Suraskdit Firmly Commits to Eliminating 60-Day Visa Exemption with Stricter Screening Across All Categories, Prioritizing Quality Over Quantity Following Criminal Nominee Activities.

At 6:00 PM on May 11, 2025 at Government House, Mr. Suraskdit Puntcharoenvrakul, Minister of Tourism and Sports from the Bhumjaithai Party faction, revealed after attending a cabinet meeting that discussions have been held regarding the limitation of tourists entering Thailand following reports of Chinese tourists and influential individuals encroaching on national park areas.

When asked whether the free visa policy would require review, Mr. Suraskdit stated that a comprehensive review is necessary. The Prime Minister has ordered the establishment of a working committee to consider all visa types, not just tourist visas, but all categories that Thailand issues, including BOI visas for investments, student visas, and all other visa types.

Mr. Suraskdit further stated that Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilpraphan and relevant agencies will form a working committee to be appointed at tomorrow's cabinet meeting to study and review all visa types. He confirmed that the 60-day visa exemption will definitely be eliminated, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposing this to the cabinet for careful consideration as the Prime Minister is concerned about this matter.

When asked whether he is confident that eliminating the visa exemption will reduce the impact from tourists violating Thai law, Mr. Suraskdit said that not all cases involve tourist visas, and there are various categories including people who marry Thai nationals. Ultimately, all categories must undergo a review of consideration criteria, with the Prime Minister ordering stricter examination procedures.

Mr. Suraskdit continued that currently money alone cannot be used as a verification tool, making it necessary to examine other dimensions. Simply having money doesn't guarantee a visa, as financial status is not an indicator that a person will not cause problems for the country. This is why we must review all categories.

When asked whether people who obtained visas legally will be affected by this review, Mr. Suraskdit said he believes those who are correct and have not violated the law will not face problems. However, the consideration of various visa types requires review of duration, documentation, and submission criteria, which must all be reconsidered.

Mr. Suraskdit acknowledged that with changing circumstances, nominee crimes have infiltrated various visa categories and caused problems in the country. The Prime Minister has stated that we must now screen visa applications more carefully.

Mr. Suraskdit further stated that we will no longer focus solely on tourism volume but must emphasize quality over quantity. It is not about making entry easy to attract large numbers of tourists that increase revenue. The Prime Minister has instructed that visa consideration be more careful to enhance the overall quality of the tourism system.

At 4:30 p.m. on May 11, 2025, the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECSD) along with Chonburi Provincial Police conducted a raid on a luxury home in Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province following intelligence that a Chinese criminal group was illegally manufacturing electronic cigarette vaping pods.

Upon initial inspection, the property was a two-story single-family house covering approximately 100 square wah, surrounded by a 2-meter-high concrete wall with electric fencing. Officers were shocked to discover the residence had been converted into a vaping pod manufacturing facility, with the second floor partitioned into laboratory rooms. Police found multiple production machines for chemical synthesis, vaping pod components, and numerous chemical containers throughout the house. Officers are coordinating with the Crime Scene Investigation Police Division 2 for evidence processing.

Authorities successfully apprehended three Chinese nationals and are continuing their investigation. Local residents expressed alarm upon seeing the large police presence, noting they had always thought the house was unoccupied due to it being dark and having no visible foot traffic. They initially feared a serious crime had occurred. Neighbors were deeply shocked to learn the property had been converted into a drug manufacturing facility.

Reporters noted that the chemical production equipment and substances found match similar equipment seized by Bang Lamung Police from another location in Nong Pla Lai in mid-February 2025. Investigators are currently determining whether the two operations are connected.

BANGKOK — Several football legends from Liverpool and Manchester United were spotted enjoying pad Thai at the famous Thipsamai Pad Thai Pratu Phi restaurant in Bangkok over the weekend.

Photos shared by the restaurant's Facebook page showed former stars including Steven Gerrard, Claude Makelele, Michel Salgado, Quinton Fortune and Steve McManaman dining at the iconic eatery.

In the post, Thipsamai said it was honoured to welcome the world-famous football legends and thanked them for visiting and experiencing its "original pad Thai."

