Over 3.000 elephants are used for tourism in the country, more than anywhere else, almost all privately owned; the collapse of tourism during pandemic had a crucial impact on their owners, many of whom no longer earn enough to care for them

e-cigarettes and e-baraku (electronic hookahs) have been added to prohibited items for students, like traditional cigarettes; Ministry of Education enforced penalties, including warnings, probation, and behavioral interventions, to curb rising student use

The BMA launched Sarawat Choey AI, an AI-upgraded traffic police figure to detect violations like illegal parking, helmetless riding, wrong-way driving; it records data for officer review and was first deployed near a major shopping mall in Bangkok

A recent meeting of Thailand’s tripartite wage committee failed to reach a quorum, delaying discussions on raising the daily minimum wage to 400 baht, or $12.15; the meeting has been rescheduled amid concerns about the impact on small and medium companies

Iconic Tom Yum Kung prawn soup is set to be recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, Thailand’s fourth such listing with Khon masked dance (2018), Nuad Thai massage (2019), and Nora dance (2021)