On July 22, 2025, Pol. Maj. Bandit Thummanant, superintendent of Bang Pakong police station, reported that an injured bus driver came to file assault charges the previous evening. The driver named three suspects—one who boarded the bus to punch him and two others below—on charges of bodily assault. Police are currently investigating details before calling all three suspects in for questioning, expected on Friday.

During questioning, one of the accused claimed the injured driver attempted to ram the group while they were parked on the roadside to clear the area. However, this remains an allegation pending further investigation.

Investigators interviewed the injured driver, who stated he had just pulled over onto the roadside when the other party suddenly appeared, insulted him, and boarded the bus to assault him. At that moment, the bus had not fully stopped (was not in neutral). When attacked, he startled and stepped on the accelerator, causing the bus to collide with a vehicle ahead belonging to the other party's company.

The injured driver maintains he had no intention to ram anyone but panicked and stepped on the gas. Investigators note that if the other party files charges regarding the collision, it would be the highway authority's responsibility since the incident occurred on the motorway, while the assault case falls under Bang Pakong police station's jurisdiction.

When asked if the two buses had prior contact, Pol. Maj. Bandit said there was no previous collision, but rather an abrupt lane change that sparked the dispute.

Pornpawee Chochuwong, Thailand's world No. 9 women's singles badminton player, posted a message thanking and apologizing to fans after withdrawing mid-match from the 2026 China Open due to injury. The 28-year-old retired during her first-round match against world No. 26 Huang Yuxuan of Chinese Taipei after sustaining a minor injury. Pornpawee wrote that she was grateful for fan support but apologized for being unable to compete due to the injury. After careful consideration, she decided to withdraw to focus on recovery and ensure she returns in the best possible condition. She expressed disappointment with herself, having looked forward to competing against all opponents, but promised to dedicate herself to rehabilitation and return even stronger than before. She invited fans to see her at the BWF World Badminton Championships. Pornpawee concluded by thanking her sponsors Li-Ning, KIP, Singha, Toyota, and Airaisa for their continuous support through both good and difficult times, and committed to recovering quickly and making a strong return.

BANGKOK — Thai actress Kornnaphat Sethratanapong, professionally known as Orm, has issued a trilingual statement on Weibo addressing the spread of online rumors, false information and misleading claims about her, declaring the allegations "entirely untrue" and vowing to pursue legal action against those responsible.

The statement, published in Thai, English and Chinese, was posted on Weibo, one of China's most widely used social media platforms. It came after distorted information about the actress circulated across multiple online platforms, including among social media users and Chinese fans, prompting her to address both domestic and international supporters directly.

In the statement, Orm said false information, malicious comments and misleading messages had recently been widely circulated online. She said the distorted claims had affected her personal life, her work and caused significant distress to her family.

She added that, as a public figure, she has always respected differing opinions and accepted criticism based on facts and reason. However, she firmly rejected the fabrication of false information, the editing or distortion of content to create misunderstandings, and messages intended to defame her, incite hatred or misrepresent her views.

Orm also stressed that she and her family have always maintained close ties with China, Chinese culture and Chinese friends, and have always held sincere respect and admiration for them. Throughout her career in the entertainment industry, she said she has upheld professional ethics and carried out her work with responsibility. She reiterated that the recent rumors and allegations regarding her personal life are entirely unfounded.

The actress revealed that she had consulted her agency, Channel 3 Thailand, which has appointed a legal team to gather evidence of content that may constitute rights violations or damage her reputation across online platforms. She said legal action would be taken against individuals responsible for creating, publishing or sharing false information and defamatory content.

Orm also called on social media users and platform administrators not to share or amplify unverified information in order to help foster a responsible and respectful online community. She concluded by thanking her fans for their continued encouragement, trust and unwavering support.

Orm rose to prominence among both Thai and international audiences, particularly in China, following her starring role in The Secret of Us, which significantly expanded her Chinese fan base. As a result, her activities on platforms such as Weibo have attracted considerable attention from both fans and Chinese media.

On July 22, 2025, the Phra Nakhon Sub Court delivered its verdict in case numbers 2401/2568 and 1731/2569 involving an altercation at an entertainment venue in the Thonglor area.

The case stemmed from an April 2025 incident in which Wanchai Ma-in, known as Bangmod Klong Tan, had a dispute with Santhana Prayuratana, a former traffic police officer. Bangmod then slapped Santhana across the face in the venue's parking lot. Video footage of the incident was posted online and sparked widespread public criticism.

During the trial, Wanchai confessed to the assault charge. The court sentenced him to a 5,000-baht fine without jail time, concluding the case.

Bangmod later posted on social media thanking supporters for attending the court hearing and expressing gratitude to his three lawyers, who he said helped without asking for gasoline money.

The government announced the success of the 'Thai Help Thai Plus' program, which has assisted over 39 million people with 78,000 million baht circulating through the economy and distributing income to over 1.09 million shops. Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Perdsiviwat explained that the Cabinet was informed on July 21, 2025 of the program's progress, implemented within a budget framework exceeding 175,000 million baht over four months to relieve citizens' living costs amid rising energy prices while boosting grassroots economic activity.

