A deputy mayor of a subdistrict administrative organisation and her husband were found dead from gunshot wounds in their bedroom in Lom Sak district early on Thursday, with police investigating the circumstances.

At about 02:00 on 21 August, police were notified of a shooting that left two people dead at a house in Pak Chong Subdistrict, Lom Sak district. Police and an on-duty doctor from Lom Sak Hospital attended the scene.

The two-storey wooden house had the incident on the first floor, where the bedroom was located. Police found the body of Sudjai, 44, lying dead on a folding chair. Nearby, her husband Yongyut, 47, was found dead on the bedroom floor. A semi-automatic handgun was found near the scene.

Police initially suspected that Yongyut may have shot Sudjai before using the firearm on himself. However, investigators will collect physical and forensic evidence to establish the exact circumstances and cause of death.

Sudjai was serving as deputy mayor of Pak Chong Subdistrict Administrative Organisation in Lom Sak district. She had also been acting as the organisation's mayor while Mayor Siriyaphorn Mee Saeng was suspended from duty by the Election Commission.

Police said they had so far found no indication that the deaths were connected to local political issues. A personal matter was considered a possible motive, but investigators will question witnesses and examine surrounding evidence to determine what happened and why.

At a 10:00 a.m. press conference on August 21, 2025, Democratic Party deputy spokesman Nattakarn Chuchanua addressed government administration and civil service appointments. He first expressed concern for flood victims in Nan Province and praised relief workers from all sectors.

Chuchanua stated that the key issue concerns the government's stated commitment to good governance and ethical principles. However, an IFD poll of over 1,300 respondents conducted earlier this week found that more than 60 percent believe civil service appointments under Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul have not adhered to ethical standards, with political considerations, patronage networks, major factions, and financial interests involved.

While promoting senior civil servants such as permanent secretaries with 8-10 years of service remaining is technically legal, Chuchanua said public perception sees this as laying groundwork for political advantage and damaging morale among other civil servants losing career advancement opportunities.

Chuchanua noted that he accompanied party list MP Chuan Likphai in addressing Education Ministry staff, where nearly everyone explicitly disagreed with current appointment practices. He warned the government that the Constitution and Civil Service Act require appointments based on ethics, capability, performance, and conduct without regard to political considerations. Appointed civil servants therefore bear the burden of proving they are not representatives of political parties or serving particular political interests.

"If the government appoints incompetent people for political benefit, the damage falls on the government itself. Such behavior is as reprehensible as vote-buying in parliament," Chuchanua said.

He also noted that Prime Minister Anutin expressed shame earlier this year about rising corruption figures during a Ministry of Interior meeting. Chuchanua countered that Anutin need not feel ashamed or blame others, since he appointed these individuals himself. Failure to select qualified personnel has allowed corruption to spread throughout every level from national to local government.

Chuchanua also discussed the National Buddhism Office's transfer of a specialist-level civil servant from Kalasin to Yala following an inspection tour by the office's leadership. He argued that the southern border region is complex, and personnel transfers there should consider knowledge, capability, and suitability to the area. Deploying problematic personnel to sensitive areas is the wrong approach and warrants government investigation.

Almost everybody who comes to Koh Lanta stays on the west coast, on the long strip of sand between Klong Dao and Kantiang. Almost nobody goes to the island's capital.

That is not a slight on Lanta Old Town. It is the whole point of it. The town is quiet now for exactly the reason it was busy before: it faces the wrong way.

When the sea was the road

Before there were roads on Koh Lanta, there was the water, and the east coast is the sheltered side. Old Town sits there, looking across at the mainland hills, in a spot calm enough for a wooden boat to sit out weather.

That made it the island's harbour and its commercial centre. Trading vessels working the route between Phuket, Penang and Singapore put in here, and what moved through the town was tin, charcoal and dried fish.

Look at the map with that in mind and the island reorganises itself. The beaches everyone flies in for today were the far side, the exposed side, the side facing open water. The valuable coast was the one nobody now visits.

Three arrivals, in order

The people of Old Town did not turn up all at once, and the order matters.

First the Urak Lawoi, the sea people, who have been on this island roughly five centuries and call it Satak. Then Muslim families from the Malay peninsula and Sumatra. Then, in the nineteenth century, southern Chinese arriving on the tin-mining wave that was reshaping this whole coast.

Each group is still here, and the town is one of the few places in Thailand where you can see all three layers on a single street.

