Prime Minister Anutotin Charnvirakul presented three ASEAN strategies during the 48th ASEAN Summit informal retreat session (Retreat Session) on May 8, 2025, at the Shangri-La Mactan hotel in the Philippines. Following the meeting, government spokesman Ratchada Thanadirek disclosed the key points:

The Prime Minister emphasized that discussions confirmed a shared understanding that global conditions are rapidly changing. Events in the Middle East are not isolated crises but part of an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world. The international order and multilateral system that nations have long relied upon are undergoing significant transformation, and the world will never be the same. This is a reality all countries must confront together.

For ASEAN, long-held regional principles—including dialogue, restraint, and peaceful dispute resolution—can no longer be taken for granted but require deliberate reinforcement. The Prime Minister stressed that ASEAN cannot maintain a passive posture but must actively respond to various challenges with greater agility and foresight.

The Prime Minister presented three strategic approaches for ASEAN:

1. Strengthening Regionalism: ASEAN's strength lies in unity, but unity does not occur automatically. Member states must transcend narrow national interests, prioritize regional common interests, and take concrete coordinated action. Practically, ASEAN must develop more efficient coordination mechanisms and decision-making processes, as rapid and unified action during crises is critical. With challenges becoming increasingly interconnected, ASEAN regionalism must be more integrated and comprehensive.

2. Resilience: The core is maintaining ASEAN Centrality, which requires member states to keep ASEAN at the center of their foreign policies. Resilience also means managing tensions before they escalate into crises. ASEAN retains strength in promoting comprehensive dialogue with all parties, supported by stronger and more concrete ASEAN mechanisms for crisis coordination and cooperation that build trust and reduce tensions.

3. Relevance: ASEAN must maintain its status as a trusted and reliable partner to the international community, engage with regional challenges, and work with like-minded partner countries to support multilateralism and a rules-based international order. Ultimately, ASEAN's relevance depends on delivering concrete improvements in people's quality of life, economic opportunities, and well-being through regional and economic integration.

The Prime Minister also addressed the situation in Myanmar as a critical test case for ASEAN.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pornpisun Promsivapallab, Dean of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism at Phuket University, reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the faculty's success, which represents both pride and responsibility as the Hospitality & Leisure Management program earns international recognition and advances toward the global TOP100 ranking by 2026.

Dr. Pornpisun emphasized, "I want to stress that this success doesn't come from any single individual's efforts, but rather from the collective commitment of all stakeholders—the university, administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, industry partners, and both domestic and international collaborators. This represents both our pride and our responsibility. Now that we've achieved global recognition, the most important thing is to maintain these standards and continue developing them without pause."

This achievement marks tremendous pride for the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism at Songkhla Nakharin University's Phuket campus, as it clearly reflects that the faculty's continuous quality development across all dimensions has gained concrete international recognition. For the faculty, this success means achieving academic quality recognition from the academic community both domestically and internationally, as well as recognition for graduate quality from the hospitality and tourism industry—something the faculty is immensely proud of because it has consistently emphasized both academic excellence and graduates' practical workplace readiness.

The faculty has also demonstrated its ability to develop internationalization and international-standard quality across all organizational aspects, including curricula, teaching and learning, research, faculty development, collaborative networks, and academic contributions to international platforms. At the national level, this achievement shows that Thailand possesses not only strong tourism and service resources but also the potential to develop educational institutions capable of producing high-quality human resources, generating knowledge, and elevating Thailand's tourism and service industry standards to international recognition.

Key factors enabling the faculty to achieve world-class recognition include systematic and continuous quality development across multiple dimensions. Starting with a clear vision toward international standards in academia, professionalism, and industry linkages, the faculty has seriously prioritized faculty development, research, and academic work by integrating research-derived knowledge, international experience, and industry collaboration into modern, practical teaching. The faculty has implemented high-impact international projects, achieved international curriculum accreditations such as TEDQUAL and AUN-QA, and promoted faculty development in academic competencies and international teaching standards like UKPSF.

