ATTA Criticizes Exit Fee Plan as Loss-Making, Urges Government to Invest in People Development

Adisorn Chairatananan, Secretary-General of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), has revealed that promoting sustainable tourism requires the government to abandon short-term revenue extraction from citizens' pockets and instead view Thais traveling abroad as diplomatic ambassadors and national negotiating assets. The proposed 1,000-baht exit fee should be abandoned, he argues, in favor of a concrete two-way tourism strategy—the only path to establishing Thailand as a genuine global tourism leader.

Chairatananan noted that Thailand, as a tourism-dependent economy, has historically focused on inbound tourism, with the inbound market currently three times larger than outbound tourism. However, the global tourism landscape has shifted, and one-sided marketing strategies are no longer sufficient. Policy implementation must promote reciprocal tourism exchange, a crucial strategy deserving greater government emphasis than restrictive measures like exit fees.

"Advancing two-way tourism strategy through elevating Thailand's role on the global stage and establishing balanced market exchange partnerships—where Thailand serves as both a receiver and sender of tourists—will upgrade our marketing position from mere seller to strategic partner with nations worldwide. This strengthens international negotiating power through a robust outbound tourism market, positioning Thailand more favorably for bilateral agreements such as visa exemptions or trade deals, all benefiting national image and economy overall," Chairatananan stated.

Chairatananan emphasized that travel represents investment in human capital and soft power, developing new generations' perspectives through experiential learning, worldview expansion, and innovation adoption to develop the country. Investing in citizens' international etiquette and quality tourism standards creates powerful soft power. When Thai tourists conduct themselves well abroad, they directly elevate Thailand's image globally.

The exit fee concept contradicts global negotiating power strategies and creates cascading ripple effects across multiple dimensions, potentially causing greater damage than anticipated revenue. Four major concerns include:

1. Airline cost structure crisis: Airlines depend on balanced load factors for outbound and inbound flights. Fewer Thai travelers means airlines absorb empty seat costs on outbound flights, forcing them to raise inbound ticket prices to compensate. Ultimately, this policy increases travel costs to Thailand and undermines Thailand's competitiveness in attracting foreign tourists.

2. Weakened negotiating power and diplomatic risks: The policy contradicts open-country and visa-free policies facilitating Thai passport access. An outbound tax barrier represents protectionist measures contradicting international tourism liberalization principles.

Tonight will see another team advance to the UEFA Champions League final as Bayern Munich continues their battle with defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout round.

Football Schedule May 6, 2026 UEFA Champions League Semifinals, Second Leg Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain This matchup will kick off at 2:00 AM with live coverage on beIN Sports 1. Bayern Munich from Germany will host at the Allianz Arena, welcoming Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning champion from France.

From their league phase, Bayern recorded 7 wins, 1 loss, and 21 points to secure second place, while PSG had 4 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses, and 14 points for 11th place.

In the knockout rounds, Bayern defeated Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate in the Round of 16, then beat Real Madrid 6-4 in the quarterfinals. PSG won their playoff match against Monaco 5-4, beat Chelsea 8-2 in the Round of 16, and defeated Liverpool 4-0 in the quarterfinals.

The two teams have met 16 times in European competitions, with Bayern winning 9 matches and PSG winning 7. In their first meeting this round last week, PSG won at home 5-4.

Bayern will be without Serge Gnabry due to a long-term injury and must assess the fitness of Tom Bischof, Lennart Kalle, and Raphael Guerreiro. However, coach Vincent Kompany will return to the sideline after serving a suspension.

PSG will miss Lucas Chevalier, Achraf Hakimi, and Gonçalo Inácio, all sidelined by injuries.

Bayern is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Manuel Neuer; Jošip Stanišić, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Alphonso Davies; Aleksandar Pavlović, Josua Kimmich; Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Luis Díaz; Harry Kane.

PSG will likely deploy a 4-3-3 formation: Matveij Safonov; Warren Zaïre-Emery, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Sheuão Neves, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz; Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé, Kvichã Kvaratskelia.

Both teams are expected to play attacking football and exchange blows as intensely as in the first leg. The outcome of this match could go either way, but Bayern's home advantage gives them a slight edge in winning chances.

As the investigation into the assassination attempt on Kamlasak Leewamae, a Nakhon Si Thammarat MP from the Thai Nation Party, progresses with scientific evidence, it becomes increasingly clear that the network behind the attack is filled with former and current government officials, using vehicles belonging to the government's Office of the Permanent Secretary for Defense. Initial attempts to create counter-narratives—questioning how the MP escaped without injury and suggesting the incident was staged—have been unsuccessful. Even regional military commanders have made statements that complicated the situation. However, the arrest of suspects has grown from five to seven individuals, confirming this was a genuine assassination plot, not a fabricated scenario. All those implicated by evidence are former or current government employees. Further arrests and identification of commanding officers will reveal the true motive behind this operation. Currently, it appears the attack on the MP was not personal or profit-driven, but rather politically motivated under the guise of security concerns or election-related interests. Meanwhile, state security units' information operations have been attacking the media, politicians, human rights activists, and particularly Islamic schools in Pattani since the shooting incident. Despite the Regional Command 4 commander's apology and the Defense Minister's emphasis on understanding and development through military-led political approaches, security units continue their divisive campaigns unchanged. This demonstrates an attempt to cover up the facts and reveals that authorities still rely on outdated military solutions to southern unrest, using approaches indistinguishable from extreme ideology or deliberate provocation.

