. deliver the agenda,” Mr Weinberg said. The World Health Organization’s
Hungary MPs pass towards the war in Ukraine — after Rus-
sia’s invasion in 2022 — since Mr Trump
and focused on addressing Carney: Sent invite
imbalances and non-market to Zelensky
He also imposed tariffs on
imports of steel, aluminium
Trying to move forward on trade will
help with progress on other issues, said
decision-making annual assem-
bly adopted the plan yesterday at its
bill to leave ICC returned to the presidency this year.
Once broadly unified, the G7 — Brit-
practices in both G7 and
non-G7 countries.”
and autos, raising the tem-
perature with G7 countries. The imple-
the Atlantic Council’s Ms Kumar.
She expects members to seek “com-
Geneva headquarters.
“It’s an historic day,” WHO chief
BUDAPEST: Hungary’s parliament ain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, The source briefed on US participa- mentation of a recent pact with Britain mitment towards the status quo with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said
approved a bill yesterday that will Japan and the United States — has been tion noted it was unacceptable from the remains clouded by uncertainty. Ukraine” too. after the vote.
start the country’s year-long with- rattled by Mr Trump, who has reached G7’s perspective that countries would Last month, the International Mon- Canadian Finance Minister Francois- The text of the agreement was final-
drawal process from the Interna- out to Russia and slapped tariffs on both allow China’s excess industrial capacity etary Fund slashed its global growth Philippe Champagne is set to co-chair ised by consensus last month, following
tional Criminal Court, which Prime allies and competitors. to flood their domestic sectors, adding forecast over the tariffs’ effects, with sessions on the global economy, eco- multiple rounds of tense negotiations.
Minister Viktor Orban’s govern- Mr Trump said Russia and Ukraine that this would be on the agenda. top US partners like Canada to be nega- nomic resilience and security, along- The United States pulled out of those
ment said has become “political”. would start peace talks after he spoke While the grouping discusses poli- tively hit. side conditions in Ukraine. talks, following US President Donald
Mr Orban’s government with Russian President Vladimir Putin cies and solutions to issues like trade, “It’s an elephant in the room,” Ms There will be sessions on financial Trump’s decision to withdraw his
announced the move on April 3, on Monday. security and climate change, analysts Kumar said. “I think a possible metric crime and artificial intelligence too. AFP country from the WHO, a process that
shortly after Israeli leader Benja- takes one year

Ex-army chief testifies in Brazil coup trial

min Netanyahu arrived in Hungary to complete.
for a state visit in defiance of an ICC “The world
arrest warrant. The ICC’s Presi- is safer today
dency of the Assembly of State Par- thanks to the
ties expressed concern at the move. leadership, col-
Mr Orban last month said the
General says Bolsonaro mulled ‘state of siege’ after loss, writes Ramon Sahmkow laboration and

‘‘
ICC was “no longer an impartial commitment
court, a rule-of-law court, but of our member

A
rather a political court”. former army commander told high-ranking military officers, former states to adopt
Hungary is a founding member Brazil’s Supreme Court on government ministers and police and Tedros: Deal makes the historic
of the ICC and ratified its founding Monday he had attended a meet- intelligence officials — are set to testify the world ‘safer’ WHO Pandemic
document in 2001. However, the ing with Jair Bolsonaro where a “state in a preliminary trial phase that opened Agreement,” Mr

I warned him [Bolsonaro] that

law has not been promulgated. A of siege” was discussed as a possible on Monday and is expected to last at Tedros said.
country’s withdrawal from the ICC means of overturning the far-right ex- least two weeks. “The agreement is a victory for
comes into effect one year after the president’s election defeat. Former air force chief Carlos de public health, science and multilateral
United Nations Secretary-General
receives a written notification of
General Marco Antonio Freire Almeida Baptista Junior is set to give
Gomes, who was army commander evidence today.
he could have serious problems, action. It will ensure we, collectively,
can better protect the world from future
the decision. REUTERS under Mr Bolsonaro, was one of the first Monday’s hearings were opened by
witnesses to testify in an initial phase Mr Bolsonaro’s arch-foe, Judge Alexan-
with judicial implications. pandemic threats.
“It is also a recognition by the inter-
Three face trial of the long-anticipated trial of Mr Bol- dre de Moraes, via video link.
sonaro on coup charges. Mr Bolsonaro joined the proceedings
Marco Antonio Freire Gomes national community that our citizens,
societies and economies must not be
Former Army commander
over Russian plot After leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da in a yellow Brazilian football jersey, a
Silva’s election victory in symbol of patriotism for his
left vulnerable to again suffer losses
like those endured during Covid-19,”
MUNICH: Three German-Russian 2022, but before he was right-wing supporters. he said.
dual nationals went on trial in inaugurated as president in Prosecutors say Brazil’s denies any role in a coup attempt and States on January 8, 2023, when thou- The agreement aims to better detect
Munich yesterday, accused of January 2023, Gen Gomes leader from 2019-2022 led claims to be the victim of “political sands of supporters invaded and ran- and combat pandemics by focusing on
spying for Moscow and readying said he took part in a meet- a “criminal organisation” persecution.” sacked key government buildings, greater international coordination and
attacks on critical military infra- ing with Mr Bolsonaro planning to undo Mr Lula’s The former army captain will be demanding a military intervention to surveillance, and more equitable access
structure and industry. where the possibility of election victory. tried with seven former aides allegedly oust Mr Lula a week after his inaugura- to vaccines and treatments.
The main suspect, named only declaring a “state of siege” Mr Bolsonaro has been involved in the coup plot. They include tion. That effort also failed. The negotiations grew tense amid
as Dieter S, is said to have been at was discussed. hoping to make a politi- four former ministers, a former navy Following the introductory phase disagreements between wealthy and
the centre of a plot to undermine “I warned him [Bolson- cal comeback in elections commander and an ex-intelligence with witness evidence, the trial will developing countries, with the latter
Germany’s support for Ukraine aro] that he could have seri- Bolsonaro: Faces next year despite being services head. continue with testimony from the feeling cut off from access to vaccines
through acts of sabotage aimed at ous problems, with judicial 40 years in prison banned from seeking Several former Brazilian presidents accused, followed by a summation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
targets including US military bases. implications,” the general office until 2030 over base- have had legal entanglements since from prosecutors and final arguments The agreement faced opposition
He will be tried alongside Alex- said of that discussion. less criticism of Brazil’s electronic the end of the 1964-1985 dictatorship, by defence attorneys. from those who thought it would
ander J and Alex D, who are alleged Mr Bolsonaro, 70, is accused of voting system. but Mr Bolsonaro, who has expressed Only then will the five high-court encroach on state sovereignty.
to have supported his activities having conspired to hold on to power Prosecutors say those attacks had nostalgia for military rule, is the first to magistrates — including Mr Moraes — Countries have until May 2026 to
on behalf of a foreign intelli- regardless of the outcome of the 2022 sought to discredit the 2022 elec- face coup charges. vote on the fate of the accused and, if thrash out the details of the agreement’s
gence service. election, which he narrowly lost to tion and lay the ground for a mili- A 900-page report by the federal found guilty, sentence them. Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing
The suspect is said to have Mr Lula. tary intervention. police lays out the alleged plot in detail. Mr Bolsonaro, who recently under- mechanism. Once the PABS system
belonged to an armed unit of the If found guilty, he risks a sentence Mr Bolsonaro is also accused of The attempt failed, say prosecutors, went surgery to treat problems arising is finalised, the agreement can then
self-proclaimed “People’s Republic of up to 40 years in prison, and politi- being aware of a plot to assassinate because it lacked crucial support from from a 2018 knife attack, has said a be ratified.
of Donetsk”. AFP cal banishment. Mr Lula, his vice president Geraldo the top military brass. conviction would amount to a “death Sixty ratifications are required for the
More than 80 people — including Alckmin, and judge Moraes. He Mr Bolsonaro was in the United penalty, political and physical”. AFP treaty to enter into force. AFP
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 I Bangkok Post WORLD I 7
UNITED STATES

Trump claims Govt cuts

more funds
Biden tried to for Harvard

hide cancer
WASHINGTON: The US Department
of Health and Human Services said
on Monday that it was terminating
$60 million (1.9 billion baht) in federal
grants to Harvard University saying the
Ivy League institution failed to address
of “love and support” following his antisemitic harassment and ethnic dis-
Illness ‘should have shock diagnosis. crimination on campus.
“I’m surprised that the public wasn’t US President Donald Trump’s
been found earlier’ notified a long time ago,” Mr Trump told administration has frozen or ended
reporters in the Oval Office when asked federal grants and contracts for the
for his reaction to Mr Biden’s cancer. university worth nearly $3 billion in
WASHINGTON: US President Donald “It takes a long time to get to that recent weeks.
Trump fuelled speculation on Monday situation, to get to a stage nine,” he Since taking office in January, the
that Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis was added, apparently referring to the Republican president has sought to use
covered up, saying he was “surprised” announcement by Mr Biden’s office federal research funding to overhaul
the public was not told about his pre- that his cancer had “a Gleason score US academia, which he says has been
decessor’s condition earlier. of 9 [Grade Group 5].” gripped by anti-American, Marxist and
Republican Trump’s extraordinary Prostate cancer that looks “very “radical left” ideologies.
claim came just a day after it emerged abnormal” is assigned the highest Donald Trump greets then-US President Joe Biden as he arrives for his inauguration ceremonies at the US Capitol on Jan 20. The administration has accused Har-
that his bitter Democratic political rating, Grade 5, according to the Amer- REUTERS vard of continuing to consider ethnicity
rival, 82, had an aggressive form of ican Cancer Society. The Gleason Score when reviewing student applications
prostate cancer. goes up to 10, indicating the serious- receiving top-of-the-line medical care. 2024 election campaign bashing Mr been detected earlier — and then on and of allowing discrimination against
Mr Trump also tried to tie the issue ness of Mr Biden’s disease. Suggesting that tests when Mr Biden Biden’s cognitive fitness, had said in a Monday boosted unfounded claims Jews as a result of the pro-Palestinian
into a wider political row — sparked Oncologists that AFP spoke with, was president should have picked up statement on Sunday that he was “sad- Mr Biden had covered up a previous student protest movement that roiled
by a new book released this week — however, said that screening limita- signs of the disease, Mr Trump added: dened” by the diagnosis. diagnosis. American campuses last year.
about whether Mr Biden’s White House tions could very well have left Mr “If you take a look it’s the same doctor But 24 hours later he was leaning The diagnosis comes amid new New York’s Columbia Univer-
covered up evidence of his cognitive Biden’s condition undetected until that said Joe was cognitively fine.” into accusations by others in his orbit questions over Mr Biden’s health while sity has also been targeted over
decline while in office. now, and that late identification of “There are things going on that the of a cover-up, including his son Don Jr. in office, with a new book titled Origi- alleged antisemitism.
Mr Biden had earlier on Monday an advanced cancer would not be public wasn’t informed of.” Don Jr questioned on Sunday nal Sin by two journalists alleging his “Due to Harvard University’s con-
expressed gratitude for an outpouring unheard of, even for a former president Mr Trump, who spent much of the whether the cancer should have staff worked to conceal his decline. AFP tinued failure to address antisemitic

Legal protections given to Venezuelans set to end

harassment and race discrimination,
HHS is terminating multiple multi-year
grant awards ... over their full duration,”
the health department said in a post on
X on Monday.
washington: The US Supreme Court administration’s plans to end TPS for attack, coordinated for more than The Cambridge, Massachusetts-
on Monday allowed President Donald Venezuelan nationals. US District Judge a year against a community whose based institution has previously said
Trump’s administration to end legal Edward Chen said the plan to end TPS only sin was to run away from a crimi- that it “cannot absorb the entire cost” of
protections that have shielded some “smacks of racism” and mischaracter- nal dictatorship”. the frozen grants, and that it was work-
350,000 Venezuelans from poten- People support a ises Venezuelans as criminals. She pointed to the US State Depart- ing with researchers to help them find
tial deportation. resolution in “Acting on the basis of a negative ment’s continued Level 4 safety advi- alternative funding. It is alsosuing the
The top court granted a request by favour of group stereotype and generalizing sory for Venezuela — its highest warn- Trump administration over its decision
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi reinstating such stereotype to the entire group is ing against travel to the country. to cut grants.
Noem to revoke temporary protected temporary the classic example of racism,” Judge “The Trump administration is basi- Earlier this month, the university set-
status (TPS) for the Venezuelans while protected status Chen wrote. cally becoming our tormentor, at least tled a high-profile lawsuit by an Ortho-
an appeal proceeds in a lower court. for Venezuelans Solicitor General John Sauer filed of the most vulnerable,” Ms Ferro said dox Jewish student who said Harvard
Federal law permits TPS to be on Feb 13, 2025 an emergency application with the by phone. Mr Trump campaigned for was ignoring antisemitism on campus.
granted to foreign citizens who cannot in Miami, conservative-majority Supreme Court president promising to deport mil- The settlement came four months
safely return home because of war, nat- Florida. afp asking it to stay the judge’s order. lions of undocumented migrants and a after Harvard promised additional
ural disasters or other “extraordinary” Reacting to the Supreme Court’s number of his executive orders around protections for Jewish students, as
conditions. days before Mr Trump returned to the under longtime ruler Nicolas Maduro. decision on Monday, Venezuelan- immigration have encountered push- it resolved two lawsuits claiming the
Former president Joe Biden extended White House in January, citing ongoing A federal judge in California put a American activist Adelys Ferro blasted back from judges across the country prestigious university was a hotbed of
TPS for Venezuelans for 18 months just crises in the South American country temporary stay in March on the Trump “a xenophobic, discriminatory, racist — including the Supreme Court. afp antisemitism. reuters
8 I Bangkok Post I Wednesday, May 21, 2025

OPINION
Established 1946

Bangkok Post
The Newspaper You Can Trust
Mobile
Back to learning
The children of

school, please
migrant workers
learn Thai at a
mobile classroom
offering language

A
tuition at a
s students across the country return to construction site in
school for the new semester, 800 children the Laksi area of
who have been studying at learning centres the capital, in this
for migrant and refugee students in Samut Dec 1, 2017 file
Sakhon are being forced to stay home. photo. The
Their access to education has been curtailed since
the provincial administration launched a crackdown government’s latest
on the centres last Saturday. education policy
Five venues have been targeted that offer educa- restricts these
tion, language classes and cultural assimilation non-formal learning
knowledge. Three are run by The Labour Protec- centres to border
tion Network (LPN), a well-known NGO formed provinces only, with
to take care of the labour rights and welfare of a stronger focus on
migrant workers.
The other two — the Marist Centre for Migrants sending immigrant
and St Joachim Catholic Centre for Migrants — are children to state
run by the St Ann Catholic Centre for Migrants. schools. Apichit
The Samut Sakhon provincial administrative office Jinakul
(PAO) said these centres need to be closed because

Donor funding crisis goes global

they violate administrative laws. It said their class-
rooms, facilities and teacher recruitment schemes do
not align with the standards defined by the education
ministry.
To ease the impact on migrant students, the PAO
has provided seats at 43 schools in the province for
them. However, their parents have yet to contact of their dwindling foreign-aid budgets worldwide) and reduce the amount of
those schools. COMMENTARY to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 inva- life-saving food that it provides, because
Such a crackdown reflects our overly education- sion, diverting funds away from other no other countries have offered to offset
centric policy when it comes to migrant students. Jayati war-torn and desperately poor countries, the shortfall.
The ministry allows these learning centres to oper- Ghosh has underscored the largely self-serving Similarly, the Joint UN Programme
ate in several provinces on the country’s borders, such approach to such “charity” flows. on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS), which relied on
as in Tak, Mae Hong Son and Chiang Rai. Still, it is surprising — and dispiriting the US for more than 40% of its financ-
Elsewhere in the nation, migrant workers can send — that other donor countries have not ing, will need to cut more than half of its

T
their students to state schools where they will receive stepped up after Mr Trump terminated workforce and reduce or eliminate some
benefits and treatment equal to Thai students. owards the end of the ancient almost all US foreign-aid funding and of its essential programmes. (Switzer-
While the ministry deserves credit for trying to pro- Indian epic the Mahabharata, programming. This would have been land and the United Kingdom, two other
vide equal education, the latest crackdown is having Krishna’s Yadava clan self- the obvious thing to do, not necessarily major UNAIDS funders, have likewise
the opposite effect. destructs. Many dark omens out of solidarity, but simply because of reduced their contributions). That could
Since last year, the government has closed several presage their downfall: nature geopolitical self-interest. lead to six times more HIV infections
such learning centres in Samut Sakhon, Pathum behaves erratically and pests multiply. For starters, Mr Trump’s indiscrimi- Rohingya refugees wash clothing outside and a 400% increase in Aids deaths by
Thani and Phuket. The police have launched investi- Sin, deception, and violence proliferate, nate attacks on allies and rivals alike their home at the Kutupalong refugee camp 2029, as well as the emergence of new
gations and charged some with violating immigration eroding trust and solidarity. Clan mem- have demonstrated the necessity of coor- in southern Bangladesh on June 12, 2018. strains, which would have negative
laws. bers humiliate and insult wise elders. dinated action, which requires building nyt repercussions for all countries. But the
The bigger question is whether this policy benefits When Krishna’s extended family goes on alliances, supporting multilateralism, organisation’s budget gap is a modest
migrant students in terms of their education. Also, a picnic, the men get drunk, argue, and and cultivating soft power. One easy of the most immediate needs that fall $58 million — the same shortfall facing
does it help young migrant workers assimilate into attack each other, until eventually all of and relatively cheap way to do that is by under a global public investment frame- the UN Office for the Coordination of
Thai culture? them are dead. continuing to support multilateral insti- work are going unmet. Humanitarian Affairs, which has to lay
The answer is no. Without advance communication This cautionary tale has gained new tutions. Such funding may also defuse This is especially baffling because the off 20% of its staff.
and preparation between state schools and parents, resonance as geopolitical tensions — some of the anger that many people in amounts required to plug the develop- Given these minuscule sums, filling
the latter rarely send their kids to regular schools. including in South Asia — escalate, and the Global South feel about the Western ment-financing hole left by the United the gap left by the US would have a negli-
Instead, the children are left at home and become many countries embrace protectionist world’s complicity in the ongoing deci- States are so small as to be trivial. For gible fiscal impact on traditional donors
vulnerable to exploitation. policies. US President Donald Trump’s mation and mass killings in Gaza. example, Mr Trump’s withdrawal of the and large middle-income countries. But
The ministry should open its ears to the recent second administration has contributed Moreover, the massive reduction in US US from the World Health Organization only a handful of countries, like South
recommendation by the National Human Rights significantly to the current fragmenta- direct aid and financing for international — which remains absolutely critical for Korea, have responded to the funding
Commission (NHRC). tion and disorder. But other wealthy organisations will hinder the provision managing global health threats — means crisis, preventing essential organisa-
Early this month, the NHRC sent a letter to the countries have exacerbated the situation of global public goods, including health that the WHO faces a US$1.9 billion (63 tions’ collapse and enabling them to
government and the education ministry asking the by failing to show any real solidarity in and climate stability. The concept of billion baht) budget shortfall in 2026- function properly — for now. If wealthier
government to open more of these learning centres in response to Mr Trump’s hostile policies. global public investment suggests that 27 — a gap that rich countries and even countries refuse to provide for the global
provinces that are popular with migrant workers, such The lack of development coopera- all countries have a stake in solving these most large middle-income countries common good, the multilateral system
as Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Chon Buri, Rayong, tion is a prime example of this grow- challenges, and should thus contribute could easily afford to fill. as we know it will not survive. ©2025 Pro-
Surat Thani, Phangnga, and Phuket. ing appetite for mutually assured resources to addressing them, according It’s a similar story at other interna- ject Syndicate
Migrant workers and their offspring are a part of destruction. To be sure, aid from donor to their means, and distribute the col- tional organisations. The United Nations
Thai society. As such, the government should find a countries was already declining, and lected funds based on need and impact. World Food Programme faces an esti- Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at the
way to provide them with easy access to education recent events have exposed the system’s But the response of most rich coun- mated 40% reduction in funding — equal University of Massachusetts Amherst, is a
and help them assimilate better into Thai culture. injustices. The Covid-19 pandemic tries has so far been appalling. Instead to roughly $4 billion. The WFP, which member of the Club of Rome’s
To achieve this goal, it needs to embrace an “open highlighted Western governments’ of scaling up foreign assistance, several served more than 100 million people in Transformational Economics Commission
arms” policy rather than one of iron fists. Instead of greed, undermining others’ trust in their European governments have slashed 2024 and won the Nobel Peace Prize five and Co-Chair of the Independent
treating these learning centres as illegal, the govern- global leadership. Moreover, the fact that it, citing the need to channel funds to years ago, must now downsize its staff by Commission for the Reform of International
ment would be better advised to treat them as tools these governments have directed most defence investment. As a result, some nearly one-third (around 6,000 positions Corporate Taxation.
serving its education policy.

THE BANGKOK POST

Vol.LXXVII No.141

The Bangkok Post is edited by Soonruth Bunyamanee for

Bangkok Post Public Company Limited, Printer, Publisher and Owner.
Checkups save lives into the same state as Zimbabwe, or does
he want to tell us that Zim is also not a
PostBag
next day, they are paused. Then, maybe
the tariffs will be higher, or, next, maybe
“  InQuote

Re: “Joe Biden thanks supporters for s-hole at all. they will be lower, or maybe they could
EDITOR Soonruth Bunyamanee ‘love’ after cancer diagnosis”, (Online, Coloureds, for the record, are not be going to 0%, if the US loves your na-
02-616-4100x4160, soonruthb@bangkokpost.co.th May 19). mixed race but very largely the descend- tion enough, etc, etc.
EDITORIAL PAGES EDITOR Anchalee Kongrut We all wish President Biden the best ants of Indonesian “indentured labour- As much as I personally like President
x4108, anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th
in his journey with prostate cancer, ers”. Mr Dyer needs to look into why his Donald Trump, one cannot make sense
NEWS EDITOR Anucha Charoenpo x4166, anuchac@bangkokpost.co.th
BUSINESS EDITOR Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn
especially those, like me, who have also ANC mate says what he does. of his erratic, emotional decisions. He
x4076, srisamornp@bangkokpost.co.th been on that journey. One positive aspect Norman Byrott changes his mind almost every week, so
of his announcement is the attention that you may as well set an alarm clock to it.
Stop chasing the US
LIFE EDITOR Arusa Pisuthipan x4144, arusap@bangkokpost.co.th
SPORTS EDITOR Ravipan Pavasuthipand x4103, ravipanp@bangkokpost.co.th his fame will bring, which will lead to America’s population is only about 5%
DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR Prinya Muangarkas
x4089, prinyam@bangkokpost.co.th
others being tested and lives being saved.
Similar examples include Michael J Re: “Thailand pitches trade proposals to
of the world, and it is effectively going
bankrupt, so I suggest Thailand looks to
It [the ruling]
PHOTO EDITOR Pattanapong Hirunard
x4192, pattanapongh@bangkokpost.co.th
GURU ONLINE EDITOR Pornchai Sereemongkonpol
Fox with Parkinson’s or Selma Blair with
MS, although both of these illnesses have
US”, (BP, May 15).
I read a number of tariff and trade-
new, more reliable markets rather than
keep trying to woo an American public has nothing
x4157, pornchais@bangkokpost.co.th visible symptoms most of the time. There
are so many diseases, including cancers,
related articles in the Post with my ageing
American eyes. Some comments from
that is flat broke anyway.
Jason A Jellison to do with this
government.
that are not apparent until it’s too late, Thai business leaders and executives
C O N TA C T I N F O R M AT I O N and famous examples do encourage were, in fact, very wise, but I feel I need Let dogs be
people to get checkups. to point out the obvious— don’t bother
EDITORIAL FEEDBACK OR ENQUIRIES Know your family medical history and trying to woo the US. Re: “Wake up, dog lovers”, (PostBag, PM’s Office minister Chousak
Editorial department administration 02-616-4114, 02-616-4115 get any bump, lump or spot checked. The problem the world has with the May 18). Sirinil on tomorrow’s verdict
fax 02-240-3666, bpadmin@bangkokpost.co.th
Dennis Fitzgerald US right now is that it is not a reliable Khun Eric Bahrt writes that the stray by the Supreme Administrative
Court on a request by former
partner. One day, the tariffs are on with dog problem was caused by humans
Look Again, Mr Dyer
TO PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT PM Yingluck Shinawatra
DISPLAY 02-616-4400, display@bangkokpost.co.th no regard for past favours to the US. The (overbreeding). A slip of the English
not to pay 35 billion baht in
CLASSIFIED 02-616-4300, fax 02-240-3830-31, grammatical tongue doesn’t mean that compensation for damages
classified@bangkokpost.co.th Re: “Theatre of white refugees from South overbreeding humans are the reason for
DIGITAL MEDIA 02-616-4391, caused by her government’s
Africa”, (Opinion, May 16). his latest outpouring of dismay against rice-pledging scheme.
digitalads@bangkokpost.co.th Contact: Bangkok Post Building,
We all have different experiences, and humanity. Then Khun Eric says, “I find it
136 NA RANONG ROAD,
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE BANGKOK POST Gwynne Dyer’s experiences of South KLONG TOEY, BANGKOK 10110
amusing that all breeds of dogs are kill-
CUSTOMER SERVICE 02-616-4444, fax 02-240-3785, Africa differ sharply from mine. Fax: +02 2403666, ing people”, which is not amusing at all.
subscription@bangkokpost.co.th There will be worse places in the email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th Khun Eric might be best concerned with
EPAPER 02-616-4622 world, but South Africa is a corrupt and All letter writers must provide a full name the overproduction of zucchini rather
enewspaper@bangkokpost.co.th crime-ridden. He can drive around and address. All published correspondence is than dogs, and whether zucchini could
Joburg CBD and see for himself. They subject to editing at our discretion be genetically neutered.
have the spectre of the country falling Gimme a break
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 I Bangkok Post OPINION I 9

Rethinking short rentals in Thailand COMMENTARY

Gwynne
Dyer

Wichayada Amponkitviwat
POLICY FOCUS
Can Ukraine
Khemmpat Trisadikoon
survive Trump

T presidency?
he global rebound in tourism after
Covid-19 has driven a notable surge
in short-term rentals (STRs) through

