At 2 p.m. on July 7, 2026, Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Perischvivat announced that the Cabinet had approved a draft Interior Ministry announcement to amend zoning regulations in Ayutthaya Province, effective since 2017. The amendment updates land-use requirements for rural and agricultural areas to reflect changing economic, social, and environmental conditions.

Ayutthaya is a strategically important area within the Central-Western Economic Corridor, serving as a hub for high-value agricultural processing, high-tech manufacturing, and logistics. It connects Bangkok, the North, Northeast, and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), making updated zoning essential for appropriate development.

The key changes allow certain activities and buildings on green or agricultural lands according to specified heights and sizes. Height restrictions are waived for certain building types, including religious structures, utilities, warehouses, silos, factories, and water towers in designated areas.

The amendment also permits commerce, condominiums, dormitories, and residential buildings in some areas under specific conditions, such as not being oversized structures and being located along public roads with right-of-way of at least 30 meters. This ensures systematic urban development without damaging surrounding agricultural land while maintaining the balance of rural and agricultural areas.

The Interior Ministry followed Town Planning Act procedures, with the Town Planning Committee's approval and a 30-day public comment period that received no submissions. The Cabinet instructed the Interior Ministry to address concerns from relevant agencies, particularly regarding water maps, flood zones, activity controls, and strict compliance with environmental and natural resource laws.

The government emphasizes balanced urban development that supports economic, industrial, agricultural, and residential growth while preserving agricultural land, natural resources, and environmental quality. The Ayutthaya zoning update will enable appropriate, systematic development benefiting the public, business sector, and the nation's long-term economy.

SRT apologises after staff lose passenger’s cat from luggage compartmentLegacyA search is ongoing for a disabled pet cat that went missing during a train journey from Yala to Bangkok on June 28 after it was separated from its owner due to railway animal restrictions. The cat’s owner, Wanmareeyanee “Young” Hajimahmud, posted in a Facebook group seeking help to locate her six year old female ginger cat, Sisom, whose name refers to her orange colouring. The cat has disabled rear legs. Photos shared by Wanmareeyanee show Sisom with orange and white fur. The owner said the cat was wearing a red shirt with “KFC” written on the back, along with a handmade diaper and white and blue striped trousers at the time she went missing. Wanmareeyanee said she placed Sisom in a zipped cat carrier before boarding train number 170 from Yala to Bangkok on the night of June 28. Photo via Facebook/ W Maryani Hj Npd She explained that she usually travels on ordinary trains to remain with her cat, but the service was fully booked, forcing her to take an air-conditioned train where animals are not permitted. According to Wanmareeyanee, train staff instructed her to place the cat in the luggage compartment. She said she wanted to stay in the compartment after learning that its lock was broken, but decided against doing so because only male staff were present in the area. She tried to negotiate with the train staff, pointing out the cat’s disability and asking them to allow Sisom to stay with her, but was denied. Wanmareeyanee stated that train staff found Sisom missing in the early hours of June 29 but informed her later that morning at about 6.30am. She added that different staff members gave conflicting accounts about when the cat disappeared, causing confusion about the timeline. Photo via Facebook/ W Maryani Hj Npd The owner also said that she suspected someone had opened the carrier and let the cat escape, as the bag’s zipper was left open. The missing cat case drew criticism online, with some questioning the enforcement of the animal ban and the recklessness of the train officers. Other comments focused on the reported broken lock in the luggage compartment and concerns over passenger belongings. Wanmareeyanee later updated that The Hope Thailand, a non-profit animal welfare foundation, and its founder Peeraboon “Poom” Charoenwai had joined the search and were coordinating with the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). Peeraboon said on the foundation’s official Facebook page that he had spoken with a senior SRT officer, who apologised for the incident and pledged a full search operation. Photo via Facebook/ The Hope Thailand The senior officer said staff delayed informing Wanmareeyanee, allegedly due to concerns about entering a female passenger area late at night. The officer added that procedures would be reviewed to prevent similar delays. Peeraboon said Sisom is believed to have gone missing along the route about 30 kilometres before reaching Krungthep Apiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok. Volunteers, railway staff, and the foundation are conducting searches along the route. According to a report by DailyNews, drones have been deployed to assist in the search. No confirmed sightings of Sisom have been reported. The story SRT apologises after staff lose passenger’s cat from luggage compartment as seen on Thaiger News.

