A coalition of ten Thai steel industry associations, led by Nava Chantanasurakhon, chairman of the Thai Hot-Rolled Steel Plate Association, met with Industry Minister Varawut Silpaarchcha and senior ministry officials to discuss and present proposals for resolving Thailand's steel industry crisis. The meeting addressed the escalating problem of low-cost steel imports and global overcapacity that has severely impacted Thai manufacturers throughout the supply chain.

The coalition, representing over 510 companies and employing more than 51,000 workers, emphasized that the steel industry is foundational to Thailand's economy and serves as the backbone for downstream industries including construction, automotive, machinery, electrical appliances, and food packaging. Thailand currently faces high import dependency, consuming approximately 16.5-18 million tons of steel annually, with domestic production accounting for only 6.5-7 million tons per year. This has resulted in the domestic steel industry's production capacity utilization dropping to just 27.9%, significantly below the global average of 75%.

The coalition proposed three major measures with eight sub-measures to address the crisis:

1. Steel Industry Restructuring Measures: 1.1 Ban on establishment and expansion of production capacity in overcapacity sectors such as hot-rolled steel plate, wire rod, steel pipe, structural steel, and stainless steel, allowing only investments to improve efficiency and quality without expanding capacity. 1.2 Regulation of steel bar mills using induction furnace (IF) technology, requiring them to pass technology certification and quality control standards through the Thai Industrial Standards Institute's technical committee to prevent substandard steel from entering the market.

Industry Minister Varawuth announced signing a draft regulation banning new establishment and capacity expansion in the hot-rolled steel plate industry to address overcapacity and maintain industry stability. The ministry also recognizes quality concerns with IF systems and has a clear policy to transition Thai steel mills from IF technology to Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) systems.

"We will consider and establish appropriate transition guidelines and timelines, while regulating the use of IF-produced steel according to consumer applications to ensure safety and compliance with industrial standards," the minister stated.

2. Domestic Steel Product Promotion Measures: 2.1 Control of prefabricated structural steel products to prevent standard circumvention and protect Thai industry. 2.2 Mandate use of Made in Thailand (MiT) products in public-private partnership (PPP) projects and BOI-promoted investment projects, using appropriate proportions of domestically produced steel and materials to create added value and employment. 2.3 Support for trade measures...

In a world first, the Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai University successfully used the HugoTM robotic system to perform liver surgery harvesting from a living donor, marking a major milestone in Thai liver transplantation.

At 9:30 AM on May 27, 2025 on the 15th floor of the Chaleam Phrakiat Building at Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Medicine, Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Narendra Chotiros announced the successful use of the HUGO robotic system for living donor liver surgery. The surgical team was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vorkitti Labhpisetkpun and Dr. Asara Thepbancharchai, professors in the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery at CMU's Faculty of Medicine.

The patient, Kanyanpha Panyanoi (U'm I'm), along with her mother Nan U, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the doctors and medical team who successfully treated her liver disease. U'm I'm shared her emotional journey, revealing that before surgery she had told her mother to be mentally prepared, as she wasn't certain she would see her again. She also expressed a simple hope to taste iced tea again and understand its flavor. "I finally got to taste iced tea today, and it was delicious," she said. U'm I'm concluded by expressing her determination to become a doctor herself, so she could treat patients and help them recover as her own doctors had helped her.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vorkitti Labhpisetkpun and Dr. Asara Thepbancharchai announced that CMU's Faculty of Medicine has achieved a significant advancement in international surgical practice. The transplant surgical team successfully used the HugoTM Robotic-Assisted Surgery (RAS) system to perform robotic-assisted living donor left hepatectomy (removal of the left lobe from a living donor) for transplantation to patients with cirrhosis, both in pediatric and adult patients. Two cases have been successfully completed in Thailand.

This achievement marks the world's first use of the HugoTM robotic system for living donor liver surgery and Thailand's first robotic-assisted liver transplant from a living donor. This represents an innovative application of robotic technology to highly complex surgical procedures requiring exceptional precision and skill, thereby enhancing safety for both donors and recipients.

The first case involved a 40-year-old mother who donated liver to save her 9-year-old daughter, who suffered from congenital biliary atresia (narrowing of the bile ducts from birth). The daughter had undergone a Kasai procedure in infancy to create an alternative bile drainage route, but later developed severe cirrhosis complicated by portal hypertension and hepatopulmonary syndrome, which affected her respiratory system causing low blood oxygen levels requiring home oxygen support. Liver transplantation was medically indicated to improve her chances of long-term survival and quality of life.

The medical team planned a living donor liver transplant in which the mother underwent HugoTM robotic-assisted left hepatectomy, making it the world's first use of the HugoTM system for living donor liver harvest and Thailand's first such robotic-assisted procedure for liver transplantation.

The second case involved a 27-year-old daughter who donated liver to save her 61-year-old father.

