🗞️ Good morning! Administrative disarray overshadows Tuesday’s SEA Games opening ceremony. The afternoon alcohol ban is officially lifted. Check out an AMA on Reddit with the Bangkok Post editor.

📍 Tax season is here! If you spent 180+ days in Thailand this year, you’re a tax resident — regardless of your immigration status. Check out Soiciety’s Thai Tax Liability Checker to see if you may be liable for taxes here.

That’s the price per unit, in baht, for electricity from January to April 2026, the Energy Regulation Commission announced last week.

Why it matters: It’s a drop from the proposed price of 3.94 baht.

The backstory: The ERC approved the rate reduction, largely due to a more optimistic forecast for natural gas prices.

A 55-year-old Thai private school on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road is shutting its doors, exposing a sector-wide issue driven by a shrinking birthrate and a battered middle class.

Why it matters: This highlights a widening gap in the city’s education landscape. Mid-tier Thai private schools are buckling, while the international school market booms.

Driving the news: Patai Udom Suksa School, a long-standing kindergarten and primary institution, announced it will close next May. The school cited declining birthrate and liquidity problems after 60% of parents failed to pay tuition, some for many years.

Big picture: About 6% of Thai private schools closed between 2019 and 2024, according to the Office of the Private Education Commissions. An industry expert projects about 40 more private schools will close next year.

Yes, but… International schools are expanding, with 13% revenue growth and average margins of 10.2%. More are expected to open next year.

Between the lines: Analysts said international schools are insulating themselves from the demographic shift by targeting groups that aren’t price-sensitive: expats and wealthy Thais exiting the standard curriculum.

Meanwhile, Bangkok public schools are playing catch-up. The city recently rolled out its digital classroom initiative at all 437 schools, providing students access to Chromebooks via the Google for Education program.

What to watch: The gap between regular Thai schools and international schools will get wider. Expect Thai schools to pivot to bilingual or international programs to justify higher fees to survive.

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority picked Huai Khwang-Rama 9 to a Japanese-inspired development model, the agency’s deputy governor said.

Why it matters: Bangkok rail lines often lack integrated town planning. The MRTA aims to turn stations into economic hubs, not just transit stops. This also reduces reliance on ticket sales and government subsidies for the agency.

Zooming in: The area was chosen for its high potential as a future interchange between the Blue Line and the new Orange Line.

Big picture: The agency has been studying the work of the Urban Renaissance Agency and Tokyo Metro. The model allocates space as 85% commercial, 10% residential and 5% green space.

Flashback: Thai agencies have mulled this playbook before. An MRTA official told Isaranews that, unlike Japan, Thai projects often stall due to fragmented laws and conflicting political agendas in Bangkok.

Transportation and traffic officials want to convert the tunnel next to Kasetsart University on Ngamwongwan Road into a tollway.

Why it matters: Critics fear a toll will force budget-conscious drivers onto local roads, worsening the traffic at an already congested intersection.

Big picture: The Expressway Authority has been trying to add the missing link between the Si Rat Expressway and the Kanchanaphisek Expressway Road for decades. Original plans for an elevated expressway faced heavy opposition from the university over visual and environmental impacts.

Yes, but… Local backlash is mounting quickly, with the Kasetsart community warning against even more congestion. They urged the government to prioritize building the Brown Line monorail or build a fully underground highway instead.

What’s next: This plan still needs to go through a public hearing and environmental review process. Expect protests from the university, which could delay the plan.

Pathumwan District Office says it will begin the demolition process for the Aetas hotel and residence complex in Soi Ruamrudee Dec. 15, marking an end to one of its longest-running property disputes following a court ruling.

Why it matters: It sets a safety precedent for narrow sois. The courts ruled the high-rises are illegal because the soi street is too narrow (less than 10 meters wide) for fire trucks.

Catch up quickly: The demolition order first came more than a decade ago, after a 2014 court verdict. Legal appeals and bureaucratic delays allowed the owners to stall enforcement until now.

Big picture: The Thailand Consumers Council warns there are more than 60 other high-rises across the city that violate similar narrow-road regulations.

Got an unsightly patch you need to cover up, but the thought of expensive repairs is daunting? Bangkok Snow Removal has a better idea: vibrant canvas prints to immediately brighten your space.

The deal: For the next two weeks, you can cover that mark and add a splash of color for less with 50% off using the code BSRCanvas2025. This brings a medium print (20×30 cm), including domestic shipping, down to 250 baht and a large print (30×40 cm) to 450 baht.

Why it matters: You can mix and match themes — from winter sports to iconic Bangkok scenes — in sizes up to 1×1.5 m. as BSR offers advice on framing options to ensure your prints fit perfectly in your space.

🔎 What to do: View the full catalog here. Enter BSRCanvas2025 at checkout. (If the system doesn’t immediately show the discount, complete the order without payment; the team will follow up to confirm the final cost.)

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📧 Reach me at [email protected].