The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) under the Ministry of Transport is enforcing the law against expressway users who fail to pay tolls and engage in repeated violations. The authority is urging drivers with unpaid toll balances to settle their debts immediately at expressway toll booths across all routes before facing legal proceedings and criminal charges. EXAT stressed that law enforcement will be strict with no exceptions for repeat offenders or those ignoring payment notices.

Currently, EXAT is prosecuting expressway users under Section 63 of the Expressway Authority of Thailand Act B.E. 2550 for deliberately evading toll payments and ignoring payment demands. The authority has cases pending with prosecutors, 27 cases with court judgments ordering payment plus fines, and 28 cases completed through the court system. Violators are warned that unpaid tolls become criminal violations after the deadline expires, resulting in administrative fines up to 10 times the toll amount per trip.

EXAT urges all expressway users to pay tolls when using the roads. Those with unpaid balances should settle immediately at toll booths within the designated period to avoid legal action. Penalties can be paid through channels specified in the notice or at the One Stop Service Center, 1st Floor, EXAT Administration Building, 111 Bangkapi, Huai Khwang, Bangkok. Those who fail to pay or contest the charges within the deadline will face further legal proceedings. For inquiries, drivers can contact the EXAT Call Center at 1543 available 24 hours.

An accountant who served as a nominee shareholder for 172 companies has claimed she was simply following her boss's instructions and was unaware of any legal violation. On July 17, Deputy Police Commissioner Samran Nuanma interrogated four Thai suspects in a foreign nominee network scheme involving land and house ownership in Chachoengsao province. The accountant, who worked for a law firm, said she had been registering companies under her name for over 10 years but couldn't recall the details due to the volume. She stated that her supervisor instructed her to register the companies, and she complied. Some registrations were done online using her own name, which she later became aware of. She noted that lawyers handling the legal work proceeded with the registrations without hesitation, leading her to believe nothing illegal was occurring. Her compensation consisted solely of her regular salary from the law firm. When questioned about whether she knew her name appeared as a nominee in 170 companies, she claimed ignorance due to the length of time involved and said she lacked the authority to remove her name because she was not a director. Although she had requested the companies remove her name, they refused because changing shareholders requires director status, which she did not possess.

Po Teck Tung Foundation, led by Chairman Wichian Techapaiboon, invites supporters to join the 2569 annual Ching Ming Festival merit-making tradition. Participants can donate rice packages to dedicate merit to deceased relatives and non-relatives, while also providing charitable aid to the poor. Donations can be made at Po Teck Tung Foundation, Phlap Phla Chai, or online through the website https://pttfny.net/newsh2. The foundation will distribute goods at three locations: August 16 at Po Teck Tung Cemetery in Samut Sakhon; August 25 at a Chinese medicine clinic branch in Chachoengsao; and September 9 at Po Teck Tung Foundation in Bangkok. From July 23 to August 20, the foundation opens the White Jade Tai Hong Kong Shrine for devotees to pay respects and conduct Ching Ming merit-making ceremonies benefiting both named and unclaimed deceased spirits. A Buddhist ceremony will be held on August 20, followed by a caravan procession on August 21 distributing supplies to the poor across six Bangkok districts. This year, the foundation has expanded aid distribution to include various provinces, inviting donors to contribute funds for rice packages, dried food, and essential supplies for the underprivileged. The Ching Ming Festival tradition, practiced since the Buddhist era, has been observed by the foundation for over 116 years, making it likely the first organization to formally institutionalize the practice as a systematic charitable merit-making activity dedicated to both deceased relatives and strangers while providing assistance to those in need.

During a parliamentary budget committee session on July 17, 2569, Admiral Poirot Fueangchan, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy, responded to questions about naval preparedness following Cambodia's receipt of corvettes from China and possession of 4-6 aging vessels. The Thai Navy has conducted continuous training and naval force development exercises, and currently maintains adequate maritime security. The Commander stressed that naval capability requires more than operational vessels—personnel must be trained in weapons systems and surveillance operations. He confirmed that the Navy monitors Cambodian naval movements and assured that Thai naval forces maintain clear superiority in both equipment and manpower, with high expertise and clear doctrine to effectively protect national sovereignty. Regarding submarine acquisition plans, the Navy will evaluate the first submarine in late 2571 before proceeding with the second and third units, which will use Chinese engines instead of German MTU engines. Pakistani Navy experience with ten similar vessels using Chinese engines has provided confidence in engine performance. The Navy also outlined the frigate acquisition program, with detailed specifications in the terms of reference. The contract requires the vendor to provide ship designs for future construction, potentially saving 3,000-4,000 million baht per vessel. An offset agreement will require the vendor to invest returns, transfer technology, or subsidize domestic industry; non-compliance will be contractually binding. The Navy strategic plan targets eight high-performance frigates by 2580.

