Latest News for Expats in Thailand

Every day I round up the Thailand news that actually affects those of us living here: visas, tax, banking, healthcare, cost of living, transport, and the digital systems you deal with day to day. The newest stories sit at the top, and older ones drop off after a couple of weeks.

Jump to: August 13 · August 12 · August 11 · August 10 · Week of August 10 · Week of August 3 · Week of July 13 · Week of July 6 · Week of June 29 · Week of June 22

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August 13, 2026

Power bills drop from September, and renters are covered this time

The Energy Regulatory Commission cut the average electricity tariff for September through December to about THB3.89 a unit on August 12, down from the THB3.95 it had approved in July. The saving comes from taking public street lighting out of the base tariff, a cost that had been folded into every household bill for more than thirty years and runs to roughly THB18 billion a year.

Sitting alongside it is the government cap that holds the first 200 units of household use at no more than THB3 a unit, starting with the September bill. The part that matters for most of us is who now qualifies: rented houses, apartments, dormitories and homes on a temporary meter with no registered address, not only owner-occupied houses.

The catch is that the rate attaches to the meter. If your building bills you at its own per-unit price instead of passing on the MEA or PEA charge, none of this reaches you, so ask to see the actual bill before you assume your electricity costs are coming down.

Sources: The Nation, Thai Post, Daily News

Heavy rain and flash flood risk across four regions on August 13 and 14

The Thai Meteorological Department has thunderstorms over about 60 percent of the North, Northeast and East from 6am on August 13 to 6am on August 14, with isolated heavy rain. Bangkok sits under the same pattern, and accumulated rainfall could bring flash floods and runoff in low-lying areas and on foothill slopes.

Out at sea the upper Andaman and the upper Gulf are running waves of 2 to 3 metres, above 3 metres under thunderstorms, and small boats are told to stay ashore. If you have travel booked in the North or Northeast this week, check tmd.go.th on the morning you leave rather than the night before.

Sources: The Nation, Thai Meteorological Department

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August 12, 2026

Gun licences frozen and nationwide checkpoints ordered

Two days after the shooting at a school in Nonthaburi, the government moved on firearms. On August 11 the prime minister and interior minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, suspended renewals across the three main gun licence categories, purchase, possession and public carry, until the Cabinet decides otherwise.

He also said civilians must not carry a firearm outside the home at all, sport shooters and politicians included, and told police to arrest anyone who does and to oppose bail while the case is investigated. Nationwide checkpoints targeting guns and narcotics are going up alongside that.

None of the licence measures change anything for foreigners, because we have not been able to register a firearm here since the law was amended in 2017 to restrict ownership to Thai nationals. The checkpoints are the part you will actually run into, so keep your Thai driving licence and a copy of your passport in the car.

The real reform is still being written. The Interior Ministry has 60 days to deliver a redrafted Firearms Act covering electronic permits, biometric registration, tighter dealer accountability and daily ammunition reconciliation at shops and shooting ranges, and it is that law, rather than this week’s orders, that would make the carry ban and an amnesty for surrendering illegal guns binding.

Sources: Government Public Relations Department, The Nation, Thairath, Khaosod English

Nine northern provinces on a heavy rain and flood warning

The met department has nine northern provinces on a heavy rain and flood warning today, and the disaster prevention department has upgraded 18 of its regional centres to handle monsoon rain and the sudden cloudbursts it calls rain bombs.

This is the same pattern behind the 27-province flood watch in the first week of August and yesterday’s Mekong alerts in Nakhon Phanom, so treat it as a run of weeks rather than one bad day. Waves in the upper Andaman are forecast at 2 to 3 metres through August 16, and above 3 metres in thundershowers, which means small boats should stay ashore.

If you are travelling in the North or Northeast, check tmd.go.th or the Thai Water app the morning you set off, and give yourself far more room than usual if you are riding a motorbike in the wet.

Sources: The Nation, The Nation, Thai Meteorological Department

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August 11, 2026

Scam victims can claim frozen money back without waiting for a court order

A ministerial regulation on returning money to victims of technology crime takes effect tomorrow, August 12. It was published in the Royal Gazette on May 14 with a 90-day countdown, and what it does is let the Anti-Money Laundering Office’s transaction committee hand frozen funds back to victims directly.

