Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Pipat Ratchakitprakarn chaired a preparatory meeting for the first mobile cabinet session of 2569 (2026) in Songkhla Province to screen and organize project proposals for developing the five southern border provinces—Songkhla, Satun, Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat—before submitting them for cabinet approval. The meeting was attended by several cabinet members, provincial governors, civil servants, local administrators, private sector representatives, and related agencies.

The meeting aims to ensure all five provinces submit well-documented, comprehensive proposals that accurately reflect their problems, needs, and potential, with priority given to urgent projects that deliver tangible benefits to citizens. Provinces are invited to present major policy proposals and development projects so the government can address regional needs directly and coordinate action across central, regional, and local authorities as well as the private and public sectors.

Deeputy Permanent Secretary of Interior Bhassakorn Bunyaluk stressed that the preparatory process ensures high-quality proposals with clear details, proper justification, and concrete outcomes. Meanwhile, Pipat noted that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul assigned him to oversee southern region readiness for the mobile cabinet and coordinate budget support for flood-affected areas, with this session serving as a critical forum for gathering direct input from communities and translating it into actionable government policy.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) disclosed the asset and liability statements of Pol. Col. Thongchai Yenpraseurt, governor of Nonthaburi province, showing combined assets of 305 million baht. Pol. Col. Thongchai and Ms. Nonglak, his spouse, jointly reported total assets of 305,359,618 baht and total liabilities of 5,806,002 baht.

Pol. Col. Thongchai declared assets totaling 286,706,617 baht, consisting of bank deposits of 249,366 baht, land valued at 260,695,000 baht, buildings and structures of 20,000,000 baht, concessions and rights of 5,542,251 baht, and other assets of 220,000 baht. Ms. Nonglak reported assets of 18,653,001 baht, including bank deposits of 216,187 baht, investments of 710,893 baht, loans given of 5,749,684 baht, land of 4,050,000 baht, buildings and structures of 1,500,000 baht, vehicles of 200,000 baht, concessions and rights of 5,026,234 baht, and other assets of 1,200,000 baht.

Their liabilities totaled 5,806,002 baht, comprising overdrafts of 2,286,549 baht and bank loans of 3,519,453 baht. Pol. Col. Thongchai reported annual income of approximately 6,707,197 baht and annual expenses of about 4,000,000 baht, while Ms. Nonglak reported annual income of approximately 240,000 baht and annual expenses of about 500,000 baht.

Residents of Mae Kasai subdistrict in Nakhon Sawan are alarmed after a large tiger from Mae Wong National Park emerged from the forest and killed a dog in their village. Authorities acknowledge the tiger escaped from the forest to hunt near the settlement but confirm it has returned to the forest. Officials have set up field patrols and urged residents to avoid traveling at night, stressing this is a different tiger from the one that fatally mauled a wildlife officer at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary on August 10.

Following reports from villagers three days ago, Chayaprorn Amradis, director of the Protected Area Administration Office 12, dispatched staff to inspect Mae Kasai subdistrict in Mae Pern district, Nakhon Sawan, which borders the western forest zone between Mae Wong National Park and Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani province. Officials confirmed the tiger was real and exists in their database, but verified it is a different animal from the one that killed the ranger. Based on evidence, this is a young tiger aged around two years—the offspring of a tigress named Kanista documented by authorities.

The young tiger likely strayed while foraging and wandered deeper into the village, or may have followed prey. However, officials explain that tigers instinctively recognize ecosystem boundaries and will return to the forest on their own, as they naturally fear humans. Park officials have been deployed to educate residents and recommend improving lighting around livestock enclosures and homes, reinforcing animal pens, and exercising caution during nighttime travel. Residents are encouraged to travel in groups, and authorities will continue patrols to provide reassurance and security. Officials believe the tiger has already returned to the forest and urged residents not to panic.

On August 10, 2569, Dr. Nathpong Wongwiwattana, Director-General of the Department of Medical Services under the Ministry of Public Health, announced the establishment of seven Special Medical Clinics (SMC) and Premium Medical Clinics (PMC) for dental specialties. The department aims to upgrade service accessibility and ensure equitable quality care, particularly for specialized dental services facing growing demand.

