Top National Thailand Stories From the Past Week: Visa Waiver for Chinese Tourists Approved, and more

1. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin presented the government’s new policies to Parliament on September 11th, dividing them into a two-phase plan to tackle Thailand’s economic and social challenges inherited from the previous administration.
2. The commander of a murdered highway policeman, Pol. Maj. Sivakorn Saibua, has reportedly shot and killed himself at a private residence in Pathum Thani Province, after being accused of calling the now deceased Pol Maj Sivakorn to attend the suspect’s dinner party.

Family, relatives, and colleagues from the Thai police force gathered yesterday at Wat Phra Si Mahathat in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district to hold a funeral for the late highway police officer, Pol. Maj. Sivakorn Saibua, who was shot dead by a gunman after refusing to comply with an illicit career promotion request by a village official.

The case continues to fascinate Thai media in particular.

3. The Thai Cabinet has officially approved a visa waiver to Chinese tourists along with Kazakhstanis today, September 13th, as well as a reduction in electricity and oil prices, as announced by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

Thailand may face an uphill battle in achieving the desired influx of arrivals from the Chinese mainland through its upcoming visa-free scheme, primarily due to several factors.

The waiver allowing Chinese tourists, and Kazakhstani tourists, to return to Thailand with limited paperwork starts in a matter of days.

4. A Grab driver has sustained severe injuries from bullet wounds after being shot by a minivan driver at the Samui International Airport.

Incidents between mobile app taxi drivers and “traditional” taxi drivers have escalated across the country since the end of Covid-19.