W
online platforms. Offering travellers
greater flexibility, STRs have become e are getting very close to the
a popular alternative to traditional hotels, par- point where Donald Trump
ticularly in urban and tourist-heavy areas. In realises that his dear friend,
the European Union, their use has expanded An image Vladimir Putin, has been play-
rapidly, reflecting forecasts that predict contin- captured from a ing him for a fool. The Russian
ued growth fuelled by competitive pricing and Facebook site president never had the slightest intention of
evolving travel preferences. dated Feb 26 moderating his war aims, which include the
In Thailand, many property owners are shows key boxes annexation of much of Ukraine and the demo-
increasingly turning to short-term rentals to of a condominium tion of the rest to the status of a puppet state.
supplement their income. However, the regu- in Sukhumvit Soi There have been no “peace negotiations”;
latory environment remains murky — especially 42 where Chinese just Mr Putin tirelessly repeating his non-
when it comes to condominiums. While short- investors negotiable demands. He behaves like a man
term leasing was previously tolerated under reportedly who is certain he will win his war of choice,
certain interpretations, a 2022 directive from purchased rooms but then he has to. Any other outcome after
the Department of Lands reaffirmed that condo- and make money three years of fighting and hundreds of thou-
miniums are for residential use only, effectively from short-term sands of Russian deaths would certainly lead
banning daily rentals. leasing to to his removal from power and quite possibly
Despite this restriction, demand from tourists tourists. Drama- to his death.
and supply from owners have persisted, fuelling addict Facebook Yet there is no evidence that Ukraine is
a parallel market that often operates outside Page really on the brink of defeat. Its soldiers are
official oversight. This unregulated growth certainly tired, but so are Mr Putin’s. The
poses several problems: it disrupts long-term in different residential contexts. In mixed-use or without overburdening informal hosts. Far from stifling opportunity, a clear legal Russians are gaining ground so slowly — tens
residents, undermines the authority of condo- STR-oriented developments, such as “condo- These case studies illustrate that regulation framework would unlock economic benefits. of metres a day along one or another small
minium associations, and prevents the state tels,” developers should be required to disclose does not require a one-size-fits-all solution. STRs offer an accessible path for individual portion of the 2,000km front line — that at the
from collecting appropriate taxes. Without a zoning plans and shared space policies at the What matters is a framework that is responsive, property owners to generate income, especially current pace they would reach Kyiv in about
modern legal framework, Thailand risks allow- point of sale. Differentiating facilities, imple- enforceable, and sensitive to local context. in the wake of Covid-19. Legal recognition would 2029.
ing informal practices to erode community trust menting tiered security protocols, and assign- Thailand lacks a legal foundation tailored to also encourage real estate investment in rental- Mr Trump, by contrast, wants a ceasefire
and economic opportunity alike. ing appropriate maintenance fees would help the realities of today’s short-term rental market. oriented developments, stimulating the con- within the next few weeks. His only lasting
This policy gap invites a crucial question: how minimise conflict between long-term residents The existing Hotel Act, drafted in a different era, struction sector and generating employment. interest in the war in Ukraine is the Nobel
can Thailand balance the rights of individual and short-term guests. has failed to keep pace with digital platforms Importantly, legal clarity would enable the Peace Prize he imagines he will get for
property owners with the collective rights of co- By combining centralised registration and the democratisation of lodging supply. This government to collect taxes more effectively, ending it, but after the “tariffs” shambles,
owners and communities? The answer may lie with localised rules, this framework respects outdated framework creates uncertainty for both aligning revenue with the actual use and he also urgently needs a political triumph
in a dual-layer regulatory approach that ensures individual property rights while enabling owners and renters, exposes communities to type of property. A fair, tiered taxation system somewhere.
both state oversight and local autonomy. communities to mitigate negative externali- unmanaged externalities, and prevents the state would ensure that large-scale operators con- Mr Trump will try to bully Ukraine’s Presi-
A well-functioning STR system should begin ties, like noise, security issues, and wear on from effectively regulating or taxing STRs. tribute appropriately without burdening small, dent Volodymyr Zelensky into accepting Rus-
with a clear state-led mechanism. Owners shared infrastructure. Reform must begin by establishing legal clar- casual hosts. sia’s terms because he has no leverage over Mr
who wish to rent out their properties short- Global experiences in STR regulation provide ity. A new law should define what constitutes an Perhaps most critically, effective regulation Putin. He will probably insist once again that
term should be required to register through a useful benchmarks for Thailand. While strat- STR, which types of properties may be eligible, would reduce the social costs of unregulated Ukraine has “no cards” and must submit, but
national online system. This registration would egies vary widely, most are designed to strike and who has regulatory authority at various STR activity, protecting long-term residents from that wasn’t true then, and it isn’t true now. So
enable the state to maintain accurate data on a balance between economic innovation and levels. Local governments that understand the disruption, preserving community trust, and what will happen after Mr Zelensky says “no”?
rental activity, enforce minimum standards, residential stability. nuances of their communities should be given closing the legal loopholes that allow certain It’s almost certain that Mr Trump would
and collect relevant taxes. More importantly, In New South Wales, Australia, STRs are primary oversight responsibilities, with clear actors to profit without accountability. react by once again punishing Ukraine. The
it empowers municipalities to tailor enforce- governed through a combination of legislation mandates and tools for enforcement. Thailand stands at a crossroads. The infor- United States would immediately stop selling
ment based on local conditions, whether by and a formal code of conduct. Owners must At the same time, minimum consumer pro- mal expansion of short-term rentals presents it arms and, more importantly, cut off the flow
limiting the number of units, maximum rental register with local authorities before offering tection standards should be required across the both an economic opportunity and a regulatory of real-time intelligence data from US satel-
units per building or addressing local infrastruc- short-term stays, and municipalities are respon- board. These include basic safety protocols, challenge. Left unmanaged, it risks disrupting lites and long-distance surveillance aircraft
ture strain. sible for enforcement, monitoring, and setting quality-of-service guarantees, and a require- residents and leaving potential tax revenue on that helps Ukraine intercept Russian attacks
The second layer involves empowering com- local caps on STR density. This structure helps ment that hosts remain contactable throughout the table. and strike Russian targets.
munities themselves. Current Thai law does not prevent STR oversaturation and protects com- the guest’s stay. In high-density tourist areas, A dual-layer legal framework, grounded in This wouldn’t spell military disaster for
formally recognise the role of condominium munity interests. municipalities should have the flexibility to limit national regulation and strengthened by local Ukraine, although it would cause thousands
co-owners or juristic persons in regulating STRs. A relevant example may be found in Indo- the number of rentals or guests permitted, espe- governance, can provide the clarity and flexibil- of extra Ukrainian deaths both at the front and
However, legal reform could change this. Build- nesia, whose tourism landscape and regulatory cially during peak travel seasons, when demand ity needed to manage this evolving sector. Revis- in cities under Russian air and missile attack.
ing bylaws could be granted legal weight, allow- culture resemble Thailand’s. Indonesia has pressures are highest. iting and modernising outdated hotel laws is no Ukraine survived six months without US aid
ing communities to set binding rules on rental adopted a risk-based approach: large-scale, pro- The law should also provide mechanisms for longer optional. It is an essential step toward a when the Republicans in Congress halted
activity, such as whether STRs are permitted, fessional lodging operations are held to stricter community participation. Juristic condominium fairer, more balanced future for Thailand’s hous- arms deliveries in 2024, and twice more when
how many days per year a unit may be rented, or standards, while low-risk operators — such as entities and homeowner associations should ing and tourism landscape. Mr Trump briefly stopped everything again
whether STR units must pay higher maintenance small villas or unrated STRs — benefit from more have a say in how STRs operate in their buildings last February and March. Ukraine will get a
fees. Owners could also be required to notify relaxed requirements. Still, all providers must or neighbourhoods. Empowering these groups Wichayada Amponkitviwat is a researcher and bigger flow of arms and ammunition from its
juristic entities in advance and provide emer- comply with applicable tax regulations and meet to enforce building-specific rules ensures that Khemmpat Trisadikoon is a senior researcher at European supporters this time as they rebuild
gency contact details to ensure accountability. core health, safety, and administrative stand- STR growth does not come at the expense of TDRI. Policy analyses from the TDRI appear in the their defence industries to compensate for the
This dual approach would allow for flexibility ards, ensuring a baseline of consumer protection community cohesion. Bangkok Post on alternate Wednesdays. loss of US support, but that will not make up
for the loss of real-time intelligence data on

Chinese gold trader builds a giant bet on copper

Russian targets. It will be a long, hard road for
the Ukrainians, but they can probably hang on
for another year or so.
There would be no point in hanging on
if the Ukrainians were ultimately doomed,
strategies we see in the market.” She added that and beyond, telling backers that he sees eco- but they aren’t. The two sides are effectively
Mr Bian’s counterintuitive moves during the nomic resilience in China and a continued rise deadlocked, even if superior Russian numbers
worst of the trade turmoil, standing firm as many for the metal. Rival traders say his is also a bet on enable them to creep forward a bit from time
investment others exited, were particularly remarkable. China’s shift to a higher-tech — and so copper- to time. Sooner or later, one side will break,
A handful of larger-than-life figures have hungry — economy, and on the ample liquidity but nobody knows which one or when.
Alfred Cang dominated Chinese commodities trading since to support it. That is how wars of attrition usually end: a
the economic boom began two decades ago, The position “is not big enough to distort the sudden collapse of morale on one side or the
transforming the industry. Mr Bian ranks along- market, but it does provide a rare insight into other after years of stalemate, often triggered

A
reclusive Chinese billionaire whose side Xiang Guangda, founder of nickel pioneer Bian’s strategy”, said Jia Zheng, head of trading by a major offensive that either succeeds (in
prescient gold trades turned into an eye- Tsingshan, or magnates like He Jinbi, the missing at Shanghai Soochow Jiuying Investment Man- which case the attacker wins the war) or fails
catching windfall has now become the founder of Maike Metals International Co, and agement Co. “People in the market have been (in which case the defender wins). These
country’s biggest copper bull, amassing a bet Ge Weidong, founder of Shanghai Chaos Invest- tracking his gold and copper trades closely.” collapses often morph into outright mutinies,
worth nearly US$1 billion (33.1 billion baht) in ment, one of the earliest commodities-focused Born in 1963, in the aftermath of China’s and entire regimes are sometimes over-
a market jolted by escalating competition be- hedge funds in China. brutal Great Leap Forward modernisation cam- thrown. The war in Ukraine is almost World
tween the US and China. Though his methodology has differed from paign, Mr Bian grew up in Zhuji, a township in War I in miniature: a long war of attrition with
Bian Ximing, who made an early fortune in that of traditional physical traders, his rivals the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. Mao everybody driven below ground level by new
plastic tubes before seeking a quiet life in Gibral- and managers describe the austere Mr Bian as A worker is seen at the Zhejiang Huanergy Co Zedong’s Cultural Revolution interrupted his weapons (machine-guns and rapid-firing
tar, has made waves over the last two years with having a deep understanding of a market that production facility in Jinhua, China, on May 31 education, but he ultimately graduated from long-range artillery then; drones, drones and
his investment in Chinese gold futures, betting has become increasingly difficult to read for last year. Bloomberg a vocational school affiliated with the central more drones now).
on what he argued would be a global effort to those outside China. bank in 1985. At this point, three years in, the situation
reduce reliance on the dollar and counter infla- The billionaire, described by those who know and trading. In 1995, as China was about to set off on its in Ukraine can be compared to World War
tion worries. His fund came in just as bullion him as unassuming and direct, has also stood Mr Bian isn’t alone in seeing an upward tra- upward trajectory, he founded a factory making I in 1917. There was a lot of movement and
was beginning a record-breaking ascent — and out for his seclusion, running his team of Chi- jectory for copper, an industrial metal vital for high-end plastic tubes. Like many of his peers, ground changing hands in the early months
made roughly $1.5 billion in profit in the process, nese managers and the brokerage he took over the electrification of the world. The long-term he then rode a wave of massive economic trans- of the war, but then it was down into the
according to Bloomberg calculations. two decades ago via video call from the southern dynamics of the energy transition and limited formation, building up an empire ranging from trenches and bloody deadlock ever since. The
Today, as a trade war and potential truce roil tip of the Iberian peninsula. Since moving from mine supply have long been highlighted by bulls. construction material to financial services and soldiers are now nearing the end of their rope,
markets, Mr Bian and his brokerage, Zhong- eastern China more than a decade ago, attracted Commodity traders in the last few months have property, with units in the US, UK and Hong and the generals are getting desperate.
cai Futures Co, are responsible for the largest by warmer weather and proximity to European been chasing gains from Mr Trump’s copper Kong, and factories in India. He purchased the There were three big offensives in 1917. The
net long position in copper contracts on the assets, Mr Bian makes few trips home to visit his tariff threat, which has drawn cargoes to US futures broker that became Zhongcai in Shang- French one failed so badly that much of the
Shanghai Futures Exchange, according to people investment team and factories. warehouses and left the rest of the world short. hai in 2003, naming it after his holding com- army mutinied, and France was effectively out
familiar with the matter and bourse data. After That hasn’t stopped him from garnering a Mercuria Energy Group Ltd’s metals boss Kostas pany Zhongcai Merchants Investment Group of the fighting for the rest of the war. The Rus-
10 months of purchases, at the end of Friday, loyal following in China for his Warren Buffett- Bintas, one of the more outspoken boosters, sug- Co. Other investments include a major stake in sian offensive failed even more disastrously
they were long nearly 90,000 tonnes in copper like online musings on investment philosophy, gested in March that copper could reach $12,000 the movie-making arm of Alibaba Group. and not only the army but the whole empire
futures, counting Mr Bian’s own investment and keenly parsed by anyone eager to emulate a or $13,000 a tonne, well above previous records During his early years in chemical derivatives collapsed. The German one succeeded, and
funds he manages through Zhongcai — enough strategy closer to that of a traditional Western and current levels closer to $9,500. and plastics, Mr Bian was already famous for his the Italian army fled 150km to the rear.
to dwarf any peers. hedge fund than the more speculative approach Still, a more volatile market has made the independent trading strategies when it was more Germany’s great offensive in spring 1918
It’s a position that the 61-year-old tycoon, of homegrown traders. metal’s next move hard to predict, while prices common for others to work together to squeeze came within an ace of success, and then
who personally accounts for the lion’s share of A good investor must “let go of his own ego at historically high levels are also testing the out rivals holding opposing positions. collapsed utterly. The army mutinied, and
the Zhongcai investment, intends to maintain, and be less obsessed, and then choose the right resilience of large physical consumers in China. Not everything has gone to plan for Mr Bian. Germany surrendered in November 1918.
the people said, even after geopolitical ructions targets and be stubborn”, Mr Bian wrote in one of Mr Bian has concentrated his bets in Shang- The same flight to safety that has buoyed his So what lessons can Ukrainians draw from
prompted some of his investors to pull out — an his periodic posts in January. “When choosing hai, a move that ultimately proved lucky. When gold positions has also hurt his equity and local these examples? First: It ain’t over till it’s over.
expression of confidence in the metal and in targets, focus on trends. When implementing copper prices briefly tumbled amid tariff uncer- municipal bond investments, people familiar And two: Stay on the defensive and wait for
the economy of the world’s largest consumer. projects, focus on timing. When maintaining tainties last month, Chinese markets were closed with his holdings said, generating some losses. the Russians to break. It could happen. See
The people asked not to be named as company projects, focus on costs.” for a national holiday, sparing Mr Bian and “There are traps and opportunities every- above.
discussions are private. His lieutenants occasionally write up their other Shanghai-based traders from the selloff where — opportunities in risks and traps in
“It’s a quite unique copper position that is own “reflections” on the company site. and rebound. opportunities,” Mr Bian wrote in a blog post from Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose
worth following,” said Li Yiyao, a vice president Mr Bian declined to comment for this story. Some of his investors have backed out since last year. “Investment is essentially a game of articles are published in 45 countries. His latest
of Cofco Futures Co’s Shanghai North Bund divi- Zhongcai did not respond to emailed queries. then, two of the people said, rattled by the trade survival.” ©2025 Bloomberg book is ‘Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas from
sion. “It reflects a very long-term, bullish senti- Bloomberg used bourse data and conversations war and fears of a global recession. the World’s Climate Engineers’. Last year’s book,
ment on the metal based on fundamentals — with multiple business associates, rivals and But Mr Bian has increased his own long posi- Alfred Cang is a Singapore-based senior ‘The Shortest History of War’, is also still
which differs from the usual mid or short-term other traders to build a picture of his operations tions in copper in the past month in Shanghai commodities and energy reporter at Bloomberg. available.
10 I SPORTS Bangkok Post I Wednesday, May 21, 2025

tennis

US Open serves
up $800m ace
in shake-up
“It also provides us the opportu-
Arthur Ashe Stadium nity to give the players that compete
in that stadium an unparalleled space
to get big makeover that will enable them to perform at
their best and enjoy a higher level of
luxury and comfort while they are off
NEW YORK: The site of the US Open will the court.”
undergo an US$800 million transforma- The Arthur Ashe Stadium upgrades
tion, the USTA said on Monday, with a include the addition of a new “grand
“top-to-bottom” modernisation of the entrance” to the facility, 2,000 new seats
famed Arthur Ashe Stadium and a new to the courtside level bowl and two new
player performance centre planned for luxury suite levels.
the sprawling Queens campus. The 24,000-seat stadium, by far the
Work at the Billie Jean King National largest tennis facility in the world by
Tennis Center will be completed by the capacity, will also have upgraded con-
2027 US Open, with construction taking courses, dining and retail shops.
place in phases to avoid any interrup- A two-storey, $250 million player
tion of the 2025 or 2026 editions of performance centre will include
the tournament. expanded indoor and outdoor fitness
The project will be entirely self- and warm-up areas, improved indoor
funded by the USTA, without the use of player dining facilities and redesigned
any public funds or taxpayer money, the locker rooms that promise a “spa-
sport’s national governing body said, like experience”.
calling it the largest single investment The renovations are a far cry from
in US Open history. the days when players could expect a The USTA plans to increase the capacity of Arthur Ashe Stadium by about 2,000. AFP
“This project enables us to maintain keg of beer in the men’s locker room to
the greatest stage in tennis — Arthur be the best amenity on offer, four-times the last man to win a major with a The announcement comes seven 2018 to replace the 1978 stadium of to last 15 days in 2025, with the added
Ashe Stadium — which was constructed winner John McEnroe told reporters at wooden racquet. years after the USTA completed a five- the same name, boasting a retract- day allowing main draw access for
more than 25 years ago, and modern- a Manhattan event. “To see the level that USTA is going year, $600 million renovation project at able roof. another 70,000 attendees or more,
ise it in a way that will set it up for the “Back in our day, we’d be like ‘What to for the US Open ... I know the play- the grounds. The US Open welcomed more than organisers said.
next 25 years,” USTA CEO and Executive the hell is this?’,” said 66-year-old ers are going to be absolutely thrilled The more than 14,000-capacity one million fans, a record, in 2024. The This year’s US Open takes place from
Director Lew Sherr said. McEnroe, a native New Yorker and to see this.” Louis Armstrong Stadium opened in tournament’s main draw was expanded Aug 24 to Sept 7. REUTERS

baseball rugby american football

Australia-born Tuipulotu
‘all in’ for the Lions tour
london: Melbourne-born Scotland field and show your commitment
centre Sione Tuipulotu says he is fully that way.”
committed to the British & Irish Lions Although far from unprecedented,
after being selected to tour Australia Lions coach Andy Farrell attracted
later this year. criticism in some quarters for picking
The 28-year-old, who qualifies for seven players who were born, raised
Scotland through his grandmother, and started their rugby careers in the
was one of two Australia-born play- Southern Hemisphere.
ers selected to tour the land of their Tuipulotu, who captained Scotland
Marlins right birth along with Ireland winger against the Wallabies last November,
fielder Jesus Mack Hansen. said he understood that some fans
Sanchez hits a “I really wanted to be a Lion because would have reservations.
two-run walk-off I know how much it means to people “I don’t blame those people,” said
triple against the over here,” Tuipulotu told reporters Tuipulotu, who missed the Six Nations
Cubs during the in London. this year but returned from injury for
ninth inning. “I had gone all in with Scotland. I his Glasgow club last weekend.
REUTERS just felt what better way to prove my “I didn’t grow up dreaming of play-
allegiance to Scotland than go all in ing for Scotland or the Lions, that’s the

Marlins score walk-off victory and try and make the Lions? That’s
why it meant so much to me. In those
early days, you have that feeling of ‘Am
I part of this?’ I feel like talking is one
truth. But this is where my path has led
me. I’m all in for this Lions team, for
Scotland and for Glasgow. I genuinely
believe this is where I’m supposed to be.
Head coach Nick Sirianni of the
Philadelphia Eagles. afp

miami: Jesus Sanchez homered and

delivered a walk-off two-run triple to
give the Miami Marlins an 8-7 win over
facing of the third deck for the 300th of
his career, Trea Turner had three hits
and Joe Ross (2-1) pitched a scoreless
allowed two runs (one earned).
Jarren Duran laced extra-base hits
in each of the first two innings and a
thing, but showing people how much
it means with how I play is another. Of
course, you get those feelings you want
“I’ve been led here for a reason.”
The Lions will play Argentina in
Dublin on June 20 before three Tests
Eagles sign
the visiting Chicago Cubs in the opener
of a three-game series on Monday.
Sanchez had three hits and four RBIs
inning of relief for the Phillies, who have
won four straight.
Ezequiel Tovar homered, singled and
quartet of relief pitchers worked 4 1/3
scoreless frames to help Boston post a
3-1 win over visiting New York.
to prove yourself.
“The best way to do that is on the
and six tour matches in Australia in
June, July and August. REUTERS Sirianni to
for Miami, who were down to their final
out before Derek Hill hit a ground-rule
double against Daniel Palencia (0-1).
drove in two runs for the Rockies, who
lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Reliever Seth Halvorsen (0-1) yielded
Boston reliever Justin Wilson (2-0)
followed starter Hunter Dobbins with
a scoreless inning. Aroldis Chapman
‘multi-year’
After Javier Sanoja drew a four-pitch
walk, Sanchez followed with his hit to
right field.
four runs while getting just two outs in
the eighth inning.
Austin Hays and TJ Friedl each had
pitched a scoreless ninth inning for
his seventh save. Carlos Narvaez had
two hits.
extension
Valente Bellozo (1-2) pitched three three hits to back up a strong start from New York starter Kodai Senga (4-3) philadelphia: The Philadelphia
scoreless innings of relief for Miami, Nick Lodolo and lead Cincinnati to a 7-1 yielded a season-high three earned Eagles said on Monday they have signed
who won their fourth game of the victory at Pittsburgh. runs in six innings. Tyrone Taylor col- head coach Nick Sirianni to a multi-year
past five. The Reds matched a season-high lected two hits and drove in the Mets’ contract extension after guiding the
Miguel Amaya hit a three-run homer five-game winning streak and improved lone run. REUTERS team to last season’s Super Bowl crown.
and added a two-run double for Chi- to 4-0 against the Pirates this season. Sirianni, 43, masterminded the
cago, who had their three-game win Lodolo (4-4) pitched six innings of RESULTS Eagles’ 40-22 victory over Kansas City
streak snapped. one-run ball, and teammate Elly De (home team in CAPS) to clinch the Vince Lombardi Trophy
Edmundo Sosa homered and fin- La Cruz added two hits, two runs and in February, two years after narrowly
MIAMI 8 Chicago Cubs 7; Cincinnati 7 PITTSBURGH
ished with four hits, Alec Bohm hit a two RBIs. missing out against the same oppo-
two-run homer and added a single, and The Pirates, who lost their fourth 1; BOSTON 3 NY Mets 1; Houston 4 TAMPA BAY 3; nents in the NFL showpiece.
Philadelphia beat struggling Colorado game in a row, were held to four runs or Seattle 5 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1; MILWAUKEE 5 “As an organisation, we have always
9-3 in Denver. fewer for the 24th consecutive contest. Baltimore 4; ST LOUIS 11 Detroit 4; Philadelphia 9 strived to create a championship cul-
Kyle Schwarber homered off the Mitch Keller (1-6) went six innings and COLORADO 3; Kansas City 3 SAN FRANCISCO 1 Scotland centre Sione Tuipulotu. afp ture of sustained success,” Philadel-
phia Eagles chief executive Jeffrey
Lurie said in a statement announcing
motorsport Sirianni’s extension.
“Nick has embodied everything

Doohan calls for online abuse to stop we were looking for in a head coach
since we hired him four years ago. His
authentic style of leadership, football
imola: Australian Formula One driver was the fake post. intelligence, passion for the game, and
Jack Doohan has pleaded for online It showed a picture of Colapinto after growth mindset have helped to bring
abuse of his family to stop after being a crash and Doohan senior supposedly out the best in our team. I am excited
targeted on social media. commenting, “Very impressive”. for what the future holds for the Phila-
The 22-year-old, son of former “Multiple Argentine outlets falsely delphia Eagles.”
motorcycling world champion Mick reported the fabricated image, which No details on the length of the con-
Doohan, was this month dropped by triggered the online abuse of my tract or the financial terms of the deal
the Alpine team after only six races. family,” Doohan, now a reserve driver were made available.
He was replaced by Argentina’s for Alpine, wrote. Sirianni took over the Eagles in 2021
Franco Colapinto, who finished 16th A separate Alpine statement also following the dismissal of predeces-
at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in called for an end to the abuse. sor Doug Pederson after the team’s
Italy on Sunday following a big crash “We encourage everyone to dismal 4-11-1 record in the 2020-
in qualifying. remember that behind the visor of 2021 campaign.
Writing to his nearly 500,000 fol- these superhuman athletes there is Sirianni led the Eagles to a respect-
lowers on Instagram, Doohan said a a person, an individual with feelings, able 9-8 record in his first season in
Battling hard fake post attributed to his father had family, friends and loved ones,” the charge, taking the team into the playoffs
Trident’s Thai driver Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi battled unfavourable weather been created online to paint the elder team wrote. where they lost in the wild card round.
Doohan in a bad light. “As a team we cannot condone They reached the Super Bowl in the
conditions to finish in 17th place in Race 2 of the Formula Regional European “Please stop harassing my family. I online abuse and urge all fans of this 2022-2023 season, losing to the Chiefs,
Championship by Alpine 2025 at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium didn’t think I would have to get to this sport we love to be kind and respectful.” and then had another postseason
on Sunday. He crossed the finish line 11.641 seconds behind the race winner, French point,” Doohan wrote on Instagram The next race is in Monaco this appearance the following year before
driver Enzo Deligny of R-ace GP. alongside a screenshot of what he said weekend. AFP Australian driver Jack Doohan. REUTERS last season’s Super Bowl victory. AFP
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 I Bangkok Post SPORTS I 11
football GOLF

Seagulls surprise sloppy Liverpool

Brighton clip Reds’
wings with wild win
london: Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood Wyndham Clark during the final round
sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against of the PGA Championship. AFP
Liverpool on Monday to leave the Pre-
mier League champions without a win
since clinching the title.
Arne Slot’s side took the lead
Clark says
through Harvey Elliott’s early opener
before Yasin Ayari equalised at the
Amex Stadium.
sorry for his
Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liver-
pool’s advantage just before the inter-
val, but Brighton staged a late fightback
club chuck
as Kaoru Mitoma levelled before Hin- charlotte: Wyndham Clark,
shelwood came off the bench to net maligned by the public following a club
with his first touch. throw during the PGA Championship
Liverpool have taken just one point over the weekend, has apologised for
from their three matches following the his actions.
title-clinching rout of Tottenham on “As professionals,” Clark posted on X
April 27. on Monday, “we are expected to remain
The Reds have lost at Brighton and professional even when frustrated and
Chelsea and squandered a two-goal Brighton’s Jack I unfortunately let my emotions get the
lead in a draw with Arsenal since their Hinshelwood best of me.”
record-equalling 20th English crown celebrates after Standing on the tee box of the 16th
was confirmed. the match hole at Quail Hollow in Charlotte on
They can now look forward to against Liverpool Sunday, Clark flared a drive right into a
receiving the Premier League trophy at The American fairway bunker. The 31-year-old former
in Sunday’s season finale against FA Express US Open champion then flinged his
cup winners Crystal Palace at Anfield Community club towards the back of the tee box,
before an open-top bus parade through Stadium. REUTERS snapping the head off as it crashed into
the city 24 hours later. signage with a volunteer standing mere
“Great game of football but not the was seen partying in Ibiza for several towards Elliott, who slotted home from wide on the right flank that whistled Liverpool 2 (Elliott 9, Szoboszlai 45+1) feet away.
result we wanted,” said Slot. days, as they soaked in a title victory close-range. into the top corner. STANDINGS Clark went on to bogey the 16th —
“If you don’t score the third goal secured in April. The goal meant Liverpool had Salah was captaining Liverpool for P W D L GF GA Pts his seventh of the day — en route to a
then it’s hard to win at this level, espe- “Did you see me on social media!” scored in every away game of a league the first time in the Premier League C-Liverpool 37 25 8 4 85 40 83 3-over 74. He finished the champion-
Arsenal 37 19 14 4 67 33 71
cially away from home. We cannot miss Slot said with a laugh in reply to a ques- season for the first time in their history. to mark his 300th appearance in ship in a tie for 50th place at 4 over.
Newcastle 37 20 6 11 68 46 66
chances like we did if you want to win. tion about how focused he had been on Bradley’s attacking runs had more the competition. Chelsea 37 19 9 9 63 43 66 On Monday, Clark posted on X that
“I know these players already for the Brighton game. than a touch of Alexander-Arnold But the Egypt forward missed an Aston Villa 37 19 9 9 58 49 66 he wanted to “sincerely apologise” for
10 months, so it’s not the first time Ahead of his widely expected move about them, but his finishing wasn’t up open goal when he flicked Cody Gak- Man City 36 19 8 9 67 43 65 his behaviour.
I’m judging them, but it’s nice to see to Real Madrid when his contract to scratch when he took Federico Chie- po’s cross wide from five yards. Nottm Forest 37 19 8 10 58 45 65 “My actions were uncalled for and
Harvey score a goal and have an assist. expires in the close-season, Trent Alex- sa’s pass and fired wide from 10 yards. It was a costly mistake from Salah as Brighton 37 15 13 9 62 58 58 completely inappropriate, making it
Brentford 37 16 7 14 65 56 55
“Federico Chiesa had some nice ander-Arnold was left on the bench for Ayari grabbed Brighton’s eye-catch- Brighton equalised in the 69th minute. clear that I have things I need to work
Fulham 37 15 9 13 54 52 54
moments as well considering how long a second successive game. ing equaliser in the 32nd minute. Welbeck’s shot was pushed out by Bournemouth 36 14 11 11 55 43 53 on,” Clark said. “I hold myself to a high
he’s not been playing.” Conor Bradley featured at right-back The Sweden midfielder eluded Alisson and Japan winger Mitoma Crystal Palace 36 12 13 11 46 48 49 standard, trying to always play for
Slot had admitted that motivat- instead and showed why he is a con- Bradley and drilled a fine low finish hammered in the rebound. Everton 37 10 15 12 41 44 45 something bigger than myself, and yes-
ing the champions for the final two tender to replace Alexander-Arnold past Alisson Becker from the edge of Hinshelwood completed Brighton’s Wolves 36 12 5 19 51 64 41 terday I fell short of those standards. For
matches of the season was a tricky task with his role in Liverpool’s ninth the area after Brajan Gruda’s lofted pass thrilling comeback in the 85th minute, West Ham 37 10 10 17 43 61 40 that I am truly sorry. I promise to better
Man Utd 37 10 9 18 42 54 39
and his fears were confirmed by this minute opener. prised open the Liverpool defence. the substitute slotting home from Matt the way I handle my frustrations on the
Tottenham 37 11 5 21 63 61 38
sloppy display. When Mohamed Salah rolled a Liverpool regained the lead on the O’Riley’s cross. AFP R-Leicester 37 6 7 24 33 78 25 course going forward, and hope you all
Slot’s players had a celebratory trip pass to Bradley, he shifted gears with stroke of half-time when Szoboszlai R-Ipswich 37 4 10 23 35 79 22 can forgive me in due time.”
to Dubai this week and only returned to a dynamic burst into the Brighton caught out Brighton keeper Bart Ver- RESULT R-Southampton 37 2 6 29 25 84 12 Since tying for fifth at the Texas Chil-
training on Friday, while the Reds boss area before clipping a precise pass bruggen with a swerving strike from Brighton 3 (Ayari 32, Mitoma 69, Hinshelwood 85) C — champions, R — relegated dren’s Houston Open in early March,

Grealish fate to be decided soon

Clark has struggled, finishing no
better than a tie for 27th over his past
four tournaments.
Clark has spoken publicly about his
mental health and its impact on his
london: Manchester City boss Pep the locker rooms around the world, that career, including being transparent
Guardiola will make a decision on is happy when they do not play,” he said. about his experiences with grief and
Jack Grealish’s future at the end of “When the team is winning and win- anger management after his mother
the season. ning they have to figure out how every- died of breast cancer just over 10 years
Spain and Grealish has fallen out of favour thing happens but they are not happy. ago. REUTERS
Manchester City with Guardiola since his starring role “They are here to play and, when they
star Rodri with in City’s 2023 treble-winning campaign. don’t play, they are not satisfied. That
the Ballon d’Or The 29-year-old has made just seven is the normal position in all the clubs.”
last year. Premier League starts this term and was One player definitely leaving is Kevin COMMENTARY
RY
REUTERS left on the bench as City crashed to a De Bruyne, who was set to make his Brett Brasier
shock 1-0 defeat in Saturday’s FA Cup final home appearance for the club in

Ballon d’Or to be awarded final against Crystal Palace.