Until now that money sat untouched until a court issued a final order or judgment, which is the part that made recovery feel pointless to most people who lost money to a scam.

The money only exists to give back if it was frozen in the first place, so speed still decides everything. Report to the AOC hotline on 1441, which runs 24 hours, or through thaipoliceonline.go.th, and the centre can have a receiving account suspended within hours of the call.

Claims themselves go through AMLO’s rights-protection portal at khumkrongsit.amlo.go.th, by post, or in person at the office on Phaya Thai Road. It runs case by case rather than as a standing service: each case opens with its own filing window of roughly 90 days, and the ones listed at the moment close in late October. Nationality is not a criterion and AMLO accepts a passport as ID for foreigners.

One caveat worth holding onto. The DE ministry and AMLO are still writing the detailed refund criteria with the banks, the Bank of Thailand and the SEC, and that work is due around September. The mechanism switches on tomorrow; how generously it gets applied is not settled yet.

For scale, Thailand lost close to THB9 billion to online fraud in the first half of this year across more than 170,000 cases, an average of about THB52,000 each. Facebook was the channel in 61% of them, and LINE produced fewer cases but a similar total loss.

Sources: AMLO rights-protection system, Thairath, Daily News, The Nation, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society

The baht is down about 5% this year, at 33.18 to the dollar

The baht started 2026 at 31.55 to the US dollar and sat at 33.18 on August 5, a fall of roughly 5%. That makes it the third-weakest major Asian currency this year, behind the Indonesian rupiah at 6.9% and the Indian rupee at 5.5%.

If you are paid in dollars, pounds or euros, every transfer buys more baht than it did in January. If you earn baht and support family at home, it works the other way, and this is the year to pay attention to the spread rather than the headline rate when you send money in.

I would not read it as a straight line down, though. The baht passed 33 in late June, its weakest since May 2025, then clawed back about 1.3% over the past month. Krungthai’s Poon Panichpibool puts the near-term direction on shifting expectations for US Federal Reserve policy, with Thailand’s energy import bill, soft tourism and the gold price filling in the rest.

Sources: The Nation, Bank of Thailand

Airlines get half-price landing fees at provincial airports for a year

The Department of Airports opened a 12-month incentive yesterday, running to August 9, 2027, that cuts landing and aircraft parking fees in half at provincial airports. New routes, meaning ones nobody flies or that have been suspended a year or more, get the discount for 12 months. Airlines new to an airport, or gone from it for at least 12 months, get 6 months.

Deputy Minister Phattrapong was careful to say fares will not fall 50%, and he is right to be. The discount goes to the airline on fees it pays the airport, not to you at checkout, so the realistic gain is more domestic routes and a bit more competition on the ones that exist.

Last year’s version pulled in six routes and two airlines, including Thai AirAsia adding Bangkok to Buriram and Thai Lion Air flying Udon Thani to U-Tapao. If you live outside Bangkok, that is the sort of thing to watch for over the next year.

Sources: The Nation, Department of Airports

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August 10, 2026

Bangkok riverside goes on a high-tide watch through August 17

Disaster prevention put Bangkok and six central provinces on a high-tide watch on Saturday, running from today through August 17. The peak sits between 6pm and 9pm each evening, when the tide at the river mouth is high enough to back the Chao Phraya up and stop it draining.

The named districts are Mueang and Sam Khok in Pathum Thani, Mueang, Pak Kret and Bang Kruai in Nonthaburi, Bang Len, Nakhon Chai Si and Sam Phran in Nakhon Pathom, all of Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram, and Mueang, Phra Samut Chedi, Phra Pradaeng and Bang Bo in Samut Prakan, plus Bangkok itself. Most of that is the riverside suburbs rather than the middle of town.

What actually gets wet is the strip outside the flood walls, meaning riverside and canal-side communities with no permanent defences. If your building sits behind an embankment you will likely notice nothing at all.

Upstream is steadier than the flood headlines suggest. Chao Phraya Dam was releasing 350 cubic metres a second on Thursday and stepping up towards 450, with 500 to 700 planned if the rain keeps coming, and the irrigation department says the resulting rise between Chai Nat and Ayutthaya stays inside the banks. I would still move a car off a riverside ground floor for the week and watch the soi drainage during that evening window.

