On August 8, 2025, Si Sa Ket Province Governor Anurath Thammapratchajit ordered Unit 238 Lam Duan Protection Command to conduct a drug suppression operation in the region. Officers had been tracking a Honda sedan with Chon Buri license plates traveling from Khanthararaksa District toward Si Sa Ket city, suspected of involvement in transporting narcotics from neighboring provinces for distribution locally.

When officers attempted to intercept and arrest the vehicle, the driver accelerated, ran a red light at Soonheng intersection in Si Sa Ket's central district, and collided with a municipal garbage truck. The sedan was severely damaged and unable to continue. Three men immediately jumped out and scattered in different directions, prompting officers to launch an urgent pursuit. A search of the vehicle uncovered 72,000 methamphetamine pills hidden inside.

Authorities believe some suspects may have been injured in the crash and are likely hiding in the area. Police are conducting an intensive manhunt while expanding the investigation to identify all network members, accomplices, and those involved in the trafficking operation in order to trace the source and dismantle the entire organization before proceeding with legal action.

With sorrowful voices, family members welcomed the body of Kittipong Somrat, administrative deputy director at Thepsirin School in Nonthaburi, back to his birthplace in Sisaket province on August 8, 2569, following a violent incident at the school that killed and injured multiple teachers and students. At 6:25 p.m., the body arrived at his family home in Ban Kantrom Noi, Khun Haad District, Sisaket, where his mother, wife, and relatives waited with deep sorrow. As the vehicle bearing his body approached, his wife clutched a photograph of her husband while his sister lit five incense sticks to inform the spirits that he had returned home, requesting safe passage to bring his body into the house for traditional funeral rites.

His wife then lit one incense stick and spoke to her husband with a trembling voice: "Father has come home now. Father is getting out of the car. Relatives are here waiting for you." Family members then carried the coffin into the house to perform customary ceremonies of forgiveness and ritual water pouring. The family requested privacy from the media during this period of mourning. Royal blessing water will be administered on August 9, followed by Buddhist chanting, with the cremation ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, 2569, at Ban Kantrom Noi Temple in Khun Haad District, Sisaket province.

Nhuamol Wongahacak delivered an outstanding performance to secure two gold medals and one silver for Thailand's weightlifting team at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on August 8, 2025.

Competing in the women's youth 49-kilogram category, Nhuamol displayed excellent form in the snatch, successfully lifting 73, 75, and 77 kilograms in sequence. She captured a silver medal in this lift and Thailand's first medal of the competition. In the clean and jerk, Nhuamol easily cleared 98 kilograms on her first attempt and 101 kilograms on her second. She attempted 105 kilograms on her third try but the lift was ruled invalid. Her best of 101 kilograms was still enough to secure a gold medal, with a combined total of 178 kilograms earning another gold.

Other notable performances included Angeline Colonia of the Philippines, who won one gold in snatch at 80 kilograms and two silvers in clean and jerk at 93 kilograms for a total of 173 kilograms, and Alexandra Ann Diaz of the Philippines, who took two bronze medals in snatch at 77 kilograms and a total of 169 kilograms. Hoi Ga of Vietnam earned one bronze in clean and jerk at 93 kilograms.

In the men's youth 60-kilogram category, Kritiphong Toshlor completed with a snatch of 101 kilograms (8th place), clean and jerk of 124 kilograms (8th place), and a total of 225 kilograms (7th place). Jerick Icon Castro of the Philippines dominated the men's youth 60-kilogram division, winning three golds with a snatch of 115 kilograms, a clean and jerk of 144 kilograms—setting a new Asian youth record and surpassing the previous standard of 143 kilograms—and a total of 260 kilograms.

Thailand's medal tally now stands at two golds and one silver. The Thai team has additional competitors scheduled throughout the remainder of the championships.

The Phuket Express -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Cherng Talay – Phuket police have fined a Russian manl after a video of a white BMW sedan drifting dangerously in a convenience store parking lot near Surin Beach went viral on social media. The Cherng Talay Police told the Phuket Express. The incident occurred late on August 7th, when the vehicle was seen spinning […] Russian Driver Fined for Reckless BMW Stunt at Surin Beach-VIDEO -=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=- The Phuket Express - Real. Unbiased. Impactful. In the moment.

The Phuket Express -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Phuket – Phuket City Police, in coordination with the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, executed a search warrant and arrested a 25-year-old woman for illegally selling unlicensed weight-loss products online. Official told the Phuket Express. The suspect, identified as Ms. “Ploy” (alias), was apprehended in a rented room in Rassada Subdistrict, Muang District, Phuket. Officers […] Police Arrest Woman in Phuket Selling Illegal Weight-Loss Pens Online -=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=- The Phuket Express - Real. Unbiased. Impactful. In the moment.

Pol. Gen. Tawee Sodsong, leader of the Prachathai Party, posted on Facebook on August 8, 2569, questioning the 2568 local government employee exam cheating scandal and demanding investigation into the "masterminds." He characterized the scandal as "crime to aid criminals," arguing it extends far beyond simple exam fraud. Once the initial wrongdoing occurred and results were announced, posted, and employees hired, a second layer of suspected criminal activity emerged—the alleged tampering with evidence and score files to retroactively justify the fraudulent results and shield the original perpetrators. This secondary action constitutes what Sodsong calls "crime to aid criminals." On June 22, 2569, National Anti-Corruption Commission officers, working with other law enforcement units, executed search warrants at Sammeung Company in Nonthaburi, discovering 11 local officials handling answer sheets and exam score files, seizing numerous items of evidence. The scandal involved approximately 5,960 exam candidates whose status was altered from "failed" to "passed," but the June 22 raid was not the beginning—the results had already been announced, lists posted, and candidates hired into government service, meaning the fraud's impact extended beyond computers into the civil service system and national finances. Sodsong posed a direct question: if results were already announced, lists compiled, and hiring completed, why were officials still manipulating score files and answer sheets afterward? If proven to be an attempt to make source evidence match the announced results to conceal the original fraud, this constitutes not merely exam cheating but an additional layer of criminal conduct to aid and cover for the original perpetrators. The Civil Service Commission later canceled portions of the exam list and compiled a new one for Southern Thailand zones 1 and 2. While correcting the roster may address administrative consequences, it cannot erase prior misconduct and raises further questions: How did failed candidates appear in the announced results? Who prepared the documents, who submitted them, who reviewed them, who approved them, and who ordered it? Officials must also examine those removed from the list for connections to politicians or senior officials—such connections would represent a critical trail leading from the "beneficiaries" to the "masterminds." Evidence also suggests candidates or relatives were charged 450,000 to 1,000,000 baht in exchange for exam passage, list inclusion, or civil service hiring, with potential total losses estimated at 4.5 to 5 billion baht. Investigators must trace both money and power: who demanded payment, who collected it, how was the money distributed, and who received positions, promotions, or authority in return? In criminology, when corruption yields returns in money, position, and power while carrying low punishment risk, it incentivizes further wrongdoing. When passed through networks, corruption reproduces itself and embeds in the system. When money creates power, power creates position, and position reinforces both, the cycle becomes self-perpetuating.