Back-to-school spending for 2025 has reached a historic high of 66.376 billion baht, but this is not a sign of economic recovery—it reflects the burden crushing Thai families. A survey by the Thai Chamber of Commerce's Economic and Business Forecasting Center makes clear that this spending growth doesn't stem from stronger purchasing power, but from unavoidable necessity.

A striking fact is that nearly half of parents blame increased expenses on rising commodity and fuel prices, which directly affect living costs across all fronts—from school transportation to basic school supplies. Although the Ministry of Education doesn't mandate buying new uniforms, many parents feel compelled to do so anyway, so their children don't miss out or feel inferior to their peers.

A troubling statistic: 27.1% of parents lack sufficient funds for back-to-school expenses and resort to various borrowing methods—from formal loans to selling assets, borrowing from relatives, and taking informal loans. Yet despite these growing burdens, parents refuse to cut back on education spending, believing it's the path for their children to transcend economic limitations, even if it means sacrificing other quality-of-life aspects like travel, consumption, or even food.

However, families depleting savings or cutting basic expenses to maintain their children's education is not a sign of a sustainable system—it indicates education costs have exceeded what households can bear alone. Parents are calling for government intervention through tax relief, direct subsidies, transportation assistance, and price controls on education-related goods. These are essential for ensuring Thai children have equal access to education. Back-to-school costs represent more than just economics; they're an indicator of household vulnerability and persistent inequality in Thailand's education system.

If the government leaves this burden solely on parents' shoulders, it allows education opportunity to become a private burden rather than a shared social responsibility. The time has come to seriously link education policy with economic policy to ease this burden and ensure that education—the foundation of national development—doesn't become an unbearable burden for Thai families long-term.

Honda Motorcycle is launching its "Riding Moments" test-drive event for the new Honda UC3 electric motorcycle throughout May, inviting residents of Rayong, Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, and Chachoengsao to experience a new way of traveling. Test riders will be able to experience the bike's real-world performance, including its agility, contemporary design, and comfort that perfectly suits daily life needs.

The free test-drive event runs from May 9-31, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM at four locations: - May 9-10 at Central Rayong - May 16-17 at Central Khon Kaen - May 23-24 at Central Chiang Mai - May 30-31 at Central Chachoengsao

Customers who place orders during the event receive special financing starting at just 2,560 baht per month, plus exclusive benefits including one year of free charging (up to 12,000 baht value at Honda EV Chargers), a three-year service package or 36,000 kilometers coverage, and three years of emergency roadside assistance. These special offers are valid for purchases made between now and May 31, 2025.

For more details and updates, follow Honda Motorcycle Thailand on their official page.

May 7, 2025 — The Thai Meteorological Department issued its fifth severe weather warning (54/2569) affecting Thailand through May 10, 2025. Northern, northeastern, eastern, and central regions, along with Bangkok and surrounding areas, will experience increased thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rainfall in some areas. Following this, cooler conditions are expected as high pressure systems and cold air masses from China move in to cover the northeastern region and South China Sea, with southerly and southeasterly winds bringing moisture from the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea into northern Thailand.

Eastern winds intensifying over the southern region and Gulf of Thailand will bring heavy rainfall to some areas in the south. Residents are urged to avoid outdoor exposure, staying away from large trees, weak structures, and unstable billboards. Be cautious of dangers from thunderstorms, strong winds, heavy rain, and accumulated rainfall that may cause flash flooding and flash floods.

Farmers should reinforce fruit trees and prepare to protect agricultural products and livestock from damage. Residents should also monitor their health during this period of changing weather conditions.

High-Risk Provinces: Northern Region (May 7): Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lampoon, Lampang, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Kamphaeng Phet, Uthai Thani, Phitsanulok, and Phetchabun. Northeastern Region: Loei, Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, and Yasothon. Central Region: Uthai Thani, Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Bangkok, and its metropolitan areas. Eastern Region: Nakhon Nayok, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Trat. Southern Region: Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, and Satun.

Moderate-Risk Provinces include Phichit (north), multiple northeastern provinces, central region provinces, eastern provinces, and southern provinces.

May 8 High-Risk Provinces include similar regions across the north, northeast, central, and eastern areas.

Residents should monitor updates from the Thai Meteorological Department via their website at http://www.tmd.go.th or call 0-2399-4012-13 and 1182 available 24/7.

Ford Thailand is intensifying its customer appreciation campaign in response to continued strong demand, while helping customers cope with current fuel price pressures through the special 'Ford PayDay' promotion. Eligible customers who order and take delivery of Ford Ranger pickup trucks or Ford Everest SUVs (excluding 2026 model year) between May 1 and June 30, 2025, will receive free fuel support worth 100,000 baht.