Sources: Government Public Relations Department, Thai PBS, Thai Post

The Mekong is set to rise up to 1.5 metres through August 12

The Hydro-Informatics Institute and the water resources office said on Sunday that the Mekong will come up 1.0 to 1.5 metres between August 8 and 12, along the whole Thai stretch from Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai down to Khong Chiam in Ubon Ratchathani. Heavy rain over northern Thailand, Laos and Myanmar is feeding it.

Low-lying areas in Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Loei and Ubon Ratchathani are the ones being watched, and the advice is to go carefully with boat trips and anything else on the water while levels are still moving.

Sixteen provinces across the North and Northeast were also on a flash-flood and waterlogging warning for Sunday, so run-off is the more immediate risk for most people, not the river itself. If you get around on two wheels, this is the part of the year when wet roads do the most damage.

Sources: The Nation, Thai Meteorological Department

Weekly Roundups

Week of August 10, 2026

The heaviest floods of the season, a visa cut that still is not law paired with a real border-run crackdown, a strong baht squeezing foreign incomes, a ministerial warning as deportation rules advance, and a floodwater health risk worth taking seriously. Here is what mattered this week, who it touches, and what to do about it.

1. Floods and flash-flood warnings spread across the North and Northeast

This week brought the heaviest flooding of the season so far. The Office of National Water Resources put 27 provinces on a flash-flood watch from August 6 to 9, and the Mekong is running 1.0 to 1.5 metres higher between August 8 and 12 along the whole northeastern border. The North, the Mekong provinces, and parts of the Andaman south took the worst of it.

If you live near a river, a canal, or the foot of the hills, the run-off is the immediate risk rather than the main river, and it arrives fast. I would keep a car off a riverside ground floor for the week and watch the drainage in your soi during the heavy downpours. If you ride, this is the stretch of the year when wet roads do the most damage.

Sources: The Nation, The Nation

2. The 60-day visa exemption still is not law, but the border-run crackdown is real

The cut from a 60-day to a 30-day visa exemption still has not been published in the Royal Gazette, so nothing has changed at the border. Enter Thailand visa-free today and you still get the full 60 days, and anyone already here keeps their balance.

What has changed is how immigration treats repeat entries. Officers now read your whole passport history rather than each stamp in isolation, and visa-exempt land crossings are capped at two per calendar year for most nationalities. If you have been living here on back-to-back border runs at Mae Sai or Aranyaprathet, that is the exact pattern they are trained to flag. If that is you, this is the year to move onto a proper long-stay visa rather than gamble on the next crossing.

Sources: The Nation, TAT Newsroom

3. The strong baht is squeezing foreign incomes

The baht is sitting near 31 to the US dollar, well off the 34 to 35 of a couple of years ago. Thailand pulled in 18.5 million foreign visitors in the first seven months of the year, down 3.19% on last year, and the strong currency is getting part of the blame alongside fewer flights from India.

If you earn in baht this changes nothing. If you live on a foreign pension or move money over from abroad, your dollars, pounds and euros are buying noticeably fewer baht than they used to. Rates move fast, so it is worth timing bigger transfers rather than doing them on autopilot, and the way you send money into Thailand matters as much as the headline rate.

Sources: The Nation, Khaosod English

4. A minister warns foreigners as faster-deportation rules advance

After an Israeli man allegedly threatened a business owner on Koh Samui on August 5, Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liengprasit went public with a blunt line, that Thailand is home and anyone behaving badly will be dealt with under the law without exception. It lands alongside a Cabinet-approved draft that would let authorities deport foreigners faster on six grounds, from overstay to serious convictions.

The minister was clear it is about conduct, not nationality, so if your paperwork is in order and you stay out of trouble, nothing about your life here changes. The deportation framework is still a draft and not yet law. The practical takeaway is the dull but reliable one: keep your visa current and avoid an overstay, because the file behind your next extension is being read more carefully than it used to be.

