Thai Military Bank (TTB) released its SME Insight 2026 survey showing Thai entrepreneurs facing mounting pressures from sluggish economic growth, high household debt, rising business costs, and intense competition from Chinese imports. Most SMEs remain stuck in "survival thinking" rather than growth planning, even as they begin adopting digital tools and AI. TTB is meanwhile pushing ahead with double-digit expansion of new SME lending after seeing signs the market has bottomed out, while maintaining strict control over non-performing loans at no more than 5%.

Pirpong Nitikraivut, head of TTB's business customer strategy group, revealed that while SMEs account for over 90% of all Thai businesses and employ more than 70% of the workforce—approximately 13.6 million people—they contribute only about one-third of the country's GDP. This reflects declining competitiveness among Thai SMEs compared to developed economies like South Korea, where SMEs generate 45-50% of GDP. Thailand's SME contribution has fallen from nearly 40% historically to just one-third today.

"SMEs are the backbone of Thailand's economy, but today they're stuck in place while the world moves forward," Pirpong said. "Their competitiveness is declining as a result."

Key pressures stem from Thailand's sluggish 2-3% annual economic growth, far below regional peers, while household debt remains near 90% of GDP, weakening domestic purchasing power. Thai entrepreneurs also face fierce competition from surging Chinese imports flooding the region as China's exports to the US slump. Geopolitical factors and trade tensions meanwhile continue pushing up operating costs for energy, transportation, raw materials, and online platform fees.

"Many entrepreneurs consistently report that rising costs are the biggest pressure. Some businesses barely make any profit but must maintain sales just to keep operating," Pirpong said.

The SME Insight 2026 survey of over 120 entrepreneurs across Bangkok and the provinces, covering businesses with annual revenues of 50-400 million baht, identified the first critical bottleneck: "Thinking to survive, not to win." Many entrepreneurs focus on short-term problem-solving rather than building competitive advantages or long-term planning. The survey found 33% of SMEs have virtually no long-term business plan or only year-to-year planning, while 27% say their primary goal is simply keeping the business running and meeting payroll. "Those focused only on survival saw revenue drops exceeding 30%, with some declining nearly 50%," Pirpong noted.

The second bottleneck is "Using digital tools but not transforming the business." While 87% of Thai SMEs have adopted digital systems for management and nearly 60% have begun applying AI, most use them at basic levels—payment systems, translation, or report summaries. Meanwhile, over 58% of businesses saw flat or declining revenues. Pirpong stressed that maximizing technology benefits requires integrating financial data, accounting, sales, personnel, and customer information for strategic analysis and management.

The third bottleneck involves "Knowing profit and loss but not managing risk." While 90% of SMEs now use accounting systems and better understand costs, they lack analysis of cash flow, credit, and volatile cost risks. A fourth bottleneck related to growth capacity was also identified in the survey.

Thailand's Digital Economy Ministry has launched an intensified crackdown on fraudsters illegally posing as the Thailand Helps Thailand Plus (60/40) program to commit online crimes. As of May 25, 2025, authorities have identified 327,346 messages related to the program, with 39 confirmed cases including 20 pieces of misinformation, 3 distorted reports, and 16 legitimate posts. The ministry is urging the public to be cautious and follow the "four don'ts" principle: don't click links, don't believe unverified claims, don't rush, and don't transfer money. Deputy Minister Boonthida Samchai emphasized that the only official way to register for the program is through the "Pao Tang" mobile application, while previous "Khon La Khreung Plus" participants can verify eligibility through the "Tung Ngern" app. New merchants must register at Bangkok Bank branches. The ministry clarified that government agencies will never send SMS messages or links requesting program registration, so citizens should disregard any such communications.

