Chinese foreign travel has increased tenfold since 2003 and underwriting other Asian tourism industries which have been hit hard by the virus.

For more than five decades, Japan was the largest investor in the southeast Asian nation, but the US-China trade war, belt and road-linked projects and Thai government incentives have conspired to see Chinese investors take the top spot.

About 30,000 rapes are reported every year, says Treerat Sirichantaropas. He says prison terms aren’t working, but giving a release to sexual urges might – though a women’s group has dismissed his call as ‘irrelevant’.

During the Lunar New Year travel rush, more than 300,000 Chinese visitors are expected in Thailand, raising concerns about the Sars-like virus spreading.

Man in Wuhan, 69, dies two weeks after being admitted to hospital, while Thai authorities report their second infected patient.

It is the second case outside China after a diagnosis in Thailand. Vietnam has placed two men in isolation and Indonesia has intensified airport screenings.

Woman, 61, the first confirmed case outside China, could have caught the virus in Wuhan at other markets, which she was understood to have visited.

Firms like spa chain Let’s Relax and flavoured-seaweed maker Tao Kae Noi have headed to China after becoming a hit with visitors from the mainland

The cafe owner posted on social media that he would sell the seat, glass and spoon she had used, which attracted seedy comments.

Airbnb says it generated US$1.1 billion in direct economic impact to the Thai economy last year, but hotel operators are not happy, with some even launching their own platforms.

Uncertainty over the fate of Future Forward has led observers to warn of the return to street politics in Thailand, but the leader says Hong Kong-style protests are not the solution.

Tens of thousands of Catholics are expected to gather in Thailand to see the pope, including those from China, India, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Thailand was once the world’s top rice exporter but it has been hit by a triple whammy of unrest in Hong Kong, competition from China and a strong baht.

Washington says it will impose taxes on Thai imports – supposedly in a stand on workers’ rights. Critics say it’s just another ploy from Trump’s playbook.

Thailand, the world’s largest rubber producer, has seen its exports plummet as the tariff war between Washington and Beijing rages on.

Thailand’s universities may rank below their counterparts in the US and Singapore, but lower costs and entry standards can still give them the edge. But while their popularity is increasing, complaints of exploitation are also on the rise

The princess’ relationship with China goes back almost four decades, and has helped bolster ties between the countries. She will be one of six recipients of the medal bestowed as the People’s Republic celebrates its 70th anniversary.

Bangkok hopes tax breaks in its Thailand Plus stimulus package will lure Chinese firms fleeing Trump’s tariffs. Doubters say it will still struggle to outshine its low-labour-cost neighbour Vietnam.

Chinese foreign minister hails ‘important step’ after meeting Asean counterparts in Bangkok but warns other countries against ‘sowing distrust’.

Washington downgraded ties with Bangkok after junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha’s 2014 coup. But with the US looking for allies in the region against an increasingly assertive China, has everything been forgiven?

Chinese tourists account for more than a quarter of all Thailand’s foreign visitors, but their numbers were down by 5 per cent annually in the first six months. Meanwhile, the baht appreciated 12 per cent against China’s yuan.

Such a deal could save the kingdom US$1 billion a year on import tariffs to the European bloc, experts say. But Chinese bicycle manufacturers relabelling their products ‘Made in Thailand’ and an EU-led crackdown on the Thai fishing industry look to be stumbling blocks.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s cabinet was on Tuesday sworn in, stacked with loyalists from the junta era follows nearly four months of political wrangling since the election on March 24.

A deadly ferry disaster last summer saw visitor numbers from China, which had been increasing every year, begin to level off. So Thai tourism officials are now turning their attention to the world’s second most populous country.

The pictures were taken in the past week as the billionaire politician was travelling on a Thai Airways flight with his family. One photo shared on social media shows him and a female flight attendant with the caption ‘can I iron your shirt?’

Long-time backers of the coup leader turned premier have been rewarded with top jobs, but critics say the appointments have been made for the sake of stabilising the ruling coalition, not for the good of the nation.

Prawit Wongsuwon, who is also the defence minister, has become a lightning rod for public suspicion of military leadership after he failed to declare 25 luxury watches as assets.

With a film and a miniseries about the dramatic cave rescue in the works, the Thai government and parents of the Wild Boars soccer players are working to shield the boys from the limelight.

The back door deals within the coalition that helped the premier transition from military chief to civilian leader have erupted into internal squabbling that analysts say will also negatively affect the kingdom’s economy.

More people from Thailand are flocking to South Korea – and the lure of higher wages is driving Thais to share tips with friends back home on how to work in the East Asian country without a permit.