Sources: Thai Examiner, Bangkok Post

5. Floodwater is driving a spike in two dangerous infections

With so much standing water around, the Department of Disease Control’s warning is worth heeding: leptospirosis and melioidosis have together killed more than 100 people in Thailand this year, and both spread through contact with mud and floodwater. Leptospirosis alone has hit 2,190 cases, while melioidosis, known as soil fever, is the deadlier of the two.

The protection is simple and cheap. Do not wade barefoot through floodwater, cover any cuts with waterproof plasters, and rinse off if you have been through it. If you come down with a high fever, bad muscle aches or breathing trouble a few days after exposure, see a doctor and tell them you were in the water. People with diabetes and those over 50 are most at risk.

Sources: The Nation

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Week of August 3, 2026

A year-low baht, an electricity scare that misses your August bill, a visa cut that still is not law, a new arrival app on the way, and heavy monsoon rain up north. Here is what mattered this week, who it touches, and what to do about it.

1. The baht is at its weakest in over a year

The baht drifted to around 33.8 to the US dollar in late July, its softest level since April 2025. For anyone who earns abroad or lives on a foreign pension, that is quietly good news, because every dollar, euro, or pound you move over converts to more baht than it did a few months ago.

If you have a transfer to make for rent, a visa deposit, or a big purchase, this is a reasonable window to do it. The dip is driven by a soft Thai economy rather than anything permanent, and rates move fast, so I would not bank on it holding. It is worth remembering that the way you send money into Thailand matters as much as the rate, since a cheap transfer service usually beats a bank wire once you count the markup baked into the exchange rate.

Sources: Trading Economics

2. Your August power bill has not changed, whatever the headlines say

If you saw the headlines about power bills jumping nearly fivefold, take a breath. That figure is the worst case in a set of options for the September-to-December tariff, and the regulator has not chosen yet. For August, nothing has changed and you are still paying about THB3.95 a unit.

The Energy Regulatory Commission held a public hearing in July on the next tariff, with options that run from holding at THB3.95 up to about THB4.73 a unit. It has signalled that it wants to use a clawback mechanism to keep the rate where it is rather than let it spike. The separate tiered reform that would have hit homes using more than 400 units is still parked after public pushback. The number that matters is the per-unit rate printed on your own electricity bill, so check that against THB3.95 this month.

Sources: The Nation, Kaohoon International

3. The 30-day visa cut still is not law, so 60 days still applies

The Cabinet approved cutting the visa-exemption stay from 60 days to 30 back in May, and in July it signed off on the detailed country lists. None of that is in force yet. The change takes effect only 15 days after it is published in the Royal Gazette, and that publication still has not happened.

So if you or a visitor enter Thailand visa-free right now, you still get the full 60 days, and anyone already in the country keeps their current balance. This is the one to watch if you are planning a border run or timing a guest’s trip, because it can flip within a couple of weeks of the Gazette posting. If you rely on visa-free entry, the tourist-visa rules are worth keeping an eye on.

Sources: TAT Newsroom, Siam Legal

4. A new immigration app is coming, but keep using the free TDAC

THIM, the Immigration Bureau’s new all-in-one arrival app, is slated for a full launch in August. During the trial both THIM and the existing TDAC web portal are accepted, and there is no confirmed date yet for THIM becoming compulsory.

For now, keep filling in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card at tdac.immigration.go.th in the 72 hours before you fly in, exactly as you do now. It is free. If a website asks you to pay for an arrival card, you are on the wrong one, so close the tab and use the official site.

Sources: The Nation, Siam Legal

5. Heavy monsoon rain and flood warnings across the North

The Thai Meteorological Department has heavy-to-very-heavy rain and flash-flood warnings up for the North, the upper Northeast, the East, and the west coast of the South into the first week of August, with a monsoon trough sitting over the upper North. Small boats on the upper Andaman are told to stay ashore through August 6.

If you live up that way or you are out on the roads, give yourself extra time and watch the low-lying spots near waterways and the foot of the hills, which flood first and fastest. If you ride a motorbike, the first ten minutes of rain are the most dangerous, so it pays to ride carefully in the wet and keep your distance.

Sources: Thai Meteorological Department, The Nation

Coming up this week

• Aug 5, Bangkok: AustCham August Sundowners

See all events

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Week of July 13, 2026

A deadly pub fire in Lat Phrao, a customs crackdown on cannabis at the airports, a sinkhole in Thonburi, and a fresh job-scam warning. Here is what mattered this week, who it touches, and what to do about it.

