The brother of the shooting victim has vowed not to forgive his nephew, who burst in and opened fire on his aunt and uncle over a land dispute that had simmered for more than a decade. The victims had apparently distributed defamation cards against the perpetrator before the shooting, though the brother claims he does not know what drove the attack.

The incident involved 59-year-old Theemat (name withheld), who fatally shot 71-year-old Songa and 74-year-old Suda (names withheld), his uncle and aunt, who were husband and wife, inside a house in Laharn subdistrict, Bang Bua Thong district, Nonthaburi province. He then fired on relatives who rushed to help, injuring four people in total.

On July 28, 2025, a reporter visited the two-story home where the victims lived. The area was cordoned off by authorities. The reporter spoke with Songwan (name withheld), 65, the deceased's biological younger brother.

Songwan explained that the root cause was a land dispute that had festered for over a decade. The perpetrator had wanted to expand a disputed road section from 3 meters to 4 meters and have it declared public land. He reportedly wanted to mortgage his own property but could not because it was classified as a dead zone.

The dispute had escalated into arguments but never into physical violence, as both men were uncle and nephew. Legal proceedings had been filed between the perpetrator and Suda, but the case had concluded about two years earlier. The disputed area eventually became an accepted boundary, marked by a fence.

Songwan said he believed the matter had been resolved and that there would be no further trouble. He was shocked when the shooting occurred and does not understand what motivated his nephew to act. Before the incident, Songwan heard that Songa had distributed "defamation cards" against the perpetrator at various locations, though he did not know why. Songwan does not believe Songa had threatened the perpetrator, describing his brother as a peacemaker who counseled against harsh words.

Regarding the perpetrator, Songwan said he appeared to be a normal, even-tempered man who had never quarreled with anyone and went about his daily work and community activities routinely. The perpetrator lived in the house with his wife and child, though Songwan said he does not know if they were aware of the dispute.

After learning of the shooting, Songwan said his composure broke because he could not fathom how a blood relative could commit such an act. He stated firmly that he will not forgive the perpetrator and expects the authorities to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law as a cautionary example. He compared the situation to a child harming a parent—something that cannot be forgiven.

Quick-Thinking Shop Owner Thwarts Counterfeit Bill Scam Two teenagers fled on a motorcycle after discovering the bills were fake. On July 28, 2026, reporters met with Orawun, 36, and Parinyakorn, 46, a couple who own a mobile phone shop called Saphli Mobile along the Chumphon-Saphli road in Patiew District, Chumphon Province, after learning they had nearly become victims of a counterfeit currency gang.

Orawun recalled that on July 27 at around 3 p.m., while the shop was open, two young men arrived on a Honda Wave motorcycle with an unknown license plate and asked her to help transfer money into a bank account. The man who spoke had an accent suggesting he was from Tha Sae District.

When she asked for the destination account number, she found it was registered under a woman's name that did not match the man who came with him. However, she was not immediately suspicious, so she asked to receive the cash first before making the transfer. The man then handed her five 1,000-baht notes.

Upon careful inspection of the bills—including checking the watermark and using a counterfeit detection pen—she found there was no royal portrait, the paper thickness was abnormal, and she confirmed that four bills were counterfeit and only one was genuine. She immediately informed both men that the notes were fake.

The man claimed he did not know the bills were counterfeit and said he had received the money from an older contact. However, the shop owner said she would only return the genuine bill and would keep the four counterfeit notes as evidence to file a police report. Both men became alarmed and quickly left the shop, fleeing on their motorcycle.

Orawun noted that she had previously heard of merchants in the market being victimized by criminals using counterfeit 1,000-baht notes to purchase goods. Although this seemed to be a different group, she did not expect it would happen to her own shop. She plans to bring all the counterfeit bills to Patiew Police Station as evidence and asked officers to accelerate their investigation to apprehend and prosecute those responsible.