Another crucial factor is creating genuine internationalization through diverse students and faculty, exchange programs, Double Degree Programs, invitations for world-class visiting professors, and positioning the faculty as a Hub of Global Experts in Hospitality and Tourism. Simultaneously, the faculty maintains strong collaboration with businesses and the tourism and service industry, ensuring curricula and teaching align with current industry needs.

Haze and PM2.5 dust in Northern Thailand remain a major challenge affecting both public health and tourism. Addressing this issue requires serious and sustained cooperation from all sectors.

One innovative and well-received initiative is the 'Leaf-for-Egg Market' in San Kamphaeng District, Chiang Mai Province, which successfully integrates environmental conservation with community lifestyle.

This simple idea, developed through collaboration between San Kamphaeng District and Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF), which operates chicken farms in the area, invites residents to exchange dried leaves for fresh eggs, helping reduce burning and PM2.5 dust. The dried leaves are converted into compost distributed to the community, while also helping reduce household expenses.

The 'Leaf-for-Egg Market' creates community participation among San Kamphaeng residents, held every Wednesday from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at the San Kamphaeng District Office from March 4 to May 27, 2025, under the slogan 'San Kamphaeng doesn't burn; bring dried leaves to exchange for eggs; smoke and forest fires stay far away; everyone breathes easy.'

Already in its tenth week, the activity remains vibrant. Residents queue from morning with dried leaves collected from homes and gardens to exchange for eggs at a rate of 2 kilograms per egg. Daily exchanges are limited to 20 kilograms (10 eggs) per person.

During the event, Siva Thamikanan, Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai Province, and Kanesh Kamnan, San Kamphaeng District Officer, launched the market and conducted leaf-processing activities to add value, including producing leaf plates and compost from leaf waste. The District Agricultural Office handles production before distributing to residents for agricultural use, reducing costs and improving soil health long-term.

San Kamphaeng residents report the initiative delivers 'more than expected'—reducing burning in the community while cutting household expenses on eggs for cooking. Many hope the program continues.

What were once dried leaves awaiting burning have become a small but powerful community force, reducing PM2.5 and air pollution while demonstrating that small behavioral changes can create genuine positive environmental impact.

The Bank of Thailand (BoT) has announced it is extending the relaxation of LTV (Loan-to-Value) lending standards for an additional year, effective from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, allowing homebuyers to secure mortgage loans at 100% of the property's appraised value across all contract types and price ranges to stimulate the real estate sector.

The BoT revealed on May 8, 2026 that it is preparing to announce the temporary extension of lending guidelines for residential mortgages and related credit (LTV standards) for one more year, expanding the timeline from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. This measure aims to support the real estate sector and stimulate employment across related supply chains.

The BoT observes that the real estate market continues to experience slowdown with high inventory levels. Additionally, the sector faces mounting pressure from geopolitical risks, particularly the Middle East conflicts, which impact construction costs, buyer demand, and confidence among both households and businesses—potentially causing severe contraction and slow recovery in the real estate sector.

Key Details of the LTV Relaxation: The new standards will apply to loan contracts executed from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 with the following provisions:

- The LTV ceiling is set at 100% for all cases, whether for residential properties valued below 10 million baht or 10 million baht and above, covering first, second, and subsequent mortgages - For residential construction on unencumbered land owned by the borrower, the 100% LTV ceiling also applies - For first mortgages with collateral value below 10 million baht, additional related credit may be extended up to 10% of the collateral value - The directive applies to all financial institutions including commercial banks, finance companies, and specialized financial institutions (SFIs) such as Government Savings Bank, Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), Government Housing Bank (GHB), SME Bank, EXIM Bank, and the Small Industry Credit Guarantee Corporation

The BoT expects financial institutions to maintain sound credit underwriting standards aligned with responsible lending principles, exercising prudence without encouraging excessive household debt or speculative activity in the real estate market.