1. At least 27 die in a Lat Phrao pub fire

A fire tore through a packed live-music pub near Soi Lat Phrao 1 in Bangkok’s Chatuchak area just after midnight on July 13, killing at least 27 people and injuring 63, with more than 20 in critical condition. A musician on stage said smoke came from a circuit breaker, then an explosion, then flames raced across the ceiling decorations and the room filled with toxic smoke. Firefighters had it under control in about half an hour.

Most of the deaths came down to how fast that smoke spread and how few ways there were out. It is the kind of small, crowded spot many of us end up in on a night out. When you walk into a bar or club here, take ten seconds to note where the exits are, and think twice about a place packed wall to wall with one narrow door and a lot of flammable decor overhead.

Sources: Bangkok Post, Chiang Rai Times

2. Do not fly out of Thailand with cannabis in your bag

Cannabis is still decriminalized to use inside Thailand, but taking it out of the country is a serious crime, and enforcement has tightened. Since June 17, exporting or trying to smuggle cannabis carries up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to THB500,000, and a new penalty of THB30,000 per kilogram on top.

This is playing out at the airports right now. In two days at Phuket, police arrested a Belgian woman with 31.7 kilos in her suitcases and a Russian man with more than 17 kilos of flower and resin, and Customs says it has seized over 37,000 kilos since October. The trap for those of us who live here is smaller: a few edibles or a bit of flower forgotten in a bag on a flight home, or a quick hop to a neighbouring country, is enough to land you in a cell. Empty your luggage before you head to the airport.

Our guide to cannabis in Thailand covers what is and is not legal here now.

Sources: U.S. Embassy Thailand, The Pattaya News

3. A subway-work sinkhole opened a road in Thonburi

Water seeped into a Purple Line subway excavation and collapsed part of Prajadhipok Road near the Ban Khaek intersection, out toward Wongwian Yai, around July 10. About 60 people were moved out of three buildings within 30 metres, and the outbound lanes were closed for roughly 200 metres to stop passing traffic from shaking the ground loose any further.

It is the same stretch that gave way once before, so if you live or commute around Wongwian Yai and Prajadhipok Road, plan for lane closures and detours while crews stabilise the soil. Authorities say the subsidence has begun to settle, but they are watching it around the clock.

Sources: The Star, NBC News

4. Fake overseas job offers are luring people into Myanmar scam compounds

The Japanese Embassy in Thailand warned this week about a recruitment trap that keeps snaring foreigners. People are contacted on social media or Telegram with offers of high-paying work abroad, often described as buying gold or luxury goods, then routed through Thailand and taken across the border to scam compounds near Karen State in Myanmar.

Once inside, their passports are taken and they are forced to run online fraud under threat, with their families used as leverage. The tell is simple: a job that promises unrealistic pay and asks for your passport photo over Telegram before you have met anyone is not a job. Our rundown of common scams covers the ones you are more likely to meet day to day.

Sources: TRAICY Global

5. The 400-unit electricity hike was shelved

The plan that worried heavy users, charging households above 400 units up to THB5.45 per unit, was sent back for review by the Energy Minister after public pushback, so it is not on your July bill. Homes over 400 units stay on the current rate, and the first 200 units remain capped near THB3.

There is no new effective date for the higher tiers, so nothing changes for now. The real test is your own statement, so it is worth checking the per-unit rate on this month’s bill; if it jumped, that is worth flagging. Our guide to electricity in Thailand explains how the tiers add up.

Sources: Bangkok Post, The Nation

Coming up this week

• Jul 11-19: Isan Creative Festival 2026
• Jul 14, Bangkok: Skål International Bangkok: Cocktail Networking
• Jul 15, Bangkok: STCC Multi-Chamber Networking Night
• Jul 16, Bangkok: Mitski Live in Bangkok
• Jul 16, Bangkok: BCCT Insight: BOI Regulatory Updates & Business Incentives 2026
• Jul 16, Bangkok: EABC Joint European Networking Cocktail 2026
• Jul 16, Bangkok: Monthly NØTWORKING (July)
• Jul 17-19, Bangkok: TEN: CORE0110 10th Anniversary Concert
• Jul 17-19, Pattaya: IMPACT Speed Fest 2026
• Jul 17-19, Pattaya: APPT Prime Padel Pattaya Grand Slam 2026

See all events

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Week of July 6, 2026

Storm-fed flooding up north, a visa cut that still has not landed, a year-low baht, and an enforcement drive rolling into July. Here is what mattered this week, who it touches, and what to do about it.

