On August 14, officers from the Anti-Money Laundering Division, working with the International Criminal Suppression Centre and the Anti-Online Fraud Centre, arrested Zhang, a 30-year-old Chinese national, at a condominium in Pattaya's Nong Prue subdistrict. He was wanted by Chinese authorities for fraud and money laundering, and also faced charges in Thailand for overstaying his visa.

Investigations revealed that between 2566 and 2567, Zhang had come to Thailand to serve as a commanding officer for an online scam operation. He organized team members to cycle through personal bank accounts to receive and transfer fraudulently obtained money, then ordered subordinates to withdraw large sums of cash for money laundering. The total circulation of laundered funds exceeded 1.8 million yuan, equivalent to approximately 8.8 million baht.

When Zhang learned he was about to be arrested by Chinese authorities, he fled the country through Japan and illegally entered Thailand in March 2568, hiding in Pattaya. After investigators tracked him to the condominium, police coordinated with Chon Buri Provincial Police to apprehend him. During interrogation, Zhang confessed to using Thailand as a base for laundering scam proceeds and acknowledged fleeing Chinese authorities. He has been transferred to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings and will be extradited to face charges in China.

Nabil Anane, a Thai-Algerian-French boxer and former ONE world champion, has faced online criticism after being pushed to compete at the Olympics by ONE Championship, the International Muaythai Federation, and the Thai Olympic Committee. Chatri Sisodian, president of ONE Championship, defended Nabil at a press conference, saying the boxer chose to compete for Thailand despite financial losses for everyone involved. Chatri expressed disappointment at the social media attacks and criticized those without the credentials of Samart Payakaroon, the legendary Olympic gold medalist, for speaking negatively about Nabil.

Chatri emphasized that Nabil has a genuine chance of winning a gold medal, noting that lightweight boxing is significantly more competitive than heavyweight divisions. "If we love our country, we must work together and support Nabil instead of attacking him on social media," Chatri stated. He expressed confidence in Nabil's ability to win gold, adding that he would not have pushed the boxer into Olympic boxing if he did not believe in his chances.

Thai actor claims father assaulted by gang, locals give conflicting accountsLegacyA boys’ love series actor is seeking justice for his father, claiming that he was left in critical condition following an attack by a gang outside a condominium in the Bang Khen area of Bangkok. However, locals in the area provided conflicting accounts. The actor, Rattanon “Neft” Suk-ubon told several news agencies that he had reported the incident to Bang Khen Police Station but said there had been no progress in the case. He subsequently spoke publicly about the incident with his mother-in-law. According to Neft, the incident happened at around 5pm on July 27 after his father, 58 year old Kantapong, approached a debtor who lived in the same condominium to request repayment. Neft said his father has depression, which he believed may have caused him to use inappropriate words towards the debtor and other people in the area. He alleged that the debtor, other residents and a security guard then physically assaulted his father. Photo via Channel 8 Neft’s mother-in-law said the people involved also warned her against pursuing legal action. She further alleged that she was offered 30,000 baht to end the legal proceedings. She added that one of the people involved was a member of the condominium’s juristic team, which she said made her concerned about her safety at home. Neft said his father suffered facial bone fractures, a broken jaw and bleeding on the brain. Kantapong remains under treatment at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital. Following Neft and his mother-in-law’s interviews, some residents in the area spoke to Channel 8 to dispute their account of the incident. Photo via MGR Online A woman who identified herself as Kantapong’s neighbour alleged that he had regularly caused disturbances in the community. She claimed he had scattered rubbish, blocked vehicles on a public road and damaged personal and public property. The woman said Kantapong behaved similarly on the day of the incident but denied that residents had attacked him. Another man living in the area acknowledged hitting Kantapong with a dustpan holder. He said he did so to restrain Kantapong and stop what he described as a disturbance, insisting that he struck him lightly. Photo via MGR Online According to the man, Kantapong continued trying to escape while residents attempted to restrain him. He said Kantapong subsequently fell and hit his head on a manhole, causing an injury to his face. Residents called rescuers to provide first aid, but the man alleged that Kantapong continued behaving disruptively afterwards. The conflicting accounts have not yet been resolved. Bang Khen Police Station had not issued a statement on the progress of the investigation at the time of the report. The story Thai actor claims father assaulted by gang, locals give conflicting accounts as seen on Thaiger News.