The Chinese left the most visible mark

The buildings are the giveaway. The main street is lined with wooden shophouses raised on stilts over the water, teak, shuttered, some more than a hundred years old, built in the Sino-Portuguese style that runs down through Phuket and Penang.

They are not preserved as a museum piece. People live in them, and the shrines between them still smoke with incense.

What happened next is the part nobody writes down

Here is where the record thins out, and it is worth being straight about it. Old Town's rise is documented. Its decline is not, at least not in English.

What is obvious is the shape of it: at some point the land road mattered more than the sea route, tourism arrived on the west-facing beaches, and the centre of the island's economy walked across to the other coast. But we could not find a reliable date for when the pier stopped being the island's main way in, and we would rather say that than invent a decade to make the sentence flow.

If you know this history, or your family lived it, we would like to hear from you.

It is still the capital

This is the detail that surprises visitors most. Old Town is not a preserved village. It is the administrative seat of the whole district: the post office is here, the police station, the Buddhist temple, the Chinese temple, and the island's hospital.

There is also a community museum, put together by local people rather than by an outside institution, covering the three groups who built the place.

So when the west coast shuts for the monsoon and the beach road empties out, the island does not close. It just goes back to running from where it always ran from.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrived at the New Zealand Governor-General's residence in Wellington on August 21, 2026, to participate in a formal reception conducted according to Maori traditions. The warm and friendly atmosphere reflected the long-standing friendship between Thailand and New Zealand, with 2026 marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Maori elders and warriors welcomed the Prime Minister with the traditional hongi nose greeting before proceeding to formal ceremonies including the wero challenge, where the Prime Minister picked up a carved object to demonstrate peaceful intentions, and the karanga welcome ritual followed by a haka performance.

After the outdoor ceremony, Prime Minister Anutin and his wife joined New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his wife indoors, where the Thai and New Zealand national anthems were played and an honor guard was reviewed. The Prime Minister signed the visitor's book and exchanged gifts with his counterpart.

At 10:30 a.m., the two prime ministers held small-group talks to discuss the future direction of Thailand-New Zealand relations following the elevation to strategic partnership status. Later they conducted a full bilateral meeting at 11:00 a.m. Both leaders then held a joint press conference, with Prime Minister Anutin expressing satisfaction at making an official visit to New Zealand during the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. He emphasized that the visit opens a new chapter in the long friendship between the two nations, and both leaders signed a joint declaration establishing a strategic partnership, representing an upgrade of bilateral relations to a higher level. The Prime Minister noted that key ministers from both countries participated in the discussions.

Deputy Education Minister Akkranam Kanngkittinant announced on August 21 that the Education Ministry is mobilizing full support for schools impacted by flooding in northern Thailand, particularly Nan Province. Multiple educational institutions have been affected, and he has instructed the Office of the Basic Education Commission to immediately assess safety conditions and prepare recovery plans once water levels drop. The rapid flood surge has caused widespread damage to school buildings, teaching staff, and students across the region. Damage assessments are underway to determine which schools may need to temporarily close. Education Minister Prasert Chanthranwongtong is personally concerned about the situation and has directed all affected provinces to monitor conditions closely. He is preparing to visit the areas soon to encourage education personnel and implement measures to prevent disruptions to students' learning. "The Education Ministry will address all aspects of this crisis, from school infrastructure to educational continuity for affected children," Akkranam said. "Ensuring children do not fall behind in their studies and safeguarding the wellbeing of teachers, staff, and students remains our highest priority."

CHIANG MAI — A worried cat owner has turned to every possible channel to find a beloved gray cat that went missing in Chiang Mai's Fa Ham area, offering a reward of up to 50,000 baht for anyone who helps bring the pet home.

According to a post by a user named Zheng Xin, the owner is searching for Tao Tao, a male domestic Thai cat with gray fur that disappeared without a trace. The owner is offering a 30,000 baht reward for information leading to the cat's discovery, with the amount increasing to 50,000 baht if Tao Tao is found by Sunday, 23 August.

Tao Tao was last seen near house No. 73, Moo 3, Fa Ham Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Mai District.

The cat can be identified by its blue collar. Tao Tao is described as friendly and accustomed to people, making it possible for members of the public to approach him if spotted.

The owner urged anyone who sees Tao Tao not to chase him, as the frightened cat could run farther away. Instead, people who spot a cat matching the description are asked to take a photo and immediately send the owner the location or coordinates.

Anyone with even a small clue about Tao Tao's whereabouts is asked to contact the owner at +66 61 321 0494 to help bring the cat home safely.