The stock concealment case involving Saksiyam Chidchob, which many thought would be closed, has suddenly heated up again as the opposition applies strategic pressure, pushing the NACC to reconsider its ruling and launching a constitutional mechanism to investigate the anti-corruption agency itself.

The opposition challenges the NACC's decision to dismiss the complaint, arguing it contradicts the facts and contains significant loopholes. The Democratic Party has declared it will not let this matter pass easily, citing "new evidence"—a ministerial order requiring agencies to submit reports before procurement processes—which may constitute procedural interference linked to conflicts of interest.

The weight of this evidence lies in a critical question: Why didn't the NACC consider it from the start? Any oversight would directly damage the NACC's credibility.

Meanwhile, the Thai Rak Thai Party is urgently gathering signatures from parliamentary members—needing one-fifth, or 140 members, per Constitutional Article 236—to petition the National Assembly Speaker to forward the case to the Supreme Court for an independent inquiry into the NACC's performance.

The two major opposition parties are intensifying the game by fully deploying constitutional mechanisms. Crucially, their alliance with independent senators makes gathering 140 signatures entirely feasible. The question now becomes: How do the involved parties—the National Assembly Speaker and the NACC—view this development?

While many complex cases have historically faded from public attention over time, this round may prove different, with both the Democratic Party and Thai Rak Thai Party showing they won't back down easily.

Ultimately, whether the NACC reaffirms its original ruling, whether the National Assembly Speaker forwards it to the Supreme Court, will be a significant test. Given the current political pressure, the likelihood of this matter quietly disappearing is slimmer than many might have expected. This game promises to be a long one with many more rounds to follow.

A female teacher was startled when smoke suddenly poured from the air conditioning vent of her electric vehicle as she pulled up in front of a school calling for security assistance. Flames soon erupted from inside the smoke-filled car. Local residents quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher to spray the flames.

At 2:00 PM on May 6, 2025, Lieutenant Khrongsakdi Phonsri Sarawat from Ubon Ratchathani City Police Station received a report of an electric vehicle fire at the entrance to Pattanaudorn Developing Higher Education Preparatory School in Ubon Ratchathani province. Emergency responders and good Samaritans extinguished the fire with water before officers arrived to investigate.

Upon arrival, they found a blue electric car registered in Ubon Ratchathani province with burn marks on the left front section. The teacher owner, visibly shaken, explained she was dropping off a friend at school before heading home when smoke suddenly erupted from the air vent, prompting her to stop and call for help. Moments later, flames shot out from under the front hood. Witnesses brought a chemical fire extinguisher and water to help douse the flames before the fire truck arrived.

"This electric vehicle was purchased about three years ago and has approximately 70,000 kilometers on it. About a week before the fire, I had the battery serviced at an authorized center. Before the incident, the car was having difficulty starting, but I'm not sure what caused the fire to break out."

Preliminary investigation suggests an electrical short circuit inside the vehicle. Authorities plan to conduct a more detailed inspection to determine the definitive cause.

The Thai Go Association held its 2569 annual general meeting to report on the past year's activities and present policies for advancing Thai go in the coming period. The meeting was attended by founder Korsak Chairasmusit, president Vichai Chungvirojanpun, board members, and legal representative Chamorn Chamri from the Thai Sports Authority's Legal Department at the association's Seki Hall.

Founder Korsak Chairasmusit noted that the association began as a Go club on August 25, 1993, and was upgraded to association status in 2003. Over the years, it has continuously conducted go instruction, organized competitions, and promoted athletes to international competitions.

Go is recognized as a sport that develops critical thinking, analysis, planning, and discipline—essential skills for modern youth development. It also offers diverse career paths including teaching, professional playing, and establishing community go schools. Chairasmusit praised Thai go players' competitive abilities while emphasizing strict quality and standards. Thailand currently has over one million go players, reflecting the sport's steady growth.

President Vichai Chungvirojanpun outlined five strategic pillars: Population (increasing players), Network (expanding connections), Go Star (creating champions), Sponsor (securing funding), and Branding (building the go brand). The immediate focus is developing superstar players, as high-level competitors are limited. The association prioritizes youth players aged 6-15 through intensive training programs to increase skilled players at the amateur level, supported by go schools' crucial roles.

The key initiative is the Young Go Fast Track program, which recruits youth aged 6-15 with 1 Kyu or higher skill level for on-site training under professional go players' direct guidance to prepare for national and international competitions.

Nine-year-old Preem, a 1 Dan level participant, shared that she discovered go at a shopping mall, tried it, and fell in love with the game. After four years of play, she enjoys meeting friends and aims to reach 6 Dan. Nine-year-old Tara, also 1 Dan level, similarly tried the game and became passionate about it.