Shocking! Investigation Reveals Launching Gantry Crane Collapse onto Train at Sikhiu Left 31 Dead, Never Inspected During Operation, Failed to Replace Support Steel on Schedule, No On-Site Engineer

May 26, 2025 – Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Transport Jiraphong Theppitag announced investigation results into the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway construction crane that collapsed onto Express Train No. 21 running between Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani, in the area between Nong Nam Khun and Sikhiu stations in Nakhon Ratchasima province on January 14, resulting in 31 deaths and 71 injuries.

Jiraphong stated that after an intensive 45-day investigation, the engineering accident was caused by a Launching Gantry crane—a mobile steel bridge that lifts hundreds of tons of concrete segments to place them sequentially. The crane stands on three support legs with clear procedures requiring that before moving forward, the middle leg must first be brought close to the front leg to help bear the load together.

However, on the day of the incident, workers bypassed this procedure and immediately ordered the crane to move. This caused over 700 tons of weight to press down on the front leg alone. The support steel (PT Bar) could not withstand the force and broke, causing the crane foundation to collapse onto the train passing below.

The committee found this was not a single worker's error but a systemic failure involving all parties:

Party 1: Contractor (Italian-Thai Construction Company)

1.1 Bypassed established procedures in the manual by failing to move the middle leg close to the front leg before operating the crane—a mandatory step in the work procedure. Site engineers and work supervisors admitted they regularly omitted this step.

1.2 Work commenced without authorization. The site engineer instructed the team to start at 08:00 without waiting for work approval and without notifying the supervising engineer, claiming the supervisor was late.

1.3 Failed to request train service closure. There was no notification to Thai Railways to suspend train operations while working above the railway tracks, despite the contract clearly requiring this. The only evidence found was a request for Window Time between January 20-30, which was after the incident date.

1.4 Failed to replace support steel on schedule. The construction supervision consultant (CSC) had circulated notices since 2023 requiring PT Bar support steel replacement every 60 operational cycles, but the contractor claimed not to know despite previous incidents in 2023 on the Rama II Expressway Project generating similar warning notices.

1.5 Failed to conduct crane safety inspections according to legal schedules every three months. Inspection cycles were found to be delayed, and certification documents only covered 1 of 4 lifting equipment sets that should have been inspected.

Party 2: Construction Supervision Consultant (CSC)

2.1 No full-time on-site engineer or safety officer. CSC's safety staff visited the site only 1-2 times per week, and the supervising engineer was not constantly present.

2.2 Clear behavioral violations were found: work approvals were signed in advance for multiple days at a time, and backdated signatures were found up to three weeks late. CSC management was aware but took no corrective action, constituting serious dereliction of duty.

2.3 The crane was never inspected throughout its operational period. Neither CSC engineers nor safety staff ever directly inspected the crane's condition and operating procedures, not even once.

Party 3: State Railway of Thailand (SRT)

3.1 Overloaded assignments. The project engineer supervising Contract 3-4 where the incident occurred was assigned to oversee five contracts simultaneously, while other contracts with more intensive oversight had one-to-one engineer assignments. As a result, Contract 3-4 received inadequate supervision.

On May 26, 2569 (2026), authorities reported developments in a shocking case in Nong Kung Kaew subdistrict, Sri Bun Rueang district, Nong Bua Lamphu province, following the death of a 12-year-old girl who was fatally assaulted inside a two-story wooden and concrete house. The girl's mother was also severely wounded by a machete attack.

Investigators found the body of the girl (identified as "A") inside the house bearing multiple sharp-force wounds across her body, undressed. Her 33-year-old mother (identified as "B") suffered severe cuts to the head and torso from a machete and was transported to Udon Thani Hospital. Police identified the suspect as 38-year-old Pornchai, the stepfather. A 15-inch blade was seized as the weapon used in the attack, and the girl's body was sent for autopsy at Loei City Hospital.

