Partners with Euro Creations to Showcase Global-Standard Design Under the Concept The Innovation Luxury Outdoor Living
“Royal Botania,” the renowned luxury outdoor furniture brand from Belgium, is strengthening its presence in Thailand with a full-scale introduction of its elevated outdoor lifestyle offerings. The brand announced its official partnership with Euro Creations, marked by the exclusive event “Royal Botania x Euro Creations: The Blue Hour Garden”. The showcase reflects the concept The Innovation Luxury Outdoor Living and unveiled iconic design pieces in a serene outdoor garden setting at the Euro Creations Thonglor Soi 5 showroom on 6 November 2025.
Francis Vanbellen, Senior Executive Royal Botania Asia (RBT Asia), shared:
“Royal Botania was founded on a passion for combining design artistry with meticulous craftsmanship under the concept Innovation Luxury Outdoor Living. Our goal is to create outdoor furniture that not only meets functional needs but also elevates one’s lifestyle—bringing refined comfort, aesthetic pleasure, and a new dimension to outdoor living.
Today, we are ready to introduce Innovation Luxury Outdoor Living to discerning outdoor-living enthusiasts in Thailand. We believe that our partnership with Euro Creations—an organization that understands the value of design and luxury—will enable Royal Botania to seamlessly connect with Thai customers and designers, and further strengthen the luxury outdoor furniture market in this region.”
BANGKOK, THAILAND – TDS Thailand, a fast-growing provider of innovative home electronics, today announced a strategic roadmap for 2026, positioning the company to become one of Thailand’s leading home appliance brands within the next three years.
The vision is spearheaded by Founder and CEO, Thandar Soe, a visionary entrepreneur and female leader recognized for building strong commercial bridges between Myanmar and Thailand. Following a year of explosive digital growth, Thandar Soe, (recognized as
“Top 10 Leaders of Myanmar” by CEO Insights Asia Magazine), is driving TDS Thailand’s expansion based on a dual mission: to modernize Thai households through accessible technology and foster cross-border economic connectivity.
The 2026 strategy for TDS Thailand is built upon three interdependent pillars designed to secure market leadership and long-term growth: scaling digital sales will aggressively leverage the successful 2025 digital-pivot by expanding across key e-commerce platforms such as TikTok, Shopee, and Lazada; forging strong retail partnerships will establish TDS Thailand as a recognizable and trusted household name synonymous with reliability and forward-looking technology; and finally, investing in local talent will ensure sustainability by launching dedicated skill-development and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at nurturing the next generation of professionals within the retail and technology sectors.
“TDS Thailand is dedicated to empowering Thai households by blending world-class appliance technology with an understanding of local needs and a commitment to sustainability,” commented Thandar Soe. “Our goal is to seamlessly integrate innovation into the Thai home, making it accessible and efficient. As we expand our footprint in the Kingdom, we are prioritizing investment in local talent, fostering mutually beneficial partnerships, and actively supporting the continued growth of the Thai economy.”
TDS Thailand’s accelerated growth and strategic expansion into the Thai market are effectively supported by the operational strength of the Myanma Pivot Group, a well-established conglomerate with core competencies in logistics, construction, and manufacturing. Committed to elevating the quality of life, its slogan ‘Make Your Home Perfect’, directly addresses the consumer trend in Thailand that prioritizes simplicity, convenience, and time-saving features in their purchases.
TDS Thailand is a premier provider of electronic home appliances and modern living solutions. Bridging the expertise of Myanmar’s commercial landscape with Thailand’s dynamic consumer market, TDS is dedicated to delivering quality, innovation, and service to homes across the region.
Transforming Every Square Meter into Happiness and Featuring a Star-Studded Lineup Set to Deliver Unmatched Experiences
Siam Paragon, a global landmark destination that also ranks among the world’s most highly regarded and loved by visitors, continues to lead in delivering exceptional experiences that surpass expectations. This year, the iconic destination is hosting “Siam Paragon 20th Anniversary: A Journey of Extraordinary Dreams,” transforming every corner into a vibrant kingdom of happiness, featuring continuous entertainment, special performances, and spectacular surprises from Thailand’s top artists. The celebration is taking place from November 29–30, 2025.