1. Storm Maysak puts 36 provinces on flood watch

Tropical Storm Maysak is staying out over the South China Sea on a track toward southern China, so Thailand takes no direct hit. What it is doing is feeding an already active southwest monsoon, and the Thai Meteorological Department expects heavy to very heavy rain through around July 8.

The flash-flood risk is real if you are in the North (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, Tak), the upper Northeast (Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom), or Chanthaburi and Trat in the east. Bangkok gets heavy afternoon rain but is not a main flood concern this week.

If that is your area, watch the local alerts and keep anything valuable off the floor. Upper Andaman waves are running 2 to 3 metres and higher in storms, so island and ferry trips are worth checking before you set off, and it is a week to ride a motorcycle slowly on wet roads.

Sources: The Nation, The Nation

2. The 60-day visa exemption still stands

If you have read that Thailand is cutting visa-exempt entry from 60 days to 30, the change has not taken effect. The Cabinet approved it on May 19, but that is not the same as law.

It only starts 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette, and no date is set. Eligible nationalities still get the 60-day stamp on arrival, anyone already in Thailand keeps the stay they were granted, and long-stay visas like the DTV, retirement, or Non-B are untouched either way.

So there is nothing to change today. If you are planning a trip around the exemption, plan on 60 days for now and keep an eye on the Gazette; our guide on the cut walks through the fallback options.

Sources: TAT Newsroom, EY Global Tax News

3. Nominee and illegal-work crackdown carries into July

The nationwide push against foreign nominee businesses and unlicensed work did not pause for the new month. On June 30, police in Chon Buri shut down a used-car dealership run by two Chinese nationals working without permits, seizing 19 vehicles and filing charges for illegal work and running an unregistered business.

One small raid, but it fits a pattern that has spread from the tourist islands into provincial business hubs since the spring. It matters if you hold property or a business through a Thai nominee arrangement. Standard employment on a proper work permit, or a company you own outright, is not what they are chasing.

If any part of your setup leans on nominees, this is a good month to have a lawyer review it. Our guide to registering a company on your own covers the properly licensed route.

Sources: Thai Examiner

4. The baht is at its weakest in over a year

The baht slipped to about 33.24 to the dollar on July 6, its weakest level since May 2025 and down a little over 1% on the month.

That helps anyone who earns or holds money abroad and brings it into Thailand: retirees on a foreign pension, nomads paid in dollars, euros or pounds. If your income is already in baht, it changes nothing for you.

If you have been waiting to move money over or top up a Thai account, this is a reasonable window. A multi-currency service like Wise usually beats the spread you get at the bank counter.

Sources: Trading Economics, Bank of Thailand

5. Thailand’s THIM immigration app is still a pilot

THIM, Thailand’s immigration app, keeps getting attention, but it has run as a pilot since May and the parts most of us need are not live yet. Phase 2, planned for October 1, is meant to add online queue booking, visa extensions, and 90-day reporting.

Until that lands and proves reliable, nothing you do today is replaced. Keep filing your 90-day report and TM30 through the usual channels, and treat October as a date to watch rather than a switch-over.

Sources: Khaosod English, Human Resources Online

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Week of June 29, 2026

A Bangkok election result, a crackdown spreading north to Chiang Mai, and Thailand picking up a global number two retirement ranking. Here is what matters this week.

1. Chadchart wins Bangkok governor election by a landslide

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt won a second term on Sunday with 53 to 75% of the vote depending on which exit poll you read. His nearest rivals conceded early. It was a big result for anyone living in Bangkok because Chadchart ran almost entirely on city management, with flooding and traffic at the centre of his platform.

If you are in Bangkok or Pattaya and were confused by the dry bars this past weekend, that was the standard election alcohol ban running from 6pm Saturday to 6pm Sunday. It is lifted now.

