Energy Minister Eknath Promptpanya announced his choice of Chanthanon Wankhachor as the new permanent secretary of the Energy Ministry on August 18, 2025, at Government House. Eknath explained that Chanthanon was selected because he is a suitable fit for the role, particularly given the ministry's important pending work that requires experienced leadership and a willingness to reform operations. Although the Energy Ministry has several capable deputy secretaries, many have longer remaining tenure; Chanthanon's four-year tenure aligns well with the typical four-year term of a permanent secretary and avoids displacing officers with longer careers ahead.

When asked whether he personally proposed the appointment, Eknath clarified that the minister had already put forward the recommendation, which was then submitted to Deputy Prime Minister Songsakdi Tongsri and subsequently presented to the cabinet following normal procedure. He confirmed that there had been discussions and that while multiple candidates were considered, Chanthanon emerged as the most suitable after careful review.

Eknath dismissed suggestions that the appointment represented a political quota, laughing off the question. Regarding his earlier interest in Nattapol Rangsitpol, the permanent secretary of the Industry Ministry, Eknath acknowledged that Nattapol had been one option since permanent secretaries can be selected from other ministries or equivalent-ranked civil servants. However, he stressed that his focus was on current challenges and future work, not political connections. He noted that whoever is willing to work alongside him to tackle problems is welcome to join, adding that the road ahead will not be easy and requires determination from the team.

A white sedan sideswiped and struck a motorcycle carrying a woman holding her 7-month-old baby on the back seat, according to a video posted on the Facebook page 'Sor Pao — This Needs Attention.' The incident occurred on Phet Kasem Road 69 in Bangkok as the motorcyclist and his wife, who was holding their 7-month-old child, were heading home. The impact sent both riders to the ground in a dangerous collision.

The family has filed an initial police report but expressed concern that the case may be quietly dismissed, and they are seeking advice on how to proceed. A witness at the scene who helped the victims revealed that the driver told them the collision was unintentional and that he had stepped on the accelerator by mistake. The driver apologized to those involved. The witness, who is a customer of the motorcyclist (a chicken vendor supporting his family), felt compassion for the 7-month-old child and wanted the incident to receive proper attention and fair resolution. The sedan driver may not realize that the collision was recorded on video from the witness's vantage point.

PHUKET: Officials have inspected nine motorbike rental businesses in Karon as part of Phuket’s expanding campaign against foreign-linked businesses, despite the provincial government reporting no prior evidence that any of the businesses showed signs of using Thai nominees to conceal foreign ownership.

Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenvorrakul announced on August 18 that the National Economic and Social Development Council is finalizing spending conditions for the Thailand Tourism Plus program ahead of its October 1 launch. While the Tourism Ministry has not yet formally submitted the proposal to the cabinet, the council reported progress on the initiative during cabinet discussions, with plans to meet the October 1 deadline while incorporating feedback from the hotel industry, which has requested expedited rollout by September.

The minister said the initial phase budget is 1.75 billion baht, with success potentially triggering further phases to stimulate domestic tourism. He acknowledged some slowdown in domestic travel but noted improvements following energy-related challenges. Foreign visitor arrivals have declined 2-3 percent against a forecast of over 33 million for the year, though the ministry expects a rebound in the final quarter alongside new international airline routes.

When asked about the program's economic impact, Surasak projected spending circulation of at least 5 billion baht across tourism services, hotels, accommodations, and tourism businesses, providing broad-based stimulus across the sector.

Thailand's Department of Foreign Trade has confirmed strong and continuous measures to prevent goods transshipment through third countries and false origin declarations to evade trade measures, in coordination with constructive information sharing with the United States. Director-General Arada Fuengtong revealed U.S. concerns about transshipment and misrepresentation of product origin used to circumvent trade sanctions, stating that Thailand recognizes the importance of these issues and is committed to preventing the country from being used as a loophole for trade evasion.

Arada said: "Thailand is acutely aware of transshipment risks and takes the matter seriously. If we find false origin claims or unlawful conduct, we are ready to enforce the law and will continuously escalate inspections and cooperation with U.S. agencies. The Department of Foreign Trade is closely monitoring U.S. positions and reports."

The Department of Foreign Trade and Customs Department have continuously reported progress and briefed U.S. Customs and Border Protection on measures being taken, intensifying inspections across multiple fronts including linking production data with businesses in coordination with Customs, the Department of Industrial Works, and provincial commerce offices, conducting field inspections of facilities, tracing product origins, and taking action against businesses found in violation.

The Department of Foreign Trade has also expanded the list of monitored goods with U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 49 product categories covering 194 tariff lines to 67 categories covering 274 tariff lines, effective June 1, 2025. The department is preparing to develop the ROVERs Plus system using artificial intelligence to assist in inspections and assess origin risks, and has already trained over 2,000 businesses on origin rules and local content requirements.

Thailand is not starting this work now but has continuously upgraded its inspection systems. Between August 28-31, 2025, the Department of Foreign Trade and Customs Department will meet with U.S. Trade Representative officials to demonstrate Thailand's commitment to preventing transshipment and upgrading solutions in concrete ways.

Arada stated: "Rising trade volumes may be a signal warranting inspection but are not evidence of trade measure evasion, as supply chain changes may result from new investment, production relocation, or increased capacity—genuine economic activities. The key is distinguishing such cases from false origin claims or trade evasion. Assessing the situation and scale of the problem requires real data and information exchange with the U.S. to identify risks, verify facts, and solve problems accurately."

Arada added that Thailand is prepared to work constructively with the United States based on verifiable data, facts, and evidence to hold violators accountable while avoiding unnecessary burdens on honest businesses, and will promote the use of domestic raw materials to build confidence that Thailand is a transparent and reliable part of the global supply chain.

PHUKET: Two men, including a 90-year-old British national, were found dead in separate homes in Thalang, with the causes of death still under investigation.