A chlorine storage tank at Phuket City Municipality's water utility exploded with a loud bang at 11:30 a.m. on July 28, 2025, at the facility on Damrong Road in the central district, startling residents in the surrounding area. Upon notification, water authority officials coordinated with four municipal fire trucks from Phuket City and two additional units from Ratsada Tambon, along with Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention Office staff and chemical response teams, to investigate the incident.

Traffic police from Phuket City Station, municipal officials, and Phuket Foundation staff cordoned off the area and Damrong Road temporarily to control the situation and prevent danger from chlorine gas leakage—a hazardous chemical that can damage the respiratory system if inhaled in large quantities. Investigators are examining the cause of the explosion and assessing resulting damage. Officials expect updates as the investigation progresses.

Phuket City Mayor Suphachoke La-ong Phet stated that staff are managing the damaged tank and, once the area is cleared, will urgently investigate what caused the blast. No injuries were reported among residents or water authority personnel. The mayor indicated the area should be cleared within half an hour and operations resumed normally, as only one tank exploded among several at the facility, making the isolated incident unusual and warranting investigation.

Eyewitnesses near the explosion reported hearing an extremely loud bang that echoed across the area. After the blast, they observed gas emission from the tank but initially detected no smell. Only after authorities arrived and a second explosion occurred did a noticeable odor become apparent, causing significant alarm among nearby residents.

The Department of Fisheries has warned against releasing non-native aquatic species into natural water sources, citing ecosystem damage and legal consequences. Fisheries Director Thitiporn Laopraserit noted that while releasing aquatic animals during important Buddhist days is a popular practice for merit-making, the choice of species and water source is crucial. Non-native and hybrid species can breed rapidly, compete for food and habitat, consume eggs and larvae of native species, spread disease, and cause long-term ecosystem imbalance and reduced biodiversity. Predatory species like snakehead fish can decimate native populations if released without control.

The department urges the public to release native Thai fish species in appropriate water sources to help conserve aquatic resources and restore natural ecosystems. Releasing non-native species under sections 64 and 65 of the Fisheries Act B.E. 2558 is illegal and punishable by imprisonment of up to 2 years and/or fines up to 2 million baht. The public should also avoid purchasing protected wildlife under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act B.E. 2562 for release, as violations carry penalties of up to 5 years imprisonment and/or fines up to 500,000 baht.

The Department of Fisheries recommends releasing native Thai species including snapper, barb, gourami, and various other indigenous fish in suitable habitats—loaches and frogs in wetlands and rice fields, catfish and other large species in deep rivers and canals with strong currents, and freshwater mussels in ponds and paddy fields. However, catfish releases are not encouraged due to difficulty in distinguishing native from hybrid and alien varieties. Prohibited species include guppies, plecos, tilapia, Japanese turtles, Australian and American crayfish, peacock bass, African catfish, and hybrid catfish. Those possessing unwanted non-native species should surrender them to local Department of Fisheries offices for proper disposal.

On July 28, 2025, political analyst Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanaporn Sriyakul commented on the case of Dr. Sonn Boonlabchaipruek, chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), who attended an NBTC meeting despite a recruitment committee resolution finding him unqualified and thus in forfeiture of the position. Thanaporn stated that Dr. Sonn should cease his duties because the recruitment committee has already ruled that his disqualification constitutes voluntary forfeiture from the outset. The law clearly specifies that those appointed to this position must work full-time and resign from all other occupations within 15 days, with no exceptions for any professional practice. Since Dr. Sonn failed to comply with the legal requirements within 15 days, the recruitment committee determined that he willingly forfeited the position from the beginning. Thanaporn stressed that this qualification issue has directly impacted NBTC operations, as a majority of the board has refused to attend meetings, causing meetings to collapse and halting work related to telecommunications and television. The real victims are the public. He recommended that the remaining six board members convene to elect an interim NBTC chairman so the organization can resume its functions.