The restaurant also described the former players as friendly and encouraged football fans not to miss the "An Evening with Legends" event.

The visit came during the "Living Legends Football Festival 2026," held at UOB LIVE in EMSPHERE, where the five football stars met Thai fans during a special appearance event.

At 6:10 p.m. on May 11, 2026, at Government House, Nan Bunyathida Somchai, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy for Society, addressed questions about the Cabinet's consideration of World Cup broadcasting coverage. She noted that many countries are grappling with the high cost of World Cup broadcasting rights, and this isn't unique to Thailand—virtually every nation faces this expense issue.

When asked which agency would take the lead, Nan explained that authorities first need to determine whether a government or private agency should handle it. She pointed out that since the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has no mandatory requirement (Must Have provision) to broadcast the World Cup free-to-air—though a previous NBTC regulation required seven major national sporting events, including the World Cup and Olympics, to be broadcast free on television for public access—the situation remains fluid.

"With less than two months remaining, we need to see if anyone can acquire the rights cost-effectively," she stated. "For private sector involvement, the Cabinet has conducted preliminary inquiries. We need to wait and see how the responsible agency will approach the licensing fees."

When pressed on whether Thai citizens would have free access to World Cup matches, Nan said no final answer was available yet. She emphasized that the outcome depends on preliminary negotiations regarding how much government funding would be allocated. She urged patience while various agencies conduct their assessments and noted that no private companies have yet expressed interest in purchasing the broadcasting rights.

Muangthong United has issued an official statement after being relegated to Thai League 2 for the first time in 17 years, following a season where they earned just 26 points from 30 matches. Rather than viewing this as a final chapter, the club positions the demotion as a fresh starting point to rebuild a championship-winning team, pledging to keep their core squad of quality players intact while adding talented reinforcements to compete for the Thai League 2 title and secure promotion back to Thai League 1.

In their formal statement to fans and supporters, the club expressed deep regret for failing to meet their objectives this season, which has been described as a challenging year marked by team roster changes throughout the campaign. However, Muangthong United drew parallels to their remarkable rise from Thai League 3 in 2007 to becoming a cornerstone of Thai professional football, including winning the Thai League 1 championship. The club committed to maintaining their disciplined approach to team-building and pledged to work tirelessly to achieve the Thai League 2 title in the upcoming season and return to the top tier.

The statement concluded with a promise to fans and supporters that the club will move forward with determination, making improvements and developments across all aspects of the organization. Muangthong United expressed gratitude to those who have supported the team throughout their 19 seasons and reaffirmed their commitment to setting a positive example for Thai football while taking the next steps forward together.

On May 11, 2025, Luaworn Saengsnit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, revealed that the Revenue Department has reported on the government's old car trade-in program, which is part of measures utilizing funds from a 400 billion baht emergency loan decree. However, implementation is more complicated than initially thought due to the challenges of fairly valuing used vehicles with complex and detailed considerations, such as determining acceptable vehicle age. When older cars are the same age but in different condition, it becomes difficult to assign fair prices—whether 50,000 baht, 60,000 baht, or another amount. This requires careful handling to prevent expensive cars from receiving low valuations or cheap cars from receiving high ones.

Additionally, Thailand currently lacks a systematic process for disposing of scrapped vehicles and recovering their components, such as scrap metal and batteries. Officials must ensure that purchased old vehicles are actually dismantled properly and don't leak out of the disposal system.

"Based on reports from 2-3 weeks ago, the Revenue Department indicated that the project details are not straightforward because we don't want to create opportunities for officials to exercise discretion when evaluating individual vehicles," Luaworn stated. "If two cars are the same age but one is well-maintained while the other is neglected or a wreck, but they receive the same price, we don't want to implement a project lacking clarity and relying on official discretion."

Luaworn emphasized that transitioning to electric vehicles is an important goal for the Finance Ministry, but the program must proceed with clarity. Before the loan can be screened and approved, the plan must be clear. Lack of clarity could delay consumers' vehicle purchase decisions. The faster and clearer the program, the better. The Revenue Department is expected to submit revised project conditions for the Finance Ministry's consideration, and may even return with an improved alternative to the simple car trade-in model.