That snub has fuelled speculation
that the England winger could leave
yesterday’s late night Premier League
clash with Bournemouth.
The 33-year-old midfielder is out of

on Sept 22 — organisers the Etihad Stadium during the summer

transfer window.
Guardiola said discussions will take
contract in June and will depart after a
glorious decade at the Etihad in which
he has won 16 trophies.
Master the
Paris: The Ballon d’Or award cere-
mony will take place on Sept 22 this year
and the number of awards for women
for male players and six for female
players, with an additional prize, the
Socrates Award, for actions that pro-
place between outgoing director of
football Txiki Begiristain, his successor
Hugo Viana and Grealish’s representa-
Despite the Belgian’s claim he is still
good enough to play in the Premier
League, Guardiola believes the time is
takeaway
and men will be equal for the first time,
organisers said on Monday.
Awards for best women’s goalkeeper,
mote solidarity, which is open to men
or women.
The nominees will be announced in
tives before deciding if he will still be
with City next season.
“We didn’t talk, I didn’t talk with him,”
Jack Grealish has been out of favour at
Manchester City this season. REUTERS
right to move on after injuries and poor
form reduced his effectiveness over the
last two years.
like Billy
best young women’s player and the top early August. Guardiola told reporters on Monday. start to play minutes again.” “There are players who are really dif-

O
women’s scorer in a club or national Last year’s awards ceremony was “People don’t believe me but these Guardiola accepts former Aston ficult to replace, really, really difficult for ver the years of teaching
team have been added to the list this overshadowed by a boycott by Real things belong to the agents and the club Villa star Grealish, who has two years many reasons,” he said. many women golfers,
year for the ceremony at the Theatre Madrid after they learned that their Bra- and Txiki, and in this case Hugo as well. remaining on his contract, will not be “We know that but the season we I’ve found that they are
du Chatelet in Paris, France Football zilian forward Vinicius Junior had not Both will decide. happy about his lack of action. have done is the season we have done unaware of the important posi-
magazine and Uefa said. won the best men’s player award, which “What is going to happen will “It’s not only Jack. There is not one and we cannot deny it. Of course we tions they should be in during
That means there will be six awards went to Rodri of Manchester City. afp happen, but he has to come back to player in my locker room, and I think all have to move forward.” AFP the different stages of their golf

Lineker: England’s hero turned BBC’s ‘defining voice’

swings. One of these positions
is when the golf club is at waist
height, just after takeaway. And
Billy Horschel is a player to
watch here, as he has incorpo-
london: Gary Lineker rose to fame as Camp Nou and was christened with the He was the corporation’s highest rated this position in his pre-
a goalscoring hero for England at World nickname “El Matador” for his preda- paid presenter with an annual salary shot routine.
Cups before becoming the leading face tory finishing. of £1.35 million. From this position, the golf
of sports broadcasting for the BBC over On the field he won the Copa del As a player, Lineker boasted an club should have the toe point-
the past 25 years. Rey in 1988 and Cup Winners’ Cup a impeccable disciplinary record as he ing up in the air, and the club
The 64-year-old’s time with the Brit- year later, but the highlight of his time never received a yellow or red card should be on a line that is paral-
ish broadcaster will come to an end on in Catalonia was a hat-trick in a 3-2 win during his 16-year career. lel to the ground and aiming
Sunday after agreeing to step down over over Real Madrid in 1987. But his desire to speak out on politi- towards your target. This is a
a controversial social media post that He returned to England in 1989 as cal matters has made him much more very early part of the swing to
contained anti-Semitic imagery. Tottenham beat out Manchester United difficult for BBC bosses to handle due check on, and if you have a
Lineker apologised unreservedly for for his signature and finally won a to the corporation’s commitment major problem or issue in your
what he described as an “oversight” in trophy in English football when Spurs to impartiality. takeaway, you can pick up on it
not checking the post on Instagram lifted the 1991 FA Cup. Lineker has hosted refugees in his this way really quickly.
about Zionism that contained a rat, his- In between there was more World home and in 2016 criticised treatment The more I teach lady golf-
torically used as an anti-Semitic insult. Cup heartache in 1990 as despite of refugees in the UK as being “hide- ers, the more I realise that the
But the incident was just the latest Lineker’s four goals, including one in ously racist and utterly heartless”. majority of their swing flaws
in a series of controversies as Lineker’s the semi-finals, England lost in the last In March 2023, Lineker was briefly initiate in the first part of their
outspoken political views on social four to Germany on penalties. taken off air after comparing the lan- swings. Most golfers who miss
media collided with the BBC’s strict The final stage of his club career was guage used to launch a British govern- a shot do not start their swings
doctrine of impartiality. a short stint in Japan with Grampus ment asylum policy to the rhetoric of correctly, and inevitably this
Born in Leicester in 1960, Lineker Eight before retiring in 1994. Nazi-era Germany. ends up in it all going wrong at
realised his boyhood dream by turning Former England international Gary Lineker. AFP A rise to the top of the sports broad- The move by the BBC hierarchy impact.
professional with his hometown club. casting then began with appearances backfired when leading pundits and Out of Bounds: We all know
He scored over 100 goals in six years scorer as Everton narrowly missed out “After that first World Cup, I couldn’t as a pundit BBC radio and TV. commentators pulled out of Match of that in matters on the golf
at the Foxes and was later honoured as on a league and cup double to local go anywhere without being jumped He took over as host of Match of the Day in a show of solidarity, leav- course that nearly every golfer
a Freeman of the City of Leicester. rivals Liverpool. upon — it was a different world,” Lineker the Day in 1999 and also fronted BBC ing one of the BBC’s landmark shows is insane. And we know exactly
But his goalscoring prowess at a side The 1986 World Cup was to take told the magazine Four Four Two. coverage of other major events such in disarray. where to put a finger on it.
not competing for trophies at the top Lineker’s profile to a new level. His performances caught the atten- as Olympics. Lineker was already due to step aside Opinions differ though, on if
of the English game saw him snapped His six goals, before England bowed tion of Barcelona, who paid a princely In a statement on Monday, director from Match of the Day next season but it’s how they play, dress, which
up by then champions Everton in 1985. out to Argentina in a hugely contro- sum at the time of £2.8 million for general Tim Davie described Lineker as had been due to front coverage of the committee they’re on or who
In just one season on Merseyside, versial quarter-final, saw him win the his services. the “defining voice in football coverage 2026 World Cup before the latest con- they’re married to!
Lineker was again the league’s top Golden Boot ahead of Diego Maradona. Lineker spent three years at the for the BBC for over two decades”. troversy accelerated his departure. AFP
 Sports
Bangkok Post
Shock defeat
NFL Eagles sign coach Sirianni 10
to ‘multi-year’ extension Hinshelwood hits late
winner as Brighton
Tennis US Open venue to get 10 surprise champs Reds
US$800m transformation
Page 11

 Read more news at bangkokpost.com Wednesday, May 21, 2025

football

Clubs scrap for £100m lifeline

UCL cash or crash for TODAYon TV
flops Man U, Spurs Basketball
07:30 NBA playoffs — Timberwolves v Thun-
der TrueSport 1
Bilbao: Manchester United and Tot-
Football
tenham will aim to salvage disastrous 19:30 Asean Club C’ship final second leg —
domestic seasons in today’s Europa Buriram United v Cong An Ha Noi Thai Rath
League final, with the prize of a lucra- TV, TrueSport 2, AIS Play
tive place in next season’s Champions 02:00 (Thu) Europa League final — Totten-
League as treasured as the trophy. ham v Man United beIN Sports 1
Both clubs head to Bilbao for the
final assailed by stinging criticism
sports editor
amid their worst seasons of the Pre- Ravipan Pavasuthipand
mier League era. ravipanp@bangkokpost.co.th
United sit 16th and Tottenham are sports desk
one point worse off in 17th with just sportspost@hotmail.com
one league game remaining. phone 02-616-4000 ext 4103
Napoli coach Antonio Conte was sent Only the struggles of relegated trio fax 02-616-4085
off during his side’s goalless draw at Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton
Parma. REUTERS saved United and Tottenham from an
embarrassing battle to avoid crashing “By the time you combine gate

Serie A title
into the Championship. receipts, sponsor bonuses and the
For the loser of the final, the hango- prize money available, the numbers
ver from this season threatens to be a involved are eye-watering.”

deciders to
long one as the lack of European foot- Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy
ball will deal a monumental blow to has been the target of criticism from
their budgets going forward. the club’s supporters for prioritising

be contested
“It really does impact I think the next financial sustainability over an ambi-
two or three years for both clubs,” said tion to win trophies.
former United captain Gary Neville. Spurs are aiming to end a 17-year

this Friday
“They need investment into their wait for silverware today despite huge
teams and if they don’t get this Cham- growth in Tottenham’s income over the
pions League money then there is past two decades.
going to be a lot less investment, which A state-of-the-art new stadium
milan: Napoli and Inter Milan will play means they might not make the Cham- has opened up fresh revenue streams
their final league matches of the season pions League next season.” from hosting concerts to world title
on Friday with one point separating the United have only once failed to The Europa League trophy is on display in Decathlon sports shop in Bilbao ahead of today’s final. REUTERS boxing bouts.
top two as the Serie A title race goes qualify for Europe in the past 35 years. Yet, Spurs have still managed to
down to the wire. The club’s finances are already Investment is needed at Old Trafford is more important,” said Amorim million for the winner. lose over £100 million in the past
The Italian football league under scrutiny as co-owner Jim Rat- both on and off the pitch. last week on whether a place among United made £52 million from their two seasons.
announced the schedule for the 38th cliffe has implemented singeing cuts United announced plans earlier Europe’s elite or a trophy in his first group stage exit in last season’s Cham- “We cannot spend what we do not
and final matchday of the Serie A since buying a minority stake just over this year for a new 100,000 capacity season was more vital. pions League. have,” said Levy when the club’s latest
season on Monday, with the title con- a year ago. stadium at a reported cost of £2 bil- “The best way to help us to get to Since then a major revamp of Euro- accounts were revealed in March.
tenders opening the weekend’s action. United recently announced a further lion (US$2.7 billion). the top in a few years is the Champions pean competitions has increased the Whoever fails to win today faces a
Leaders Napoli, on 79 points, will 200 redundancies were planned after Ruben Amorim has been unable League. It is not the title, the trophy. number of games and prize money long road back to European football’s
host mid-table Cagliari, while Inter visit 250 jobs were cut last year. to save the sinking ship since taking “The most important thing is how offered by Uefa. top table. AFP
Cesc Fabregas’ Como who are already In defending those decisions, Rat- charge as manager in November, this title could help us to get back to “A good season in the Champions
assured of 10th place. cliffe claimed in March that the Red with just six wins in 26 Premier the top faster.” League can be worth far in excess of FIXTURE
If Napoli win, they will be crowned Devils would have “run out of money League games. Conservative estimates suggest vic- £100 million,” football finance expert Final
Italian champions for the fourth time at Christmas” without that action. “For me the Champions League tory at San Mames could be worth £70 Kieran Maguire told the BBC. Tottenham v Man United (2am, Thu)
in their history. They will also be
crowned champions if they match
Inter’s result.
If Inter win and Napoli lose, the
Nerazzurri will retain their Scudetto
Ceferin, Infantino make peace
crown. Paris: Uefa on Monday moved to
Both sides will play their matches defuse the situation after European
without their respective coaches Anto- delegates staged a walkout at Fifa’s
nio Conte and Simone Inzaghi, after Congress in Paraguay last week when
the pair were suspended following Sun- world football chief Gianni Infantino
day’s matches. jetted in late following meetings in
Napoli’s Conte was sent off during Saudi Arabia and Qatar with US Presi-
his side’s goalless stalemate at Parma dent Donald Trump.
following a blazing row with the opposi- Fifa president Infantino’s belated
tion dug-out. arrival at the global governing body’s
Inzaghi was dismissed for his livid annual meeting last Thursday caused
reaction to a penalty awarded against a delay of more than two hours.
his team as Inter were held 2-2 by Lazio. Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin, along
If Napoli lose and Inter draw, the two with other representatives of European
teams will be level on 79 points, forcing football, including the president of the
them to face each other in a play-off to Norwegian FA, left the 75th Fifa Con-
determine the league champions. gress in protest at the delay.
In this eventuality, the decider will On Monday, European football’s gov-
take place on May 26, five days before erning body described the relationship
Inter meet Paris Saint-Germain in the Buriram coach Osmar Loss, left, and team captain Theerathon Bunmathan at a between Ceferin and Infantino as “very Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, left, talks to Conmebol chief Alejandro
Champions League final. press conference yesterday. good... marked by open communica- Dominguez during the 75th Fifa Congress in Luque, Paraguay, last Thursday. AFP
Only once in Serie A history has tion and mutual respect”.
a play-off been required to decide
the title, which Inter lost in 1964 to
Bologna. AFP
Buriram ready to silence “The recent episode was isolated and
does not reflect our ongoing collabora-
tion,” the Uefa statement added.
of attending the meetings in Qatar and
Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the 2022 and
2034 World Cups respectively.
accusing the Fifa chief of putting his
“private political interests” ahead of
the sport.

FIXTURES
(kick-offs 1.45am unless stated)
Ha Noi and lift Shopee Cup The annual meeting of world foot-
ball, already pushed back by an hour
from its original schedule, finally began
“As Fifa president, my responsibility
is to make decisions in the best inter-
ests of the organisation... I felt I had to
Ceferin has publicly opposed Infan-
tino on several issues in recent years,
particularly the plan — ultimately aban-
Friday
Tor Chittinand and Alan Grafite all looking forward to more than two hours late. be there to represent football and all doned — to hold the World Cup every
Napoli v Cagliari, Como v Inter Milan the match. Infantino issued an apology for his of you,” Infantino said of his visit to two years instead of every four.
Buriram United will be out to prove that Buriram United chairman Newin tardiness in remarks to the congress the Gulf. Recently, the Uefa president
Saturday Thailand has “the best league” in the Chidchob said yesterday: “It is the before the delegates left. Uefa issued a strongly worded state- described the prospect of a 64-team
Bologna v Genoa (11pm), AC Milan v Monza Asean region when they take on Cong Asean Club Championship, and we He blamed flight problems for his ment following the walkout, describing World Cup in 2030 to celebrate the tour-
Sunday An Ha Noi of Vietnam in the second want to prove to everyone that Thai late arrival but stressed the importance the disruption as “deeply regrettable”, nament’s centenary, as a “bad idea”. AFP
Atalanta v Parma, Empoli v Verona, Lazio v Lecce, leg of the regional club championship’s League 1 is the best league in South-
final tonight. east Asia.”

Ex-Spain, Liverpool keeper

Torino v Roma, Udinese v Fiorentina, Venezia v
Juventus With the thrilling first leg ending Newin added that his team were
in a 2-2 draw in Hanoi last week, a lot eager to settle an old score, referring
STANDINGS
of fireworks are expected when the to Buriram’s 2-1 defeat to the Vietnam-

Napoli
Inter Milan
P
37
37
W D
23
23
10
9
4
5
L GF GA Pts
57
77
27
35
79
78
two sides clash again in Buri Ram in a
battle to win the Shopee Cup Cham-
pions title.
ese club at home in the group stage of
the tournament.
“There is a trophy to be won, so Bur-
Reina announces retirement
Atalanta 37 22 8 7 76 34 74
Juventus 37 17 16 4 55 33 67
Buriram coach Osmar Loss had iram must do their best — not only for Madrid: Former Spain and Liverpool “A very beautiful career is coming to
Roma 37 19 9 9 54 35 66 rested some key players during their themselves but also for the dignity of goalkeeper Pepe Reina will retire from an end, a very full life. I feel very fortu-
Lazio 37 18 11 8 61 48 65 League Cup semi-final against Nong- the Thai league. football at the end of the season, the nate for what I’ve experienced,” Reina,
Fiorentina 37 18 8 11 57 39 62 bua Pitchaya, which the Thunder Castle “We have learned from the mistakes 42-year-old said late on Monday. who could make his final appearance
Bologna 37 16 14 7 56 44 62 won 7-0 on Sunday night. we made in the first leg [of the final] and Reina, a product of Barcelona’s acad- in Como’s meeting with Inter Milan on
AC Milan 37 17 9 11 59 43 60 Osmar will have stars Supachai we are confident of putting on a better emy, spent eight seasons at Liverpool Friday, told Movistar.
Como 37 13 10 14 49 50 49
Torino 37 10 14 13 39 43 44
Chaided, Guilherme Bissoli and Lucas show at home.” where he won the FA Cup and League “I didn’t expect it, but I think the time
Udinese 37 12 8 17 39 53 44 Crispim available for selection for Besides the Shopee Cup, the Thun- Cup while also earning the Premier has come and I feel like bringing it to a
Genoa 37 9 13 15 34 48 40 tonight’s game. der Castle, who have already won the League Golden Glove award for most close here.”
Cagliari 37 9 9 19 40 54 36 Cong An Ha Noi have been in Thai- Thai League 1 crown, are also eyeing clean sheets in his first three seasons Reina, who said he is looking to move
Verona 37 9 7 21 32 65 34 land for a few days, training under success in the FA Cup and League with the club. into coaching, also made 36 appear-
Parma 37 6 15 16 41 56 33 Mano Polking, the former Thailand Cup competitions. He went on to play for Bayern Munich, ances for Spain and was part of the
Lecce 37 7 10 20 26 58 31
Empoli 37 6 13 18 32 57 31
national team coach. Tonight’s match will kick off at Napoli and AC Milan before signing for squad which won the World Cup in 2010
Venezia 37 5 14 18 30 53 29 The visitors from Vietnam also have 7.30pm and will be live on Thai Rath Pepe Reina during an exhibition Como in July last year, making 11 appear- as well as the European Championship
R-Monza 37 3 9 25 28 67 18 no problems with their players with key TV (32), AIS Play and the BG Sports match in 2015. REUTERS ances in the current Serie A campaign. in 2008 and 2012. REUTERS
R — relegated men like Nguyen Quang Hai, Leo Artur channel on YouTube.
 Business
Bangkok Post

 Read more news at bangkokpost.com Wednesday, May 21, 2025

markets currencies commodities in business

Jakarta 7,094.60 -0.65% (BID/ASK) May 20, 7 PM Previous Cloudy outlook Brand USA
SET INDEX Kuala Lumpur 1,548.87 -0.47% US$/Baht 33.08/23 33.16/34 Gold BKK bt/bt (buy) 50,350 -200 Half of Thai brokerages could be shuttered Investors expect the dollar to continue its
1,216.71
1,195.77 Manila 6,335.33 -1.85% 100 Yen/Baht 22.821/933 22.827/961 Gold BKK bt/bt (sell) 50,450 -200 because of intense competition and declining slide. B7
1,189.14
1,214.39 Mumbai 81,267.38 -0.97% Euro/Baht 37.17/33 37.12/30 Gold TFEX bt/bt (12/25) 50,800 -260 trade volumes. B2
1,194.49 1,187.06
Tokyo 37,529.49 +0.08% UK/Baht 44.19/38 44.12/32 Gold London US$/oz 3,217.60 -15.90 Eat it
May 13 May 14 May 15 May 16 May 19 May 20
Seoul 2,601.80 -0.06% MYR/Baht 7.7112/7464 7.6992/7561 Gold HK US$/oz 3,218.79 -10.77 Fast nosh US President Trump tells retailers to absorb
SET 1,189.14 +0.18% Shanghai 3,380.48 +0.38% Oil Brent Spot US$/bbl 65.28 -0.26 PTT Oil and Retail is in negotiations with tariff costs, but they are resistant. B8
SET 50 774.62 +0.35% Singapore 3,884.11 +0.20% Close Change Oil Dubai 1m Asia US$/bbl 63.58 -0.06 partners to enter the quick meal business
SET 100 1,653.80 +0.25% Sydney 8,343.33 +0.58% US$/Yen (May 20, 7pm) 144.38 -0.4800 Oil West Texas US$/bbl 62.72 +0.03 later this year. B3 Business editor
SET HD 1,089.14 +0.99% Taipei 21,526.03 +0.10% Euro/US$ (London 7pm) 1.1258 +0.0018 LNG 2m JKM US$/MMBtu 11.96 +0.07 Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn
Patriotic fervour srisamornp@bangkokpost.co.th
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New York DJIA (Mon) 42,792.07 +0.32% following a recent conflict with Pakistan. B6 Tel: 02-616-4100 x4177 Fax:02-240-9827
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Measures seek to cut trade surplus

‘‘
he expects more collaborations in the
US says imbalances energy sector.
“We have pending areas in the Gulf of
are unsustainable Thailand and another unexplored area
We estimate the
on the Andaman side. I believe with US
technology, these areas have potential. efforts could
Somhatai Mosika I think opportunities will come very
soon,” said Mr Pichai.
cut our trade
Thailand expects its measures to block He encouraged the private sector surplus with the
trade circumvention rules will help to tap sectors with potential such as
reduce the trade imbalance with the digital technology and infrastructure, US by about $15
US by US$15 billion per year, says the agricultural and food processing, well- billion annually.
finance minister. ness tourism and creative industries.
Finance Minister Pichai Chunhava- US ambassador Robert Godec said Pichai Chunhavajira
jira said the anti-circumvention policy the partnership with Thailand is stra-
is being put into action now. tegically important as the US is deeply Finance minister
“We estimate the efforts could engaged in this region, while US-Thai Mr Pichai says he
cut our trade surplus with the US by trade remains robust and continues expects more
about $15 billion annually,” he said at to grow. collaborations
the Thailand-US Trade & Investment He said Thailand enjoyed a signifi- with Thailand on trade at an appropri- with the US in the
Summit in Bangkok yesterday. cant trade surplus with the US, reach- ate time,” he said. energy sector.
The Thai government already sub- ing $45 billion in 2024, and the persis- The US sees significant potential in
mitted a framework proposal to the tent imbalances are unsustainable for the oil and energy sector because it is in involved, he said. more raw materials globally to lift to importing raw materials, Thailand
US, aiming to address the trade imbal- the US. a good position to supply clean energy Chanintr Chalisarapong, president production across various sectors, can significantly enhance its production
ance and enhance a partnership that The US wants trade to be free, to Thailand, said Mr Godec. of the Thai Pet Food Association, said highlighting the potential of the US to capabilities in poultry, feed, seafood
serves long-term mutual interests, said fair and balanced, said Mr Godec, The US can also supply good agri- the US reciprocal tariffs and ongoing provide essential raw materials such as and livestock, he said.
Mr Pichai. adding enhancing market access for cultural ingredients for Thailand’s negotiations for a Thailand-EU free corn, soybeans and tuna. Thailand also needs artificial intel-
He said Thailand wants to promote goods and eliminating non-tariff bar- food processing and feed industry, trade agreement offer significant oppor- The new US policy is a catalyst for ligence and cutting-edge technology
two-way investment to create more riers is essential. and removing barriers in these sectors tunities for reform in Thailand. change, said Mr Chanintr. By eliminat- to improve its food processing industry
opportunities in several sectors, and “We look forward to the discussion would build opportunities for all parties He said Thailand needs to import ing quota systems and other barriers productivity, said Mr Chanintr.