Ford remains committed to supporting customers by easing their financial burden. The 'Ford PayDay' campaign follows the previous fuel support promotion valued at 30,000 baht, which received strong customer response. The company has now increased the fuel subsidy value to 100,000 baht to provide maximum value and help reduce living expenses for both Ford Ranger pickup truck and Ford Everest multipurpose vehicle owners.

Promotion Details: Promotion Period: May 1 - June 30, 2025 for customers who order and take delivery Participating Models: All Ford Ranger and Ford Everest models (excluding 2026 model year) Benefit: Free fuel support voucher worth 100,000 baht (subject to company conditions)

Interested customers can inquire about participating models and campaign conditions at Ford showrooms nationwide, Ford's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fordthailand, or contact Ford Call Center at 1383.

The Bank of Thailand is pressing ahead with cuts to banking fees to reduce the burden on individuals and SMEs, with effects expected to take hold in July this year. Bank of Thailand Governor Vithai Ratanakorn disclosed that the Bank of Thailand is currently soliciting feedback on restructuring banking fee schedules to lower certain charges. Final impact assessments are expected to be completed this May, with official implementation anticipated in July or possibly within 2-3 months thereafter, depending on circumstances. This will ease financial pressures on retail customers and SMEs. Regarding progress on establishing virtual banks—with three entities having received licenses—preliminary assessments suggest two virtual banks could be ready to commence operations by year-end. Licensed operators must establish internal systems, IT infrastructure, risk management procedures, and complete organizational structures before launching official services. If unprepared, they may request extensions under existing criteria. Given the complexity of establishing a bank, extensions are permitted. Operators are scheduled to begin setup and launch services by June this year, but those not yet ready can request an additional one-year extension or until June 2027. Regarding ongoing news developments, all virtual banks are believed to be making genuine efforts to comply, though the Bank of Thailand must assess what is appropriate and submit recommendations to the Finance Ministry for further consideration. All virtual banks are believed to be committed to establishing operations and providing credit services in areas traditional banks have not yet reached. The overall credit landscape continues to contract, a contraction attributed to slower economic growth.

Both Bank Thiti's entertainment career and business operations are running at full throttle with no breaks. The young actor currently has a packed queue of film and television projects while managing a coffee shop business that has expanded to three branches. Though he admits it's tiring and hasn't returned his investment yet, he perseveres with support from family, his sister, and girlfriend Pimthana. Bank recently spoke at the GDH "Growing Together" concert rehearsal about his work, business, and love life.

How are things going right now? "It's pretty chaotic these days. I have two filming projects ongoing. There were projects from last year and this year has quite a lot as well—both films and series. I'm getting characters that involve deception and manipulation. After playing a charming con artist, we picked up some tricks."

Your youthful appearance hasn't held you back? "Actually, there might be some roles I can't take because they want someone more mature. What I can do is hit the gym to bulk up my physique."

Will we see a more cunning side of Bank in these two projects? "A bit older, playing a detective doing investigations. I think it changes with the times. As I mature, I get more diverse roles. It's challenging because the characters are further from my real personality. I've taken more acting classes to gain experiences I can use on set. I feel like this is a profession I genuinely love. I enjoy it all the time."

Don't you only take good guy roles anymore? "I do take them. Cunning exists even in good people. It's cleverness in surviving in this era."

How's the coffee shop business? "We now have three branches. Khon Kaen is our first location. The other two are in Bangkok—on Rama 4 and the latest one at Marketplace Thonglor. Anyone free should stop by. It might not be booming, but it has potential to expand and give Bangkok customers a chance to try our creations."

Many businesses have shut down—how are you sustaining yours? "My secret is putting things on paper first. We calculate the return on investment and cost-benefit before we start investing in each branch. Everything has problems. Ours involve staff turnover and unexpected issues like managing large teams or ensuring consistent quality across branches."

Is managing people the hardest part? "It's actually pretty headache-inducing, but I'm lucky my sister supports and helps. She runs the entire business, though when I have new ideas or menu items, I consult with her."

Will you raise prices? "Not right now. If anything, we might lower them. When we first opened, we didn't have business savvy, so we just set prices arbitrarily without proper calculations. But after recalculating, we can actually reduce prices to make our products more accessible."

Can you survive an economy like this? "It definitely impacts us, but we try to balance things to reach consumers at price points they're comfortable with."

Are customer numbers increasing or decreasing? "It depends on the location. Khon Kaen is stable. When there are graduation ceremonies or concerts in Khon Kaen, we get much more traffic than usual. Some days are quieter though."

Do you have a chance to work the bar yourself since you studied barista? "I'm constantly making adjustments in the back. I still adjust dosage and choose syrups in the back. I don't stand at the bar as much as I did when we first started.