Deeper Dive Thailand

Over the past 20 years, fewer than one hundred people have died from vaping, while more than one hundred million people have died from smoking regular cigarettes. InThailand, the tobacco death toll is 71,000 people each year, and from vaping – zero. So why are cigarettes available in every convenience store, while e-cigarettes are banned?

In this Deeper Dive Thailand, Dave Kendall is joined by Asa Saligupta, president of Ends Cigar...

In the second half of 2024, 42 out of the 77 Thai provinces faced flooding. At least 50 people were killed and billions of baht were lost in damages to property and farmland. The flooding was particularly severe in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. In the central district of Chiang Mai, the Ping River overflowed for the first time. Thousands were evacuated by boat.

So what caused it all? The release of wate...

Travel historian Imtiaz Muqbil addresses tourism in Thailand from economic, historical and social viewpoints. He says tourism is so key to Thailand’s post-Covid recovery that the government’s recent relaxation of immigration restrictions was necessary for both the economy and social stability. He worries that countries will compete with each other for tourist revenue in a race to the bottom that risks overtourism in certain areas. ...

Thanks to the new visa regulations issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it’s never been easier to visit Thailand and stay in the country long-term. But the devil is in the details, and to help us take an in-depth look, Dave Kendall is joined by Naruchai Ninnad, Deputy DIrector-General of the Department of Consular Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Read the accompanying article in the Bangkok Post at https://b...

Once again, northern Thailand is choking under a blanket of toxic smog. What’s really causing it – and how can we get rid of it for good?

Many experts believe cutting down forests to plant corn for animal feed is a major cause of the air pollution, with Chiang Mai ranked the world's worst for several days in mid-March.

Animal agriculture is the elephant in the room when it comes to climate change, as portrayed in the documenta...

The new cannabis bill grinding its way through parliament toughens penalties and includes jail terms for growing, selling and importing without a licence, and for marketing and advertising of the traditional drug that was delisted as a narcotic in June 2022. But its most controversial provision is the imposition of fines for recreational smoking, even in one’s own home. This has drawn condemnation from many, including long-time...

Cyberscamming has become a trillion-dollar industry, with the numbers of both scammers and victims soaring over the past three years.

Many young Thais have been enticed by online job advertisements promising well-paid work in Cambodia and Myanmar. but once they cross the border into these "special economic zones" (SEZs), many wind up in the hands of Chinese gangs who confiscate their passports. They’ve been scammed, and ...