The Cabinet has approved a new ministerial regulation to strengthen public procurement standards and hold contractors accountable for construction work causing serious damage to public life and property. Contractors will be blacklisted as project abandoners and barred from bidding on state work for 2 to 10 years, aiming to filter out low-quality operators, reduce recurring state project problems, and boost transparency in public budget use. Government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek revealed that the Cabinet approved the draft regulation on project abandonment as proposed by the Finance Ministry to improve procurement standards, increase contractor responsibility, and protect public safety. The regulation was prompted by past incidents where state construction contractors caused serious harm to public life and property, yet government agencies sometimes failed to terminate contracts or list them as abandoners, allowing the same operators to continue bidding on state projects. The current 2560 Procurement and Property Management Act does not fully cover such cases, necessitating updated standards to match current circumstances and better protect public interests. The regulation defines contractors or contract holders whose serious construction work failures endanger public life or property through negligent performance or non-performance as project abandoners. Once the Finance Ministry's Permanent Secretary lists them as abandoners, they lose the right to submit proposals or sign contracts with government agencies for 2 to 10 years, with their names distributed to all state agencies through the Comptroller General's system and communicated to the listed contractors. This measure prevents contractors with histories of serious damage from re-entering state work, reduces risks of recurring project problems, and improves contractor selection transparency, quality, and value for money in public spending.

A close friend of Dior Arisara has defended the actress against what many perceived as a subtle criticism from her ex-husband, Sebastian. Sebastian recently posted multiple photos of parenting moments with their children, including captions about good parenting being 80% about being present and available for children. The posts sparked speculation that he was indirectly criticizing Dior, who is currently in a new relationship.

Marisa, Dior's friend, responded sharply on social media, stating that family matters should not be judged by outsiders who don't know the full story. She emphasized that social media posts do not reveal the deeper truth, and questioned Sebastian's motivations, asking whether the posts were meant to build a certain image.

Marisa further criticized the apparent hypocrisy, noting that when Dior wanted to keep their children's lives private, Sebastian claimed to agree but then posted the photos anyway. She argued that true parenting duties are not about public declarations but about unseen sacrifices—pointing out that Dior has raised their children largely alone and covered 80% of expenses without household help.

Marisa concluded with a pointed statement: "No child wants to see their father abandon their mother during difficult times," adding that in her own experience as both a mother and wife, her husband has never abandoned her during hardship.

Police have arrested a 41-year-old man from Khon Kaen province for throwing a rock at a vehicle and making an obscene gesture before fleeing on a motorcycle. The incident occurred on July 7, 2569, and was captured on a dashcam recording that circulated widely across social media pages throughout Khon Kaen province. The video showed a man on a red motorcycle pulling up beside a car, raising his left arm, then throwing a rock at the vehicle's front while making an offensive gesture before rapidly fleeing the scene.

According to Pol. Col. Yotsawat Kaewsupthanynich, superintendent of Muang Khon Kaen Police Station, investigators tracked down and arrested the man in the video. The suspect, 41 years old and a Khon Kaen resident, confessed to being the perpetrator. He claimed that the car's driver had cut him off first, which upset him, prompting him to pick up a rock from the roadside and follow the vehicle to commit the act. He also admitted to consuming two methamphetamine pills. A urine test confirmed the presence of drugs in his system, leading to charges for methamphetamine possession under Category 1 with legal proceedings initiated. The suspect stated that after committing the act and seeing the social media post, he attempted to contact the original poster to apologize but was unable to reach them.