ENTERTAINMENT
revenue

MGM Resorts urges ‘competitive’ casino tax State budget

Molpasorn Shoowong

Thailand should have a casino tax

slated for
rate that is competitive with Sin-
gapore and a substantial number
of locals should be allowed to visit
parliamentary
casino complexes, rather than solely
serving foreign tourists in order to
stimulate tourism and economic
discussion
growth, says integrated resorts oper-
ator MGM Resorts International. Wichit Chantanusornsiri
The operator is interested in
investing in a US$3-5 billion casino The government plans to propose the draft
facility in Bangkok. Expenditure Budget Act for fiscal 2026, worth
Ed Bowers, president of global 3.78 trillion baht, for parliamentary considera-
development at MGM Resorts, told tion by the end of this month.
the Bangkok Post new countries The proposed budget represents an increase
embracing integrated resort invest- of only 0.74% compared with the current
ments need to be competitive with fiscal year.
other countries in the region, espe- According to government spokesman Jirayu
cially in terms of casino tax rates. Houngsub, yesterday the cabinet approved the
Singapore charges an average draft 2026 Expenditure Budget Act as reviewed
tax rate of 17% on a casino’s gross by the Council of State.
gaming revenue, while Macau and The House of Representatives is scheduled
Japan set higher rates of 40% and to convene for an extraordinary session from
30%, respectively, said Mr Bowers. May 28-30 to consider the draft budget on its
He said it is important to allow first reading. The draft then heads to a second
local people to visit casinos. MGM’s New reading for section-by-section consideration,
Casino resorts in some markets York-New York followed by a third reading for enactment,
are not a good fit because there is Hotel & Casino on expected in October this year, said Mr Jirayu.
a mismatch between the govern- the Las Vegas According to the Budget Bureau, the 2026
ment’s aspirations and an operator’s Strip. The expenditure budget increases by only 27.9 bil-
needs, such as in South Korea, which company is lion baht, or 0.74% from fiscal 2025, which is
forbids locals to engage in gambling, considering an considered a relatively low growth rate after
said Mr Bowers. integrated casino Thailand dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic
A media report suggested an inte- investment in during 2020-2021.
grated resort located in the South Thailand. The 2021 budget increased by 2.69% from the
Korean port of Incheon is up for sale previous year, then the 2022 budget contracted
due to financial constraints. He said casino helps maintain or reduce possibly host two casinos. wants to impose a high tax rate on by 5.66%. The 2023 budget increased by 2.7%,
this casino resort struggled to earn gambling problems. The govern- He said preferred investment casino properties, so the scale for then leapt by 13.1% and 4.2% in 2024 and 2025,
enough revenue because of the lack ment can fund education and sup- locations need to have a large pop- casino space is relatively larger than respectively.
of visitors, particularly locals. port programmes from casino taxes. ulation, easy access to airports and for non-gaming space. The 2026 expenditure budget of 3.78 tril-
Mr Bowers said it is essential The development also benefits public infrastructure for foreign In contrast, larger projects in Las lion baht is categorised as: budget allocations
governments understand the fun- the local community by creating tourists, and be situated in an iconic Vegas have less than 10% allocated for budget-receiving agencies (37.3% of the
damentals of how the casino busi- new jobs, a practice MGM Resorts location that tourists want to visit. as a casino area because otherwise total); personnel expenses for the public sector
ness works, as they should not create follows when investing in new coun- Mr Bowers said Thailand’s enter- they would not be able to generate (21.7%); budget expenditure for the central
policy without this knowledge. tries, he said. tainment complex draft, which significant gaming revenue, as there fund (16.7%); public debt repayments (11.2%);
The rules for Thais need to be rea- “Integrated resorts not only have restricts the casino space to 10% of is enhanced competition in a market revolving funds allocations (7.26%); replenish-
sonable, particularly concerning the a significant impact on economies the total area, is reasonable. with 30-40 integrated resorts, said ment of the treasury account balance (3.27%);
entry fee, he said. and tourism, but they also help to In Japan, the casino area is Mr Bowers. and integrated expenditures (2.61%).
Entrance fees for locals visiting eliminate existing problems related capped at 3%, while two integrated Singapore adopted an oligopoly When categorised by strategic area, the
Thai casinos should not exceed to gambling,” said Mr Bowers. resorts in Singapore have a casino model as the country has only two budget is allocated across six strategies: pro-
Japan’s rate. Japan is developing He said the company prefers to space that is less than 5% of the total resorts, with each casino able to gen- moting social opportunities and equity at 942
its first casino and plans to collect invest in large casino resorts, and available space. erate six to eight times the amount of billion baht; human resource development at
¥6,000 or roughly 1,400 baht per local Mr Bowers says it is important to in terms of Thailand it would focus MGM Resorts prefers a 5-10% gaming revenue as those operating 605 billion baht; public administration reform
wishing to enter, said Mr Bowers. allow locals to visit casinos. on Bangkok because of its ability to allocation, though the proportion for in Las Vegas, he said. and development at 605 billion baht; national
Regarding concerns over an draw foreign tourists. the casino area should be calculated MGM Resorts operates numer- security at 415 billion baht; enhancing com-
uptick in gambling and money MGM Resorts, have already demon- Mr Bowers said one large inte- based on each government’s policy ous integrated resorts worldwide. In petitiveness at 394 billion baht; and quality
laundering following the passage strated measures to ensure respon- grated resort should be sufficient for and demand, he said. Asia, it owns two facilities in Macau, growth with environmental sustainability at
of the entertainment complex bill, sible gambling. a big city, but if facilities are smaller, For instance, in the US state of as well as MGM Osaka, which is 147 billion baht.
he said many operators, including Mr Bowers said having a legal a metropolis such as Bangkok could Pennsylvania, the local government scheduled to open in 2030.
B2 I BUSINESS NATIONAL Bangkok Post I Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Thai brokerages face uncertain future

‘‘
order execution speeds, particularly from three to five years and eliminate
Competition could through high-frequency trading (HFT). the current rule requiring a six-month
Investor sentiment is gradually gap between each repurchase round.
slash their numbers recovering, especially after the bourse
My mission has been to restore public Another proposal is the Thailand
tightened rules on short selling, an Individual Savings Accounts pro-
issue that damaged confidence, said confidence and modernise the system gramme to encourage long-term stock
Nuntawun Polkuamdee Mr Kitipong. investment. Under the plan, retail
Boonsong Lipimas “We’ve seen a decline in short selling
to prevent crime. investors holding Thai stocks for at least
activity, and more stocks are now rising five years receive tax deductions of up
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) than falling,” he said. Kitipong Urapeepatanapong to 100,000 baht annually. The SET is
has issued a stark warning about the However, recent global develop- Chairman, Stock Exchange of Thailand preparing to submit the proposal to the
future of Thailand’s securities industry, ments, including US trade policy Finance Ministry for approval.
predicting the number of brokerages shifts announced by President Donald Other initiatives include using artifi-
could be halved due to intensifying Trump, have reignited market volatil- cial intelligence for market surveillance
competition and declining trad- ity, said Mr Kitipong. To address con- corporations, family businesses and data and investment information, sup- innovation-driven sectors. and a proposed carbon credit economy
ing volumes. cerns around HFT, the SET introduced foreign companies, particularly in high- ported by initiatives such as advisory “We’re studying how to structure this to support environmental, social and
SET chairman Kitipong Urapeepa- a system that allows all market partici- growth sectors such as pharmaceuti- support and improving funding chan- new trading board so it’s distinct and governance investments, though these
tanapong said Thailand’s 39 brokerage pants equal access to trading speed, cals, deep tech and startups, to list on nels for listed firms, he said. better suited to the needs of emerging may require legal reforms. Mr Kitipong
firms are being squeezed on margins, levelling the technological playing field. the bourse, he said. To accommodate new economy sectors,” said Mr Kitipong. is advocating for an omnibus capital
especially those relying primarily on The bourse outlined three strategic Second, trust and transparency in the businesses lacking traditional profit The exchange also supports share market law to modernise regulations
commissions. This is driven by relent- goals to revitalise Thailand’s capital capital market must be restored. track records, the bourse is reviewing buybacks to improve investor confi- and address emerging risks and trends.
less fee competition and a persistent markets, the first of which is to double “Enhancing transparency and corpo- listing requirements and may allow dence. This year, 37 companies have “My mission has been to restore
drop in daily turnover. the number of listed companies from rate governance remains a core objec- venture capital, institutional investors, launched buyback programmes worth public confidence and modernise the
He attributed the falling market roughly 800. The chairman said the tive, aiming to ensure listed firms reflect and the Capital Market Development 6 billion baht, matching the total for system to prevent crime,” he said.
turnover to a broader crisis of investor market must expand to 1,500 listed their true value and gain long-term Fund to co-invest during early-stage all of 2024. Mr Kitipong’s term as SET chairman
confidence, stemming from concerns firms to adequately reflect Thailand’s investor trust,” said Mr Kitipong. initial public offerings. These compa- To enhance the effectiveness of ends in August 2025. He is eligible for
over unfair trading practices, naked economic potential. Finally, the SET plans to ramp up nies may be listed on a newly created buybacks, the SET plans to extend the one more term, pending selection by
shorting and perceived inequalities in The SET wants to attract large efforts to democratise access to market board designed specifically for tech and holding period for repurchased shares the regulator and Finance Ministry.

lending finance

SMEs look to each

other for funding
Nuntawun Polkuamdee

Small and mid-cap firms are facing

greater obstacles in accessing funds
through traditional channels, prompt-
ing them to forge strategic collabo-
rations and pursue mergers and
acquisitions (M&As) to survive the
economic turbulence.
The MAI Listed Company Asso-
ciation (maiA) said many small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may
need to rely on M&A or business part-
nerships to weather the crisis.
A growing number of listed SMEs
are facing liquidity constraints this year
due to tightened lending by financial
institutions and cautious investor senti-
ment, making it harder to raise capital
through equity or bond markets, said
Wirat Sukchai, president of maiA.
“Access to funding is severely limited
this year, and many SMEs are running
Unease about the out of conventional options. Banks are
global trade more cautious with lending, and both
outlook has stock and bond markets are challeng- Mr Chakchai says SMEs often have
borrowers ing for smaller firms due to perceived differing shareholder structures.
hesitant to take business risks,” he said.
out loans in 2025. To cope with these challenges, Mr strategic investment.

Banking loan growth to slump in Q2

Wirat said networking among SMEs Prapan Charoenprawatt, president
could be the most viable solution. Com- of the MAI, said its market capitalisa-
panies facing differing challenges can tion is 230 billion baht, with 224 listed
collaborate through joint ventures or companies across eight sectors. There
mergers that leverage their respective are about 100 companies in the initial
Somruedi Banchongduang Amid heightened uncertainty over loan expansion, amid slower economic “With the stress tests, the central strengths. public offering pipeline to list on the
tariff policies, particularly during the activity and growth in Thailand. bank wants to understand the impact The association’s flagship event, MAI, he said.
Loan growth in the banking sector is 90-day suspension period, both busi- The central bank will continue to across industries and borrower seg- MAI Forum 2025, serves as a platform “We expect the number of listed
expected to slow in the second quar- ness and retail sectors have postponed monitor tariff negotiations between ments, including SMEs and retail cli- for such collaboration. Held under the companies to reach 300 by next year,
ter this year due to rising uncertainty investment and spending decisions, Thailand, other countries and the US ents, in order to design appropriate theme “Armed for Opportunity”, the marking significant growth in Thai-
surrounding global trade policies, pressuring loan expansion in the second to assess their potential impact on loan financial assistance measures,” Ms June 21 event at CentralWorld’s Cen- land’s SME sector,” said Mr Prapan.
according to an executive at the Bank quarter, said Ms Suwannee. growth, she said. Suwannee said. tara Grand Hotel gathers 119 Market Chakchai Boonyawat, fund manager
of Thailand. This prolonged uncertainty is In response to the potential risks, the On average, SME loans account for Alternative Investment (MAI)-listed at Capital Market Development Fund
In the first quarter of 2025, total loans expected to pose challenges to bank- central bank directed the country’s six for 20-30% of D-SIBs’ loan portfolios, firms and partners, offering opportu- (CMDF), said the fund has co-spon-
in the banking sector contracted by 1.3% ing loan growth through the third and domestic systemically important banks though the impact will vary depending nities for partnership discussions and sored this forum for several years and
year-on-year, marking the third consec- fourth quarters, she said. (D-SIBs) to conduct stress tests to evalu- on each bank’s specific loan exposure. capital connections. noticed increased interest from younger
utive quarterly decline. Ms Suwannee said the monetary ate the impact of tariffs, particularly on According to Bank of Thailand data, “We will identify each company’s investors.
This was driven by contractions in policy transmission of interest rates exporters to the US and local SMEs vul- in the first quarter this year the bank- pain points and encourage joint ven- “SMEs contribute 70-80% of the Thai
both business and consumer loans, to the banking sector is expected to nerable to an influx of imported goods. ing sector’s non-performing loan (NPL) tures during the forum. This is not just economy. These firms have different
which fell by 0.8% and 2.2%, respectively. mitigate the financial burden on bor- The results of these stress tests are ratio was 2.90%, up from 2.78% in the an investment event, but rather a sur- shareholder structures and strategic
Several loan segments shrank, most rowers, rather than significantly drive expected to be finalised soon. previous quarter. vival toolkit,” he said. development paths compared with

‘‘
notably auto hire-purchase loans, which SME NPLs reached 7.35% — the Seminar topics include investment large corporates,” said Mr Chakchai.
dropped by 10.2%, followed by loans to highest among all loan categories — up portfolio restructuring, the impacts CMDF’s role is to act as a financial
small and medium-sized enterprises from 6.88% in the prior quarter. of US tariffs, and debt clinic sessions intermediary to enable investors to
(SMEs) declining by 5.5% and credit Ms Suwannee said the central bank is tailored to small business needs. High- connect with company executives and
card loans downs 1.9%. working with other agencies including potential companies that lack capital make informed decisions. Follow-up
However, corporate lending posted This prolonged uncertainty is expected the Finance Ministry, the National Eco- could attract investors during the event, meetings and continuity from these
modest growth of 1.5% in the first
quarter, while mortgage and personal
to pose challenges to loan growth. nomic and Social Development Council
and the Thai Bankers’ Association to roll
said Mr Wirat.
The association expects 20-25 firms
engagements are key to increasing long-
term investor interest, he said.
loans also recorded marginal increases
of 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively, said
Suwannee Jatsadasak out the second phase of the “You Fight,
We Help” debt relief programme, build-
or 10-15% of MAI-listed companies
to join Jump+, a programme initiated
The MAI Forum 2025 provides a vital
boost for SMEs seeking direction, fund-
Suwannee Jatsadasak, assistant gover- Assistant governor, Bank of Thailand ing on the first phase to provide ongoing by the Stock Exchange of Thailand to ing and collaboration during challeng-
nor at the central bank. support for struggling borrowers. support business expansion through ing economic times, said Mr Chakchai.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 I Bangkok Post  NATIONAL BUSINESS I B3

OR eyes move into

quick meal business
of its 2025 capital spending worth 18 The company earlier announced it
Firm is in talks with billion baht to fund the new business. would scale up its health and beauty
According to OR, 40% of the total business. It plans to increase the
potential partners spending for this year will support a number of its “found & found” health-
plan to build 100 new filling stations and care and cosmetic shops to 12, up from
250 electric vehicle charging outlets. eight as of April this year.
Yuthana Praiwan Roughly 38% of the budget goes to Ms Wilaiwan said she believes non-
asset acquisition and joint ventures, as oil and oil businesses can maintain
PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc (OR) is well as the expansion of Café Amazon, growth overseas, especially in Cambo-
planning to venture into the quick meal a chain of cafes operated by OR. dia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam.
business if ongoing talks with partners Café Amazon operates at 4,879 loca- The economies in these countries
are successful. tions across 11 countries. should remain healthy for the rest of
The company cannot disclose the Some 15% of the budget is allocated this year despite US President Donald
names of the other parties until the for overseas business expansion, espe- Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy, she said.
negotiations end, said Wilaiwan Kan- cially in Southeast Asia. The last por- OR is focusing its business expansion
janakanti, senior executive vice-pres- tion representing 7% of the total will on Cambodia. ML Peekthong Thongyai,
ident for finance at OR. be spent on the development of digital chief executive of OR, said earlier that the
The talks are expected to be com- technology and innovative businesses. country has significant potential, both in
pleted in this year’s third quarter, after OR has diversified into a variety of terms of economic growth and business
which OR will announce an investment non-oil businesses for years, ranging opportunities, so OR has strategically
A branch of found & found, one of OR’s non-oil business ventures, located in a PTT petrol station compound on budget if they prove successful, she said. from food and beverages to cosmet- positioned Cambodia as its “second
Boromratchonnanee 97 Road in Bangkok. The company plans to allocate part ics products. home base” under PTT Cambodia Co.

PROPERTY Petrochemicals

Sena enters into SCGC ramps

industrial sector up green
Kanana Katharangsiporn purple zone for industrial development.
polymer
SET-listed developer Sena Develop-
ment is venturing into the industrial
Yesterday, the company signed a
joint venture agreement with Mitsubi-
shi Logistics to establish Sena MLC 1
production
sector amid a residential market down- Co, in which Sena and Mitsubishi hold
turn, partnering with Japan’s Mitsubishi a 51% and 49% stake, respectively. Lamonphet Apisitniran
Logistics Corp to develop rental ware- The new entity, with a registered
houses and factories on Bang Na-Trat capital of 180 million baht, will allocate SCG Chemicals (SCGC), a unit of Siam
KM 23. 600 million baht to develop Warehouse- Cement Group, Thailand’s largest cement
Kessara Thanyalakpark, managing Factory Bangna KM 23, its first project maker and industrial conglomerate,
director of Sena, said the new business on the 25-rai site. plans to increase production of green pol-
would help diversify revenue and raise The project will offer 25,000 square ymers to serve growing global demand.
recurring income from the current 30% metres of lettable space, with rental Ms Kessara, left, Production is to follow the circu-
to 50% within the next two years. rates ranging from 165 to 215 baht per and Mr Saito sign lar economy concept, which involves
“Industrial property is currently the sq m per month. the joint venture upcycling to add value to unwanted
most attractive investment segment,” Construction is set to begin by the agreement. materials, making them usable again.
she said. “We didn’t jump into this busi- end of this year, with completion tar- “SCGC will continue to make green
ness just because the economy turned geted for the fourth quarter of 2026. “With current occupancy at 90%, the is projected to rise by 9.3% from 2024, logistics parks by 2030, Ms Kessara said. polymers like plastic beads by turn-
sluggish. This has been in our plans for Revenue is expected to be recorded rate is expected to keep climbing.” driven by strong demand, particularly Hidechika Saito, president of Mitsub- ing plastic waste into usable polymers
several years.” starting from 2027. According to the Economic and Busi- in the Eastern Economic Corridor, a key ishi Logistics, said the logistics sector through a purification process,” said
Sena acquired a 25-rai land plot “Demand for industrial properties ness Research Center, Thailand’s ware- industrial and logistics hub. faces challenges from trade tensions, Sakchai Patiparnpreechavud, president
located 300 metres off Bang Na-Trat KM is outpacing supply, growing by 9% house industry is expected to maintain The joint venture will begin with climate change, and labour issues. and chief executive of SCGC.
23 Road over two years ago, drawn by the compared to a 6-7% increase in supply,” its growth momentum this year. warehouses and factories this year, However, the firm remains committed The company aims to make up to 1
attractive price and its designation as a she said. Leased warehouse space this year then expand to industrial estates and to a long-term partnership with Sena. million tonnes of green polymers by 2030.
Demand for green polymers is high,
especially in the packaging industry
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS because eco-friendly packaging mate-

Samsung sees premium TV segment driving growth

rials are needed for consumer products.
“Consumers in the global market
want green products. Buyers in Europe
are concerned about the environment

‘‘
issues,” said Mr Sakchai.
Kuakul Mornkum SCGC also plans to develop new
green products that are derived from
South Korean electronics firm Samsung high-performance polymers.
expects the Thai TV market to register TV demand remains The company needs to focus on
modest growth this year. value-added products to ward off strong
Chawapoj Thienthong, director of strong despite a competition and help reduce global
AV business at Thai Samsung Elec- decline in terrestrial waste and consumption of natural
tronics Co, said the company forecasts resources, Mr Sakchai said.
a 2% year-on-year growth in market TV viewership, as In 2024, SCGC forged a partnership
value this year, driven by the premium
TV segment.
many consumers with Dow, a US-based chemical company,
to push ahead with sustainable plastics.
Last year, the Thai TV market was use TVs for Both companies agreed to jointly drive
valued at 22 billion baht.
Samsung expects continued demand
streaming. and elevate the circular plastic ecosystem
in Asia-Pacific throughout the value chain
for premium and large-screen TVs, such by transforming 200 kilotonnes per year,
as those with 75-inch displays.
Chawapoj Thienthong or 200,000 tonnes of plastic waste, into
In the first quarter this year, this Director of AV business, Thai circular products by 2030.
segment grew by 10% compared to the
fourth quarter of 2024, reflecting strong Mr Chawapoj
Samsung Electronics Co The partnership will accelerate tech-
nological development in mechanical
purchasing power among premium says Samsung recycling and advanced recycling.
customers, he said. aims to Mr Sakchai said he expects better
Mr Chawapoj said he sees contin- outperform the He said AI features are becom- business prospects in the petrochemi-
ued potential in the Thai TV market, as overall market ing standard across various electri- cal industry, which is facing a supply
consumers increasingly opt for artificial with 6% growth cal appliance brands, not only Sam- glut, in the second quarter of this year
intelligence (AI)-equipped appliances. this year. sung products. as US tariffs should help increase the
Samsung aims to outperform the However, the Thai TV market faces petrochemical spread to US$400 per
overall market with 6% growth this year. The customer owns the TV, while The company also partnered with viewership, as many consumers now increased competition from Chinese tonne, up from $330-350 per tonne,
To address concerns over weakening the approved credit line is a financial financial institutions to support instal- use TVs for streaming services. brands, which tend to offer lower- thanks to lower crude oil prices caused
purchasing power, the company intro- obligation to KB J Capital Co Ltd until ment plans, which are expected to boost Thai consumers, in particular, often priced products. This influx may lead by US trade policies.
duced the Samsung Finance Plus pro- the customer completes the instalment sales in the mass-market segment, said stream YouTube on their TVs. As You- to a decrease in overall market value, Petrochemical spread refers to the
gramme for TVs last year, offering cus- payments under the loan agreement. Mr Chawapoj. Tube content may be compressed for said Mr Chawapoj. difference between the prices of chemi-
tomers more flexible payment options. “The instalment programme For premium buyers, credit cards smoother playback, the image quality “We won’t compete on price alone. cal products and their costs, resembling
According to the company’s website, enhances purchasing power by allow- remain the preferred payment method. often relies on the TV’s AI capabilities Instead, we’ll highlight product features a profit margin. Crude oil is a key raw
the programme provides personal loans ing customers to acquire products He said TV demand remains strong to enhance the visual experience, said and offer attractive financing options,” material for the petrochemical industry
and/or secured multi-purpose loans. through longer payment terms,” he said. despite a decline in terrestrial TV Mr Chawapoj. he said. and determines its production costs.

ENTERTAINMENT

ONE Championship touts $470m tourism boost for Thailand

Nick Atkin as a “validation” of what he already events under the ONE Fight Bangkok to explore other Nielsen also reported that the rising costs and changing consumer
believed. Night banner generate parts of the country. retail and leisure sectors have seen habits, sports entertainment has
ONE Championship chief executive “Without a doubt, ONE is the largest nearly $7 million in eco- Major tourist markets the biggest benefits, pulling in $105 emerged as one of the few sectors offer-
Chatri Sityodtong says martial arts and most consistent driver of tourism, nomic value per show, while include Australia, the US, million annually from ONE-related ing consistent international pull.
promotion does more than organise investment and awareness for Thai- its weekly Friday Fights France, the UK, and Canada activity, followed by accommodation ONE’s strategy in Thailand, built
fighting competitions in Bangkok — it’s land on the global stage via our weekly series contribute another — nations where ONE has ($54 million) and food and beverage around frequent shows, homegrown
now a key engine for Thailand’s tour- broadcast to more than 190 countries $7 million each week. been aggressively expand- ($38 million). Muay Thai heroes such as Stamp Fair-
ism economy. and our rabid fan base of 500 million The biggest impact comes ing its broadcast and con- The timing of the report may prove tex and Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and
According to a new report com- people around the world,” he told the from numbered events, such tent reach. significant as Thailand faces grow- a prime broadcast footprint, is now
missioned by Nielsen and shared this Bangkok Post. as January’s ONE 170 at “While I knew intuitively ing regional competition. Vietnam being held up as a potential blueprint
month, ONE Championship generates “Our live events, coupled with our Impact Arena, with nearly Chatri: Engine for that ONE has been the single posted record growth for interna- for sports tourism.
an estimated US$470 million annu- superstar heroes and global content $21 million in estimated tourism economy biggest driver of tourism in tional visitors last year, with some Mr Chatri said he is positioning the
ally in economic value for Thailand engine, continue to drive Thailand’s value per show. the Tourism Authority of travel analysts suggesting Hanoi and organisation as a key player.
through its slate of combat sports economy forward and bring prestige, The report found 82% of interna- Thailand’s ‘5Fs’ [food, fashion, fight, Da Nang could soon eclipse Bangkok “Thank you from the bottom of my
events, including its primetime cards honour and glory to Thailand.” tional fans travelled specifically to film and festivals] vision, I am happy and Phuket as Southeast Asia’s top heart to our fans, our athletes, our part-
at Lumpinee Stadium. The Nielsen study in April 2025 esti- attend a ONE event in Thailand, with Nielsen quantified our contribution to destinations. ners and our team,” he said. “ONE is just
Mr Chatri described the findings mated that ONE’s monthly primetime 65% extending their trips beyond Thailand,” said Mr Chatri. As traditional tourism hubs battle getting started.”
B4 I BUSINESS NATIONAL Bangkok Post I Wednesday, May 21, 2025

OTOD Smart Living

project set in motion

‘‘
income, and reducing costs.
Depa responsible for Initial efforts focused on agricultural
drones and high-value crop platforms,
managing initiative The OTOD Smart such as the utilisation of drones in
durian farming.
Living project While agriculture remains a vital
KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA sector, contributing 8.58% to national
represents a GDP and employing more than 30 mil-
The Digital Economy and Society significant milestone lion people, many farming communi-
(DES) Ministry has launched the One ties still face numerous challenges,
Tambon, One Digital Smart Living in extending Smart including climate-related disasters,
(OTOD Smart Living) project nation- City development to high production costs, and limited
wide to strengthen the digital capabili- access to technology.
ties of Thai communities and farmers. rural communities Several rural communities lack the
The application process is underway across Thailand. necessary support to effectively utilise
and interested parties can apply to par- digital tools, according to depa.
ticipate through May 30 this year, with Nuttapon To address these challenges, the
on-ground implementation and digital project promotes the effective and
skills training scheduled to commence Nimmanphatcharin informed adoption of digital technolo-
in June. President and chief executive, gies, such as smart solar-powered light-
A smart tractor captures the attention of attendees during the project’s launch event.
According to Piyanuch Wuttisorn,
deputy permanent secretary of the
Digital Economy Promotion ing, smart solar-powered CCTV, smart
tractors, agricultural drones, and agri-
DES Ministry, the project is expected Agency culture and carbon credit platforms, The OTOD Smart Living project is CCTV, smart tractors, agricultural smart solar-powered CCTV, smart trac-
to benefit more than 2,700 individuals said Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, divided into two types of support. drones, Internet of Things (IoT) solu- tors, agricultural drones, IoT technol-
from 900 households. president and chief executive of depa. The first refers to “smart living”, fea- tions and a platform for agriculture. ogy, and platforms for agriculture and
The project should generate a mini- Agency (depa) is responsible for By integrating smart city develop- turing a one-year support programme The second, called “smart living carbon credit.
mum of 170 million baht in annual eco- the project. ment mechanisms into agricultural for 40 communities located in provinces plus”, is a one-year support programme “The OTOD Smart Living project
nomic value, paving the way for more Ms Piyanuch said depa initiated the communities, which are often under- with smart city promotion zones. for five communities situated within represents a significant milestone in
liveable smart cities and a resilient digi- project in 2023 to promote the adop- served, this initiative seeks to improve These communities will receive digi- officially designated smart cities. extending Smart City development to
tal economy, she said. tion of digital technologies for improv- the quality of life for those working in tal technologies, including smart solar- These communities will be equipped rural communities across Thailand,”
The Digital Economy Promotion ing agricultural production, increasing the agricultural sector, he said. powered lighting, smart solar-powered with smart solar-powered lighting, said Mr Nuttapon.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

Tasco banks on premium-grade asphalt

Yuthana Praiwan Last year the company decided to asphalt. Some are 40% more expen- the first quarter of this year, with sales
invest in upgrading its production facil- sive than conventional products,” said volume reaching 290,000 tonnes.
Stronger competition in the Asian ity, which usually makes conventional Mr Chaiwat. Tasco posted 6.7 billion baht in
asphalt market is causing Tipco Asphalt asphalt, so that it can make premium- Tasco’s asphalt sales in Vietnam are sales in the first quarter, a rise of 35.3%
(Tasco), a Thai asphalt manufacturer grade asphalt which can be sold at facing tough competition that have year-on-year.
and supplier, to focus more on making higher prices. led to a price war and subsequently The amount is lower than revenue
premium-grade asphalt to earn more He did not reveal the invest- a decrease in purchase orders of the in the fourth quarter of 2024 because of
revenue and avoid a price war. ment budget. company’s products, he said. the impact of the price war in overseas
Asphalt is a key material for the con- Premium-grade asphalt is designed Sales in other countries, including markets, said Mr Chaiwat.
struction and maintenance of roads, to have better performance and dura- Australia and China, have also declined He expects sales in 2025 to be on par
airport runways and walkways. bility than conventional asphalt. as Tasco continues to prioritise sales with the 1.15 million tonnes recorded
Tasco is worried the price war in According to Mr Chaiwat, the facility in selective high-margin markets with last year due partly to limited raw
the asphalt market will escalate as already started commercial operation. premium grade products. materials, following US trade sanc-
supply accumulates in the Asian New products can be used to withstand In Thailand, the government’s tions on Venezuela’s export of inex-
Workers pave a road with asphalt. Tasco expects sales to stay flat this year due in region, said chief executive Chaiwat heavy loads. budget spending on construction pro- pensive heavy crude oil, which is used
part to a limited supply of raw materials. Srivalwat. “There are many grades of premium jects helped drive domestic sales in to make asphalt.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 I Bangkok Post  WORLD BUSINESS I B5