Sources: Khaosod English, The Nation

2. Nominee crackdown reaches Chiang Mai, Phuket property market rattled

What started as targeted enforcement on Koh Phangan has now spread to Chiang Mai. A task force of 188 officials moved through the city this week, finding unlicensed hotels, ghost companies registered at addresses with no physical office, and businesses using Thai nominees to hold assets on behalf of foreigners. Authorities are now looking at 6,551 companies nationwide and have launched separate action against 140 accountants who helped set up nominee structures.

In Phuket, property lawyers and agents are reporting deals stalling as buyers who relied on nominee setups pause or pull back. If your business or property is held through a Thai company, it is worth getting a legal review right now, whether that means restructuring toward a properly registered company or finding another arrangement.

Sources: Bangkok Post, Thai Examiner, The Nation

3. Monsoon puts 43 provinces on flood watch through July 3

Thailand’s disaster agency has placed 43 provinces under flood and landslide alerts through July 3, covering the North, Northeast, Central region, East coast, and the Andaman coast. Bangkok and the surrounding area are included. Tropical Storm Mekkhala is tracking toward Taiwan and will not hit Thailand directly, but the moisture it has pushed into the region is intensifying the existing monsoon.

If you live near a river, on a hillside, or on a street that floods easily, keep an eye on local alerts. The Andaman coast faces additional rough seas with waves forecast at two to three metres. If you ride a motorcycle, this is the season to slow down and give yourself extra braking distance on wet roads.

Sources: The Nation, The Nation

4. Nine-month scam crackdown: 24 billion baht seized, crime down 69%

The government this week released results from its nine-month campaign against online scam gangs and cross-border call centres. Reported online crime cases dropped 69.2%, financial losses fell 87.3%, 122,840 fraudulent websites were shut, and 300,000 suspicious phone numbers were blocked. Around 29,000 suspects were arrested, including more than 70 high-level gang leaders.

Separately, nine people were arrested in an operation called Cut Down Scam 2 targeting personal data trafficking, with losses linked to the ring estimated at over 2 billion baht. A new regional intelligence-sharing system called SHIELD is also being rolled out this month, connecting Thailand with 10 or more partner countries to tighten coordination across borders.

Sources: The Nation, Asian News Network

5. Thailand ranked second best country in the world to retire abroad

Thailand placed second in this year’s global retirement index, scoring 77 out of 100, just one point behind the Philippines. It recorded the joint-highest healthcare score in the entire index alongside Spain and France, with Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket all cited for their internationally recognised private hospital networks. On health insurance requirements, Thailand scored a perfect 20 out of 20.

That top health insurance score reflects the mandatory conditions built into the Non-Immigrant O-A retirement visa, which requires cover of at least $100,000 per policy per year. If that requirement feels steep, the Non-O visa gets you the same retirement pathway without the mandatory insurance condition.

Source: Daily Mail

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Week of June 22, 2026

Here’s what actually happened this week that touches life here. Skim the ones that apply to you.

1. Immigration is checking for physical cash at the border

Immigration officers have started actually checking proof of funds when you land, something most of us never used to think about. For a general visit the baseline is 10,000 THB per person or 20,000 THB per family, and for some visa categories it doubles to 20,000 per person or 40,000 per family.

The part that catches people out is that they now want to see real money. A balance on your banking app has been waved away as not enough on its own, so cash in hand, whether baht, dollars, euros or pounds, is what satisfies them.

You probably won’t get stopped, but if you fly in and out it’s worth keeping some notes on you. It’s a cheap way to skip an awkward conversation at the desk.

Sources: Travel And Tour World, Thaiger

2. The Cambodia land border is still closed

If a Cambodia border run is part of your routine, cross it off for now. Every official land crossing between Thailand and Cambodia has stayed shut since the conflict flared in June 2025, and while the ceasefire is holding, it’s fragile and the crossings haven’t reopened to normal traffic.

That means the old Cambodia hop for a quick visa reset isn’t an option on the ground. You’ll need to fly out, or pick a different neighbour for your run.

Whatever you decide, check your embassy’s security alerts before you go anywhere near that border.

