🗞️ Good morning! Khlong Saen Saep boat fare rose by 1 baht. Bangkok Planetarium will close next week for an eight-month renovation. Wise became the first non-bank to secure five regulatory licenses in Thailand.

📢 A quick note: To clarify our previous MRT card story, the MRTA confirmed that student/senior discounts for Mangmoom EMV cards apply only to Thai citizens.

City Hall is targeting 16,341 food establishments across all 50 districts for grease trap inspections through May.

Why it matters: Restaurant grease buildup clogs drains and worsens street flooding during the rainy season. The city calls proper wastewater management critical to keeping streets dry.

Go deeper: Restaurants must install grease traps, clear food waste daily and dispose bagged fat with general waste instead of washing it down the sewer.

“Diesel out” signs and long lines are popping up at Bangkok gas stations. The oil isn’t gone; domestic retail price caps have created a delivery bottleneck.

Why it matters: Delivery logistics, public transport and supply chains run on diesel. Prolonged disruptions could mean delayed packages, pricier groceries and slower services.

Driving the news: The government capped retail diesel at 33 baht per liter — but wholesale prices remain more than 10 baht higher. This disparity pushes industrial fleets to bypass wholesalers and drain local retail stations.

Yes, but… Inspections by members of the Parliament found stations receiving 30% to 50% less fuel than normal, with outer Bangkok stations running out as early as 8:30 a.m.

What’s next: Authorities have greenlit 24/7 fuel deliveries to restock empty stations faster. Officials urged the public not to panic-hoard fuel.

The bottom line: Thailand’s Oil Fuel Fund, which subsidized local prices, is bleeding tens of billions of baht and can’t bridge the gap. Besides the current diesel cap, prices of other types of fuel are expected to keep rising.

🗺️ Check out PumpRader to see your local station’s status.

All 437 public schools in Bangkok are banning students from using mobile phones and digital devices during class.

Why it matters: The administration is targeting students’ short attention spans, reduced social interaction and sedentary habits.

How it works: Devices are strictly for directed learning. Phone-free areas will be established for well-being, like during lunch breaks. There will be monitoring systems to prevent access to inappropriate content in school.

Zooming out: Bangkok joins a growing global wave against classroom distractions, following localized or national device restrictions in the U.K., Spain, Belgium and the U.S.

Yes, but… The latest science says the results of these bans are mixed. For instance, a study from the University of Birmingham found that school phone bans don’t actually improve student grades, physical health or mental well-being.

Reality check: Bans aren’t a silver bullet for screen addiction, researchers say. Taking phones away entirely misses the opportunity to teach students how to navigate a tech-filled world responsibly.

The Netherlands is selling its 20-rai embassy complex on Wireless Road. The mission will relocate to a 22nd-floor office in Dusit Central Park in August, despite pushback from the local Dutch community.

Why it matters: The property, featuring green space and a century-old ambassador’s residence, is in one of Bangkok’s most expensive real estate zones. An expert estimates its value at 3 million to 3.5 million baht per square wah.

Between the lines: Bangkok’s zoning designates the area for commercial development, allowing a maximum floor area ratio of 10 to 1. That means buyers can build up to 10 times the land’s size. Analysts expect a mixed-use project at the site.

Yes, but… More than 1,300 people have petitioned to halt the sale, calling it a “short-sighted” grab for temporary profit. They fear losing a cultural site, pointing to the former British Embassy, which was sold and demolished to make way for the Central Embassy.

The Dutch Association of Thailand expressed sadness and criticized the sale process for a “lack of transparency” and zero public input.

The Mall Group is spending 1.2 billion baht to transform the aging The Mall Ramkhamhaeng into “1981 Soul & Sold,” a new cultural and lifestyle hub.

Why it matters: Like other retail chains, the project pivots away from traditional retail toward a community-centric space blending culture, interactive experiences and shopping. This location, opened in 1981, was also The Mall’s first branch.

What to expect: Developers envision a curated cultural platform — a melting pot of local arts, resale shops, experiential pop-ups and community-driven events that steer clear of usual mall chains. It plans to open later this year.

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