Authorities announced the arrest of a major illegal cigarette trafficking network in central Nakhon Ratchasima, seizing over 75,000 cigarette packs representing a tax loss to the state of more than 4 million baht. Criminal charges will be filed against those responsible under customs and excise tax laws.

Excise Department Director Pornjai Teerawech appointed Acting Colonel Yongyut Phumiprathes, an excise tax strategy consultant, to represent the Excise Department at the news conference announcing the arrest of the large-scale tax-evading cigarette trafficking network in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The operation was conducted jointly with the Anti-Cigarette and Tobacco Products Center, the National Police Bureau's Central Investigation Bureau, and the Economic Crime Suppression Division.

The operation resulted from integrated inter-agency cooperation on investigation and suppression of illegal cigarette sales. Officers conducted a search of a residence in Muang Nakhon Ratchasima district and discovered 150 cartons of foreign cigarettes bearing no tax stamps, totaling 7,500 packages or 75,000 individual cigarettes valued at approximately 6.75 million baht. This caused the state to lose over 4 million baht in tax revenue. The offenders will be prosecuted under customs and excise tax laws.

The Excise Department, led by Sumet Rit Charoen, Director of the Inspection, Prevention and Suppression Bureau, and his team coordinated closely with police officers in conducting the investigation, search, and inspection of the seized goods. This effort aims to enforce measures preventing and suppressing smuggling of tax-evaded goods, protecting state interests, and ensuring fairness to legitimate businesses.

The Excise Department affirmed its commitment to continuing integrated cooperation with all sectors to prevent and suppress smuggling of tax-evaded goods, maintain the country's tax collection efficiency, reduce illegal trade, and build public confidence in those operating businesses lawfully. The department also appealed to the public to report information on excise tax violations to collectively protect the nation's interests sustainably.

Tourism and Sports Minister Suraskul Pantjaerngvalkul announced that Thailand received 18.51 million foreign tourists between January 1 and August 1, 2025, down 3.19% year-on-year, generating 896.2 billion baht in spending. The top five source markets are China (3.08 million), Malaysia (2.37 million), India (1.38 million), Russia (1.1 million), and South Korea (679,000).

In the latest week of July 26–August 1, near-market tourism slowed due to unrest reports in southern border provinces and reduced airline capacity on India routes, with India–Thailand flights down 28.6% and India–Malaysia flights down 20.7% year-on-year. Long-haul markets, particularly Europe, continued growing, buoyed by new routes to Dubai and Amsterdam and South Korean summer school holidays bringing families. South Korean arrivals surged 19.85% week-on-week to rank fourth overall, up from fifth the previous week.

Thailand recorded 567,312 foreign tourists this week, down 2.92% from the previous week (averaging 81,045 per day). Short-haul markets brought 362,773 visitors, down 4.34%, while long-haul markets attracted 204,539, down 0.31%.

The "Sky-High Luck: Kazakhstan Quest" campaign wrapped up with over 60,000 entries and 155 total prize winners receiving rewards worth 1.67 million baht. Flight delays, lost luggage, illness, and accidents are unexpected events that can occur on any trip and lead to unplanned expenses. Travel protection should be part of your trip planning from the start, just like booking flights or accommodation.

heygoody, a digital insurance broker platform operated by Ngen Tidlor Co., Ltd. under Tidlor Holdings, partnered with "Asap Pa Pai Long," a travel content creator, to launch the "heygoody X Asap Pa Pai Long: Sky-High Luck: Kazakhstan Quest" campaign to encourage Thais to prepare travel protection before departure.

The campaign ran from April 1 to June 30, 2026, with travel insurance customers earning entry chances to win a free Kazakhstan trip with Asap Pa Pai Long and other prizes totaling 1,674,000 baht. Throughout the campaign period, entries exceeded 60,000, and 155 winners received prizes including Kazakhstan trips, heybag luggage, Klook discount coupons, and heygoody Universal Adapters.

Pakamon Tulyapisitkunchai, Assistant to the President – Digital Transformation, stated: "We want travel insurance to be part of trip planning, just like booking flights or accommodation, because unexpected events can happen on any journey. heygoody's role is to help customers easily compare and select coverage suited to their destination, duration, and travel style."

The partnership with Asap Pa Pai Long connected insurance protection to real travel experiences and made travel insurance more relatable and understandable to travelers, with the Kazakhstan trip serving as the campaign's main prize and inspiration. The draw took place on July 13, 2026, with five winners receiving six-day, four-night Kazakhstan trips for two people each:

JATUPAT JARUPOKAWAT PAPATSORN PUANGNIAM PRUDSAJEE PENGNIL THANATPORN SUENSILPONG THAS JANEKOKIARTIKUL

Alternate: TINNAKORN UPITAK

Participants can verify all winners and prize details at https://hgd.insure/winnerLuckydraw69. heygoody continues to enhance the travel insurance purchasing experience to be convenient, easy to understand, and tailored to different travel styles, helping travelers select appropriate coverage and better prepare for unexpected events.

The Forestry Department has launched 'Operation Reclaim Phuket Forests,' coordinating with partner agencies to scan eight target areas and investigate nominee-shell companies, emphasizing fairness to all parties.