China’s CATL jumps in its Hong Kong debut

listing in Hong Kong since Kuaishou The demand for CATL shares was
Battery firm’s listing Technology raised $6.2 billion in 2021, driven by an increasingly positive senti-
according to LSEG data. ment towards China from global inves-
is biggest this year tors that had started to emerge since the
TRADE TRUCE MOMENTUM start of the year despite the tariff war,
CATL’s bookbuild had been open for a according to the sources.
Scott Murdoch day when the US and China announced They said a decision to restrict US
Julie Zhu a brief truce in the trade war that had onshore investors from buying CATL
roiled global financial markets since stock did not dent the demand for
HONG KONG: Shares of Chinese elec- early April. the shares.
tric vehicle battery giant CATL opened The US will cut extra tariffs it imposed US investors with offshore accounts
12.5% higher than the subscription on Chinese imports last month from could still participate and some did
price yesterday after the company 145% to 30% for the next three months, so despite CATL being placed on a US
raised $4.6 billion in its Hong Kong the two sides said last week, while Chi- Department of Defense list in January
listing, the largest in the world this year. nese duties on US imports will fall to of companies accused of working with
CATL shares started trading at 10% from 125%. the Chinese military.
HK$296 each in Hong Kong after the The move created some extra CATL said in its Hong Kong listing
firm sold its shares at HK$263 apiece momentum for CATL, whose book- documents it was working with US
in the listing. build had been already covered with authorities to have the “false designa-
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was pre-commitment orders when the deal tion” removed.
up about 1% in early trading. launched last Monday, according to two More than 20 cornerstone inves-
CATL, which is also listed in Shenz- sources with direct knowledge of the tors subscribed for $2.6 billion of
hen, sold 135.6 million shares in Hong bookbuilding process. CATL’s Hong Kong shares, led by the
Kong to raise $4.6 billion, which was The tariffs pause prompted some Kuwait Investment Authority and Chi-
the largest listing in the city since Midea global long-only investors who had nese oil giant Sinopec, according to
Group raised the same amount last year. previously not bid for CATL stock in CATL’s prospectus.
CATL’s Shenzhen stock was down about the Hong Kong listing to place orders, “The context of what is happening
0.5% yesterday. they added. CATL did not respond to a in the US and associated uncertainty,
The institutional tranche of the request for comment. many investors including sovereign
Hong Kong deal was oversubscribed CATL’s net profit in the first three wealth funds must be considering to
15.2 times, according to CATL’s fil- Robin Zeng, founder and chairman of battery manufacturer CATL, prepares to strike a gong to mark the company’s listing at the months of 2025 rose 32.9% year-on-year shift some weight off the West and
ings, while the retail portion was 151 Hong Kong Stock Exchange yesterday. REUTERS to 14 billion yuan ($1.91 billion), its fast- move to Asia,” said Investory analyst
times oversubscribed. est pace in nearly two years. Devi Subhakesan, who publishes
The company said most of the funds “The Hong Kong stock listing means Chairman Robin Zeng said at a listing from investors. It has been extending its lead in the on Smartkarma.
would be used for construction of a fac- our wider integration into the global ceremony in Hong Kong. A so-called “green shoe option” can electric vehicle battery market with “CATL offers a long-term big-ticket
tory in Hungary, part of its plan to make capital market and a new starting point CATL had aimed to raise about $4 bil- be exercised that would take the size of a 38% share globally in 2024. That investment opportunity in a strong
batteries in Europe for automakers such for us to promote the global zero-car- lion in the listing but increased the size CATL’s raising to $5.3 billion. increased from 36% a year ago, accord- growth sector for large funds and
as BMW, Stellantis and Volkswagen. bon economy,” CATL Founder and of the deal following the strong demand At that size, it would be the largest ing to data from SNE Research. investment houses.” REUTERS

ELECTRIC VEHICLES INTEREST RATES

How the trade war shaped a battery giant’s debut China’s

Alexandra Stevenson central bank
HONG KONG: It is the world’s biggest
maker of batteries for electric cars. It has
plans to expand its business globally.
cuts rates to
And it is one of China’s most strategi-
cally important technology companies.
But when Contemporary Amperex
historic lows
Technology Ltd, or CATL, started sell-
ing shares for the first time in Hong Matthew Walsh
Kong yesterday, surging 16%, Ameri-
can investors were largely shut out. It BEIJING: China’s central bank yester-
was the world’s biggest stock listing day cut two key interest rates to historic
so far this year, according to data pro- lows, as Beijing battles to stimulate its
vider Dealogic. economy amid seesaw trade tensions
Tensions between China and the with the United States.
United States pushed CATL to ban Beijing and Washington have been
US onshore investors from its share locked in a bruising trade war but last
sale, the first outside of the Chinese week agreed to slash sweeping tariffs on
mainland, where it is listed in the city each other’s goods for 90 days.
of Shenzhen. The deterioration in trade ties has
The fact that some of the world’s come as China’s economy already faces
most active investors were absent persistent headwinds from a long-term
from one of the most anticipated trad- domestic spending slump, a protracted
ing debuts so far this year underscored debt crisis in the property sector and
the deepening rift between the United high youth unemployment.
States and China. The People’s Bank of China said yes-
CATL has found itself caught in the terday that the one-year Loan Prime
crossfire as Washington and Beijing Rate (LPR), the benchmark for the most
have lobbed sanctions, blacklists and advantageous rates lenders can offer to
tariffs at each other. It was labelled a businesses and households, would be
Chinese military company by the Pen- cut from 3.1% to 3.0%.
tagon. US lawmakers called on its Wall The five-year LPR, the benchmark
Street bankers to back out of the Hong Contemporary Amperex Technology Co headquarters, right, and production facilities in Ningde, Fujian province, China. CATL’s battery products are in the vehicles of almost for mortgage loans, was cut from 3.6%
Kong listing. And it has been hit with every major global auto brand. BLOOMBERG to 3.5%, it said.
tariffs on the batteries it makes. Both rates were last cut in October to
The CATL Hong Kong stock sale Chinese companies as it moves to limit that manufacture batteries using Chi- known as a Reg S offering, which pre- the false designation.” what were then record lows.
marks a dramatic reversal from a China from accessing American mar- nese expertise. vents the sale of stock to onshore US Most large American institutions will “The rate cuts will reduce interest
decade ago when Alibaba, the Chinese kets out of national security concerns, Yet, even as the battle between the investors and exempts it from having still be able to trade in CATL shares if payments on existing loans, taking
e-commerce giant, elicited cheers from a policy that President Donald Trump two superpowers creates financial col- to make certain regulatory filings in the they invest through offshore accounts. some pressure off indebted firms. It
traders as it went public on the New began in his first term and which Presi- lateral damage, CATL raised $4.6 bil- United States. But that would still leave a hole. will also reduce the price of new loans,”
York Stock Exchange in 2014. The com- dent Joe Biden continued. lion before its secondary listing in Hong The company did not explain why it An estimated 10% of American inves- Zichun Huang, China economist at
pany raised $21.8 billion, delivering a Trump has accused China of exploit- Kong, more than any other public listing changed the structure of its listing, but tors would have probably invested in its Capital Economics, said in a note.
big payday for Wall Street banks and ing American investors to finance its this year. The stock was sold for HK$263 it has said that geopolitical tensions are stock if not prevented from doing so, “But modest rate cuts alone are
minting mom-and-pop investors. military, attempting to isolate China a share (about $33.62). Its biggest inves- among the risk factors to its business. said Victor Shih, a specialist in Chinese unlikely to meaningfully boost loan
“We are headed towards full financial with colossal tariffs that were suspended tors include Kuwait’s sovereign wealth “We face risks associated with changes finance at the University of California, demand or wider economic activity,”
decoupling with China,” said Stephen only after global markets convulsed. fund; Chinese firm Hillhouse Capital in trade policies or tariff regulations,” it San Diego. she said.
Roach, an economist and a former chair Management Group; and Oaktree Cap- said in a regulatory filing. “I think that this is a major mile- “Today’s reductions... probably won’t
of Morgan Stanley Asia, based in Hong ‘TRADE POLICY RISKS’ ital Management, an American asset In response to the Pentagon’s desig- stone,” said Mr Shih, adding that it was be the last this year,” Ms Huang said.
Kong. “Congress is driving the process A Ford Motor battery project in Michi- management firm. nation of the company as having both probably the start of a broader trend. China has set an annual GDP growth
of disengagement,” he said. The shares gan that licenses CATL’s technology CATL moved to hive off American military and commercial technology, “This will apply to many Chinese hard- target of around five percent for 2025,
of Chinese companies that are traded has drawn local and national politi- investors before the listing as ten- CATL said it had “never engaged in any ware and even some software produc- an aim that analysts say is ambitious
in the United States could be the next cal fire. Lawmakers in Congress have sions between the United States and military-related businesses or activi- ers, thus cutting out US investors from given the economic challenges it faces.
thing to come under fire, he added. introduced legislation that would with- China spiked. It said last week that it ties” and had “proactively engaged with some potentially profitable opportuni- However, data for the first quarter
The US government has targeted draw subsidies from US companies had changed the share sale to what is the Department of Defense to address ties.” ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES was unexpectedly strong, with authori-
ties announcing a 5.4% year-on-year
expansion, according to prelimi-
COMMODITIES nary estimates.

Japan PM raps farm minister over free rice claim

Official data on Monday showed Chi-
na’s factory output grew at a faster rate
than expected last month, weathering
the trade war with Washington.
Industrial production grew 6.1%
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister The Prime Minister described of what I started,” Mr Eto said. year-on-year in April, according to fig-
Shigeru Ishiba yesterday reprimanded Mr Eto’s remarks at the weekend as “I am the one who decided the ures published by the National Bureau
the farm minister for claiming he never “extremely unfortunate”. releases of the reserved rice. With your of Statistics (NBS).
buys rice because he gets it free, provok- “The agriculture minister’s job now is permission, I would like to continue The reading was higher than the 5.7%
ing the ire of consumers facing soar- to provide solutions to the soaring rice until I can fulfil my responsibility.” forecast in a Bloomberg survey, but still
ing prices. prices. I expect him to offer solutions,” Factors behind Japan’s rice short- lower than the 7.7% jump recorded
Japan’s government has released Mr Ishiba told journalists as he arrived fall include poor harvests due to hot for March.
some of its emergency stockpile of at his office. weather in 2023 and panic-buying The NBS said the economy “with-
the grain in recent months, with agri- Mr Eto on Monday explained that he prompted by a “megaquake” warning stood pressure and grew steadily in
culture minister Taku Eto weeks ago had exaggerated, incurring the wrath last year. April,” but acknowledged a “com-
lamenting the “hardship” experienced of his wife. The agriculture minister’s gaffe was plex situation of increasing external
by consumers. “She told me that she does go buy criticised as “extremely inappropriate, shocks and layered internal difficulties
But addressing a gathering over the rice when a stockpile of donated rice out of touch and intolerable” by Junya and challenges”.
weekend, Mr Eto said he has “never runs out,” Mr Eto said, adding “it’s not Ogawa, secretary-general of the main Other data showed retail sales, which
bought rice myself because my sup- like our family is living entirely off of opposition Constitutional Democratic is a key gauge of domestic demand, grew
porters donate so much to me that I rice gifted to us”. Party of Japan. 5.1% year-on-year last month, short of
can practically sell”. Yesterday, he said he had spoken to “If not properly dealt with, his the 5.8% growth forecast by Bloomberg.
Mr Eto’s comment hit a nerve in a Mr Ishiba, and that he would continue remarks are serious enough to raise The reading also marked a slowdown
nation where the price of the much- as farm minister. the question of whether he should from March’s 5.9% growth.
loved grain has nearly doubled year- “The prime minister gave me very step down,” local media, including April saw the price of new residential
Japan’s Agriculture Minister Taku Eto (centre) speaks in the House of Councillors in on-year, according to figures published tough words, but...also gave me warm public broadcaster NHK, quoted him properties contract in 67 out of 70 sur-
Tokyo on Monday. AFP in April. words and told me to show the results as saying. AFP veyed cities. AFP
B6 I BUSINESS WORLD Bangkok Post I Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Australia’s central bank cuts rates

REAL ESTATE

Trump firm
Trump’s tariffs affect plans tower
economic outlook
in Vietnam
Stella Qiu HANOI: US President Donald Trump’s
Wayne Cole real estate company is seeking to build a
tower in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamese
SYDNEY: Australia’s central bank officials said yesterday, with his son due
yesterday cut interest rates to a two- to scout locations this week.
year low as cooling inflation at home Authorities in Vietnam’s southern
offered scope to counter rising global business hub said in a statement they met
trade risks, and left the door open to a representative of the Trump Organiza-
further easing in the months ahead. tion and its local partner, the Kinhbac City
Wrapping up a two-day policy Development Corp (KBC).
meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia The statement said authorities had
cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to already conducted a field survey of two
3.85%, saying that upside risks to infla- potential locations in the eastern part of
tion had diminished as the interna- the city on Monday and are scheduled
tional developments are set to weigh to meet leaders of the Trump Organiza-
on the economy. tion tomorrow.
The central bank considered a The company, which builds luxury
severe downside scenario for global developments around the world, has
trade and noted that policy was come under scrutiny, with critics accus-
well placed to respond decisively to ing Trump of leveraging his political posi-
such risks. tion for personal financial gain.
RBA Governor Michele Bullock The state-controlled Tuoi Tre newspa-
said at a post-meeting press confer- per said the organisation’s senior vice-
ence the board weighed holding rates president Eric Trump, the US president’s
steady and cutting, and also discussed second son, would lead the visit.
whether it should cut by 50 bps. It also said the delegation would visit
In contrast to her hawkish tone after a proposed location for “Trump Tower”.
the cut in February, Ms Bullock said The Trump Organization did not
the situation has changed, noting US respond immediately to AFP’s request
President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff for comment.
announcement on global imports and Tuoi Tre said Eric Trump would also
the still very uncertain outlook. attend a ground-breaking ceremony
“Does it mean we’re headed into today for a $1.5 billion luxury resort and
a long series of interest rate cuts? I People walk past the Reserve Bank of Australia’s headquarters in Sydney. REUTERS golf course developed by the Trump
don’t know at this point and that’s Organization and KBC.
why I think the cautious 25-basis- Since the RBA last met in April, the for commodities such as iron ore. for the first time since late 2021. tariffs would lower global growth and The 990-hectare golf complex in north-
point cut with a recognition that if we global landscape has changed dras- “We have managed to get inflation prove disinflationary in net terms. ern Hung Yen province outside Hanoi will
need to move quickly, we can. We have tically. Trump’s global trade war has SOFT LANDING down at the same time as keeping the “Optimism on inflation was offset feature a 54-hole course and residential
got space.” roiled financial markets and upended At home, the flow of data has been employment market on a relatively to some extent by uncertainty around villas, the newspaper said.
Markets had been fully priced for business plans. Trump has imposed mixed, with the anticipated rebound good footing, so I think so far so good,” the tariffs and the still strong jobs Project director Charles Boyd-Bow-
an easing but the Australian dollar fell 10% blanket import duties on the rest in consumer spending disappoint- said Ms Bullock. market, but projections on prices and man said in a meeting with Vietnam’s
0.5% to $0.6425 and three-year bond of the world, and after a tariff show- ingly soft. The labour market, however, In its quarterly Statement on Mon- rates allude to a roadmap towards less Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in
futures rallied 15 ticks as investors took down with China that threatened a remained surprisingly strong, with the etary Policy, released yesterday, the restrictive policy,” said Dwyfor Evans, March that his group aimed to finish the
the dovish comments from Ms Bullock global recession, both agreed to slash jobless rate staying low at 4.1% where it RBA also said inflation would be lower head of APAC Macro Strategy at State golf resort in March 2027, before Vietnam
as a greenlight for further cuts. sky-high duties on each other’s goods has roughly been for over a year now. and unemployment higher due to the Street Markets. hosts the APEC summit.
Swaps now imply a 60% probability for 90 days. Headline consumer price inflation cascading effects of global trade ten- “Some talk of a ‘hawkish cut’ before Vietnam and the United States are
for another cut in July, while a cut in Australia is a major exporter of held at 2.4% in the first quarter and a sions, and that was even assuming the decision, but global uncertainty engaged in trade talks after President
August has been more than fully priced resources to China, and tariffs on the key trimmed mean measure of core interest rates were cut as deeply as aside, this was a clearer directional Trump threatened a 46% levy on Viet-
in. Rates are seen more likely to bottom world’s second-biggest economy could inflation slowed to 2.9%, taking it back markets expected. message from the RBA than we have namese goods as part of his global tariff
at 3.1% rather than 3.35%. hinder growth there and its demand into the RBA’s target band of 2% to 3% It warned that the drag from Trump’s seen for some time.” REUTERS blitz. AFP

marketing MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Pakistan Nippon ‘raises bid for US Steel’

war spawns Alexandra Alper
Jarrett Renshaw
Trump, though two other sources
said his administration sought the
Nippon Steel added investment
pledges to sweeten the deal from $1.4

new fashion WASHINGTON: Nippon Steel plans to

invest $14 billion in US Steel’s opera-
increased investment.
The new pledge should be enough
to entice the Trump administration to
billion to $2.7 billion in August 2024, as
well as promises to maintain US Steel’s
headquarters in Pennsylvania.

fad in India tions, including up to $4 billion in a new

steel mill, if the Trump administration
green lights its bid for the iconic US
approve the merger, said Nick Klein, a
lawyer from DLA Piper.
“Increased investment to expand
But Mr Biden’s January block of
the deal on national security grounds
prompted lawsuits by the companies
company, according to a document and steel production in the United States alleging the national security review
Akshata KAPOOR three people familiar with the matter. is critical to our national security. I they received was biased, a charge that
Under details of the plan included think the Trump administration rec- Mr Biden’s White House disputed.
NEW DELHI: Hours after New Delhi and in the document, the company would ognises this and will approve the deal, The steel giants saw a new oppor-
Islamabad launched their worst conflict plow $11 billion into US Steel’s infra- Mr Klein said. tunity in the Trump administration,
in nearly three decades, Indian busi- structure through 2028. That includes Regardless, the offer shows the which began on Jan 20 and opened a
nesses cashed in on a surge in nation- $1 billion in a green field site, which lengths Nippon Steel is willing to go to fresh 45-day national security review
alism with T-shirts and bags glorifying is expected to grow by $3 billion over secure approval, with a looming $565 into the proposed merger last month.
the military. the following years and has not been million breakup fee and current steep But Trump’s public comments, rang-
After a deadly attack on tourists in previously reported. The total invest- US steel tariffs of 25% to access thriving ing from welcoming a simple “invest-
Indian-administered Kashmir on April ment figure was previously reported American steel markets. ment” in US Steel by the Japanese
22, New Delhi launched strikes deep by CTFN. US Steel declined to comment. firm to floating a minority stake for
into Pakistan’s territory as part of what Shares of US Steel rose closed up Nippon Steel, the White House and Nippon Steel, have done little to shore
it named “Operation Sindoor”. more than 3% after the Reuters report. the Treasury Department, which leads up investor confidence in an eventual
India blamed Pakistan for backing The super-charged investment the committee overseeing the national greenlight.
the attackers who killed 26 civilians. pledge, up from an initial $1.4 billion, security review, did not respond to Regardless of Trump’s final decision,
Islamabad denied it and called for an was pitched as part of a last ditch effort requests for comment. some lawmakers from his party attrib-
independent probe. to win approval of the merger, which ute Nippon Steel’s increased invest-
A ceasefire was reached on May 10 has drawn fire from both presidents DEAL GETS ‘SECOND CHANCE’ ment to the president.
after four days of fighting, but a mas- Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Nippon Steel offered $14.9 billion for “President Trump has not only
sive wave of nationalist support for the The companies face a May 21 US Steel in December 2023, seeking to brought life back into this partnership
military operation continues unabated deadline for the completion of a fresh capitalise on an expected ramp-up in by giving it a second chance, but he
in India. national security review of their pro- steel purchases, thanks to the biparti- also made it great,” said Kim Ward, a
Indian Prime Minister Narendra People wearing T-shirts with the words ‘Operation Sindoor’ walk near a market in posed tie-up, which was blocked by Mr san infrastructure law. Republican Pennsylvania state sena-
Modi’s Hindu nationalist government Ludhiana, India, on Sunday. AFP Biden on national security grounds in But the tie-up faced headwinds from tor and staunch advocate for the deal’s
used Sindoor, the Hindi word for the red January following a prior review. Trump the start, with both then-President approval.
powder which married Hindu women media platform X another seller making “We have received enormous enquir- would then have 15 days to decide the Biden and Trump asserting US Steel Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Taka-
wear on their foreheads, as a sign that T-shirts emblazoned with “Opera- ies. People are really excited about fate of the transaction, although the should remain American owned as they hiro Mori was in Washington last week
it was to avenge those widowed in the tion Sindoor”. Operation Sindoor,” said Deepak Kumar, timeline could slip. sought to woo voters in the swing state to meet with US officials to try to win
April 22 attack. “The fact that in a moment as grave who is in charge of marketing. It is unclear if the billions in new of Pennsylvania, where the company is approval of the deal, Reuters previously
Some canny businessmen translated as this, the government thought that it investment will be enough to sway headquartered. reported. REUTERS
the conflict into cash, offering T-shirts was a good idea to bring out a creative ‘PEOPLE REALLY EXCITED’
and tote bags sporting the official logo for the military operation... will tell you “People needed a way to show their
of the operation and quotes from Indian that this was also done with a domestic support to Indian armed forces,” said
military top brass during and after audience in mind,” said Indian writer KadakMerch’s Arora.
the conflict. and journalist Kunal Purohit. The T-shirts are the “best and the
“Our design team whipped up four The branding is part of the govern- closest and the cheapest way for them to
or five artworks,” a day after Sindoor ment’s push to promote nationalist be a part of something that has become
was launched, said Adi Arora, founder pride which “only gets heightened when very significant,” he added.
of KadakMerch. India is in a conflict with its oldest arch- Mr Arora said he had even received
“It just turned into a viral sensation. rival Pakistan,” said Mr Purohit, who has orders from Indian military officials.
Since then our products have been written a book about Hindu nationalist “There was a very deliberate push
flying off the shelves,” Mr Arora told AFP. pop music. from the government and from the
His factory in a small industrial Mr Modi’s government “has been ruling party to popularise this moment,”
town in northern India has churned creating and using popular culture very, Mr Purohit said.
out over 2,000 T-shirts and other Sin- very successfully for the large part of the “You make that moment so big that
door merchandise. last 10 years” to promote its ideology, everyone wants to be a part of it.”
Mr Arora said the bestseller was a Mr Purohit said. Vendors at the popular Janpath
T-shirt sporting a quote from a senior During the conflict, New Delhi also market in the heart of New Delhi, where
Indian air force officer: “Our job is to hit cracked down on sales of Pakistani flags clothes, handicrafts and souvenirs are
the target, not to count the body bags.” and merchandise, ordering e-com- the main wares, are readying to sell the
merce sites to “remove all such content”. new products.
USING POPULAR CULTURE The days-long fighting killed dozens One clothes stall owner said they had
“Proud to wear this,” wrote one social of people on each side, including civil- discussed ordering the Sindoor T-shirts.
media user who shared pictures of a ians, according to tolls from Indian and “Why wouldn’t they love these?
T-shirt with the same quote but from a Pakistani officials. The military is also a symbol of India,”
different manufacturer. Another small online business calling he said.
A senior government adviser, Kan- itself Hank Hawk has also jumped on “We will be selling T-shirts like these
chan Gupta, also promoted on social the bandwagon. soon.” AFP An aerial view of US Steel’s Gary Works, the largest integrated steel mill in the US, in Gary, Indiana, in December. REUTERS
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 I Bangkok Post  WORLD BUSINESS I B7
MEDIA

The setting sun, turned red

by haze from fires, in New
York in 2021. REUTERS

Wendy McMahon,
president of CBS
News and
Stations.
Tensions between
Ms McMahon and
CBS’s parent
company,
Paramount, have
simmered for
months. REUTERS

Head of CBS News forced

out amid Trump criticism
Michael Grynbaum expressed concern about Ms McMa-
Benjamin Mullin hon’s performance for months. Her
Lauren Hirsch detractors pointed to an overhaul of
CBS Evening News that sent its ratings
NEW YORK: The president of CBS News, plummeting, and her handling of an
Wendy McMahon, was forced out of her October incident involving CBS Morn-
post Monday, the latest shock wave to ings anchor Tony Dokoupil, who in an
hit the news division amid an ongoing interview had challenged author Ta-
showdown involving President Donald Nehisi Coates’ views about the Israeli-
Trump, 60 Minutes, and CBS’ parent Palestinian conflict.
company, Paramount. Ms McMahon’s critics also believed
Ms McMahon told her staff in a that the reporting at 60 Minutes had
memo that “it’s become clear the com- become politically biased, exposing
pany and I do not agree on the path the company to unnecessary criticism.
forward.” Executives at Paramount And it was clear that Trump was paying
informed Ms McMahon on Saturday close attention.
that they wanted her to step down, On May 4, 60 Minutes aired a seg-
according to several people with direct ment that quoted some prominent law-
knowledge who requested anonymity yers criticising the president for acting
to share private discussions. unlawfully when he issued executive

