Jib Vasu, a senior in the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, opened up about the loss of "Hulun," a young YouTuber and fellow alumnus, expressing profound sadness over his passing. Jib praised Hulun as an inspiration to a new generation, admiring his courage in pursuing his dreams and turning them into reality. He shared insights from his experience working in Thailand's Foreign Ministry in diplomatic and consular roles, offering a cautionary message to travelers, especially solo travelers: always inform the embassy of your whereabouts, send your travel plans to family, and maintain contingency plans for emergencies.

Jib reflected that following Hulun's content felt like seeing himself 35 years younger, as both had shared the experience of backpacking and traveling solo both domestically and internationally as young adventurers. He expressed pride in Hulun as a political science graduate who was grounded, action-oriented, and served as a living example that dreams are achievable. "If Hulun, with all his advantages, could do it, then anyone can," Jib said. He acknowledged that while modern travel tools make journeys easier than in his youth, the risks remain unchanged—every country has dangerous areas and natural hazards. Drawing from his experience handling cases of Thai deaths abroad through official channels, Jib emphasized that while news spreads quickly on social media, formal procedures through the Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry are necessary to notify families. He concluded that Hulun's case serves as a powerful lesson: even with good intentions and careful planning, solo travelers must take every precaution and always have contingency measures in place.

Chaiyarut Sukplang is driving growth for Tidlor Holdings' insurance brokerage business using InsurTech platforms, bucking market trends. While Thailand's property and casualty insurance market grows by just a few percentage points annually, Tidlor's brokerage division has achieved consistent double-digit expansion. What factors underpin this success, and how much room for growth remains in the market?

Countermarket growth on strong fundamentals

In 2568 (2025), Tidlor Holdings' insurance brokerage business grew 10.5% year-over-year, far outpacing industry average growth of around 3 percent. In the first quarter of 2569 (2026), the division maintained momentum with property and casualty premiums up 11.7% compared to the same period last year. Chaiyarut Sukplang, deputy managing director of the insurance brokerage division at NgernTidlor, a Tidlor Holdings company, said the sustained growth stems from strengths in InsurTech technology, which acts as the backbone enabling expanded sales channels and customer services with comprehensive, efficient reach. This allows the business to advance steadily even amid current market volatility.

Business structure serving all customer needs

Tidlor's insurance brokerage stands out for comprehensive product coverage across two dimensions: insurance solutions meeting all needs—covering vehicles, people, and homes—and sales and service channels designed to match all customer behaviors. The operation runs three core brands.

PrakanTidlor (Shield Insurance Broker) is the number-one face-to-face service brand, positioned as a service broker elevating client experience from purchase through claims. It employs over 5,000 professionals across more than 1,900 NgernTidlor branches nationwide, offering close consultation. A dedicated 24/7 call center (PrakanTidlor 1501) handles claims and full-cycle customer care under the tagline "Peace of mind from purchase to claim." The call center has logged over 260,000 service interactions since December 2023.

The company also operates InsurTech platforms: Areegator, a Software-as-a-Service platform for independent brokers, and heygoody.com, a fully digital brokerage platform for customers buying insurance online 24/7, particularly travel insurance, which enjoys strong repeat purchase rates. Both platforms drive overall company growth.

Thailand's insurance market: opportunity wide open

Despite steady growth, Chaiyarut sees further upside in Thailand's insurance market. In 2568, the property and casualty segment wrote 292,785 million baht in direct premiums, while life insurance reached 676,436 million baht. Thailand has over 45 million registered vehicles, yet roughly half carry no voluntary auto insurance. The company aims to grow its property and casualty brokerage business at 5–10 percent annually, with expansion plans underway.

In recognition of the late king's benevolence, Sansiri has led its management and employees in charitable activities and volunteer work to honor the royal birthday on July 28, 2025. The company's team united to perform good deeds and dedicate merit-making in respect of the late monarch.

Following the royal vision, volunteer staff mobilized to serve society across four dimensions: disadvantaged children, people with disabilities, elderly persons, and stray or disabled animals. The aim was to ease their burdens and create sustainable social benefits. A Buddhist merit ceremony was held at Siri Campus headquarters, with monks from Wat Trimitraram, to mark the occasion auspiciously and transfer merit to the late king.

Sansiri company honored the late king's boundless compassion by demonstrating loyalty and following royal principles of benefiting society. Management and employee representatives held a merit ceremony with invited monks from Wat Trimitraram at Siri Campus headquarters, celebrating the occasion and dedicating merit.