The government is clarifying its decision to approve the state welfare card for 9.5 million out of 18.8 million applicants, aiming to help the truly disadvantaged, while opening an appeals process for those rejected.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas disclosed during an official delegation accompanying the Prime Minister to Shanghai that eligibility verification for the 2025 state welfare card resulted in a significant drop in approved applicants following rigorous screening of all 18.82 million registrants.

Verification found 9.51 million qualified while 9.31 million were rejected. The large number of rejections reflects the government's overhaul of screening procedures to be more rigorous and stringent. Applicant data was cross-checked against multiple government databases in detail against qualification criteria including tax records, land holdings, income, and vehicle ownership, filtering out those not genuinely impoverished.

"The intent of this policy's rigorous screening is to bring truly poor people into the system," Ekniti said. "I speak from the heart when I say the government wants to help those genuinely struggling. Welfare budgets are limited, so we want this card to go to people with nothing, such as elderly bedridden patients with no income, so that assistance reaches those who truly deserve and most desperately need welfare."

Citizens can check their own eligibility online. Those rejected will receive clear details explaining which qualification criteria they failed to meet, ensuring transparency and verification. Appeals are also available.

Guan Yin, also known as the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, is a revered Chinese deity enshrined in Thai temples, Chinese temples, and shrines. She is honored as the goddess of compassion by Chinese communities, Thai-Chinese, and Thai Buddhists alike.

In Mahayana Buddhism, Guan Yin is identified with Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, whose name comes from Sanskrit. Her origins trace back to Mahayana sutras in India, and when blended with Chinese legend—particularly the story of Princess Miaoshan—she emerged as the feminine embodiment of Guan Yin. This union emphasizes gentleness and motherly compassion in a way that harmonizes beliefs without contradiction.

According to the Avalokiteshvara Sutra, the Bodhisattva can manifest in countless forms, both male and female, to help all beings. It is natural for Mahayana Bodhisattvas to blend with local deities and beliefs when spreading to new lands such as Tibet, China, and Japan.

The legend of Princess Miaoshan recounts how she was originally a celestial being who descended to the human world to relieve suffering. Born as the youngest daughter of King Miao Zhuang and Queen Xiao Lin, she was named Princess Miaoshan. From childhood, she was devoted to Buddhism, understood deep dharma, and resolved to pursue meditation for liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

Her father opposed this and forced her to marry a prince, but she refused. Though scolded harshly, she never grew angry. Her father then commanded her to work in the flower garden as punishment, but tree spirits came to help her. When this failed to change her mind, he ordered the head nun to take her to the White Peacock Temple and assigned her all the convent's work alone. She accepted with unwavering resolve, yet guardian deities secretly aided her tasks as well.

Thinking the nuns were helping her, the king grew furious and ordered soldiers to burn the temple, killing all the nuns, though only Princess Miaoshan survived. He then commanded her execution, but the sword could not harm her. In rage, he ordered the executioner killed and sentenced her to hanging. Yet the rope broke.

A divine tiger then appeared, placed her on its back, and carried her to Mount Xiang Shan. Later, the immortal Tai Bo appeared as an old man in human form and taught her the methods of spiritual practice. She attained enlightenment on the nineteenth day of the sixth month. Soon afterward, the karma her father had created caused him to fall gravely ill with no cure.

When Princess Miaoshan learned of this through divine knowledge, she selflessly sacrificed her eyes and arms to cure her father's illness, moved by filial piety. After becoming an arhat, she regained her eyes and arms and manifested the miraculous form of Guan Yin with a thousand arms. Princess Miaoshan, or Guan Yin, originally a Buddhist figure, later received patronage from the immortal Tai Bo and became venerated in both Buddhist and Daoist traditions simultaneously.

Original depictions of Guan Yin or Avalokiteshvara showed a youthful male form dressed in the ornate style of ancient Indian princes, with many different poses. When Mahayana Buddhism spread from India to China in the early period before the Tang Dynasty, the deity was still depicted as male following Indian Buddhist artistic conventions. Later, Chinese artisans reimagined her as a female figure.