Dollar facing headwinds

Paramount is in talks to settle a $20 orders targeting law firms.
billion lawsuit brought by Trump that Trump’s lawyers perceived those
accused 60 Minutes of deceptively edit- quotes, and the segment as a whole,
ing an interview with his Democratic as an attempt by CBS to gain the upper
opponent, Kamala Harris. Many legal hand in the settlement negotiations,

as ‘Brand USA’ falters

experts have called the suit baseless, but according to a person with knowledge
Paramount’s controlling shareholder, of the internal discussions. They then
Shari Redstone, has said she favours countered by conveying a threat to
settling the case. She is seeking federal Paramount: Trump might file a new
approval for a multibillion-dollar sale lawsuit, accusing Paramount and CBS
of her company to a Hollywood studio, of defaming him in the 60 Minutes epi-
Skydance. sode, according to two people familiar
The situation prompted the execu- with knowledge of the talks. President Donald Trump’s first term. Colin Graham, head of multi-asset strategies
tive producer of 60 Minutes, Bill Investors still see the US at Robeco in London, however, said that while
Owens, to resign last month. He has ‘REALLY SLIPPERY SLOPE’ LONG-TERM CONCERNS there had been a rebalancing of portfolios where
told confidants that Paramount exec- “CBS and Paramount’s attempts to currency as overvalued Investors and strategists have viewed the dollar as people wanted to cut risk, “it hasn’t turned into
utives, cognisant of the settlement subvert the legal process with lies and overvalued for years but betting against the cur- people selling dollars, assets or equities or Treas-
talks with Trump, had pressured him smears may necessitate additional cor- rency has proved painful time and again, as the uries to repatriate yet.” That could still follow,
over the programme’s coverage of the rective legal action, which President Saqib Iqbal Ahmed US economy powered on. That could be about he said.
Trump administration. Trump reserves the right to pursue,” Laura Matthews to change.
A new flashpoint between 60 Min- said Ed Paltzik, a lawyer for Trump. Steve Englander, head of global G10 FX UNHEDGED RISK
utes and its corporate bosses flared A mediation session late last month NEW YORK: Trade-related uncertainties, bal- Research at Standard Chartered in New York, The dollar’s strength over the past decade had
last week. ended with lawyers for Paramount looning fiscal debt and weakened confidence said that while recent trade arrangements might let market participants hold US assets without
For its May 18 season finale, 60 and Trump still far apart on the terms about enduring US exceptionalism have weighed calm markets some, they do not address long- worrying too much about currency risk.
Minutes had planned to air a segment, of a deal. on US assets, with the dollar one casualty. Inves- term confidence issues facing the US. With foreign holdings of US assets in trillions
reported by Anderson Cooper, about Trump has regularly criticised 60 tors see the currency losing more of its lustre “The dollar weakness story is not over,” said of dollars, per estimates from banks, including
the Trump administration’s order for Minutes, and declined to be inter- as the greenback comes back to earth from Englander. Investors are also concerned about Deutsche Bank, even a modest rise in hedge
mass firings at the IRS. viewed for the show during last year’s lofty valuations. the long-term fiscal picture for the United States. ratios — the portion of foreign currency exposure
George Cheeks, CEO of CBS and a presidential campaign. He has also The Trump administration’s tariffs salvo this Analysts say Trump’s sweeping tax-cut bill would that is protected — could spell significant selling.
co-CEO of Paramount, considered an continued to criticise the programme’s year prompted investors to cut exposure to US add $3 trillion to $5 trillion to the nation’s $36.2 Increased hedging by investors means less
idea to broadcast an unrelated prime- reporting, which last month he deemed assets after a long period of overperformance. trillion in debt over the next decade. direct demand for the dollar and more dollar
time special Sunday that would air “fraudulent.” Trump has also urged his While the US currency steadied somewhat in “The combination of diminished appetite selling pressure in the forward markets. Asian
instead of the network’s evening lineup, government regulators to strip CBS of recent sessions as investors took heart from a to buy US assets and the rigidity of a US fiscal economies including China, South Korea, Sin-
including the 60 Minutes season finale, its broadcast license. “CBS is out of truce in the ongoing US-China trade war, it came process that locks in very high deficits is what is gapore and Taiwan have accumulated massive
according to four people briefed on pri- control, at levels never seen before, under renewed selling pressure after ratings making the market very nervous,” George Sara- dollar exposure as a result of a decades-long
vate deliberations. and they should pay a big price for agency Moody’s cut the United States’ pristine velos, global head of FX research at Deutsche trend of investing big trade surpluses in US assets.
Leaders at the news division were this,” Trump wrote in a social media sovereign credit rating by one notch. Bank, said in a note. An unprecedented two-day surge in Taiwan’s
uncomfortable with that idea. The post last month. “There’s plenty of room for further deprecia- The Trump administration has said it backs a currency in early May showed investors how a
prime-time special was not pursued. CBS executives have added addi- tion, purely from a valuation perspective,” said strong-dollar policy. scramble out of the US dollar could roil markets.
Mr Cheeks did not ask 60 Minutes to tional layers of oversight on the show George Vessey, lead FX and macro strategist at “President Trump has been unequivocally Eurizon SLJ Capital’s Stephen Jen and Joana
modify or eliminate the segment, one in recent months, drawing frustrations payments firm Convera. The “sell America” trade clear about maintaining the strength and power Freire said in a note in early May that hoardings
of the people said. from some top producers, including Mr was back in focus after Moody’s US credit down- of the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency,” of about $2.5 trillion by Asian exporters and insti-
Owens. “In a million years, the corpora- grade, he said. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said. tutional investors “pose sharp downside risks to
THREAT OF TRUMP LAWSUIT tion didn’t know what was coming up The US dollar index has tumbled as much as the dollar vis-à-vis these Asian currencies.”
By the end of the week, 60 Minutes — they trusted 60 Minutes to report the 10.6% from its January highs, one of the sharpest FOREIGN HOLDINGS One counter-argument to the bearish
producers decided to cut the IRS seg- stories and programme the broadcast retreats for a three-month period, leaving specu- Despite recent foreign selling, years of US asset dollar story, however, is the resilience of the
ment from the weekend’s show, but for the way 60 Minutes saw fit,” Mr Owens lators net short the dollar to the tune of $17.32 appreciation mean the world still holds trillions US economy.
journalistic reasons. The producers said said during an emotional meeting with billion, close to the most bearish position on the in US equities and Treasuries. Should economic growth surprise on the
they learned of new information from his staff in April. Any change to that buck since July 2023, according to CFTC data. Such selling pressure could come from vari- upside, it could keep the US Federal Reserve on
the IRS that required additional report- arrangement, he said, created “a really Part of the bearishness around the dollar has ous corners of the globe as more people zero in hold for longer and support the buck.
ing. “Our team will continue to report slippery slope.” been due to the currency trading at a relatively on the dollar’s recent failure to act as a haven, Jack McIntyre, portfolio manager at Bran-
on these new details and will broadcast Mr Cheeks said in a memo Monday rich valuation — in January trading as high as investors said. dywine Global, noted that US consumers have
the story in the future,” the show said in that Ms McMahon would remain at the 22% above its 20-year average of 90.1 on the “That’s really what gave people a jolt ... and remained resilient so far in the face of bets on
a statement. network for “a few weeks to support dollar index. say ‘Well, if the dollar is no longer acting as a weakness. Still, he and others were more inclined
Within CBS News, it was widely the transition.” She will be succeeded The index is now hovering about 10% above safe-haven currency, if it’s not diversifying us any to sell rallies in the dollar than bet on a rebound.
expected that Ms McMahon, who for now by a pair of veteran network its 20-year average level. There is room for it to longer, should we really be holding this much of “The story is more kind of looking for oppor-
took over the news division in August executives: Tom Cibrowski, who was weaken significantly further, for example another it?’” said Peter Vassallo, FX portfolio manager at tunities to sell dollars on strength right now,” Mr
2023, would not be at the company recently named president of CBS News; 10% slide would take it to the lows touched during BNP Paribas Asset Management. McIntyre said. REUTERS
much longer. and Jennifer Mitchell, the president of
Executives at Paramount had CBS Stations. ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES

STOCKS & BONDS

Japan’s super-long bond yields soar to records on market fears

Kevin Buckland monetary stimulus. stop the collapse of super-long JGBs at softness in the super-long sector and
Several parties have been call- present, or there could be further super- fuelling concerns over who, if anyone,
TOKYO: The longest-dated Japanese ing for consumption tax cuts, which long bond shocks triggered by down- will step in to buy.”
government bond yields soared to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has so grades or additional fiscal measures.” Brokers and investors “appear reluc-
all-time highs yesterday, as investors’ far resisted. The 20-year JGB yield rose as much tant to hold inventory, raising the like-
worries about demand for the debts On Monday, he told parliament as 15 basis points (bps) to 2.555%, the lihood of a sell-off spiral that extends
flared following a poor auction of that Japan’s fiscal situation was worse highest since October 2000, after the beyond the 20-year tenor into both
20-year securities. than Greece’s at the height of the Euro- finance ministry announced the auc- the 10-year and 30-year markets,” Ms
Super-long JGB yields have been pean debt crisis, according to local tion results in the early Tokyo afternoon. Omori said.
rising for weeks against a backdrop of media reports. The 30-year JGB yield soared 17 bps The five-year yield rose 2 bps to
elevated US Treasury yields and worries The lack of buyers at the Ministry of to a record high of 3.14%, while the 1.015%, a level last seen on April 2,
about fiscal stimulus ahead of a crucial Finance’s sale of 20-year JGBs provided 40-year yield surged 15 bps to 3.6%, also when US President Donald Trump
upper house election slated for July, in a catalyst for a rush to the exits yesterday. an all-time high. announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
a headache for the Bank of Japan that “Investors’ demand for duration is The 10-year JGB yield climbed as The two-year JGB yield touched
may soon be compelled to act. structurally slowing down,” JPMorgan much as 4.5 bps to 1.525%, its highest 0.73%, the highest since April 3.
The central bank has steadily been analysts said in a research note. level since March 28. Benchmark 10-year JGB futures
reducing support for the market by “While price formation without inter- Mizuho strategist Shoki Omori called fell as much as ¥0.47 to ¥138.78, the
A man checks his phone as he walks past an electronic screen displaying stock paring its monthly bond purchases, vention from the MoF and the BoJ is the auction results “lacklustre”, “high- lowest since April 2. Bond yields move
prices in Tokyo. REUTERS unwinding decades of aggressive ideal, some form of action is needed to lighting persistent supply-demand inversely to prices. REUTERS
 Bangkok Post CATL soars

World Business
 Read more news at bangkokpost.com
on debut in
Hong Kong
B5
Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Trump raps stores for blaming tariffs

our trading partners ultimately bear the
Tells them to ‘eat’ the cost of tariffs.”
“There’s some uncertainty. We’re
costs, not raise prices going to watch it very, very closely about
how this ends over the next two or three
months when the tariff rates get set,”
Tony Romm Kevin Hassett, the director of the White
House National Economic Council, told
WASHINGTON: President Trump is tell- reporters earlier Monday. He said any
ing some of the nation’s largest com- tariff-related price increases, if they
panies that they should eat the cost occurred, were not a sign of inflation
of his tariffs, as a growing number of but a “one-time” effect.
businesses signal that they must raise Some of the earliest fallout could
prices to blunt the impact of a persistent arise in the retail sector, where com-
global trade war. panies, including Lowe’s and Home
As a result, the man who ran for the Depot, will report their latest earnings
presidency by boasting about his busi- this week. Facing tight margins, many
ness acumen is now openly sparring in the industry have expressed fear that
with corporate America, seeking to dic- elevated import costs could cause them
tate how Walmart, Mattel, and other to raise prices on consumers, a message
retailers and manufacturers respond they have shared privately with Trump
to some of the highest levies seen since he announced his tariffs.
in decades. “Across the retail space, you’re going
Since the spring, the United States to see firms increasingly be overt about
has imposed a 10% tariff on nearly every the pressure they’re feeling,” said Greg-
nation, with steeper duties reserved ory Daco, chief economist for the con-
for specific products and countries, sulting firm EY-Parthenon. He added
including a minimum 30% tax on Chi- that there was an “increasing likelihood
nese imports. they’re going to pass on at least part” of
While the White House insists the the higher costs to consumers.
president’s strategy is working — gener- Publicly, the White House has
ating new revenue and forcing nations blasted companies for trying to tie price
to negotiate — some companies have increases to tariffs.
started to report early signs of financial
strain. Their warnings have affirmed ‘PEOPLE DON’T PICK IT UP’
economists’ long and widely held belief When a disputed report surfaced in
that tariffs fall hardest on US compa- April that Amazon would begin display-
nies and consumers, not the allies and ing tariff-related costs on its widely pop-
adversaries that Trump seeks to punish. ular marketplace, the Trump adminis-
But the White House repeatedly has tration accused the e-commerce giant
dismissed this evidence, while the pres- of a “hostile and political” act.
ident himself has increasingly needled Trump later spoke with Jeff Bezos,
Above
companies for trying to ameliorate the the founder of Amazon, and the com-
financial fallout. President Trump pany denied that the policy was going
“He maintains the position that for- trained his ire on into effect.
eign countries absorb these tariffs,” Walmart at the The next month, the president took
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press weekend, after it aim at Mattel, which had warned that it
secretary, told reporters at a briefing told investors might raise the price of its popular toys,
on Monday. that it might have including Barbies, as a result of tariffs.
The latest example arrived over the to start Trump threatened to impose a 100%
weekend when Trump trained his ire increasing prices tariff on Mattel’s products, saying it
on Walmart, just days after the low- soon. NYT “won’t sell one toy in the United States.”
cost retailer told investors that it might The president previously dismissed
have to increase prices soon. Doug concerns about higher toy costs. He
McMillon, the chief executive, said on mused at one point that “children will
Walmart’s latest earnings call last week have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” and
that it probably would not be able to that dolls might “cost a couple of bucks
“absorb all the pressure” from the presi- Left more than they would normally.”
dent’s tariffs for much longer. Boxes of eggs at Trump’s push to limit what com-
In response, the president demanded a Walmart in panies can charge their customers is
in a post on social media on Saturday Houston. also a sharp deviation from the 2024
that Walmart “EAT THE TARIFFS,” Consumer prices campaign, when he attacked Vice Presi-
rather than pass any new costs on to have remained dent Kamala Harris after she embraced
customers. He argued that Walmart had mostly steady, a federal ban on price gouging by gro-
generated billions of dollars in profit cooling slightly in cery stores and food suppliers. Trump
last year, so it could afford to shoulder April, in what blasted the plan as “Soviet-style”
any added expenses. may prove to be controls.
“I’ll be watching, and so will your a final lull before Trump also turned his attention to
customers!!!” Trump said. the president’s Ford Motor when it appeared poised
trade war begins to raise prices on some of its vehicles
WALMART ‘ON BOARD’ to add to on the heels of a report to investors
Asked on Sunday about the president’s inflation. AFP showing it would face $1.5 billion in
strategy, Treasury Secretary Scott Bes- tariff costs this year. He nonetheless
sent said on NBC’s Meet the Press that and forecasts to their investors and prices as low as possible, and we won’t with China to mutually lower the pun- deals, the greater the odds that Trump’s shrugged off the automaker’s plans,
Walmart would, in fact, “eat some of the stakeholders,” she said. stop,” Molly Blakeman, a spokeswoman ishing tit-for-tat tariffs that essentially trade war could weigh down the US describing them as a negotiating tactic
tariffs,” noting that he had spoken with The law requires that companies be for Walmart, said in a statement. “We’ll halted trade between the world’s larg- economy. On Monday, financial mar- — and predicted that it “wouldn’t sell
Mr McMillon over the weekend. forthcoming with shareholders about keep prices as low as we can for as long est economies. kets tumbled anew amid concerns any cars” as a result.
Mr Bessent pointed to the fact that the financial risks they face. Neverthe- as we can given the reality of small about the president’s agenda and its “Tariffs are the most misunderstood
the retailer did not raise prices during less, it was unlikely that Walmart had retail margins.” A ‘ONE-TIME’ EFFECT effects on the country’s fiscal future. thing maybe in any form of business,”
Trump’s first term when he began adjusted its strategy. The company warnings again under- But the White House remains far from For now, consumer prices have Trump said at a White House event this
imposing tariffs on China, and the Mr McMillon’s call with Mr Bessent scored the economic risks in Trump’s realising its vision for dozens of indi- remained mostly steady, cooling month in response to a question about
Treasury secretary brushed aside some had been scheduled before the presi- aggressive approach to trade, as he vidual trade deals, and Trump has slightly in April in what may prove to the public’s patience for price increases.
of Walmart’s warnings as a standard dent’s threat, and the chief executive seeks to use sky-high tariffs to recali- threatened repeatedly to restore the be a final lull before the president’s But he maintained that those costs
disclosure to investors, a position that made no new commitments about brate US relationships, raise billions of much larger “reciprocal” tariffs that he trade war begins to impact inflation. would not fall on consumers. “Often-
Ms Leavitt echoed on Monday. pricing, said a person familiar with dollars in revenue and boost domes- announced in early April. Those levies Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, times, the country picks them up.
“The CEO of Walmart made those the matter, who spoke on the condi- tic manufacturing. were suspended for 90 days to give pointed to that data in a statement on Oftentimes, the company picks it up,”
comments about tariffs on an earnings tion of anonymity to reveal details of So far, the administration has com- other nations time to reach trade deals Monday, stressing that the administra- Trump continued. “The people don’t
call, where CEOs, I believe, are legally the conversation. pleted an early framework for an agree- with the United States. tion’s policies are working. He said the pick it up, OK? The people don’t pick it
obligated to give the most dire warnings “We have always worked to keep our ment with Britain, and it has worked The longer it takes to reach those United States “has the leverage to make up.” ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES

CRYPTOCURRENCY

Senate advances crypto regulation bill

Robert Jimison group of lawmakers. It suggested that associated with the president had for the growing cryptocurrency indus- Sen Mark Warner
the measure would have enough sup- recently become one of the most influ- try was important enough to outweigh said that while he
WASHINGTON: The Senate on Monday port to pass the Senate and potentially ential players in the industry. concerns about the president’s conduct. shared his fellow
revived a first-of-its-kind bill to regulate make it to Trump’s desk in short order. In a prolonged round of bipartisan “Many senators, myself included, Democrats’ ‘very
parts of the cryptocurrency industry, A parallel effort in the House has faced negotiations over the bill, Republi- have very real concerns about the real concerns
after a small number of Democrats similar backlash from Democrats, who cans steadfastly refused to consider Trump family’s use of crypto technol- about the Trump
who had joined the rest of their party this month blocked a hearing on the adding any provision to rein in Trump’s ogies to evade oversight, hide shady family’s use of
in blocking the measure joined Repub- legislation but are unlikely to have the involvement in the industry, or make financial dealings and personally profit crypto
licans in allowing it to advance. votes to prevent it from passing. any modification that could interfere at the expense of everyday Americans,” technologies,’ the
The vote was 66-32 to move forward In the Senate, a bloc of Democratic with his or his family’s ability to benefit. Sen Mark Warner, D-Virginia, who bill was a
with the legislation, which would create supporters had pressed in recent days “This bill provides even more serves on the Banking Committee, said ‘meaningful step
a regulatory framework for stablecoins, to include stronger consumer protec- opportunities to reward buyers of in a statement before the vote. forward.’ NYT
a type of cryptocurrency tied to the value tions and transparency requirements Trump’s coins with favours like tariff But Mr Warner called the bill a
of an existing asset, often the US dollar. in the legislation, as well as provisions exemptions, pardons and government “meaningful step forward.” over opponents. One would place new in crypto markets. On Monday, Mr
Sixteen Democrats joined the majority aimed at combating money laundering appointments,” Sen Elizabeth Warren “The stablecoin market has reached restrictions on publicly traded technol- Hawley was absent for the vote.
of Republicans in support, acting over and terrorism financing. of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on nearly $250 billion, and the US can’t ogy companies, like Meta and Alphabet, The bill would require stablecoins,
the opposition of most others in their But the most animating worry for the Banking Committee, argued in a afford to keep standing on the side- requiring that they seek approval from whose value is typically pegged to the
party, who were concerned that Presi- Democrats was that the legislation speech before the vote. lines,” Mr Warner said. “We need clear a regulatory committee before issuing dollar, to hold reserves of liquid, safe
dent Donald Trump and his family were could enable the president and his rules of the road to protect consumers, their own stablecoins. assets like Treasury bills. Issuers would
inappropriately profiting from crypto. family to profit by issuing their own ‘WE NEED CLEAR RULES’ defend national security and support That appeared to assuage the con- also have to follow anti-money-launder-
The vote was a victory for the crypto- stablecoins. Concerns over the Trump Still, enough Democrats were willing responsible innovation.” cerns of Sen Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, ing and terrorism finance rules and to
currency industry, which has made sig- family’s involvement in the indus- to join Republicans to provide the 60 Since Democrats initially blocked who previously joined Democrats in give holders of coins priority to recoup
nificant advances in Washington with try intensified after reporting by The votes needed for the bill to move. They the bill last week, negotiators have voting to block the bill, citing concerns their money in a bankruptcy. ©2025 THE
the backing of Trump and a bipartisan New York Times showed how a firm argued that creating a regulatory system agreed to several modifications to win over the involvement of tech companies NEW YORK TIMES
LIFE
The Bangkok Post’s lifestyle, arts and culture section

spotlight art

The Library of Art for the

Unread Books hearing impaired

p2 p8
Bangkok Post Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Photos © Sony Pictures Thailand

Until Dawn is now showing
in cinemas nationwide.

Ella Rubin as Clover Paul.

A hell of a night. On loop

Alexandre and prosthetics master
Steve Newbern.
“When we were exploring the char-
acters’ evolving bodies, we were really
doing it,” Sandberg pointed out. “When
we were slitting their necks — we did it
with real effects.”
David F. Sandberg calls survival horror hit Until Dawn a ‘love letter’ to the genre Tully Patcher, the film’s lead makeup
artist, worked closely with Newbern and
the actors to design the grotesque trans-
Story: Tatat Bunnag formation sequences.

I
“For each of the brutal killings, the
n Until Dawn, horror is a ticking “With this whole role, we needed some- main character gradually deteriorates,
clock. one who was going all-in, who wasn’t transforming into a less human, more
From the minds of director embarrassed about playing the many demonic version of themselves,” Sand-
David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: faces of her own.” berg explained.
Creation, Lights Out) and writer “It was amazing to see Ji-young Each reset not only changes the char-
Gary Dauberman (The Nun, IT), comes change so much in character and emo- acters but the environments around
a chilling new survival horror film tion,” Sandberg added. “Her screams them — shifting the setting from the
where time isn’t just against you — it’s were so real and terrifying.” eerie visitor centre to mine shafts
out to kill you. Based on the popular Belmont Cameli’s Abe adds levity and even twisted, dream-like subur-
2015 PlayStation video game but reima- and reason — at least at first. ban backdrops.
gined as a standalone story, Until Dawn “In some ways, Abe is a rational char- “It took incredible logistical control,”
plunges a group of friends into a remote acter that you don’t often see in a horror Dauberman said. “Every loop had to
valley, where a sinister time loop resets movie,” said Sandberg. “He’s like, ‘No, feel familiar, but also wrong. Like time
their nightmare with escalating terror listen, don’t go in there’. But he’s also a is cracking.”
every time they die. little bit of a jerk.” As Until Dawn wrapped post-pro-
“A love letter to horror” Sandberg The cast is rounded out by Peter duction, both filmmakers reflected
calls it, and he means it literally. “Every Stormare (John Wick: Chapter 2, Fargo), on why horror is a genre best experi-
night, the story begins anew, and we who reprises his role as the enigmatic enced together.
enter a new horror film,” he explained. Dr Hill from the video game. “I think horror works better when
“As lifelong horror fans, working on all “At first, we didn’t know who or you’re watching it as part of the audi-
these subgenres is a dream come true. what he was,” Sandberg teased. “Hill ence,” Dauberman said. “I love the
Every night, the characters are pre- describes himself as a law enforce- shared experience. The screams, the
sented with something that feels like a ment officer, a therapist, a surgeon. jumps, the exclamations, even the dia-
new chapter in a different story.” The audience will have to find out logue back to the screen.”
It all starts when Clover Paul (Ella for themselves.” Sandberg nodded in agreement. “I
Rubin) receives a disturbing video from To bring their hellish vision to life, think one of the reasons I’m such a big
her missing sister Melanie (Maia Mitch- Sandberg and Dauberman reunited fan of horror films is that they create
ell), showing an abandoned petrol sta- key collaborators from their past films, the ultimate theatre experience. When
tion in a desolate location. Haunted by A scene from Until Dawn. including production designer Jennifer you’re together, you can feel the tension
the unresolved disappearance, Clover Spence, cinematographer Maxime and hear each other screaming.”
convinces four friends to join her on a
trek to the mysterious Glor Valley — her As the characters are forced to relive the same time, it’s also very beautiful.”
ex-boyfriend Max (Michael Cimino), the same night again and again, their Bringing the ensemble to life was key
best friend Nina Riley (Odessa A’zion), mental and physical limits are tested. to building the emotional backbone of
Nina’s boyfriend Abe (Belmont Cameli), The time loop isn’t just a gimmick — the film.
and the emotionally attuned Megan it’s a crucible. And dying doesn’t come “This is a film about choices,” said
(Ji-young Yoo), Max’s stepsister. without consequences. Dauberman. “Each decision they make
But what begins as a search mission “They don’t have many chances affects the fate of the other, and has
quickly devolves into a deadly super- to escape,” said Sandberg. “It’s more ripple effects throughout the story.”
natural game. A masked killer stalks interesting than just having characters Rubin’s Clover, both driven and vul-
them, killing each one — only for them die and come back. We have to make nerable, is the emotional anchor.
to wake up back at the beginning of it challenging for them. We give them “Clover is the centre of the film,”
the same night. The twist? Each loop something really hard and then find Dauberman explained. “She’s the
brings a new threat: a slasher one night, creative ways to kill them. reason her friends come together and
a ghost the next, then a monster from “The impact is multiplied. They have go on this journey. They rally around
their worst nightmares. a limited time to get out of it by find- Clover and want her to come to terms
“You never know what’s going to ing ways to work together before they with her sister’s disappearance — in
happen next in our story because it actually die.” the hopes of getting their friend back.”
changes every night,” said Sandberg. Each reset weakens them, and the Sandberg reveals that casting
“Before I heard about Until Dawn, I further they descend into the loop, the Michael Cimino (Love, Victor) as Max
kept thinking about what the perfect more they begin to lose themselves — was a turning point.
project would be. It could be a slasher, body and soul. “We had him read with Ella, and
or a supernatural story, or a monster “They gradually become some- immediately we knew — these two
movie. Until Dawn has it all. It’s mul- thing that they’ve been terrified of were a perfect match. Like any actor,
tiple horror movies in one, and that’s for many nights,” said writer Dauber- Michael is always doing things 200%.
what I fell in love with.” man. “They’re no longer coming back Sometimes we had to tell him to hold
The concept of an ever-changing the same.” back, like swinging a knife, because
horror landscape not only keeps the A striking symbol of this sinister loop it was too fast for the camera to
audience guessing — it allowed the is a giant hourglass, mounted omi- capture.”
filmmakers to flex every muscle in their nously in the abandoned visitor centre Ji-young Yoo (Expats) delivers one
horror toolkit. where they take refuge. of the film’s most harrowing perfor-
“Working in all these subgenres was “The hourglass is one of the most mances. Megan, a medium sensitive to
both a huge challenge and huge fun important parts of the film,” Sandberg the spiritual world, becomes the vessel
because we had the freedom to say, explained. “It has a sense of mystery. for many of the valley’s lost souls.
‘Yeah, let’s just kill him’,” said Dauber- Every time we cut to it, you know some- “Her audition tape was the most
man with a grin. thing terrible is about to happen. But at brutal I’ve ever seen,” said Dauberman.
life   • HAPPENING
2 | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | Bangkok Post

Spotlight
today
Kud-Thai Thailand 2025: Featur- The Beginning Exhibition: Featuring Leafing through life’s unread stories
W
ingthe finest fruits, regional delica- artwork that blends street art energy
cies, and high-quality local products with heartfelt storytelling by Cheese hat should you do with books bought or the Singapore Art Museum from May 10 to Aug 17.
from farmers and entrepreneurs Arnon, at 333Gallery, Warehouse given, but left unread? Visitors to Singa- The title draws inspiration from a disclaimer for lists
across the country, at The Mall Life- 30, Charoen Krung 30. Until May 25. pore can donate them to The Library Of on Wikipedia. His showcase offers an insight into
store Bangkapi, Lat Phrao Road. Visit facebook. Unread Books. his own method of making what he considers to
Ends today. com/333GalleryGroup. In collaboration with Renée Staal, Singaporean be cultural artefacts. The survey of his conceptual
Visit facebook.com/ artist Heman Chong is presenting an itinerant practice spans two decades from artworks made in
GourmetMarketThailand. Beauty Gems x Bentley Bangkok ever-expanding collection of books that are unread 2003 to the recent commission for this exhibition.
the ultimate Luxury Experience: by their previous owners. As books are stacked on Chong is an artist whose works traverse
Thailand Craft Cocoa 2025: Featur- A showcase of the new designs of tables for perusal, the library enacts the transi- imagery, performance, situations and writing. His
ing cocoa creations from award-win- the Abeille Collection by Beauty tion of private property to a common pool, where practice can be read as an imagining, interrogation
ning Thai brands and certified shops, Gems as a tribute to Bentley’s iconic people can share resources to extend the lifespan and intervention into infrastructure as an everyday
at CentralWorld, Ratchadamri Road. craftsmanship, at the Event Hall of of books. medium of politics.
Until May 25. Central Chidlom, Phloenchit Road. Contributors may describe names and dates of Please drop in and pick an unread book. If you

Photos: Thana Boonlert

Visit facebook.com/CentralwOrld. Until May 31. donation in each book, or explain the reason for have one, please donate it to the library. Someone
Call 02–572-4444 ext 230 and 240. their donation or not having read the book. The else will read it for you.
Neilson Hays Library Book Sale: library will grow over time.
Featuring a plethora of fiction and Haier Play with The Number Ones — Thana Boonlert
The installation/library is part of Chong’s exhibi-
non-fiction books in English and Promotion: Offering a chance to win
tion. This is a dynamic list that may never be able
Thai, as well as magazines, DVDs and a premium gift for every 8,000-25,000 Find more details at singaporeartmuseum.sg.
to satisfy particular standards for completeness, at
CDs, with prices starting at 20 baht, baht spent at 20 participating author-
at Neilson Hays Library, Surawong ised Haier dealers. Until May 31.
Road. Until May 25. Visit facebook.com/HaierThailand.
Visit neilsonhayslibrary.org.
Mountains of Awareness
Kaws: Holiday Thailand: An art Exhibition: Featuring a new body
installation featuring an 18m Com- of work by sculptor and painter
panion sculpture sitting on the Earth, Chatmongkol Insawang, at Richard
holding the Moon, by American Koh Fine Art, 9th floor of Peterson
artist Kaws, at Sanam Luang, Bang- Building, Sukhumvit Road.
kok. Until May 25. Until May 31.
Visit allrights-reserved.com. Visit rkfineart.com.