The Election Commission has upgraded its news operations by establishing news teams in every province and compiling lists of vote brokers and influential figures to prevent election fraud. Election Commissioner Sittichai Inthrawisai announced the plan following a workshop on August 14, 2025, at Centara Life Ratchada Government Center, aimed at strengthening information gathering to prevent violations of election law, investigations, prosecutions, and court proceedings.

Sittichai explained that the commission invited intelligence units from across the country—including the National Intelligence Agency, police, and navy—as well as the Interior Ministry, all of which have networks in every province. He noted that elections at all levels face persistent problems with vote buying, vote selling, and other fraudulent practices, but the Election Commission lacks its own field operatives. To address this gap, the commission is requesting cooperation from these national intelligence bodies, which have the legal authority to assist.

The commissioner stated that once nationwide agreement is reached on procedures, the Election Commission will establish its own news operations system by setting up news teams in every province, leveraging legal authority to seek intelligence cooperation and build formal news-gathering infrastructure. He added that the law allows the commission to allocate a budget for these activities to ensure fair and just elections. He described this day as the start of the commission's proactive news operations effort, expecting it to improve future elections and reduce vote buying.

When asked whether the system can be deployed immediately in the Udon Thani House by-election, Sittichai confirmed that he has assigned two deputies to oversee upcoming elections in Udon Thani, Kalasin, Nonthaburi, and Khon Kaen, requiring new approaches rather than repeating past methods. The commission will take preventive action before elections whenever possible and issue urgent measures, while developing a formal long-term system.

Regarding whether high-risk areas will be identified, Sittichai said the commission must establish a work system for that purpose. One planned element is gathering provincial data on vote brokers and influential figures and creating lists of them. With this information, management becomes easier, allowing the commission to target resources effectively based on each area's level of risk.

PROUD reported Q2 2025 revenue of 1,729 million baht with net profit of 106 million baht, a 314% increase from 25 million baht in the same quarter last year. First-half 2025 revenue totaled 2,994 million baht with net profit of 161 million baht, up 78% from 90 million baht in the prior-year period.

The growth was driven by handovers of the Ramya Convent project, which began in May 2025, alongside continued transfers of the Veha Hua Hin project. This increased the proportion of self-developed project revenue and significantly boosted profitability. PROUD also managed project development costs, investments, construction quality, operating expenses, and financing efficiently, lifting the net profit margin in Q2 2025 to 6.2% from 1.2% a year earlier.

The results came amid an uneven real estate market recovery, with national transaction volumes and values growing 11.2% and 3.1% respectively in Q1 2025, yet land allocation and construction licenses falling 45.7% and 50.2%. This underscored PROUD's success with its strategy of focusing on premium, distinctive projects over price and volume competition.

As of June 30, 2025, PROUD's sales pending transfer (backlog) totaled 4,008 million baht, to be recognized as revenue from 2025 through 2027. The company also reduced its interest-bearing debt-to-equity ratio to 1.1 times from 1.9 times at end-2024, lowering financing costs and further boosting net margins, while maintaining a strong cash position to support expansion and new projects.

"Although the overall real estate market faces economic and purchasing-power headwinds, we are confident the second half will deliver continued growth from accelerated Ramya Convent handovers and our strong-quality backlog," said Pasutt Liptpullarp, managing director of PROUD.

BANGKOK — Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya presided over the 2026 Symposium on "Developing Knowledge for Product Development Towards International Standards" at ICONSIAM Hall in Bangkok on August 13.

The event featured the launch of the Thai Textiles Trend Book Spring/Summer 2027, the seventh edition of the annual publication for which Princess Sirivannavari serves as executive editor.

The publication applies her vision under the "Thai textiles: Wearing with Fun" project to promote Thai fabrics and designs on the international stage. The latest edition is centered on the theme "Reimagination," reflecting global changes and emphasizing culture as a tool for communication and connecting people in the modern world.

Princess Sirivannavari later delivered a lecture on "Promoting and Developing the Image of Thai Textiles Towards International Standards 2026."