Thailand week in review: Politicians bicker over cannabis legalization, Progressive liquor act fails by two votes, and more

Here is a look at the top NATIONAL stories, chosen by our Pattaya News/TPN National team, from last week, October 31st to November 6th. They are not in any particular level of importance but are listed in the order of date of publication.

Let’s get started and see what the top local stories were!

  1. The coalition Thai Democrat Party has threatened to scrap the Cannabis and Hemp Bill proposed by the coalition partner Bhumjai Thai Party after they said no amendments have been made to the bill.

The Democrat party also said they would push to completely make cannabis illegal in Thailand once again by labeling it as a category 5 narcotic if amendments were not made to the bill.

2. The opposition Move Forward Party (MFP)’s Progressive Liquor Bill, which seeks to amend the Excise Tax Act to liberalize the Thai liquor industry, failed twice in the 3rd reading in Parliament on November 2nd.

The regulations still prohibit the sale or distribution of liquor without meeting current stringent standards, produced for domestic consumption.

3. The Minister of the Interior says a proposal for foreigner land sales is ready to be cancelled if the Thai people don’t agree.

Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda responded that this issue is still in the Council of State process. The government might change some rules such as increasing investment to 100 million baht or the period to invest to be allowed to purchase land from three years to ten years. If people still do not agree, the law can be cancelled entirely.

4. The body of a 27-year-old Thai teacher who died in the Itaewon crush in Seoul, South Korea, during last Halloween has arrived in her hometown in Phetchabun province.

The Korean language teacher Ms. Natthicha Makaew, known as “Teacher Bambam,” was one of the 156 deceased victims who died in the Halloween stampede in the South Korean capital city Seoul on October 29th, 2022.

5. Several assets worth as much as 150 million baht, which police said belonged to a Chinese kingpin owner of an illegal nightclub in Bangkok’s Yannawa district, were confiscated by police.

Investigation officers tracked the condominium from a Rolls-Royce, which reportedly belonged to a Chinese man, 21-year-old Wang Zhen Nan, parked at Jin Ling nightclub.

Wang Zhen Nan entered Thailand on a tourist visa and had no criminal record, police said. He had flown his private aircraft out of the kingdom since October 26th via Phuket international airport and his current location was unknown.

And, that is all for this week. Thank you as always for reading the Pattaya News/TPN News!

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Goongnang Suksawat
Goong Nang is a News Translator who has worked professionally for multiple news organizations in Thailand for many years and has worked with The Pattaya News for more than four years. Specializes primarily in local news for Phuket, Pattaya, and also some national news, with emphasis on translation between Thai to English and working as an intermediary between reporters and English-speaking writers. Originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat, but lives in Phuket and Krabi except when commuting between the three.