Later that day, more than 50 officers from Nong Bua Lamphu provincial investigation police and Sri Bun Rueang police escorted Pornchai to conduct a crime scene reconstruction. The atmosphere was tense as relatives and friends of the victim, who had been monitoring the situation, attempted to approach the suspect's vehicle, some pushing against the car doors while shouting angry insults. The commotion echoed throughout the area.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Bam, the victim's aunt, stood holding a photograph of her niece and confronted the suspect, declaring she would not forgive him in this lifetime or the next, before collapsing and requiring first aid assistance from relatives.

Police revealed that Pornchai has a criminal history, having been convicted in 2562 (2019) of attempted murder and sexual assault using violence. He was also arrested in 2568 (2025) in connection with possession of methamphetamine. After his release, he returned to live at the house before committing this horrific crime.

Initial charges filed against Pornchai include murder, illegal possession of Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine), and driving a motorcycle while under the influence of drugs, with additional charges being prepared based on case developments.

KO PHA-NGAN — A British man has been arrested after allegedly hitting a prominent Thai doctor with a motorcycle on Ko Pha-ngan and fleeing the scene, with cocaine found in his system following the incident.

The collision occurred at 21:21 on 23 May 2026 on the road between Ko Pha-ngan Hospital and Thong Sala, in front of Noppharat Furniture Shop, Moo 1, Ko Pha-ngan subdistrict, Surat Thani province.

The victim, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thirasak Kaew-Amatawong, a respiratory medicine specialist and lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, was struck while walking and left critically injured. Bystanders rushed him to Ko Pha-ngan Hospital before police arrived.

The suspect fled the scene immediately after the collision. Officers reviewed CCTV footage from the area and surrounding roads, eventually identifying and locating the man on a tour boat moored at Wok Tum pier, Moo 4, Ko Pha-ngan. He was found with multiple abrasions on his body.

The suspect, identified as Duncan Wilcock, 51, a British national, confessed to police that he was the driver. He then led officers to the motorcycle used in the incident.

A drug test found no alcohol in his system, but detected cocaine. Wilcock was immediately charged and remanded in custody. Investigators presented him to Koh Samui Provincial Court on the morning of 26 May to seek a detention order. Police opposed bail, citing the severity of the charges, the risk of flight as a foreign national without a fixed address, and concern that he could flee the country if released.

As of 26 May, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thirasak remains in a critical but stable condition at Bangkok Hospital Samui. His medical team and family were making arrangements to transfer him by Royal Thai Police Aviation Division aircraft to Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok for further treatment.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thirasak has long been known for his volunteer work supporting the Ko Pha-ngan community.

True Corporation has announced remarkable statistics for the 'Thailand Helps Thailand Plus 60/40' program registration, which launched on May 25, 2025. App usage across the country surged 1,864% compared to normal activity levels throughout the day, demonstrating overwhelming public enthusiasm from the opening minutes of registration. True's network and IT teams activated a War Room at the Business Network Intelligence Center (BNIC), deploying AI-powered Autonomous Network technology to manage the network 24/7 and ensure stable, efficient service delivery across the nation.

Peak usage occurred between 6:00-7:00 AM, followed by the 7:00-8:00 AM, 8:00-9:00 AM, 5:00-6:00 AM, and 9:00-10:00 AM time slots, indicating many citizens accessed the app before official registration opening at 6:00 AM. Geographically, Bangkok recorded the highest usage, followed by Chonburi, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, and Nonthaburi. By regional breakdown, the Central Region (including Bangkok and metropolitan areas) dominated usage, followed by the Northeast, South, North, East, and West regions respectively, reflecting widespread digital connectivity and service access across Thailand.

True Corporation prioritized digital connectivity for this critical government initiative by pre-deploying network capacity, upgrading 5G and 4G infrastructure, implementing intelligent traffic management with AI, optimizing bandwidth in high-density areas, and monitoring signal quality around the clock. The preparation and 24-hour War Room operations demonstrated True's capability to manage large-scale national digital services using AI and Autonomous Network technology, ensuring smooth app performance for both True and dtac customers throughout registration.