Deeper Dive Thailand

If you stay more than 180 days in any calendar year in Thailand, you are considered a Thai tax resident, and since the beginning of 2024, any money you remit, or bring into the country, is assessable for income tax. But what counts as a remittance – does it include ATM withdrawals and credit card purchases? Are certain income types, such as government pensions, exempt? If you have money saved over...

The long-simmering conflict between Thailand and Cambodia over the demarcation of their 817km border has exploded in 2025, with batteries of air strikes and heavy artillery that have killed more than 40 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. But what are the root causes of the conflict? In this epic edition of Bangkok Post’s “Deeper Dive” podcast, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Professor of Internati...

Casinos polarise opinion. They’re legal in parts of north America and Europe but mostly illegal in the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia – including Thailand. But that could be changing. The legalisation of casinos is part of the Entertainment Complex bill in the Thai parliament. The draft bill states that a casino can take no more than 10% of an integrated complex that also includes comp...

US President Donald Trump has cut off mostof America’s foreign aid programmes, directly affecting Thailand and its neighbours. The affected projects range from hospitals and refugee support to earthquake relief and clean energy, and people have already died as a result. Which projects have been shut down, how is the humanitarian community coping and what hope is there for the future? Dave Kendall...

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 A...

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 cause...

Travel historian Imtiaz Muqbil addresses tourismin 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 ofimmigration restrictions was necessary for both theeconomy and social stability . He worries that countries will compete with each other for tourist revenue in a race to the bottom that ris...

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 artic...

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,...

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...

About 100 species of plants and animals goextinct every day, and 1 million are on the brink. One of the causes -  smuggling of endangered wildlife – could alsowipe out humans by sparking the next pandemic. Freeland CEO Steve Galster paints ahorrifying picture on the Bangkok Post podcast, Deeper Dive. Please share the episode and tell us what you think.

Thailand is a hub for the smuggling of protected wildlife, the fourth most lucrative global crime after drugs, humans and arms. Meet the enforcement officers trying to stop the trafficking ofpangolins, macaque monkeys, leopard cubs, exotic birds and reptiles to dinner tables, experimentation laboratories and Chinese traditional medicine makers.

There are signs of a thaw in the long cryptocurrency winter, but the digital asset world has been rocked by bankruptcies and scandals.‘Topp’ Jirayut Srupsrisopa,  founder of Thailand’s leading exchange Bitkub, explains the fallout, outlines the possibilities and offers some tips to stay safe in cryptoland. Read the accompanying article in the Bangkok Post at https://bit.ly/3qEpQQs

Although corruption has long blighted Thailand, the number of alleged police graft cases in the past few months have made headline news in Thailand and overseas. Soapy massage king turned anti-corruption crusader Chuvit Kamolvisit sheds light on the latest cases and suggests some long-term solutions.

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. Th...

A quick introduction to Bangkok Post's new podcast, Deeper Dive Thailand, where Dave Kendall takes you beneath the surface of Thailand's big issues with insight, analysis and interviews with key players. Please follow (subscribe) and rate the show.