Explainer: The pork smuggling racket costing Thailand billions in damages

13 Sept 13:51 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand is grappling with an industrial-scale pork smuggling racket, involving thousands of containers and causing an estimated 50 billion baht in economic damage, severely harming local farmers.
The illicit trade surged in 2021 following an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak that caused a domestic pork shortage and price hikes, allowing smugglers to profit from cheaper foreign pork that bypasses safety checks.
Smuggled pork, often low-quality, near expiry, or containing dangerous leanness-enhancing agents, poses significant health risks to consumers and threatens new ASF outbreaks among local pig populations.
High-level investigations into the racket have sparked controversy, including the unexplained transfer of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief after he pursued major distributors like Makro and voiced suspicions of government official involvement.

Examining Thailand’s four-part education revolution

Yesterday 14:22 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's Education Ministry is implementing a four-pronged strategy to address its students' below-average performance in PISA 2025 and tackle significant educational inequality.
The plan prioritizes closing performance gaps by increasing funding for small and low-income schools, overhauling the curriculum to foster critical thinking, and adopting a data-driven management system to reduce teacher workload.
Key initiatives include enhancing school safety, combating cyberbullying, and expanding mental health support through peer-to-peer networks, recognizing the severe impact of distress on academic performance.
An education expert advises verifying if PISA improvements stem from structural changes, advocating for a revived STEM curriculum with practical 'learn by doing' methods, and urging bureaucratic reform to link teacher evaluations to student development.