To continue the late king's vision of doing good with sincere hearts and selfless dedication for society's welfare, Sansiri's volunteer staff engaged in four key areas of support:

Disadvantaged children: provided lunch, donated necessities, and organized recreational activities for youths aged 6–18 at Maharaj Youth Foundation.

People with disabilities: provided lunch, donated money and essential items, and offered support at Nonthaburi Disabled Persons Care and Development Center.

Elderly persons: provided lunch, donated money and essentials, and organized entertainment activities to bring joy at the Foundation Home for the Elderly under Royal Patronage.

Stray and disabled animals: donated animal feed and veterinary care, and assisted with feeding at the Disabled Animals Foundation in Nakhon Pathom.

This unified charitable effort reflects Sansiri's corporate DNA—conducting business with social responsibility and serving as a good corporate citizen. All employees performed their duties with humility, compassion, and commitment to ease society's burdens, fulfilling their duty as Thai citizens under the late king's benevolence.

A man and woman lost their way while driving and plunged into an irrigation canal, drowning together, with no one knowing until days later. Local residents said the couple had stopped to ask for directions after becoming disoriented. On July 30, rescue officials and Mae Tang police in Chiang Mai recovered a black sedan that had fallen into the Mae Tang irrigation canal near Thanyalak Hospital in Khi Lek subdistrict, Mae Tang. Investigation revealed two bodies inside—one male and one female. According to preliminary inquiry, on the night of July 28, a man appearing intoxicated arrived at a village with a woman passenger and asked residents for directions after getting lost. Villagers heard a sound like a vehicle accident but no one came out to check. The next day, locals noticed that a cart-trailer belonging to a villager, which had been parked at the village entrance near the canal, had vanished, with tire marks visible leading down the canal bank. Rescue workers then searched using underwater scanning equipment and sent divers to look, but instead found a sedan submerged in the water. When the wreck was recovered, the two bodies were found.

On July 30, Rangsiman Rom, a Pheu Thai list-based MP, responded to allegations by Suphachai Jai Samut, a Bhumjaithai list-based MP, who had announced plans to file a complaint with the election commission about Pheu Thai senators allegedly colluding to vote as a bloc in 2567. Rangsiman noted that since Bhumjaithai controls state power, they are better positioned to investigate if they believe wrongdoing occurred.

Rangsiman argued that Suphachai is trying to deflect from the real scandal—apparent Senate rigging that appears to involve Bhumjaithai insiders—by implicating Pheu Thai. He challenged Suphachai to name specific Pheu Thai MPs allegedly involved, pointing out that Pheu Thai is not in government and therefore has no power to manipulate senate appointments. Rangsiman also called on Suphachai and others to answer outstanding questions, including matters involving Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and allegations about the Pullman Hotel restaurant incident.

Rangsiman emphasized that society deserves actual accountability through proper investigation, evidence collection, and prosecution based on facts rather than political rhetoric. He challenged Suphachai to provide concrete evidence—financial trails, video clips, or specific senator selections—rather than vague accusations. Rangsiman contrasted this with Pheu Thai's approach, noting that party member Jatuporn Prompan (referred to as Yingluck's associate in the iLaw project) has already named specific Bhumjaithai figures allegedly involved in blue-shirt senator rigging. He concluded that Pheu Thai stands ready for a full investigation if specific names and evidence are presented.

The Social Security Office (SSO) clarified on July 30, 2569 that its total budget for the Social Security Board elections is 275 million baht, with the 30 million baht figure representing only the cost of establishing polling stations. Kanjana Poolkaew responded to criticism over discrepancies between the 30 million baht mentioned in a court filing and the 275 million baht in the overall budget allocation request.

The SSO explained that 30 million baht is merely a preliminary calculation for setting up polling stations based on registration data from July 15, 2569, and does not include other expenses or the additional registrations that occurred in the final five days. The full 275 million baht budget covers all aspects of the election project, including administrative costs such as an election command center, staff compensation, meetings, training, equipment, public relations, polling site preparation, and ballot transportation. This estimate assumes a 50 percent voter turnout.

Poolkaew confirmed that the difference in figures stems from different calculation bases. The number reported to the court was intended to compare the cost of setting up polling stations under advance registration versus accommodating all 12 million insured persons, not the total project budget. The SSO will adjust the budget details to match the actual number of polling stations established and will disburse funds according to the approved plan to ensure maximum efficiency and benefit for insured persons and employers participating in the election.