The grand opening ceremony on November 29, 2025, welcomed an impressive gathering of business partners, distinguished guests, and celebrities who came together to witness the beginning of Siam Paragon’s new decade. Leading executives of Siam Paragon—including Khunying Jada Wattanasiritham, Ms. Supaluck Umpujh, Ms. Pasinee Limatibul, Ms. Kritsana Umpujh, Ms. Katevalee Napasab, Mr. Suvait Theeravachirakul, Ms. Chadatip Chutrakul, Mr. Kriengsak Tantiphipop, Mr. Prakid Punyashthiti, and Mr. Armando Tolomelli—were also in attendance. The event unfolded in a festive atmosphere filled with joy and unforgettable moments.
In this aerial photo taken using a drone, people are seen making their way on a muddy road at a village affected by a flash flood in Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
BATANG TORU, Indonesia (AP) — Emergency crews raced to reach survivors and recover more bodies Tuesday as the death toll from last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides surged past 1,300 in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with more than 800 people missing.
Days of heavy monsoon rains inundated vast areas, leaving thousands stranded and many clinging to rooftops and trees waiting for help. The flooding and landslides killed at least 1,306 people: 712 in Indonesia, 410 in Sri Lanka, 181 in Thailand and three in Malaysia, authorities said Tuesday. Sri Lanka’s president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, said it’s too early to determine the exact number of dead in his country.
In Indonesia, the hardest-hit nation, rescuers struggled to access villages on Sumatra island, where roads have been washed out and bridges collapsed. At least 507 people remain missing, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Agency. Helicopters and boats have been deployed, but officials warn that worsening weather and damaged infrastructure are slowing operations.
Survivors inspect clothings they salvaged at a village affected by a flash flood in Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Indonesia’s forests in ruins
Floods and landslides in North Sumatra carried away millions of cubic meters of felled timber, officials said, sparking public concern that illegal logging may have contributed to the disaster.
Batang Toru, the lush forested area, has turned into a wasteland of broken logs and shattered homes. Roads have vanished, replaced by rivers of sludge.
“This is not just a natural disaster, it’s a manmade crisis,” said Rianda Purba from the Indonesian Environmental Forum, an activist group. “Deforestation and unchecked development have stripped Batang Toru of its resilience. Without urgent restoration and stricter protections, these floods will become the new normal.”
Survivors desperately search for their loved ones
A week after flash floods and landslides swept through West Sumatra, survivors were still awaiting news of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
Men stand on logs swept away by flash flood in Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Zahari Sutra held photos of his missing wife and two daughters aged 4 and 2, as he pleaded for help with rescuers in Sikumbang village in Agam district. “Other victims have been found … why not my family?”
The 38-year-old farmer said he dropped his motorbike and ran for higher ground when rising waters blocked his path to home last Thursday. He said the raging current swallowed his home. He waded through the water shouting for his wife and daughters, but there was only silence.
As darkness fell, he found his eldest, a 5-year-old girl, covered in mud, but safe. Fearing more floods, Sutra clung to a lychee tree with his daughter until dawn, when the full scope of the disaster was revealed: all homes were gone or buried under tons of mud.
“I carried my daughter and went for help,” he said, his voice breaking. “My only prayer is to find my wife and children.”
Sri Lanka counts the dead and Thailand begins cleanup
Military-led rescue teams in Sri Lanka scoured flood-devastated areas for 336 people still missing in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, the Disaster Management Center said Tuesday. R oads were blocked by landslides and bridges have collapsed, making access difficult.
In the central city of Kandy, residents struggled without running water, relying instead on bottled water collected from natural springs. Authorities warned that conditions could worsen as more rain is forecast in the coming days.
President Dissanayake, speaking in a meeting with government officials, described the disaster as the worst to strike the country in recent history, saying it remains impossible to determine the full scale of casualties. He warned that the death toll is likely far higher than current figures.
A man looks at the damage caused by the floods at Gampola, Sri Lanka, Monday, Dec.1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
He said that government agencies were working to reach isolated communities.
Selladurai Yogaraj, 35, a resident of Sarasavigama, said he lost his entire family: mother, wife and two children. “I can’t even think what life is going to be like,” he said.
Another man, Duraikannu Mahoharan, said he lost his wife, daughter and a house. “Only my sons and I survived. Now I am staying with my brother,” he said.
At least three people were confirmed dead in Malaysia after floods left stretches of northern Perlis state underwater, authorities said. About 6,000 people sought shelter in emergency centers.