BB Space Travel Exhibition: Fea- Resonant Abstractions: The debut

turing paintings of robot characters solo exhibition by D-Jai Kosiyabong
by Korean artist Park Hyun-woong, who combines sound with her
aka Emil, at 608 Gallery, 3rd floor of abstract paintings, at 2nd floor of SAC
River City Bangkok, Charoen Krung Gallery, Sukhumvit 39. Until May 31.
24. Until May 25. Visit sac.gallery.
Email 608gallery.th@gmail.com.
After The Pineapple Exhibition:
Mosaic Exhibition: Featuring dis- Featuring artworks by Malaysian
tinct art pieces by 11 artists, artist Cheong See Min, at Warin Lab
at Number 1 Gallery, River City Bang- Contemporary, OP Garden, Charoen
kok, Charoen Krung 24. Until May 25. Krung 36. Until May 31.
Call 083-445-8333. Visit warinlab.com.

Email: life.events@bangkokpost.co.th
UP & COMING
Niam sets viewers free
Iconsiam welcomes Fitness Force with latest exhibition
Fitness First Thailand is holding and Pilates, while Fitness First will will offer a physical fitness test Art viewers are invited to ascend the staircase of perception in
“The Ultimate Fitness Force 2025 present red hot dance ignition fea- designed for all levels. search of images within their own inner world during “Dancing
(TUFF 2025)”, Asia’s largest group turing a mix of pop, hip-hop, house, Tickets for standard class cost In The Light”, which is running at Joyman Gallery until June 22.
fitness festival, which will take place Latin, shuffle, K-pop and EDM with 900 baht per session, with premium This is the 10th solo exhibition by Niam Mawornkanong, an
at True Icon Hall of Iconsiam, Char- a sexy, feminine twist. options as VIP front-row access and established painter whose works captivate viewers’ attention
oen Nakhon Road, on June 7 and 8. Joining the event will be Les Mills exclusive meet-and-greet sessions before setting them free to explore their own subconscious.
Held in collaboration with Icon- trainers, presenters and ambassa- available. For this show, the artist boldly employs a range of painting
siam and Les Mills Asia Pacific, dors, as well as top superstars from techniques to evoke diverse perceptions, demonstrating his
the premier fitness event is set Thailand team. Besides immersive Tickets can be purchased active engagement with evolving knowledge in an era where
to attract 8,000 participants from stage production with cutting-edge from eventpop.me from Saturday images move rapidly and information overwhelms.
across Asia for the ultimate group sound, lighting and visuals, Hyrox onwards. He explores with primary colours and luminous overlays,
workout experience. casting a polar bear in astonishing atmospheres of light and
Uniting enthusiasts and shadow. He subtly uses digital primaries — red, green and
top instructors, the two-day blue — to craft images that are soft, elusive and misty, with no
festival will redefine group extraneous symbols cluttering the composition.
fitness by bringing together This minimalism reflects his courage in letting go of what is
high-energy workouts, world- unnecessary, preserving only the essence he wishes to convey.
class trainers, and an electri- Also presented in this exhibition is White Dust, a special
fying festival atmosphere. series created during the time when the artist began to ques-
Whether you’re a sea- tion the hyper-real clarity of screen-based information. For
soned fitness enthusiast him, that perfection felt empty. What he truly longed for were
or just starting your jour- the remembered images of the past — rich with imagination
photo courtesy of Fitness First

ney, this event promises an and joy.

photo courtesy of Joyman Gallery

unparalleled fitness experi- The beauty of his paintings is the first step leading to the
ence that blends movement, gateway of consciousness. The polar bear, and other animals,
music and motivation. are symbols of an unspoken truth — that the empty spaces
Over the two days, in our hearts are vast and we endlessly seek something to fill
Les Mills will present 13 them. Nature, dreams and imagination become boundless
classes covering body pump, realms of healing.
body combat, body jam, Joyman Gallery is on Mahachai Road, Samranrat, and opens
RPM, dance, body balance Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

A painting by Niam Mawornkanong. Visit facebook.com/JoymanGallery.

Social Scene

MEAL DEAL: Tearavath Trirutdilokkul, left, of UOB Thailand, recently FLYING HIGH: Vietjet Thailand officially received the commitment of WELL DONE: DKSH Business Unit Healthcare recently received the
announced an exclusive partnership with Shake Shack Thailand and chef transfer of the first 50 of Vietjet Air Group’s 200 new Boeing 737-8 aircraft Healthcare Asia Medtech Award for ‘Hospital Partnership Of The Year –
Pam Pichaya Soontornyanakij of Potong restaurant. in Hanoi recently. Thailand’ for its innovative Home Pulse programme.

Send pictures to life.social@bangkokpost.co.th.

 life   • HAPPENING Bangkok Post | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 3

Scarlett Johansson makes

debut as film director
Denzel Washington receives surprise
honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes
ADAM PLOWRIGHT Dickinson, the 28-year-old star of
AFP Babygirl, asked the press to be “gentle”
as he unveiled Urchin, a touching film
Scarlett Johansson won praise from vet- about a rough sleeper in London.
eran filmmaker Wes Anderson as she “It’s my first film so if you don’t like
Miranda Murray Highest 2 Lowest, an adaptation roles have ranged from black produced and starred in the drama nervously prepared to unveil her debut it, break it to me nicely,” he said before
Reuters of legendary Japanese filmmaker activist Malcolm X, to a drunk but Antwone Fisher. feature as a director at the Cannes film the premiere. Initial reviews have
Akira Kurosawa’s High And Low, heroic pilot in Flight. His turn as Robert De Niro received a festival yesterday. been positive.
US actor Denzel Washington which also celebrated its premiere a rogue detective in Training Day Palme d’Or honorary award for Actors behind the camera are some- Film bible Variety said that “you can
received a surprise honorary Palme on Monday. earned him his second Oscar in lifetime achievement, announced thing of a trend in Cannes this year, with learn a lot about an actor when they
d’Or award at the Cannes Film Fes- Washington, who was joined by 2002 following his first win in 1990 in advance, at the festival’s open- Twilight star Kristen Stewart and British make their directorial debut. For better
tival on Monday evening in recog- co-stars A$AP Rocky and Jeffrey for Glory. ing ceremony last week, where he actor Harris Dickinson both unveiling or worse, it reveals how they see them-
nition of his outstanding career, Wright on the red carpet, stars as He also directed and starred in used his acceptance speech to call their first features. selves as an artist”.
according to organisers. David King in the crime thriller the 2007 film The Great Debaters for protests against US President Johansson’s film Eleanor
Washington, 70, was in south- that marks the fifth time he and about a professor who coached Donald Trump. The Great recounts the story of
ern France for the premiere of Lee have worked together. The a debate team from a black US Highest 2 Lowest is set to hit cine- a grief-stricken elderly woman
US director Spike Lee’s latest film two-time Oscar winner’s movie college to national glory, and mas in the United States on Aug 22. who moves to New York after the
death of her best friend and was
screened last night.
One of Hollywood’s most
bankable stars missed the red
carpet premiere of The Phoeni-
Denzel Washington cian Scheme on Sunday evening,
receives the honorary in which she has a cameo, but
Palme d’Or at Cannes she won enthusiastic backing
Film Festival, on Monday. from director Anderson.
“I saw the movie, which I
loved,” Anderson said of Johans-
son’s debut. He added that he
had not offered any tips to the
actor who has appeared in three
of his films, including Isle Of
Dogs and Asteroid City.

Photo: Reuters
“I don’t think Scarlett even
said anything to me [about
her film],” the 56-year-old said.
“Scarlett’s been doing movies
possibly longer than I have.
Scarlett Johansson in 2020.
She’s about 20 years younger,
but I think she was in a movie
when she was around nine.” In Dickinson’s case, his social-realist
Nonetheless, the Oscar-nominated debut that has echoes of veteran British
star of Lost In Translation, 40, admitted director Mike Leigh’s work was “starkly
to some nerves while bringing a script effective”, Variety said.
Photo: Reuters

to life that made her cry when she first Hollywood has a long record of A-list
read it. male actors turning to directing from
She spoke to Deadline magazine Oscar-winning Clint Eastwood to Mel
in the run-up to Cannes about how Gibson and George Clooney.
the spotlight on the director’s seat is Greta Gerwig, who broke through as
brighter than the one beamed on the an actress before hitting the directorial

Trump targets Beyoncé in rant about endorsing Kamala

actors when it comes to finally unveiling big time with 2023 hit Barbie, is one of
a movie. relatively few women actors to make
“It’s different. When you’re acting the transition, however.
in something, it’s out of your hands,” Australian screen great Nicole
US President Donald Trump said on financial reports to an environmental she said. Kidman lamented on Sunday how the
Monday in a rant-filled diatribe about advocacy group. Cannes tends to draw sympathetic number of women directing major box
celebrities who backed Kamala Harris Trump, who won the 2024 election audiences, with film lovers and indus- office successes is still “incredibly low”.
that pop diva Beyoncé got US$11 mil- comfortably, received scant support try insiders enthusiastically giving Speaking to Variety, Stewart was
lion (365 million baht) for endorsing his from the entertainment industry at films standing ovations that can last honest about her struggles to find
campaign rival. large but tapped into a targeted subset for minutes. financing for her film The Chronology
Trump provided no evidence to of well-known, hypermasculine But the competition is fierce. And Of Water, which is a searing examina-
back up his free-wheeling allegations influencers including podcast host Johansson’s movie is in the running tion of child sex abuse.
over Beyoncé or other entertainers he Joe Rogan. for prizes in the Un Certain Regard She said it was “near impossible” to
attacked as he announced “a major The president on Monday accused secondary section for up-and-coming raise money for a movie that was an
investigation” into what he said were Harris of paying rock star Springsteen directors that also includes Stewart’s original idea and not based on a proven
payments by the failed Democratic can- to perform at a rally in Georgia weeks and Dickinson’s films this year. genre or an existing franchise.
didate to stars like Bruce Springsteen, before the election.
Oprah Winfrey and Bono for them to “How much did Kamala Harris pay

Kanye West’s Heil Hitler song

support her against Trump. Bruce Springsteen for his poor perfor-
Trump, six months after he beat mance during her campaign for pres-
Photo: AFP

Harris to launch a second term in the ident?” he wrote. “Why did he accept

gets millions of views on X

White House, said these payments he that money if he is such a fan of hers?”
alleges took place amounted to illegal Kamala Harris, left, greets Beyoncé at a campaign rally in Texas, last Oct 25. Trump last week took to Truth
campaign contributions. Social to feud with Springsteen after
He alleged that for a Harris rally in a mother”. Trump posted on the Truth Winfrey has defended a $1 million the star told a British concert audience
late October in which the Freedom Social platform, which he owns, that payment to her production company that his homeland is now ruled by a A new song by rapper Kanye West “Hate and anti-Semitism have abso-
singer made an appearance: “Beyoncé he would “call for a major investigation from the Harris campaign to cover “corrupt, incompetent and treason- glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler has lutely no place on Reddit.”
was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a into this matter”. costs associated with the talk show ous administration”. racked up millions of views on Elon The song has also been removed
stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, “Candidates aren’t allowed to pay legend’s production company hosting In return, the 78-year-old Republican Musk’s X platform, after it was banned from streaming platforms Spotify and
and walk off to loud booing for never for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what the presidential candidate at a rally said the star, nicknamed “the Boss,” is by other sites such as YouTube. Apple Music.
having performed, NOT EVEN ONE Kamala did, under the guise of paying in September. “Highly Overrated”. West — the winner of 24 Grammys Since Musk purchased Twitter (now
SONG!” Trump said this was “according for entertainment,” he said. Harris’ team, meanwhile, has denied Springsteen is an outspoken liberal over the course of his career in hip-hop X) in 2022, he has allowed hate speech
to news reports”. Harris had sought to harness star rumours that she paid Beyoncé to critic of Trump and turned out for — in recent years has made repeated and disinformation on the site, posi-
Beyoncé told the rally crowd at the power from celebrities such as Beyoncé, appear at a rally. Harris after she replaced Democratic anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi statements. tioning himself as a champion of free
time that “I’m not here as a celebrity. Winfrey and Springsteen in the elec- The campaign listed one endorse- president Joe Biden in his abandoned Heil Hitler was released on May 8 by speech. But critics say the Tesla and
I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as tion race. ment-related expenditure for $75 in its re-election bid. afp the 47-year-old artist who now prefers SpaceX chief is amplifying those who
to go by Ye — the 80th anniversary of the share his political beliefs.
defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Musk has become a close ally of US

Actors’ union sues Fortnite over AI Darth Vader As of Saturday, the video had been
seen nearly 10 million times.
In the clip, dozens of black men —
President Donald Trump, and donated
US$277 million (9.2 billion baht) to
support Trump and other Republican
wearing animal pelts and masks, and candidates in the 2024 election.
An actors’ union is suing the makers of over how AI would be used in the game. standing in a block formation — chant X did not immediately respond to a
the Fortnite video game over the use of SAG-AFTRA said it had filed a claim for the title of the song, as West raps about request for comment.
AI to create an interactive Darth Vader, unfair labor practice with the National being misunderstood and his custody In February, West’s X account was
it said on Monday. Labor Relations Board, a federal agency battle with ex-wife Kim Kardashian. deactivated after a days-long rant that
Fortnite announced last week it had that protects workers’ rights to organise The song ends with an extract of a included vitriolic, anti-Semitic out-
got permission from the family of James and to negotiate. speech by the Nazi dictator. bursts. He also repeatedly referred to
Earl Jones to make a chatty Star Wars vil- Epic Games did not immediately NBC News cited a YouTube spokes- himself as a Nazi.
lain based on the late actor’s voice work respond to queries, but a statement person as saying: “We removed the Also in February, the website of his
in the smash hit space opera series. released last week cited Jones’s family content and will continue to take Yeezy fashion brand was taken offline
Using AI models, developer Epic saying they were pleased with the project. down reuploads.” after plain white T-shirts with a swastika
photo © 2012 THE NEW YORK TIMES

Games introduced the Emperor’s con- “We hope that this collaboration with Reddit also told NBC that it would went on sale.
sigliere into Battle Royale, a player-ver- Fortnite will allow both longtime fans remove any versions of the song from its The rapper had been locked out
sus-player version of Fortnite in which of Darth Vader and newer generations platform, with a spokesperson adding: of social media platforms in the past,
squads form to defeat other contest- to share in the enjoyment of this iconic notably when he was banned from X for
ants online. character,” the family said. nearly eight months for violating rules
Users were quick to adopt the Sith Performers have become concerned barring incitement to violence.
Lord on their missions, posting clips of about the use of artificial intelligence in Adidas cut ties with West in 2022
their interactions with one of cinema’s films, TV and video games. after allegations of anti-Semitism
most famous bad guys. Improving technology makes it against him.
Many delighted in the character’s The late James Earl Jones, who voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars. increasingly possible to digitally rec- The partnership was one of the most
apparent wit, laughing as he tells them reate the audio and visual likeness of successful sportswear tie-ups in history,
off for poor technique, or suggesting But actors’ union SAG-AFTRA was must protect our right to bargain terms an actor. and the resulting Yeezy range went on
that they are cheating. not amused, claiming the use of AI and conditions around uses of voice The strikes that crippled Hollywood to help make West a billionaire.
“The empire has no need for fast in video games puts performers out that replace the work of our members, in 2023 stemmed in part from fears As of Saturday, Forbes put his net
food,” he chides one player who asks of work. including those who previously did the that studios would seek to use digital worth at $400 million.
what his McDonald’s order would be. “We celebrate the right of our mem- work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic models to replace human performers For years, West has spoken openly
“If I were forced to endure such a bers and their estates to control the use rhythm and tone in video games.” and creators. about struggles with bipolar disorder.
Photo: AFP

culinary experience, I would take a of their digital replicas and welcome The union, which says it represents Video game actors began their own He has said on The Download pod-
Chicken Selects Meal with large fries the use of new technologies,” a state- around 160,000 people, says Epic’s strike against major players in the sector cast that he has been diagnosed with
and a Coca-Cola drink.” ment said on Monday. “However, we subsidiary did not talk to its negotiators in July 2024. afp autism. afp
life   • TECH
4 | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | Bangkok Post

Currents
James Hein Apple turnover
When the map What the App Store changes mean for iPhone users

follows you Brian X. Chen

Photo © 2025 The New York Times

NYT

I
F
recently watched a presentation on how much or iPhone users, the experience
Google Maps tracks your every move on your of installing apps has been mostly
Android phone. I’ve installed OpenStreet- seamless for over a decade. You
Maps’ OsmAnd to use on an upcoming trip. It look up an app and tap a button
doesn’t track you at even a fraction that Google to download it.
Maps does and you can use it offline. That aside The not-so-seamless part has involved
you can now probably guess which browser grabs buying some things.
the most data from you and your phone? Accord- Paying for subscriptions and for virtual
ing to SurfShark, which has a VPN product, the goods such weapons inside games can usu-
answer unsurprisingly, is Chrome. ally be done instantly by scanning your face
and letting Apple handle the transaction. But

A pparently, the browser collects 20 different

pieces of information about you including
location, browsing history, contact info, user con-
app makers have long been required to pay
Apple steep commissions of up to 30% per
sale, leading brands including Netflix and
tent, identifiers, usage data, financial data, search Amazon to require iPhone users to log in to
history and diagnostics. Of the top 10 browsers their websites to pay them.
they looked at, only Chrome collects financial Because of Apple’s recent fallout with a
data. The majority of data is collected by Search federal judge, the App Store is starting to
and yes you guessed it, Maps. change. The judge ordered Apple to start
allowing some apps to collect payments

B ing came in second collecting only 12 different

items with Pi at nine and Safari and Firefox
with eight types each. The exact data collected
from users without paying a cut. And app
developers are now free to include graphics
or buttons to direct you to their own sites to
varied. For example, most browsers collect loca- buy things like subscriptions, books, music
tion data but only Bing does that to a very pre- and podcasts through them directly.
cise level. Opera, Pi and Bing also collect data for Some companies are already taking
third-party advertising. Edge, Bing and Pi collect advantage of the policy change. Amazon’s
user tracking data that can be used to track where Kindle app added a button for buying
a user goes. Brave and Tor collect the least. Tor e-books. Patreon, which sells subscriptions
collects no data at all. I use Brave as my primary to content including videos and podcasts
browser and it collects a limited set of data types, from creators, started posting lower prices.
specifically identifiers and usage data. Readers And Spotify is now offering free trials through
may want to consider changing up their primary its app.
browsers as well. But aside from those high-profile exam-
ples, what is going to happen to the App

I n related news, the Trump administration’s DoJ

wants Google to sell off Chrome. Chrome is the
number one browser so it is worth a lot of money
Store? Will everything, from streaming sub-
scriptions to extra lives in a game, become
cheaper, and buying things become easier?
and for Google, a lot of data. Safari is second if I interviewed mobile app developers big and
you were wondering. Potential buyers include small, and the consensus was: It’s compli-
OpenAI who would add even more AI functional- cated. Although costs of some virtual goods
ity to it. Yahoo wants to get back into the fold and might appear to dip, app prices in general
Chrome would allow them to make a move back will probably remain the same.
up the ladder. DuckDuckGo is interested as is the “The developers will keep the excess prof-
AI startup Perplexity. Given the estimated mini- its,” said Eric Seufert, the author of Mobile Before, there was only an “Add to list” button, Will buying apps become easier?
mum US$50 billion price tag it will be interesting Dev Memo, a publication covering mobile which let people add a book to their shop- Sometimes, but not always.
to see how the bidding war goes. Personally, of apps. “We won’t see them get cheaper.” ping list so they could open a browser and log On the one hand, it’s a win for iPhone
the four, I’m rooting for DuckDuckGo, but they Here’s what happened and how changes in to Amazon.com to buy it. In some cases, users to be able to do things like buy e-books
probably don’t have the funds. in Apple’s App Store could affect you. prices may appear to be cheaper. Patreon, through a button inside Amazon’s Kindle
for instance, updated its iPhone app so it app rather than go to Amazon.com.

D reams of a robot that can do things like the

one in the movie Millenium Man are also a
way off. If I was going to bet, it will be Elon Musk’s
What happened?
Since 2020, US District Court Judge Yvonne
Gonzalez Rogers of the Northern District of
now shows prices for content subscriptions
when they are bought through its own site.
At the bottom of the app, it shows, in small
But things might be less convenient when
dealing with lesser-known brands.
There are consumer-friendly benefits to
current push that will probably come out on top. California has overseen a lawsuit filed by text, the option to pay through Apple, which buying apps, subscriptions and virtual goods
Amazon has been trialling pick and store robots, Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, accusing adds an inflated price to cover the cost of the through Apple, Barnard said. Perks include
called Stow and Pick, in their fulfilment centres. Apple of monopolistic practices for requiring commission. I want to pay for emailed receipts and reminders that sub-
These are currently operating at about 85% accu- app developers to sell their wares through Patreon said in a statement that using scription renewals are coming up, he said.
racy, which seems to be a common number for
AI in general. They are also finding that humans
the company’s payment system. In her orig-
inal ruling in 2021, the judge ordered Apple
Patreon’s checkout method meant “lower
prices for fans and more dollars going back
anything I can And when you run into issues, you deal with
Apple’s customer service, which can be leni-
are currently beating the robots in storing. Human
jobs are currently safe, for the time being.
to allow apps to provide users with external
links to pay developers directly.
into creators’ businesses”.
Spotify said Apple’s changes would lead
in the App Store. ent about issuing refunds.
“As a consumer, I want to pay for any-
But Apple designed a new method to to lower pricing and flexibility for customers, I have control thing I possibly can in the App Store,” Bar-

T he head of the US Copyright Office has lost

their job after a report came out that, as I’ve
covered before, AI builders’ use of copyrighted
collect a 27% commission when app sales
were made through external links, which
discouraged the overwhelming majority of
while Amazon said it regularly improved its
apps to make them more convenient to use.
nard said.
“I know where to cancel it, I can check
my bill in one place. I feel like I have so
material went beyond existing doctrines of fair app developers from trying it. In her new Does this mean everything will (33 million baht) a year are on the hook to much control.”
use. This raises the question: “Do any of the acts ruling last month, Rogers forbade Apple to get cheaper? pay Apple a smaller commission of 15% per If you make purchases through links out-
involved require the copyright owners’ consent collect any commissions through app sales Not necessarily. App developers can avoid sale. Integrating their own payment services side the App Store, you may lose some of
or compensation?” There are a series of court made via external links. some of Apple’s commissions, but that would incur extra costs, so they will proba- those perks. Lots of subscription services,
cases around this about to go to trial including Apple, which declined to comment, has doesn’t mean the savings will always be bly continue to use Apple’s system and their including Netflix and Hulu, do not email you
the Meta one covered a while back. AI compa- since filed a request to pause the judge’s passed on to you. prices will remain firm, said David Barnard a reminder that a bill is coming up, which
nies are arguing that fair use provisions of copy- recent order indefinitely so that it can appeal, Seufert noted, for instance, that years of RevenueCat, a company that helps brands makes it easy to forget to cancel.
right law mean they did nothing wrong. If a Large which may temporarily discourage develop- ago, Apple and Google somewhat reduced embed subscriptions into their apps.
Language Model has ingested all of your work, ers from adding their own purchase links. the commissions they charged to subscrip- More realistically, consumers can expect So what should I do?
I’m curious as to how that can be called nothing, tion-based apps. In the first year of a sub- the prices they see in the App Store to be It comes down to what you care about. If a
but I’m not a copyright lawyer. Apparently, it all What has changed? scription, the apps had to share a 30% com- more consistent with prices elsewhere. brand you like and trust is offering to let you
revolves around impact in the potential market Some big brands have already leaped at mission with Apple, but in the second year, In the example of Patreon, for instance, pay for its app or subscription through an
for copyrighted work. the opportunity to link to their own sites to the fee dropped to 15%. Despite this change, users of the iPhone app are now seeing the external link, then paying it directly is the
collect payments. Amazon’s Kindle app, for the prices of many streaming services rose prices they would have normally paid if they best way to support it. But if it’s a brand you

I ’ve been looking at what appears on YouTube

and even after two weeks I’m seeing the junk
videos increase. They have the YouTube promo-
example, now shows a “Get book” button,
which directs the user to Amazon’s webpage
for the e-book to complete the purchase.
significantly in the last few years.
Smaller apps may have little motivation to
change. Apps earning less than US$1 million
went straight to the source. So while the pric-
ing shown in the app is now more transpar-
ent, it is not technically cheaper.
are unsure about, you might want to con-
tinue paying through Apple. © 2025 The New
York Times Company
tion algorithms fooled so they are popping up
more often in my recommendations. On exam-
ple is those titled “The Infamous Scene that took
(TV show name) off the Air from poster Celebrity
PlayStation executive Raymond
Photo: AFP

Before”, where the show is some old TV series long

leaves studio she founded

finished. There is no infamous scene and it’s all
click bait. Sadly, the rubbish to worth watching
ratio is increasing.

I s a computer game worth your time? I regularly

play three games, Ingress, Path Of Exile (both
versions) and Raid Shadow Legends. The first is
Jason Schreier
Bloomberg
is “committed to supporting Haven Studios
and excited to continue the journey” with
new co-studio heads Marie-Eve Danis and

J
a free location-based game that for the most part ade Raymond, the founder and head of Pierre-François Sapinski.
requires you to be at particular locations to play Sony’s game developer Haven Studios, Fairgames, announced in 2023, is one of
just like the Pokémon variant. If you don’t play for has left the company. the few entries remaining in a slate greenlit
a while all that happens is your portals lose energy, PlayStation leadership didn’t give Haven by PlayStation several years ago of “live-ser-
easy to retake later. POE is a free action role playing staff a reason for her departure, but it came vice” games, or games that are designed to
game that updates every three months or so with several weeks after an external test of Hav- generate recurring revenue.
a new challenge. Raid is a fantasy-themed, time en’s first game, the online shooter Fairgames, PlayStation had said it planned to release
demanding, turn-based role-playing gacha game. according to people with knowledge of more than a dozen, but many of those games
If you don’t play for a while, progress in some areas the matter. were cancelled or released to disastrous
is deprecated and can take weeks to get back. Some developers at Haven were con- results, such as last year’s Concord, an online
cerned about how the game was received shooter that was pulled from stores after less

W e’ve all thought about the old lead into gold

stories. Well CERN has done it. Tossing lead
atoms at each other they created gold that weighed
and its progress, said the people, who asked
not to be identified because they aren’t
authorised to speak publicly.
than two weeks.
Fairgames was originally slated for release
in autumn 2025 but had been delayed to next
almost nothing and lasted for around a millisec- “Jade Raymond has been an incredible spring, the people said.
ond. Dreams busted. partner and visionary force in founding Raymond didn’t immediately respond
Haven Studios,” a PlayStation spokesperson to a request for comment. A longtime vid-
James Hein is an IT professional with over said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful eo-game industry executive, Raymond pre-
30 years’ standing. You can contact him at for her leadership and contributions, and viously worked at Ubisoft Entertainment,
jclhein@gmail.com. we wish her all the best in her next chapter.” Electronic Arts and Google’s Stadia. She Jade Raymond in 2019.
The spokesperson added that the company founded Haven in 2021.
 life   • TECH
Bangkok Post | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 5

Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Photo © 2024 THE NEW YORK TIMES

Health damage rising
A successful Assassin’s Creed no saviour for struggling Ubisoft
Kilian FICHOU Ubisoft’s preferred performance indicator, Around 3,000 of the group’s 17,000 employ- Ubisoft has promised details of more
AFP so-called “net bookings” — which excludes ees worldwide will work in the new unit, Guil- restructuring moves by the end of 2025 and

A
some deferred revenues — also fell by more lemot has said. aims to save a further €100 million over the
bumper release for the latest than 20% year-on-year, to €1.8 billion. It will not own the games’ brands, instead coming two years as part of a cost-cutting drive
Assassin’s Creed instalment did The group expects the measure to hold paying royalties to the parent company to launched in 2023.
not save French video games steady in the coming 2025/26 financial year, use them. The company last Wednesday also reported
giant Ubisoft from falling back during which it will release a new Prince The subsidiary has been valued at more than net debt of €885 million, down from €1.4 billion
into the red in its 2024/25 finan- Of Persia game, strategy title Anno 117: Pax €4 billion, or twice Ubisoft’s current market in September.
cial year, the company has said. Romana and mobile versions of shooters Rain- capitalisation, after Chinese tech giant Tencent Ubisoft’s restructuring means Tencent,
The company had won through to profita- bow Six and The Division. agreed to invest €1.16 billion in exchange for a which climbed aboard as an investor in 2018,
bility in 2023/24 after a near €500 million (18.6 Disappointing shipments have been stake of around 25%. will have a bigger say in the French firm —
billion baht) loss in the previous period. matched by a tumbling stock price. Spinning off the biggest-selling games “was although Guillemot insisted to French sena-
But a string of disappointing releases under-
mined this year’s performance, with a net loss
But in recent weeks the publisher’s biggest
money-spinner has been as dependable as
Disappointing the least committal of the available options
without simply returning to shareholders emp-
tors at a hearing last week that he will “retain
control” over the new subsidiary.
of €159 million on revenues of €1.9 billion —
down 17.5% year-on-year.
ever, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows winning
over more than 3 million players with its story
shipments have ty-handed”, said Martin Szumski, an analyst
at Morningstar, ahead of the earnings report.
Looking ahead, “if Ubisoft is unable to use
the money Tencent invested in a meaningful
Over the past 12 months, Ubisoft’s would-be
blockbuster Star Wars Outlaws fell short of
of medieval Japanese intrigue since its March
20 release.
been matched One activist fund with a minority stake in
Ubisoft had tried to rally other investors to
way, it is certainly possible that Tencent pur-
sues buying the firm outright” even in the face
sales expectations on release, while it can-
celled multiplayer first-person shooter XDe-
Shadows swiftly rose to become the sec-
ond-best-selling game of the year so far in the
by a tumbling demand a change of course.
Leaving investors “underwhelmed”, accord-
of fierce resistance from the founding Guille-
mot brothers, Szumski suggested.
fiant for lack of players.
“This year has been a challenging one for
United States, according to data from consul-
tancy Circana.
stock price ing to Szumski, the subsidiary plan has not kept
the mothership’s stock from eroding further in
Ubisoft’s belt-tightening programme has
brought closures of several foreign studios and
Ubisoft, with mixed dynamics across our Moving to address its business woes, Ubisoft value, hit in part by fears over US tariffs. thousands of job cuts.
portfolio, amid intense industry competition,” said in late March that it would create a new Since January, the shares have lost more Worldwide, the company is replacing only
chief executive Yves Guillemot said in subsidiary to manage its three top franchises: than 12%, touching their lowest price in over one in three departing workers, Guillemot told
a statement. Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six. a decade in April. the Senate.