The three sub-projects have helped over 39 million people and created sustained money circulation. Sub-projects 1 and 2 assisted 13.18 million welfare card holders by increasing their benefit allocation by 700 baht, bringing total monthly assistance to 1,000 baht per person for four months, covering essential expenses including food, consumer goods, transportation, water, electricity, cooking gas, and disability benefits. From June 1–30, 2025, 13,581.13 million baht was allocated, with 12,925.72 million baht spent primarily through community shops.

Sub-project 3, 'Thai Help Thai Plus (60/40)', had reached 26.04 million people by July 19, 2025 at 11 p.m., generating 78,142 million baht in economic circulation—comprising 33,176 million baht (42 percent) from public contributions and 44,966 million baht (58 percent) from government. Over 1.09 million shops have registered and are operational, with over 99 percent being small businesses, dominated by restaurants, general stores, and community shops.

Perdsiviwat noted that program funds have spread across all regions, with 22 major cities accounting for 63 percent of spending—led by Bangkok, Chon Buri, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, and Nonthaburi—while 55 secondary cities represent 37 percent, led by Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Ratchaburi, and Chiang Rai, demonstrating that funds are not concentrated in major cities but stimulate grassroots economies nationwide.

Spending behavior shows citizens utilized benefits most heavily in the first week of the month, with over 12 million users daily averaging 20 million transactions and 2,200–2,800 million baht daily before declining to 500–2,000 million baht after the first week. Weekend activity surged, and in the first month, 94 percent of users spent over 800 baht of government co-payment while 48 percent fully used the 1,000 baht entitlement.

The government also promoted technology adoption for small retailers through 'Nok Krasip' (WhisperingBird), an AI assistant in the digital wallet app that summarizes and analyzes sales, identifies peak hours, checks raw material prices, and generates sales reports for future loan applications. By June 30, 2025, over 640,000 shops used the chatbot and over 440,000 used the Sales Insight feature.

"The 'Thai Help Thai Plus' program demonstrates that government measures effectively reduce living costs while creating continuous economic circulation," Perdsiviwat concluded.

Udom Surachat opened up at a press conference marking 96 years since Surphol Samathaichaloem's death at the Novotel Hotel Lak Si, revealing that having no heirs of his own, he has begun planning to build the "Samathaichaloem Art Hall" to preserve his father's invaluable collections and works as a legacy for future generations. He confirmed that music copyrights remain under family control and stated he will not involve himself in disputes between his brother Surachai Samathaichaloem and his nephew Rocky Surabodindhorn, letting the father and son settle their differences themselves.

When asked if he has decided who will take over the work if he can no longer manage it, Udom elaborated: "We've only recently started discussing this because I have no heirs—I have no family, just myself, always working alone. I've been talking with senior musicians and artists about creating a history museum or museum. I've collected so many of my father's belongings and don't want them to disappear after I'm gone. When I'm no longer here, there may be no more commemoration events, but I want this to endure as a museum—statues, photographs never shown to anyone before, plus thousands of recordings from the Samathaichaloem band that I've collected. I want to establish the Samathaichaloem Art Hall to preserve the legend. We're currently looking for a location, ideally in Suphan Buri province where our family originates."

Regarding music copyrights, Udom explained: "We have 22 more years under the Samathaichaloem label. Early songs will likely expire since my father didn't compose alone—my uncles were singers and composers too, all collaborating. For anyone wanting to use these songs, they must contact me directly. I've established a company managing copyrights with fewer than 200 songs in our portfolio. Even after I'm gone, my father's siblings will continue managing it for another 50 years. There are other heirs among the siblings who co-composed."

Addressing earlier posts about a granddaughter, Udom clarified: "The direct heirs are five in total; grandchildren have no rights unless we all pass away. When I posted about the 'true granddaughter,' I meant my uncle's child whom I hadn't seen for over 30 years and never encountered until he appeared at his father's funeral. I didn't know he was my grandchild until he came forward at the wake. I noticed he resembled my uncle and only learned his identity when he brought flowers to pay respects and introduced himself. He said he'd met me once when he was three years old. There was no other intent."

Asked if this was connected to family drama, Udom responded firmly: "No, I'm not taking sides with anyone. Our family has never interfered in each other's affairs because I don't know all the details of what happened. I can't judge who was right or wrong. Yes, I've been criticized heavily online, but I simply say I don't know. As I've stated, I'm not choosing sides. A grandchild is a grandchild—that's unavoidable. Either someone is or isn't. Many claim false connections. Surphol has only five direct heirs. I don't even know how many grandchildren exist—maybe close to ten. We're not interfering with anyone; we're just doing our work."

When asked if recent events have damaged the Samathaichaloem family name, Udom acknowledged: "There's some impact due to differing opinions, but this isn't unique to our family..."