Ban Na Sao district launched the Community-Based Treatment and Care program phase 2 for drug users on August 21, 2569 at Patthanamrom Temple in Ban Na Sao district, Surat Thani province. Officials including Supha Kanchana, Surat Thani Provincial Administrative Organization president; Uthai Tueaksubarn, district chief; and Associate Professor Pharmacist Dr. Withaya Kulsomboon attended the opening alongside police, health officials, village headmen, nurses, and community representatives.

Kanchana stated that drug addiction is a serious problem affecting individuals, families, the economy, society, and the nation. To address this challenge, the program offers drug users treatment alternatives beyond hospital care through community-based recovery that is flexible and less disruptive to daily life. She emphasized the need for coordinated support from government, private sectors, and community members to prevent relapse.

Dr. Kulsomboon noted that the program represents an important step in building knowledge and skills for practitioners to provide continuous community-level care for drug users, which is central to sustainable drug problem solutions. He highlighted that drug abuse impacts security, safety, health, economics, and quality of life, requiring cooperation from all sectors—government, academia, civil society, and especially local communities.

The Public Health Ministry prioritizes drug prevention through integrated health and social approaches, focusing on risk reduction, protective factors, and continuous community care under the principle that patients deserve rehabilitation opportunities, not just punishment. The ministry's implementation strategy includes developing personnel capacity through practical learning so counselors have modern skills and understand patient context, and establishing continuous community care that links hospital services with community follow-up to reduce relapse.

The second night of Ray McDonald's funeral rites took place on August 21 at Wat Yang, a royal temple, with the hall filled with grief-stricken family and friends from both inside and outside the entertainment industry. McDonald, a celebrated actor and presenter, died suddenly on August 19 at his residence in Bangkok's Pattanakarn district. The ceremony hall was surrounded by countless flower wreaths of various styles—fresh flowers, paper flowers, wreaths donated to charities, potted plants, fans, and bicycles—sent continuously by mourners.

The second night's merit-making ceremony was organized by Traill International School, represented by Director and CEO Mr. Robert Traill, along with contributions from Trill International School, Samran Chuay Jamnaek (Eed Fly), Rahad Ratchakham (Frog Taxi), and Element72 Co. Ltd. Young actor Uck Akkarat Nimitrchai attended to pay his respects, describing Ray as an idol for both his acting and presentation skills, praising his genuine and natural performances and his principled character that remained steadfast amid social trends. Uck reflected that the sudden loss was heartbreaking and admitted to rewatching old photos and clips; he came to support Ray's widow and son Mika, noting that the tragedy reminded him to value his own health and not neglect it for work or passion.

Actress Jieab Chern Yim also attended to offer condolences and share memories, revealing that she and Ray had grown close through working together on various programs and considered him a dear older brother. She described him as dedicated, charming, approachable with everyone, and an icon of 1990s coolness. "Today I came to sincerely support his family and close friends so they know they are not alone, and I wish Ray travels onward to a better realm with happiness in heaven, continuing his journeys without the burden of a heavy backpack," she said.

Prachuap Khiri Khan residents have filed complaints over dark, foul-smelling water discovered in a drainage ditch beside an electronics recycling plant, suspected to contain industrial waste and potentially threatening the public water supply. The black water appears in the drainage channel between village 9 in Bo Thong Subdistrict and village 20 in Muang Kao Subdistrict, Kabinburi District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, with a 30-meter stretch reaching depths of about 1 meter. While its exact source remains unclear, residents suspect it may be leaking from the adjacent electronics recycling facility. Local resident Boon Naewsi expressed concern that the contaminated water could flow downstream into the large public reservoir used for the village water system. Village headman Withawat Suiyacharoen from village 20 noted this marks the first major incident since 2568, when foul odors first appeared. He stated that the water had returned to its current dark and filthy state, resembling industrial waste. The contaminated area lies only 100 meters from the village water intake, which supplies tap water to approximately 3,000 residents. To prevent toxins from entering the public reservoir, officials have arranged for backhoes and sand trucks to block the water's flow into the village water system.

On August 20, Ayutthaya Provincial Court delivered its verdict in a case brought by prosecutors against Panya Kairapakdigun, known as "Hoom Nakhon Pathom," a prominent Buddhist amulet dealer. The court sentenced him to four counts of six months imprisonment each, totaling 24 months, and ordered him to pay 23 million baht in damages after settlement negotiations between the parties failed.

Hoom had contested the case, seeking to have it treated as a civil matter, but the court imposed criminal penalties as charged. According to commentator Watcharapong Radomsitpattana, known as "U Krung Siam," this sentence adds to multiple prior convictions against Hoom, though he had been released on bail previously.