Sources: U.S. Embassy Thailand, Wikipedia

3. Flash-flood warnings run through June 26

The southwest monsoon is in full swing, and the weather service has flagged 21 to 26 June for isolated heavy rain across the North, upper Northeast, East and South. The real danger isn’t the rain itself, it’s water building up fast enough to cause flash floods and overflows.

If you live near foothills, waterways or low-lying ground, keep an eye on local alerts and don’t leave anything valuable where water collects. Bangkok gets rain most days this month too, so expect the usual streets to flood briefly after the big downpours.

Source: Thai Meteorological Department

4. Private hospital deposits keep climbing

Thai private hospitals keep asking for bigger deposits before they’ll treat you. A planned procedure now typically wants 50,000 to 200,000 THB upfront, and major surgery can run as high as 800,000 THB. Even a single night in a premium private room in Bangkok or Pattaya is 28,000 to 52,000 THB before any treatment.

If you hold an O-A or O-X retirement visa you’re already required to carry insurance, but plenty of people are underinsured for what these places actually charge.

This is a good week to pull up your policy and check two things: your inpatient limit, and whether the hospital bills your insurer directly or makes you pay and claim back. Sorting that out now beats discovering the gap at the admissions desk.

Sources: Pattaya Mail, Thaiger

5. Dengue season is ramping up

Dengue climbs every wet season, roughly June through October, and Bangkok and other built-up areas are the usual hotspots. The mosquitoes that carry it don’t need much to breed: a clogged drain, a plant saucer, a forgotten bucket, a puddle on a building site.

So walk around your place and tip out anything holding water, and keep repellent handy in the evenings. There’s no specific cure for dengue, and it can genuinely knock you flat, so don’t shrug off a sudden high fever, body aches or a rash. Avoiding the bite is the whole game.

Sources: Chiang Rai Times, Nation Thailand

6. The baht is sitting near 33 to the dollar

The baht has drifted to around 32.88 to the dollar as of 19 June, a touch weaker over the past month. Nothing dramatic, but it’s a slightly friendlier rate for anyone moving money in from abroad than we’ve seen lately.

If you’ve been sitting on a transfer or waiting to top up a Thai account, this is a reasonable window. A multi-currency service like Wise usually beats the spread you’ll get at the bank counter.

Sources: Trading Economics, Bank of Thailand

7. The THIM app still doesn’t do your 90-day report

There’s been plenty of buzz about Thailand’s THIM app handling immigration tasks from your phone, but don’t get ahead of it. As of early June it still isn’t doing the 90-day report, and that feature is pencilled in for Phase 2 around October.

So keep filing your 90-day report the way you always have, whether that’s in person, by mail, or through the existing online system. Your window is 15 days before to 7 days after the due date, and missing it means a 2,000 THB fine plus hassle on your next extension.

Sources: Thailand Starter Kit, Thai Law Online

8. Cannabis is still prescription-only

A year on from the reclassification, cannabis flower is still a controlled herb, and buying it legally means getting a PT 33 prescription from a licensed Thai practitioner. The free-for-all is well and truly over: roughly 40% of the shops that opened during the boom have already closed.

If you use it, the casual walk-in-and-buy era is gone. Go through a licensed clinic and you’ll stay on the right side of the rules.

Sources: Cannabis For Thailand, Terms.law

9. Thailand’s first virtual banks launch this year

Thailand’s first virtual banks are due to go live around mid-2026: three app-only banks backed by big names like SCB X and TrueMoney, running entirely through your phone with no branches.

It’s early days, and the terms for foreigners aren’t confirmed yet, so there’s nothing to act on today. It’s worth watching, though, because app-first banking could eventually spare us the branch-by-branch paperwork grind that opening an account currently involves.

Source: Chiang Rai Times

10. PromptPay is now the default way to pay

PromptPay, Thailand’s QR payment system, is now running around 75 million transactions a day, and shops, markets and taxis increasingly expect it. Once you’re set up, it’s the single biggest day-to-day convenience upgrade you’ll get here.

If you have a Thai bank account, link PromptPay to it. Paying becomes a quick scan instead of a hunt for cash, and transfers between people land instantly and for free.

Sources: The Finest Thai, Wise