Thailand’s monarch confirmed a hawkish general as the country’s next army chief Thursday, a move that means the army is likely to act more decisively to prevent any repeat of demonstrations by supporters of former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra that transfixed Bangkok in April and May this year.

In the country’s recent turmoil, who heads the army has been a key flashpoint and King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s approval of Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, a staunch Thaksin foe, will make it harder for Mr. Thaksin to influence politics in his homeland and mobilize his followers, analysts say.

A bomb has exploded in the centre of the Thai capital, Bangkok, seriously wounding a security guard.

The blast, at a duty-free store, was just metres from the site of a recent grenade attack.

It is the third such incident within the past month, despite heightened security.

That Thai stocks are cheap shouldn’t surprise anyone. That Thailand’s stock market is Asia’s best performing? That might.

Thailand’s benchmark index is up 41% from a year ago, and more than 16% in the past three months—on both fronts a better performance than any other in the region. The gains offer a stark contrast to the mood in Bangkok in April and May when anti government protests and a military crackdown left about 90 dead, prompting foreign investors to sell nearly $2 billion of Thai stocks.

Prosecutors in Thailand have indicted 19 members of the anti-government Red Shirt movement on terrorism charges.

More than 90 people died and nearly 2,000 people were injured during the Red Shirts’ blockade of Bangkok earlier this year.

Authorities in Bangkok are tightening security after a number of warnings about possible bombings this month.

The government has warned residents to expect further random attacks.

The government says it has specific information that car bombs could be used and has named areas in the city that could be targeted. Royal and government buildings, the courts, and major shopping centres are among them.

What does a girl like to do most of all? Be romanced? Be wined, dined and treated like a Princess?
Yes, all of the above.

But it all takes a back seat when one thing is an option. Shopping! And Bipasha Basu is no exception. The lady was off on a shopping trip in Thailand recently. She went all over, but it was the shopping in Bangkok that excited her the most.

Travel & Leisure Magazine, which caters to the luxury travel market, has released its 2010 “World’s Best” list, with Bangkok voted by readers as the top city in the world, followed by Chiang Mai.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribathra received this award at The Trump Soho Hotel in New York on July 21, Thai News Agency reports Thursday.

Tourists in Bangkok are being warned not to buy food for street elephants or risk a 10,000 baht (310 dollars) fine in the latest clampdown on begging by owners of the animals.

The Thai authorities have repeatedly attempted to stamp out the problem of elephant handlers, known as mahouts, More >

The Thai government has extended the state of emergency in the capital, Bangkok, and 18 provinces due to lingering fears of anti-government protests leading to unrest.

Opposition groups had called for the emergency laws, More >

Certain areas of Bangkok remain at risk of attack or violent incidents and may continue under the state of emergency, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said yesterday.

The government had not decided whether other security measures, including imposition of the less draconian Internal Security Act, would be put in place should the state of emergency be lifted, he added.