The BoT is confident that this relaxation will not significantly increase systemic financial risk, as financial institutions remain cautious in lending amid tight financial conditions, and there are currently no unusual signs of speculative behavior.

Mazda is helping ease the financial load for customers with special discounts on spare parts—15% off general repairs and 10% off periodic maintenance checks. Starting March 31, 2025, Nai Saravut Bunyonkul, Chief Operating Officer of Mazda Sales (Thailand) Limited, announced that Mazda is committed to becoming a leading brand delivering the best customer experience at all levels through the Mazda Signature Experience program. The company has already standardized labor and maintenance costs nationwide and now recognizes significant economic uncertainty affecting customers' expenses. To support customers bringing their vehicles in for service, Mazda is offering special spare parts discounts: 15% off general repair parts (excluding accident repairs) and 10% off periodic check parts (excluding engine oil, other fluids, tires, and batteries). This campaign is a special privilege for Mazda Family customers holding Mazda Premium Insurance (MPI) policies, enabling them to receive expert technical maintenance at Mazda-certified service centers using genuine parts with 100% assurance of quality and safety. Additionally, customers undergoing general repairs at Mazda service centers nationwide can choose to pay in 0% installments for up to 10 months until September 30, 2026. "Mazda remains committed to elevating the comprehensive customer experience so that Mazda vehicles deliver happiness behind the wheel and throughout the customer's lifestyle," said Nai Saravut. Mazda Premium Insurance is a service product under the Mazda Family Care umbrella, providing peace of mind throughout vehicle ownership with comprehensive coverage from standard Mazda repair and painting centers staffed with expert technicians using certified equipment and guaranteed 100% genuine parts.

BamBam and TEN created a landmark moment at K-Pop Masterz 2026 BamBam & TEN SPECIAL LIVE in BANGKOK when the two internationally acclaimed Thai artists took the stage together on Sunday, April 26th at Sirikit Convention Center, Halls 1-2.

TEN opened the show to thunderous screams from the "Lovely" fan club. He kicked off with "Enough For Me" and "BAMBOLA," greeting fans warmly and charmingly before performing "Dangerous." During the break, TEN engaged in banter with DJ Nooy, the event's host, and participated in a dance challenge. His charming performance had the Lovely fans cheering enthusiastically.

The performance continued with fan requests for cute gestures, which TEN executed perfectly, delighting the fans. He closed his set with "Waves," "Lie with You," and "STUNNER."

BamBam took the stage with a stylish flair, opening with "Thank You Come Again," "Wheels Up," and "Dancing by Myself." He greeted the "Aagasae" fan club with energy. The crowd roared as BamBam performed "Angel in Disguise," "Pee Mai Lot Luang," "More Than Friend," and "Wondering"—four songs that fans sang along to with full force.

During the casual chat segment with DJ Nooy, BamBam participated in a quick-draw challenge where he had just 10 seconds to sketch something for fans to guess. Fans deliberately gave wrong answers so BamBam would receive forfeit penalties, including wearing angel wings, a crown, and cat paws. He good-naturedly accepted and modeled the props, earning huge laughs and cheers from both mother fans and regular supporters. BamBam then continued with "Python," "Air," and "Ribbon."

A touching surprise moment came when TEN brought out a birthday cake on stage, sang "Happy Birthday" and offered advance birthday wishes to BamBam. It was a warm and endearing moment, and both artists expressed their hope to collaborate again in the future.

K-Pop Masterz 2026 BamBam & TEN SPECIAL LIVE in BANGKOK proved to be a highly anticipated concert, bringing together Thai K-pop artists who have achieved global success on a single stage. This was no ordinary concert—it was a phenomenon that reinforced the capabilities of Thai artists on the global K-pop stage and created unforgettable memories for Thai fans.

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