Nintendo forecasts 15 million Switch 2 sales in 2025/26

Hiroshi Hiyama a must-have gadget during Switch 2 in the United States The Switch 2 will have eight times
AFP pandemic lockdowns, has sold by two weeks as it assessed the the memory of the first Switch, and a
around 150 million units since fallout from President Donald 7.9-inch screen — up from 6.2in for

J
apanese gaming giant Nintendo its launch in 2017. Trump’s trade levies. the original.
forecast on Thursday that it For the financial year that But last month it boasted of Its controllers, which attach with
would sell 15 million units of its ended on March 31, Nintendo higher-than-expected demand magnets, can also be used like a desk-
hotly awaited Switch 2 console in the reported a 43.2% fall in full-year in Japan for pre-orders of the top computer mouse.
current financial year but warned US net profit to ¥278.8 billion (63 new console. A new function will enable users to
tariffs could hit its bottom line. billion baht), as gamers wait to “If final tariffs do not come temporarily share games with friends
The successor to the Switch — the splash their cash on the Switch 2. down... then prices will need to and play together.
third best-selling console ever behind It sold 10.8 million Switches, rise further, which will dampen News that the next title in the
Sony’s PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo down 31.2% year-on-year, while demand,” David Gibson of MST Grand Theft Auto video game series
DS — is set to hit shelves worldwide software sales hit 155.4 million Financial said ahead of the had been postponed to May 2026 is a
on June 5. units, a decrease of 22.2%. earnings release. “But keep in positive for Nintendo, Atul Goyal of
While the Super Mario maker is Nintendo forecast a net profit of mind Nintendo tends to set the Jefferies said this month.
diversifying into theme parks and hit ¥300 billion for the current finan- price of its hardware and not “It sure makes Nintendo’s competi-
Photo: Reuters

movies, around 90% of its revenue cial year but warned that US trade change them.” tion far less intense” in terms of game
still comes from the Switch business, tariffs could impact its earnings. Since Trump’s first term, launches, he wrote in a note.
analysts say. “Changes to tariff rates may Nintendo has been shifting pro- “We earlier wrote that the 2025
However the unit sales forecast is affect our financial forecast. We duction from China to Vietnam, holiday season could belong to both
more conservative than the 16.8 mil- will continue to monitor the situ- Gibson said. Sony [GTA6] and Nintendo [Switch 2
lion expected in a survey of Bloomb- ation to respond to changes in market console like its predecessor. However States, where it will cost US$449.99. A “So it is likely that 70% plus of ship- games],” he said.
erg economists. conditions,” it said. the price has raised eyebrows at over Japanese-only version for domestic ments to the USA for Switch 2 can “But it now looks that the console
The Switch, a handheld and The company last month revealed a third more than the original Switch consumers will cost ¥49,980. Nin- come from Vietnam and tariffs can for this holiday season is” the Switch
TV-compatible device that became details about the Switch 2, a hybrid in major markets including the United tendo delayed pre-orders for the be minimised.” 2, he predicted.
life   • DIVERSIONS
6 | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | Bangkok Post

ANDY CAPP BLONDIE

THE BORN LOSER GARFIELD

PEANUTS THE WIZARD OF ID

CROSSWORD TARGET
horoscope Magi Helena Use the grid with the easy or the cryptic clues, but beware: The answers are different. How many words of four letters or
more can you make from the letters
shown here? In making a word, each
eaSY ClUeS letter may be used once only. Each
CAPRICORN Dec 22-Jan 19 CANCER June 21-July 22 ACROSS word must contain the large letter,
Your life is often subject to the There could be things you can
1 Coils, spins (6) and there must be at least one nine-
choices of people around you. see and understand which letter word in the list. No plurals; no
7 Think carefully about
It’s up to you to take matters escape everyone else. Explore foreign words; no proper names.
(8)
into your own hands to find ways to use your talent to bring TODAY’S TARGET: 13 words, good;
the protection and wisdom that vision to the wider world.
8 Fish (4)
19 words, very good; 25 words
you need. Consider listening Develop the potential you see 10 Make deeper (6) (or more), excellent.
to experts to make an informed around you. Let people enjoy 11 Boy’s name (6)
decision. the world you create. 14 Falsehood (3)
16 Great fear (5)
AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18 LEO July 23-Aug 22 17 Gentle (4)
19 Golf term (5)
SUDOKUPACIFIC ©UCLICK
You might be making smart You may have the opportunity
21 Thin biscuit (5) How to solve Sudoku: Place a number from 1-9 in each
choices to reach the financial to get in front of a problem and empty cell so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box
or emotional goals you’ve set solve it while everyone else is 22 Fabric type (5) contains all the numbers from 1-9. (This means that no number
for yourself. Don’t let sudden still trying to define the issue. 23 Male voice (4) can appear twice in any row, column or 3x3 box.)
challenges slow you down or Use your knowledge, skills, and 26 Keen (5)
discourage your efforts. Mis- experience to clear things up 28 Embrace (3)
takes could show you how to and take the lead. You may be 29 Easily bent (6)
be better in the future. a hit in a social setting. 30 One’s professional life
(6)
PISCES  Feb 19-March 20 VIRGO Aug 23-Sept 22 31 Second-hand (4)
Your heart may be full of sym- When chance knocks, sprint 32 Perforated pan (8)
pathy and understanding for to the door like a gazelle. You 33 Bursts out (6)
the people around you who are could patch things up with
suffering. You might be inspired someone before things head DOWN
© SOLO SYNDICATION

to show them your support in south. Tackle a simmering 1 Bicycle for two (6)
whatever way you can. The challenge with a cool, diplo- 2 Simple-minded (6)
kindness you provide may matic touch and frustrations
3 Look over quickly (4)
come back to you in many ways. may evaporate right before
4 In pieces (7)
your eyes.
5 Love intensely (5)
ARIES  March 21-April 19
Focus on mastering your trade LIBRA Sept 23-Oct 22
6 Throng (5)
or doing some arts and crafts. Temporary circumstances may 8 Let know (4)
Don’t end a key relationship create tricky situations. Wait at 9 Born (3) 10 One who shoots out of 31 Being “way out” is no and more such boys
over a minor misunderstanding least until tomorrow to make 12 Opposite of wet (3) sight (6) longer the thing (4) (3-2)
or make an impulsive decision major decisions, expensive 13 Noblemen (5) 11 Something between a 32 Religiously put in a very 18 Too young to be a fat
that will end up breaking some- purchases or crucial financial 15 Bulgarian capital (5) knee and an ankle (6) good list (8) lady (5)
one’s heart. Take time to ponder commitments. Watch out for 18 Perfect (5) 14 Shown the way out of 33 Scandinavians’ way to 19 Little girl from Bethnal
19 Nocturnal mammal (3) an insoluble dilemma treat weeds (6) Green (3)
and turn within. old habits and behaviours that
might annoy your loved ones. 20 Information (3) (3) 20 From a biting wind? (3) SCRABBLE
TAURUS April 20-May 20 21 Advice to beware (7) 16 Thinks about heavenly DOWN 21 Knocking over in the
You might be able to take SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 21 22 Body of water (3) females (5) 1 Royal potato source (6) street (7)
advantage of sudden upheav- The thrill of an upcoming shift 23 Writing desk (6) 17 Cry, to a certain 2 Force in favour of 22 An exclamation of huge
als to prove your worth and could ignite inspiration and 24 Elderly (4) measure, on the 3rd of organising some help! enthusiasm (3)
secure your position. Look for fresh perspectives. As the day 25 Homeless dogs (6) May (4) (6) 23 So old, there seems
the opportunities available progresses, you might itch to 26 Era (5) 19 No sub can be a bounty 3 Frontier line? (4) nothing to look around
when no one else knows what break free from your routine, 27 Breathing organs in (5) 4 At most, a skirt for for (6)
to do. Be prepared to drive the only to discover the other side fish (5) 21 The boy I’m after for mother (7) 24 One calling for extremes
conversation and take the lead. isn’t much greener after all. 28 Possesses (3) the tough stuff (5) 5 Sign of a line ending at of patience for a saint?
Learn to appreciate what is. 30 Heal (4) 22 Rose and dressed (3,2) a terminus (5) (4)
GEMINI May 21-June 20 23 Moved in less 6 It’s bound to have maps 25 Where, in 1963, all were
You may risk an unpleasant sur- SAGITTARIUS  Nov 22-Dec 21 CRYPTiC ClUeS pedestrian fashion? (4) (5) in sad distress (6)
prise if you rely on having the You may feel stuck staring at the ACROSS 26 Animal related to the 8 Bobby or the beak (4) 26 Impertinent in a tasteful
best cards. Consider releasing passing train, but your frustra- 9 Colourful bit of square
1 Make notes about a vixen (5) way? (5)
control and letting go of what tion can be put to good use.
politician (containing 28 One that will make you dancing (3) 27 Water, yet a fine rhyme
was. Your chance of winning Stop waiting for the tracks to
something sweet) (3,3) feel short of money? 12 The coach takes us to for wine (5)
could soon come, so keep your clear before taking action. Use
7 A visionary, is he one (3) Birkenhead (3) 28 If upset, a kiss may
seat at the table. Stay calm until strategy and your creative urges
the facts are clear. to plan some alternate routes to for details? (8) 29 A city in E. Hants (6) 13 Don’t wait for mend things (3)
your destination. 8 The tedious fellow 30 Wild inlets can be permission! (5) 30 River as seen on golf
gives you a wave (4) pretty (6) 15 There are a hundred courses (4)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS
If today is your birthday:
You may enjoy improved conditions and embrace opportunities for
lasting results this week. You might feel confident that anyone who EASY SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS TARGET
grows closer now has your best interest at heart. This could allow ACROSS: 1, Ocean 6, Small 9, Riposte ACROSS: 1, S-cr.-am 6, So-use 9, Bowling amber amble ameer balm
you to ride a wave of romantic fantasies in June. Your popularity 10, Strap 11, Essay 12, Graph 13, Fall 10, In-G-ot 11, Ol-W-en 12, Crewe 13, barm beam beamer berm
quotient may be at a high point and an inspiring vacation can fulfil guy 15, Pea 17, Epee 18, Reform 19, Turn out 15, P-ip 17, Ari-D 18, Donate blame bream ember lamb
Arson 20, Ground 22, Anne 24, Nun 19, Stern 20, T-ruth-s 22, Di-Al 24, Ye-p lame lamer loam male
your dreams. New people, ideas and conditions might shake up 25, Meander 26, Riser 27, Rogue 28, 25, Motion’s 26, Sloo-P 27, Moral 28,
your priorities in July, when you may receive more attention or marble mare marl marvel
Ahead 29, Inferno 30, Grunt 31, Tries Billy 29, Go-ahead 30, Ar-row 31, Terry
explore exciting possibilities. Although some things may change meal mere molar mole
DOWN: 2, Catnap 3, Arable 4, Nip 5, DOWN: 2, Con-cur 3, A-bound 4, MOT 5,
Sorry 6, Stephen 7, Mesh 8, Loafer Flirt 6, Snowdon 7, O-gle 8, See f-it 12, moral morale more morel
in the future, August could perhaps be a chance to put down roots
12, Guard 13, Feign 14, Lemon 15, C-ults 13, T-asty 14, Rig up 15, Patio 16, movable move moveable
or to build financial stability, your imagination might be enhanced mover ombre ramble realm
Pound 16, Amber 18, Rower 19, P-eels 18, Dr-O-op 19, Sh-all-ow 21, Re-
then. Pay attention to your health habits and well-being, it will pay Ancient 21, Rumour 22, Anchor 23, no-ir 22, Divide 23, Angler 25, Mo-cha(r) ream REMOVABLE removal
off in the long term. Tribune Content Agency Negate 25, Melee 26, Ruin 28, Ant 26, Sago 28, Bat remove roam
 life   • MOVIES
Bangkok Post | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 7

Agents of change
Two highlights from Cannes Film Festival come in the form of a Brazilian thriller and road trip to hell
STORY: Kong Rithdee

A
wash with saturated
colour and steeped in
Brazil’s history of author-
itarianism, Kleber Men-
doça Filho’s The Secret
Agent has emerged as a serious con-
tender for the Palme d’Or. A former film
critic, programmer and now a leading
voice in Brazilian cinema, Mendoça
Filho’s fourth feature — and his third
in Cannes Competition — is a polit-
ical thriller, a tribute to disappeared
dissidents, and a deft ode to the way
memory is passed through time and
technology.
That a good part of the intrigue takes
place inside a local cinema, and that
Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws is a recurring
motif, adds extra points for cinephilic
dedication. Wagner Moura (best known
for playing Pablo Escobar in Narcos)
plays Marcello, an engineering scholar
and dissident in 1977 who flees perse-
cution back to his hometown of Recife
(also the director’s native city). He takes
refuge in a building shared by several
“refugees” — a stinging label for dissi-
dents and others who have fled injus-
tice. Marcello is taken under the wing

Photos Courtesy of CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

of a movement that protects political
protesters, and his plan is to get a fake
passport and leave the country with his
young son.
The carnival is taking place — cos-
tumed dancers and brass bands turn
the streets into an exuberant riot.
Two hitmen are sent from Sao Paolo
to take out Marcello. Meanwhile, the
severed leg of an unidentified victim
turns up inside the gut of a shark,
the gruesome crime quickly elevated Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent.
to a local pop-culture myth. We see
characters making phone calls from midway through, we see an iPhone. connecting the dots of his story with has become his modus operandi. In trips in modern cinema (stranger than
brightly coloured kiosks and speaking It belongs to a researcher who revis- tapes and archival records. The Secret Sirat — an Arabic word referring to Mad Max, sure) as the fatherly Luis
into a cassette tape recorder. And then, its Marcello’s case from the present, Agent is a story of Brazil’s past glimpsed a path or a bridge — a father, with a rides through the inhospitable land-
through contemporary lenses, and a young son in tow, arrives at a rave party scape with the drugged-up nomads,
story of how the voices of those thought in a craggy North African desert outpost who apparently have no idea where the
to be lost can be reclaimed — through to look for his lost daughter, last seen at location of the fabled rave is. Luis’ plan
cinema, why not? another such rave (this must be a thing to locate his missing daughter turns
All these strands come together for European ravers). into a more immediate need to survive.
through Filho’s nimble, fluent touch, Pumping heart-crunching beats What the film is interested in is turn-
an antithesis to our familiar perception through high-powered subwoofers, the ing the visceral idea of a place — the
of taut Hollywood thriller. Even the cli- wild bunch of LSD-charged ravers lose hostile, treacherous and mesmerising
mactic assassination sequence moves themselves in the music, isolating their desert — into a state of mind. If the
with the beat of a dexterous carnival consciousness from the sensory reality world refuses to let you live, if it takes
dancer. Earlier this year, Brazil won its of world. But the world intrudes as sol- away everything that once defined the
first Oscar (in the International Feature diers arrive to announce an evacuation purpose of your existence, what will
category) with Walter Salles’ I’m Still — some kind of worldwide catastrophe, you do? Keep driving? Keep partying?
Here, set roughly in the same period of likely a geopolitical calamity though left Escape, but to where? Or accept it
military dictatorship. The Secret Agent, unexplained in the film, has erupted all without a fuss? This hypothesis is
regardless of how far it goes in Cannes, and everyone has to leave for the capi- pushed — and pushed and pushed —
will surely be a contender for the prize tal. In short, the sky may be bright, the to a climax so extreme it will either leave
next year. music may be loud, but the world is you stunned or in perpetual disbelief.
Another film cooking up a divisive coming to an end. The Secret Agent and Sirat show
reaction at Cannes is the EDM-fuelled Luis, the father, and his son Esteban how filmmakers can still find a way to
apocalypse-now Sirat, a road movie escape with a band of ravers (heavily extract power from cinema. Both films
that hurtles its motley crew of dope- tattooed, some with ostensibly missing are unlikely to have a theatrical release,
heads and desperadoes through the limbs) who believe another desert party though they have high chances of land-
desert. The director is Oliver Laxe, a is happening and are determined to go ing in one of the film festivals later this
Sirat. French-Spanish filmmaker whose find it. A rave as the world is exploding? year. The Cannes Film Festival runs
mythologising of the Saharan landscape Thus begins one of the strangest road until Saturday.

Now Streaming now showing

On Netflix American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden On Prime Video On HBO Max Mission: Impossible - The Final
Follows an in-depth look at how the Reckoning
Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark world mobilised to hunt down Osama Bin Overcompensating The White Lotus Season 3 Our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise re-
Singles check into a motel seeking Laden after his orchestrations of the Sept Follows Benny, a football player, The exploits of various guests and turns as Ethan Hunt for the final Mission: Impossible.
love, then find casual hookups are 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. as he struggles to accept his employees of a luxury resort over the
there also. They must choose between sexuality in college, finding himself span of a week. This new season also Until Dawn
strengthening existing connections or Welcome, Now Get Lost overcompensating as he tries to appear stars Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal. A group of friends trapped in a time loop, where myste-
pursuing new ones. Facing a whirlwind of emotions, as something he’s not. rious foes chase and kill them in gruesome ways, must
comedians endure relentless insults from The Pitt survive until dawn to escape.
Real Men angry villagers. Can they turn hostility Lee Soo-man: King Of K-pop The daily lives of healthcare professionals
Four middle-aged friends navigate into laughter? Hosted by Koji Higashino. From the traditional town of Jeonju, in a Pittsburgh hospital as they juggle Thunderbolts*
changing gender dynamics. South Korea, came the man that changed personal crises, workplace politics and After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, an
Through humour, they confront bias Snakes And Ladders the world with music. Lee Soo-man, the emotional toll of treating critically ill unconventional team of antiheroes must embark on a
and toxic masculinity, redefining In a renowned school, a teacher becomes the artist who became an innovator, patients, revealing the resilience required dangerous mission that will force them to confront the
relationships and roles amid the involved in a dispute between two orchestrated one of the most viral global in their noble calling. darkest corners of their pasts.
push for equality. students. What appears to be just another phenomena, K-pop.
incident will change the protagonist’s The Exorcist: Believer The Accountant 2
Newly Rich, Newly Poor entire life in a story about ambition, Another Simple Favor When a 12-year-old girl becomes Christian Wolff applies his brilliant mind and illegal
In San Francisco, a nurse switches power and glory. Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson possessed by a mysterious demonic methods to reconstruct the unsolved puzzle of a trea-
two newborns. Years later, the truth reunite on the island of Capri, Italy for entity, her father desperately searches for sury chief’s murder.
is revealed, igniting a bitter rivalry, Bad Thoughts Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich help, finding aid with someone whose
affecting relationships and sparking Showcases a series of vignettes where Italian businessman, which is interrupted daughter survived a similar possession in A Minecraft Movie
new romances. the stories unfold in a hilariously by murder and betrayal. the 1970s. Four misfits are suddenly pulled through a mysterious
disturbing way. portal into a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on
Dear Hongrang Octopus! The Penguin imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master
Jae-i’s search for her brother takes her Rhythm + Flow: Poland Follows the life cycle of the giant Pacific Following the events of The Batman this world while embarking on a quest with an unex-
on a journey of self-discovery and love. Aspiring Polish rappers drop bars, battle octopus and features various individuals (2022), Oz Cobb, aka the Penguin, makes pected expert crafter.
Along the way, she must confront the and craft tracks to impress judges Bedoes who have connections to these creatures, a play to seize the reins of the crime
dark secrets of her family and the dangers 2115, DZIARMA and Sokól vying for fame including scientists, explorers and actor world in Gotham. Shadow Force
of the Joseon era. and a 500,000 zloty prize. Tracy Morgan. An estranged couple with a bounty on their heads must go
Exploring The Unknown With Wang on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a
Football Parents Tastefully Yours G20 Yibo unit of shadow ops that has been sent to kill them.
Overbearing parents shamelessly A food company heir running Seoul’s top Terrorists take over the G20 summit with Step into the wild with Chinese actor
interfere in their children’s amateur restaurant meets a passionate rural chef. President Sutton, bringing her governing and singer Wang Yibo. Get ready to Holy Night: Demon Hunters
soccer careers. We see this world through Despite differences, they develop feelings and military experience to defend her conquer rugged terrains, face intense An occult action film in which a team of several people
Lillian and her son Levi, who’s new to while operating a small eatery together family, company, and the world. Starring challenges and uncover nature’s beauty fight against evil spirits.
the team. in Jeonju. Viola Davis. like never before.
life   • ART
8 | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | Bangkok Post

Break the barrier

‘The Sound Of Silence’ at Central: The Original Store raises money for the Foundation for the Deaf
STORY: Suwitcha Chaiyong

W
hen hearing aid devices
used by deaf students are
damaged, it interrupts their
studies. These students had
already requested replace-
ments from a government organisation, but
the process takes a long time even though the
devices are essential for daily life.
To assist the students and others who need
hearing aids, the Foundation for the Deaf under
the Royal Patronage of Her Majesty Queen
Sirikit, The Queen Mother, asked Prof Nantawat
Boramanand, former dean of the Faculty of Law
at Chulalongkorn University and host of his own
photographic exhibitions, to stage “The Sound
Of Silence” at Central: The Original Store. The
exhibition aims to raise 3 million baht to fund
200 hearing aids.
Since 2022, Prof Nantawat has held three
exhibitions, “The Tale Of Two Cities”, “The Tale
Of Two Cities: Epilogue” and “Last Year Photo-
graphed By Nantawat”, to fund cochlear implant
surgeries. The exhibitions raised 27 million baht,
with 19 million baht having been used to fund
implant surgeries for 38 children so far. There
are more children waiting for cochlear implants,
however, the fund for hearing aids will remain
separate from money used for surgeries.
Sook Sanan Jotikasthira, chairman of the
Foundation for the Deaf, explained their
many needs.
“In addition to cochlear implant surgeries,
the foundation also provides hearing aids to
children and the elderly. Additionally, there
are those who received hearing aids from gov-
ernment agency many years ago and now the

devices have become old and impaired. These Above

people cannot wait to receive free replace- Collaborative works
ments from the government since it will take a by HRH Princess Maha
year,” explained Sook Sanan. Chakri Sirindhorn.
Although the Foundation for the Deaf focuses
on assisting children with hearing loss, it began
with helping the elderly.
“Nowadays, people live longer and the
number of elderly people who are hearing-
impaired has increased; many of them need
hearing aids,” said Sook Sanan.
“If they live in remote areas, it is difficult to
travel back and forth from their house to the
hospital to obtain a hearing device. The process
requires a hearing test, medical confirmation of
being hearing-impaired, making the ear mould, Left
then device selection and fitting. Photographs
“The foundation provides a one-stop service by Prof Nantawat.
for this process once a year in rural areas. How-
ever, the foundation has limited resources; we
cannot provide this kind of service in every prov-
ince. We hope that our service will be a model
for other organisations to follow.”
Prof Nantawat explained that there are many
grades of hearing device in the market. The
foundation will purchase 200 devices from Swit-
zerland for 23 schools that specialise in teaching
Photos: Wisuttipong Rodpai

deaf students, while others will go to the elderly. Below

“The foundation interviews elderly people Inside ‘The Sound Of
who request hearing aids,” said Prof Nantawat. Silence’ at Central:
“There is much research showing loss of hearing The Original Store.
can affect the psychological health and mental
acuity of adults. At “The Sound Of Silence”, guest artist collab-
“Additionally, infants diagnosed with hearing orators add colours and vibrancy to Prof Nan-
Prof Nantawat Boramanand. loss should wear aids because the device will tawat’s signature monochrome photographs.
stimulate the auditory pathways in “In a previous exhibition, some artists
their brain. When infants are created their own black and white
ready, they will undergo Hearing aids. work on my black and white pho-
cochlear implant surgery.” tographs, and they were a bit
“The Sound Of difficult to sell. Hence, this
Silence” is the fourth exhibition’s idea of adding a
exhibition created by rich kaleidoscope of colour
Prof Nantawat that to my photographs,”
will contribute to explained Prof Nantawat.
the Foundation for All the photographs are
the Deaf. new and have never been
“I want them to displayed before. Most are
be able to hear; I landscapes taken while
want sounds to pen- Prof Nantawat was travel-
etrate their silence,” he ling in Paris, Venice, Copen-
said. “People with hear- hagen and Egypt.
ing loss live in a world of Prof Nantawat admits that he
silence. I want sounds to rush felt stressed trying to raise 3 million
in to their world so they can hear baht, but remains confident that it will
these sounds. happen. If the goal is achieved, it will encourage
“People who come to this exhibition will help him to continue helping the foundation.
penetrate the silence for these hearing-impaired Sook Sanan added that gadgets such as
individuals. They can help by making monetary mobile phones and tablets help those with hear-
contributions or purchasing photographs.” ing loss to communicate with one another, but
“The Sound Of Silence” features 31 photo- it would be nice if people with normal hear-
graphs taken by Prof Nantawat and 35 artworks ing could better communicate with those who
created collaboratively by Prof Nantawat and have hearing loss.
guest artists. Each guest artist painted or demon- “Sign language is like a foreign language Thai
strated another technique on black and white people cannot understand. Some schools teach
photographs taken by Prof Nantawat. sign language, but it is a communication link
The guest artists are HRH Princess Maha still missing in society. If anyone is interested in
Chakri Sirindhorn, ML Chiratorn Chirapravati, learning, there are free classes at the Foundation
Somchok Sinnugool, Phansakdi Chakkaphak, for the Deaf every Saturday.”
Nakrob Moonmanas, Atchalinee Kesornsook,
Arrinya Kuntino and Rakfah Sutterlin. Prof Nan- “The Sound Of Silence” runs at Central:
tawat humbly invited HRH Princess Sirindhorn The Original Store, Level 4, until May
to participate in creating five pieces for this col- 31. For more information, visit facebook.
laborative art project. However, the Princess com/central.theoriginalstore. To donate,
graciously granted 10 pieces to be sold to raise visit deafthai.org or facebook.com/
Sook Sanan Jotikasthira. funds at the exhibition. deafthaifoundation.

LIFE Editor:
ARUSA PISUTHIPAN arusap@bangkokpost.co.th