Peoples move a car damaged from floods in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sarot Meksophawannakul)
In southern Thailand, cleanup has begun on streets and in buildings after massive floods affected more than 1.5 million households and 3.9 million people. Authorities are working to restore infrastructure, including water and electricity.
Thailand’s Interior Ministry said Monday it would set up public kitchens to provide freshly cooked food to affected residents. The first batch of compensation payments of 239 million baht ($7.4 million) is set to be distributed to 26,000 people, government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat also said Monday.
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Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press journalists Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok, Krishan Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Eranga Jayawardena in Sarasavigama, Sri Lanka, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
The Department of ASEAN Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Pollution Control Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, will organise the “Dialogue with Stakeholders: Advancing the Joint Plan of Action of the CLEAR Sky Strategy” on Thursday, 4 December 2025 at the The Riverie by Katathani, Chiang Rai, Thailand, in a hybrid format.
The Dialogue will be presided over by H.E. Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan, Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.
In response to the pressing challenge posed by transboundary haze pollution in the Mekong subregion, the Dialogue aims to engage relevant stakeholders in driving forward cooperation on addressing the issue in Thailand, the Lao PDR, and Myanmar, through tangible and sustainable cooperation under the Joint Plan of Action of the CLEAR Sky Strategy (2024-2030).
Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand
The Dialogue also seeks to strengthen synergy between various sectors concerned, as well as exploring possible cooperation among the ASEAN Member States, Dialogue Partners and relevant international organisations.
The Dialogue will comprise two panel discussions on “Advancing Sustainable Solutions to Transboundary Haze Pollution under the CLEAR Sky Strategy” and “Enhancing ASEAN, Dialogue Partners and Expert Organisations’ Cooperation in Supporting the CLEAR Sky Strategy”.
These panel discussions will feature various experts, including from the
(1) Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand
(2) Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Lao PDR
(3) Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar
(4) Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore
(5) Ministry of Environment and Forestry Indonesia
(6) Thailand Environment Institute (TEI)
(7) Mekong Institute (MI)
(8) Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage
(9) Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)
(10) Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES)
(11) Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) , and
(12) GIZ Thailand.
Members of public and press are welcome to join the Dialogue. Please register through the QR Code below.
Police inspect a Russian suspect beside a motorcycle during a raid on Koh Phangan on Dec. 1, 2025 after complaints about foreigners running illegal rental and lodging businesses.
KOH PHANGAN — Police on Koh Phangan, Surat Thani province arrested a Russian couple and a Myanmar woman after authorities found they were running an unlicensed bungalow operation and possibly using a nominee structure to conceal foreign business activities, officials said Tuesday.
Police acted after local residents complained that foreigners were allegedly operating a rental vehicle business without permits. Officers visited a house in Sri Thanu village on December 1 and found Oleg, a 51-year-old Russian national, sitting beneath the home while his wife, Ekaterina, 38, was using a laptop showing a booking calendar for guest reservations, according to Koh Phangan police.
Oleg told officers the couple did not run a rental vehicle business but operated Moon Way Bungalow, handling bookings and responding to guests via WhatsApp from their residence.
Moon Way Bungalow on Koh Phangan, where Thai authorities say a Russian couple operated an unlicensed seven-room lodging business charging 500 baht ($15.6) per night.
Authorities took them to the property, where officers said they found no hotel or accommodation license posted at the reception area. The couple admitted they were renting out seven rooms for 500 baht (about $15) per night and believed a company registration certificate was sufficient to operate.
Police also found a 21-year-old Myanmar woman, identified as La, working as a receptionist and housekeeper. She told officers she was hired by the couple and paid 15,000 baht ($460) a month.
A Russian woman is questioned by officers inside her residence on Koh Phangan on Dec. 1, 2025.
Oleg was charged with operating a bungalow business without a license, working in Thailand without permission as a manager, and illegally employing a foreign worker. Ekaterina faces similar charges, while La was charged with working without authorization.
Pol. Col. Apichat Chansamret, chief of Koh Phangan police, said investigators are examining whether the company behind the business was set up as a nominee structure, noting several million baht in transactions over the past year and recent transfers believed to obscure money flows.
All three suspects were handed over to Koh Phangan police investigators for further legal action.
Flames and thick red smoke rise from a Myanmar military bombardment on an opposition base in Myawaddy Township, seen from the Thai side of the border in Mae Sot on Dec. 1, 2025.