On August 3 at the Natural Resources and Environment Office in Phuket, Forestry Department Director-General Nikon Sirirojananan tasked Deputy Director-General Pattapong Smittipatana with chairing a meeting and opening the 'Operation Reclaim Phuket Forests' action plan. The Forestry Resource Management Office 12 in Krabi coordinated with multiple stakeholder agencies across Phuket province.

Following Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin's directive to prevent and combat forest encroachment and illegal seizure of public land by capital groups or individuals seeking unlawful profit from forestland and hills, authorities will focus on scanning eight key target areas: Khao Tata Gliang, Khao Muang, Khuan Tham Ta-in, Khao Daeng, Khao Mai Son, Khuan Na Tata Lae, Paradise Beach, and Koh Lim Beach.

After the meeting, the deputy director-general deployed personnel divided into six teams across the operational areas from August 3–5, 2025, to investigate land clearing on hillsides and verify whether land ownership documents were issued legally, with emphasis on fairness to all parties.

Authorities will also inspect food establishments near Paradise Beach, as there is suspicion of nominee-shell company operations. If clear violations are found, officials will immediately file a complaint with the local police station for legal prosecution, prioritizing fairness to all parties.

SC Asset Corporation has introduced the "Live and Learn Home" concept, unveiling eight new home series with 27 designs that accommodate life's changing stages. The initiative emphasizes design solutions that solve real-world living challenges, and incorporates music marketing featuring Boy Gosiyapong and a new version of his song "Live and Learn."

Nattakitti Sirithorn, deputy managing director of marketing and innovation at SC Asset, explained that home buyers today prioritize spaces that adapt to long-term life changes, not just location or aesthetics. Drawing on experience serving over 38,000 families, SC developed the Live and Learn Home concept to create quality homes that understand modern family living and grow with residents through every life stage.

"Every time residents live, we learn," Nattakitti stated. "We study their real experiences and develop solutions that solve actual living pain points—like adding a pantry on the second floor or positioning bedrooms close together. We build Live and Learn Homes from real life, not assumptions. This vision transforms eight home series with 27 new designs ready to serve modern families across all dimensions."

Chomchada Kuldilok, deputy managing director of corporate branding at SC Asset, noted that SC chose music marketing to communicate the Live and Learn Home concept beyond product messaging. The company partnered with Boy Gosiyapong, co-founder of Bakery Music and composer of "Live and Learn," to rearrange and re-record the song to reflect homes that grow with residents' lives.

"Live and Learn is more than a familiar song—it's a timeless piece that grows with people. Each time we hear it at different life stages, we discover new meaning reflecting who we are then," Chomchada said. "SC chose this song because great homes, like great songs, should have timeless value. They must endure in design and address family growth and life changes at every age."

Boy Gosiyapong, composer and co-founder of Bakery Music, noted that homes are spaces where we live, learn, grow, and experience change with loved ones—aligning with "Live and Learn"'s message about learning at every life moment. SC's special request was to reinterpret the song to reflect homes that expand, adapt, and transform as families grow and evolve, giving the track a fresh, uplifting arrangement.

Bangkok Hospital's main headquarters is advancing toward establishing a Medical Robot Hub, a center for medical robotics innovation at the Asia-Pacific level, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with D-Wise Technologies (Thailand) Limited. This partnership aims to build on existing knowledge and develop standards for robotic-assisted surgery (Robotic Surgery) following the hospital's experience treating patients with da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery technology in over 1,000 cases. The collaboration seeks to enhance the capabilities of Thai surgeons through education, training, and experience sharing to elevate Thailand's surgical standards to international levels and achieve better treatment outcomes for patients.

Dr. Akkhakitti Surakan, Deputy Director of Bangkok Hospital, stated that the hospital prioritizes medical technology alongside staff development. The experience from over 1,000 robotic-assisted surgery cases has generated valuable knowledge and specialized skill development for the surgical team, helping to raise the standards of surgical care. This collaboration represents an important step in building a robotic surgery learning system to provide patients with more effective and safer treatment.

Under the one-year MOU, both parties will collaborate on several key projects including establishing an In-house Robotic Training Center for Robotic Surgery within the hospital, developing surgeons and experts through training with International and In-house Proctorship Programs, establishing patient care standards, developing infrastructure and surgical simulation systems, and organizing the BDMS Robotic Surgery Annual Meeting 2026 on August 10, 2026, under the theme "1,000 Cases Celebration & Scientific Session" to provide a forum for knowledge exchange among domestic and international experts.

Dr. Chanin Pandi, Director of the Surgery Center at Bangkok Hospital and an experienced laparoscopic and robotic surgeon, revealed that the hospital currently uses da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery for treating complex patients in over 1,000 cases, covering abdominal, lung, thoracic, gynecological, and urological procedures. Over the past three years, Bangkok Hospital's main headquarters has performed 547 abdominal surgeries, 237 lung surgeries, 131 gynecological surgeries, and 92 urological procedures (kidney and prostate) as of June 2026. This technology enables precise surgical targeting, reduces bleeding, minimizes tissue damage, lowers infection risk, and allows patients to recover faster with shorter hospital stays and quicker return to daily activities. The hospital emphasizes multidisciplinary care that combines medical expertise with robotic medical technology to provide personalized care from diagnosis through surgery, rehabilitation, and continuous follow-up.