At 11:35 a.m. on May 27, 2025, at Parliament, Senator Pisit Abhiwattanapongse commented on the People's Party's plan to submit a constitutional amendment draft that would have Constitutional Charter Assembly members selected through elections, stating he believes this approach risks conflicting with the Constitutional Court's ruling.

Regarding the first reading consideration, Pisit explained that voting to accept the draft does not preclude later amendments, but rejecting it outright would mean rejecting the entire draft. Therefore, he believes both the House and Senate should prioritize public interest by voting to accept constitutional amendment drafts from all political parties, as no draft is 100 percent perfect—all have strengths and weaknesses with provisions that can be applied.

When asked whether he still maintains that charter drafters should not come from elections, Pisit affirmed his position is based primarily on the Constitutional Court's ruling, which clearly stipulates that direct public selection is not permitted. Given legislators have a duty to filter legislation, the court's ruling must be considered paramount.

On concerns that non-elected charter drafters could lead to backroom dealing, Pisit questioned whether representatives in the House of Representatives represent the people, arguing that parliamentary authority to appoint charter drafters is already legitimate. He rejected the People's Party's alternative proposal—having the public elect candidates first, then having parliament select from them—saying the first step alone violates the ruling, and having parliament choose from publicly-elected candidates is not an indirect method. He urged against confusing the public on this matter, as it ultimately constitutes direct election.

At 9:00 AM on May 27, 2026, the Bangkok Southern Criminal Court delivered its verdict in the defamation case brought by lawyer Kung against former actress Pu Mantana. The court sentenced Pu Mantana to 2 years imprisonment with a 2-year suspension, a fine of 80,000 baht, damages totaling 100,000 baht, a requirement to publish an apology in newspapers for 7 days, and payment of 10,000 baht in legal fees. Previously, on April 22, 2026, the Phra Nakhon District Court convicted Pu Mantana of fraud in a separate case brought by Lokmee Rasmi Thongsiripraisri and associates, sentencing her to 2 years without suspension, with the sentence to run consecutively with this defamation conviction. That fraud case involved alleged damages exceeding 3 million baht.

The Royal Gazette has officially announced the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand's (MRTA) new fare structure for the MRT Blue Line, with prices ranging from 17 baht to 44 baht based on the number of stations traveled, effective July 3, 2026.

The new fare breakdown is as follows: - 1 station: 17 baht - 2 stations: 20 baht - 3 stations: 22 baht - 4 stations: 25 baht - 5 stations: 27 baht - 6 stations: 29 baht - 7 stations: 32 baht - 8 stations: 34 baht - 9 stations: 37 baht - 10 stations: 39 baht - 11 stations: 42 baht - 12 or more stations: 44 baht

The announcement provides seniors with a 50 percent discount on regular fares, with any fractional amounts rounded up to the nearest full baht. The authority has also established transfer guidelines between different transit lines following a "first entry charge only" principle to reduce costs for passengers using multiple lines.

Exemptions from fares include children with heights not exceeding 120 centimeters and persons with disabilities presenting valid government-issued disability identification cards. Additionally, the MRTA board maintains the authority to determine special ticket products such as monthly passes, package tickets, or additional fare reduction measures to promote public transportation use and support future government policies.

Sithikorn Direkasunthon, chairman and managing director of the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation for Small and Medium Enterprise (TCGI), revealed that SME credit has contracted for 15 consecutive quarters, with high credit rejection rates remaining a persistent problem. SME entrepreneurs seeking guarantors or collateral and improved access to credit to strengthen cash flow and navigate economic volatility and energy crises have found support through the 'TCGI Quick Big Win' program with a 50-billion-baht guarantee pool launched mid-December 2024. The program functions as a key stimulus mechanism to encourage financial institutions to extend more credit.

Since its launch, the program has demonstrated clear benefits for SMEs, with guarantee amounts reaching 26.048 billion baht as of April 30, 2025, representing a 2.37-fold increase compared to the same period last year. The program addresses all SME segments, including micro and small enterprises and informal traders seeking loans from 10,000 to 1 million baht, featuring free guarantee fees for the first three years, with subsequent years calculated using risk-based pricing to reflect each SME's credit costs.

TCGI is introducing credit scoring tools called 'TCG Score' to assess customer risk levels and reduce financial costs. The program also offers high-rate NPL compensation to help reduce credit costs and encourage greater lending by financial institutions. For SMEs already struggling with NPL status, TCGI provides continued support through the 'TCGI Ready to Help' program, offering debt reduction up to 50%, restructured payments extending up to 7 years with minimum installments of 500 baht, zero interest rates, and the ability to reduce principal before interest.

The measures also support SME traders and informal merchants needing working capital during the government's 'Thai Helping Thai Plus' campaign, which runs from June 1 to September 30, 2025. SME owners facing cash flow shortages, lacking collateral or guarantors, and concerned about operational disruptions can contact TCGI's Financial Advisory Centers for SMEs through LINE OA @tcgfirst for free financial health checks and consultation services.