MAE SOT — Thai authorities closed a border-area school and tightened security along the frontier with Myanmar after days of fierce clashes across the border sent mortar rounds and stray bullets into Thai territory, officials said Monday.
Major Gen. Maitri Chupricha, commander of the Naresuan Force, ordered all informal border crossings in Tak province shut and suspended the use of local piers amid escalating fighting in Myanmar’s Myawaddy Township. The move came after five mortar rounds of unknown origin landed in Thailand over the weekend, damaging a house and injuring a Myanmar boy, who is being treated at Mae Sot Hospital.
A house in Mae Kon Ken village in Thailand’s Mae Sot district shows damage from stray mortar fire launched during heavy fighting across the border in Myanmar on Dec. 1, 2025.
From late Sunday into early Monday, Thai security agencies received reports that large numbers of Myanmar junta troops armed with heavy weapons had pushed toward anti-regime positions near the Pasak base at the entrance to Min Lapar village in Myawaddy, directly opposite Mae Kon Ken village in Mae Sot district. The fighting sent shrapnel and stray gunfire into the Thai village, damaging six homes but causing no injuries.
Ban Mae Kon Ken School, situated only a few hundred meters from the border, suspended classes indefinitely after stray bullets were found inside the grounds last week. Principal Lt. Thawatchai Saengplaeng ordered the closure as a precaution.
A house in Mae Kon Ken village in Thailand’s Mae Sot district shows damage from stray mortar fire launched during heavy fighting across the border in Myanmar on Dec. 1, 2025.
Across the border, Myanmar government forces attempting to advance on an opposition stronghold came under heavy machine-gun fire and grenade attacks, prompting troops to respond with mortar fire. Flames and thick red smoke were visible from the Thai side as explosions echoed across Mae Sot.
Some unexploded ordnance and additional stray mortar rounds landed in Mae Kon Ken village, prompting the Naresuan Task Force to fire four illumination rounds from 120 mm mortars as a warning signal to Myanmar forces that heavy munitions had struck Thai soil.
Thai security units — including the Naresuan Task Force, the 35th Ranger Task Force, district officials, Border Patrol Police Company 346, and Mae Sot police — have since strengthened positions along the frontier and are maintaining round-the-clock patrols.
Boon Rod,” a 60-kilogram pig rescued from Hat Yai’s floods, rests in the back of a rescue team’s pickup truck during the 1,600-kilometer journey to Udon Thani on Dec. 1, 2025.
UDON THANI — A pig rescued from last week’s severe flooding in Hat Yai has been transported more than 1,600 kilometers to a new home in Udon Thani after a volunteer team took pity on the wounded animal and decided to care for it themselves. They named him “Boon Rod,” meaning “Lucky Survivor.”
Volunteers from the Udon Sawang Methatham Foundation were returning from flood relief operations in Hat Yai when they stopped at a gas station in Udon Thani’s Ban Jan subdistrict. In the back of their pickup truck lay the 60-kilogram male pig, tied safely to the truck bed and calmly eating vegetables and bananas.
The team said they found the pig stranded atop a spirit house structure near a school after floodwaters receded. With no owner or agency coming forward to take responsibility, the volunteers decided to rescue it. The animal had cuts on its body and legs, likely from sharp metal or roofing sheets it encountered while swimming to safety.
Saichon Khumsap, a volunteer and temple caretaker from Udon Thani’s Kut Chap district, said he was moved to help after watching television coverage of the Hat Yai flooding. He traveled with the team for nearly two days to reach the city, arriving at 3 a.m. and launching their long-tail boat soon after.
The stranded pig later named “Boon Rod” clings to a raised structure as floodwaters inundate a Hat Yai neighborhood last week.
Their first tasks involved rescuing residents injured by broken glass in water as deep as two meters. Debris, including wooden planks, mattresses and metal scraps, repeatedly tangled the boat’s propeller or slammed against the hull, making operations difficult, Saichon said.
After completing their missions, the volunteers brought Boon Rod back to Udon Thani, where they plan to care for him permanently.
Thai and Chinese officers escort scam suspects onto a chartered aircraft at Mae Sot International Airport on Dec. 1, 2025.
MAE SOT — China has begun flying home hundreds of Chinese nationals accused of involvement in online scam operations in Myanmar, with the first group of 300 people transported from Thailand on Monday, Thai authorities said.