The case is linked to a Buddhist amulet collection valued at approximately 65 million baht. Dorn Tian Thawornwong, known as "Madam Gaeng," stated that she was introduced to two amulet dealers, "Mr. A" and "Mr. B," along with Hoom, before purchasing the amulets from Mr. A for 65 million baht and reselling them to Hoom and Mr. B for 75 million baht. The two shared costs equally, but checks from the transaction repeatedly bounced, leading to the dispute and legal proceedings.

Madam Gaeng has expressed suspicion that she may have been part of a deception scheme, noting that Mr. A claimed ownership of the amulets when they may have actually been borrowed from another amulet dealer near Wat Rai Khing temple for resale. Such allegations remain subject to legal review.

Bangkok completed a sweep of all 50 districts and identified 13 houses across 9 districts where non-Thai nationals holding pink ID cards are living beyond safe occupancy limits. On August 21, Police General Adisorn Gamchitsukhsri, advisor to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, revealed that the governor had ordered all 50 district offices to check civil registry data and report the number of non-Thai nationals holding pink ID card number 7 by end of day. Bangkok has now received complete reports from all district offices based on current database records. The data shows that across all 50 districts, there are 16,634 non-Thai nationals holding pink ID card number 7, living in 10,066 houses.

Detailed district-by-district analysis found that most areas comply with normal occupancy standards. However, 9 districts reported 13 houses where more than 16 foreign nationals holding pink ID cards reside together. District offices identified these locations as factories, dormitories, or labor rental houses.

Adisorn said the 13 houses represent data collected from house registries to verify accuracy and detect irregularities in residency transfers. Bangkok will now assign a task force from the Land and Condominium Registration Department to conduct deeper investigations case by case, examining actual use of properties, actual numbers of occupants, relationships between registered occupants, and all documents related to residency transfers. Adisorn confirmed that Bangkok will continue monitoring irregular residency transfers carefully and fairly as part of the governor's policy for transparent and verifiable municipal administration.

Many people barely drink plain water, opting instead for soft drinks, sweet tea, coffee, juice, or energy drinks to quench their thirst. They believe that since all these beverages contain water, it makes little difference. However, while these drinks do provide fluids, the real danger lies in the other ingredients that come with them, particularly sugar, caffeine, and sodium. Regular consumption of these can increase the risk of numerous health problems.

Not drinking plain water does not necessarily mean dehydration. Water intake comes from many sources beyond plain water—tea, coffee, milk, soup, and water from vegetables and fruits all contribute to daily fluid intake. Therefore, people who don't drink plain water may not be dehydrated if they consume sufficient fluids daily. The key difference, however, is drink quality. Regularly replacing plain water with sweet tea or soft drinks means your body receives extra sugar and calories every day. Coffee or energy drinks may lead to excessive caffeine intake. For this reason, plain water remains the best choice for daily hydration, as it replenishes your body with virtually no energy, sugar, or additives.

What signals does the body send if you drink too little water? When fluid intake is insufficient, you may notice thirst and dry mouth, reduced or dark urine, fatigue and headaches, dizziness or blurred vision, and difficulty concentrating. In severe dehydration, you may experience rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, confusion, or fainting, especially during hot weather, intense exercise, fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.

What diseases result from drinking sweet drinks instead of plain water daily?

1. Overweight and obesity: Sweet drinks are an easy source of calories but don't satisfy like solid food, so you consume excess energy without realizing it. Combined with low activity levels, weight and fat accumulation increase.

2. Type 2 diabetes: Regular high sugar intake, particularly in overweight individuals or those with excess belly fat, increases the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Soft drinks, sweet tea, and sugar-laden coffee should not be your main daily beverages.

3. Fatty liver and high blood lipids: Excess sugar, especially fructose, converts to fat and accumulates in the liver. Regular consumption of sweet drinks is linked to fatty liver disease and elevated triglycerides.

4. Increased risk of heart disease: Frequent sweet drink consumption is associated with overweight, diabetes, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure—all major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This doesn't mean one glass causes heart disease, but the risk builds from sustained behavior over time.

5. Tooth decay and enamel erosion: Sugar feeds mouth bacteria that produce acid and damage teeth. Soft drinks, fruit juices, and some energy drinks are highly acidic and erode enamel. Sipping sweet drinks throughout the day exposes teeth to sugar and acid constantly.

6. High uric acid and gout: High-sugar or high-fructose drinks may elevate uric acid levels, increasing the risk of gout, especially in those with other risk factors.

7. Kidney stones: The key issue is not directly about avoiding plain water, but ensuring adequate fluid intake overall.