The biggest stories to follow in the next week in Thailand news: Election campaigns heat up, Songkran coming, and more

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The following is our weekly feature in which we take a look at the top developing stories and things to follow over the next week. We are focusing on what is happening for the first week of April 2022, ending April 9th, 2022.

As we publish dozens of stories a week, this allows our readers to get a quick glimpse of the most important stories taking place in Thailand and Pattaya and to monitor and follow for the week ahead, as chosen by our editorial team. Let’s get right into it with the biggest news of the week and what important stories to follow and look for this week that are likely to see further developments:

1. Election campaigns heat up in Pattaya and Bangkok

You may have noticed trucks with loudspeakers driving around the past few days and signs popping up around Pattaya. The same goes for Bangkok. It’s election season and the first mayor election in Pattaya for a decade roughly, due to the previous military coup.

Bangkok has over a dozen candidates for Mayor but Pattaya has four, three representing various parties and one independent.

Former appointed mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem decided not to personally run for election but as he leads the We Love Pattaya political party, which is fielding Poramase Ngampiches as their candidate, the former vice minister of culture, he is still involved, although more in the background.

The election is sure to be a major focus next week and for the next month and a half leading to election day on May 22. We will continue to give regular updates to our readers here. Even though our foreign readers can’t vote, it’s guaranteed to be of interest as the recovering economy, road projects, covid restrictions, and more will need solid leadership.

2. Songkran is coming but it will look very different this year

We are now in April and that means Songkran is coming, Thailands biggest festival and New Year.

However, for the third year in a row due to Covid-19 concerns, the Thai government has banned “fun” activities like water fights, foam parties, powder, wild street festivals, massive concerts, and more.

This means the event will be mostly only religious and ceremonial events with strictly no alcohol. That being said, it is still certain to be a major deal for Thai people as millions will go home for the holiday, the single biggest migration of the year.

Speaking of holidays, Wednesday, April 6th is Chakri Day. This is not an alcohol free day but government offices, including Immigration, will be closed.

That’s all for this week. Stay safe and take care of yourselves see you next week!

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/