The seven facilities are: the Institute of Dentistry, Rajavithi Hospital, the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health (Children's Hospital), the Institute of Neurology, Songkhla Hospital, Metta Pracharaks Hospital (Wat Rai Khing), and Chiang Mai Neurological Hospital.

These clinics will offer specialist dental services using modern equipment and technology with safety standards at affordable costs, while reducing congestion during regular hours and accommodating patients who cannot attend standard appointments. Dr. Sumana Pothisritong, Director of the Institute of Dentistry, noted that the units now provide SMC and Premium Clinic services covering routine checkups, fillings, root canals, implants, crowns, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral surgery, and other specialized treatments delivered by expert dental teams to ensure quality, convenient, and rapid care with expanded treatment options.

Women built Thailand’s hotel industry, but they still don’t run itLegacyHospitality has never had a talent problem when it comes to women. It has a seniority problem. Women make up 51.2% of the global hospitality workforce, according to industry data reported by Hospitality Investor in March 2025, yet hold only 30% of executive roles. Thailand’s hotel and tourism sector reflects the same gap, and on 3 September, a new industry platform is aiming directly at it. RISE 2026: Reshaping Hospitality by Empowering Women convenes at SAii Laguna Phuket, organised as a not-for-profit event by C9 Hotelworks, Mrs B Group, and Delivering Asia. The inaugural RISE edition last year drew hospitality professionals from across Thailand for a day of keynotes, workshops, and skills-focused sessions built around the same mission.

The program runs across four themes: Vision and Voice, Systems and Sectors, Emerging Leaders, and Craft, Communication and Self. Three of the women speaking at RISE make the business case better than any statistic: Lily Udomkunnatum, Managing Director of Burasiri Hotel Group, has built and run a hotel company from the ownership side, not just operated one on someone else’s balance sheet. Mary Pakamard, Managing Director and Principal Designer at M2 Plus, sits at the intersection of design and commercial strategy, a combination the industry still treats as two separate careers rather than one. And Wichupan Phukaoluan Srisanya, President of the Thai Hotels Association’s Southern Chapter, represents the institutional weight of the sector’s most important trade body in the south of the country. None of the three built a career waiting for a platform. RISE exists because platforms built specifically for women at this level have been rare, not because the women themselves have been. Wichupan Phukaoluan Srisanya, President of the Thai Hotels Association’s Southern Chapter Udomkunnatum put it plainly as she states that women in hospitality “hold teams together and often carry enormous responsibility,” yet remain underrepresented where ownership and senior decisions get made. Pakamard’s view is sharper still, arguing the industry needs to stop treating this as opportunity-creation and start recognising talent that is already there. I have spent three decades in Asian hospitality, and the pattern is consistent across markets: the operational backbone of this industry has long been female, while the ownership and decision-making layer has not caught up. That gap is not a diversity talking point in Thailand’s hotel industry. It is a capital allocation problem, a governance problem, and eventually a competitiveness problem for any hotel group that cannot draw on its full talent base at the top. RISE is supported by SAii Laguna Phuket, the Phuket Hotels Association, and UN Women. Tickets are 1,000 baht, with proceeds funding the event as a not-for-profit platform. C9 Hotelworks and Delivering Asia are running a second Phuket industry event the day after, the BEING 2026 wellness conference on September 2, for those looking to extend the trip into a broader industry week. You can register for the event through Eventbrite. Photo from Eventbrite The story Women built Thailand’s hotel industry, but they still don’t run it as seen on Thaiger News.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Thailand officially unveiled its racing lineup on August 9 at Walking Street in South Pattaya, with three Hilux TRAVO vehicles competing in the Asia Cross Country Rally 2026. The team includes two T1D-class trucks driven by Mana Phornsirirchird with Kittisak Glinchan and Nathapol Angrathanon with Thanyapat Menil, plus one T2A-D truck piloted by Phoomimas Thinjantorn and Prakay Namjai khonsai. The grueling 2,000-kilometer rally from Pattaya to Phitsanulok from August 10–15 will serve as a critical test of both vehicle performance and driver skill on some of Thailand's most challenging terrain, with Toyota using the experience to gather data for developing improved vehicles for Thai consumers under its "Making Ever-Better Motorsports-Bred Cars" philosophy.