The group is part of 1,208 Chinese nationals who were transferred from Myanmar to Thailand after Myanmar’s military authorities launched major crackdowns on Chinese-run scam hubs in KK Park, Shwe Kokko and other areas of Myawaddy township.
Myanmar’s operations, which began in October, followed earlier raids that critics say have not stopped many ringleaders from relocating elsewhere.
Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in online scam operations are escorted onto buses at the Mae Sot immigration checkpoint before their repatriation on Dec. 1, 2025.
Security officers and immigration police in Thailand’s Tak province escorted the first batch of detainees from holding cells at the Mae Sot immigration checkpoint to Mae Sot International Airport, near the border with Myanmar. Chinese officials received them there before they were put on chartered flights back to China.
Thai and Chinese authorities conducted joint identity checks and body searches before each person was escorted onto the aircraft by Chinese police. Security around the airport was tightened throughout the operation, which proceeded without incident, officials said.
Multiple charter flights departed for China on Monday, with a total of 6 flights scheduled from December 1 to 4.
Thai and Chinese officers escort scam suspects onto a chartered aircraft at Mae Sot International Airport on Dec. 1, 2025.
The detainees had previously worked in Chinese-run scam compounds across Myawaddy, which Myanmar’s military and allied forces raided in recent weeks, sending many operators fleeing. Myanmar’s military government says it began cracking down on online scams and illegal gambling in early September, but rights groups argue that many ringleaders continue operating in other locations.
In Shwe Kokko alone, a six-day operation beginning November 18 resulted in the arrest of 1,746 foreigners.
Thai authorities said all 1,208 Chinese nationals handed over by Myanmar have already been processed under Thai law and are being repatriated through diplomatic channels. This week’s flights mark another round of multinational cooperation to dismantle transnational scam networks that have flourished along the Myanmar–Thailand border.
Smoke billows after an explosion at KK Park online scam center in Myawaddy township, Karen State, Myanmar, November 2, 2025.
Earlier this year, more than 12,500 foreign nationals linked to scam operations were detained, with nearly 10,000 deported through Thailand. Some workers from African countries and other regions told authorities they had been lured to the compounds under false pretenses and were prevented from leaving.
India also sent military aircraft on November 6 and 10 to evacuate its nationals from Mae Sot as Myanmar military forces and the Karen Border Guard Force intensified operations in KK Park starting November 2. The raids included powerful explosions occurring multiple times a day, destroying buildings and facilities in the area.
People walk along a road in a village affected by a flash flood in Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — Over 800 people remained missing Monday after devastating floods killed over 1,000 people last week in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as Indonesia’s president urged more action to confront the changing climate.
The flooding and landslides killed at least 604 people in Indonesia, 366 in Sri Lanka and 176 in Thailand, authorities said.
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto pledged to rebuild infrastructure while visiting areas impacted by floods and landslides on Sumatra island that left thousands homeless and 508 people missing as of Monday.
Some areas of Indonesia remained unreachable Monday after the disaster damaged roads and downed communications lines, with residents in impacted areas relying on aircraft delivering supplies. Flooding displaced 290,700 people in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh provinces, the National Disaster Management Agency said.
Rescuers recover the body of a flood victim in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ali Nayaka)
Prabowo, who visited North Sumatra on Monday and was expected to West Sumatra and Aceh during the day, said the government’s response is reaching those in need.
“We need to confront climate change effectively,” Prabowo told reporters after visiting survivors. “Local governments must take a significant role in safeguarding the environment and preparing for the extreme weather conditions that will arise from future climate change.”
Sri Lanka authorities said Monday that rescuers are still searching for 370 missing people. Nearly 148,000 people are housed in temporary shelters after being battered in the past week downpours that flooded homes, fields and roads and triggered landslides, primarily in the tea-growing central hill country.
A man wades through a flooded road carrying a cat in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Nov, 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
In Thailand, the first batch of compensation payments are set to be distributed Monday, beginning with 239 million baht ($7.4 million) for 26,000 people, government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said.
Authorities on Monday worked to clean up streets and restore infrastructure including water and electricity in the southern part of the country where severe flooding affected more than 1.4 million households and 3.8 million people, he said.
The Interior Ministry will set up public kitchens to provide freshly cooked food for affected residents, he said.
Peoples move a car damaged from floods in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sarot Meksophawannakul)
