Iconsiam invites the public and tourists to join in honoring the late Queen Sirikit while continuing her mission to preserve Thai arts, crafts, textiles, and local wisdom through exhibitions, activities, and creative works throughout August 2025.

The month begins with a tribute exhibition titled "Sirikit the Queen: The Nation's Beloved Heart" (August 1–8) at Thara Hall, Walk Way, and Arts Way on the M floor. The exhibition conveys Her Majesty's grace through works by national artists and accomplished artists across five art forms, featuring 3D animation screenings, panel discussions, and charity displays.

From August 11–13, the Office of the Prime Minister, through the Public Relations Department, presents "Legacy of Thai Textiles & Fashion" at Charoen Nakhon and Thara Halls on the M floor. Organized under the theme "Legacy: Creative Continuity & Creativity," the event showcases over 100 pieces from 10 model communities across Thailand, alongside talks by leading designers and contemporary Thai textile fashion shows featuring models and celebrities to champion Thai soft power globally.

S'CRAFT, under the SIRIVANNAVARI brand in partnership with Iconcraft, launches a limited collection of Thai textile bags titled "THREADS OF LEGACY: S'CRAFT 2026." Drawing inspiration from Her Majesty's textile legacy, the collection consists of 88 limited-edition bags handwoven by Thai artisans, displayed and sold from August 11–31.

Throughout August, Iconcraft on floors 4–5 presents "THAI TEXTILE HEROES 2026," highlighting Thai textiles, crafts, and local wisdom. The program includes youth artwork exhibitions, the Cultural Textile Awards 2026 showcase, and the "Thai Textiles: Wear Them With Joy" exhibition, following the royal initiative of Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana.

From August 11–16, Iconsiam partners with the Thai Crafts and Design Foundation to host "Her Majesty the Queen's Blossoms" at Vatthana Hall on floor 3, presenting stories of flowers given royal names, Thai handicraft demonstrations, and sales of products from the Thai Crafts and Design Foundation.

A major highlight is the launch of the "Thai Textiles Trend Book SPRING/SUMMER 2027," developed under the royal initiative "Thai Textiles: Wear Them With Joy." The book will be on display from August 11–14 at Suralai Hall on floor 7, presenting the concept "Village to the World," elevating Thai textile wisdom to contemporary design and international fashion industry standards.

Experience the charm of Thai textiles, crafts, and local wisdom from across the country while honoring the late Queen Sirikit throughout August 2025 at Iconsiam. For more information, call 1338 or visit Facebook: ICONSIAM.

BANGKOK — 30 July 2026, Thailand's Department of Labour Protection and Welfare has opened public consultation on a draft regulation that would extend maternity leave for female employees of state enterprises from 98 to 120 days.

State enterprises are government-owned or government-controlled businesses that provide commercial or public services, such as the State Railway of Thailand, Thai Post, the Government Savings Bank and electricity authorities. Their employees are not civil servants, and their employment conditions are regulated separately from those in ordinary private companies.

The draft would amend the minimum employment standards set by the State Enterprise Labour Relations Committee, which establishes baseline conditions across state enterprises. It would allow eligible employees to take up to 120 days of maternity leave and receive wages at their normal rate throughout the leave, capped at 120 days.

The proposal is intended to bring state-enterprise maternity leave in line with the 120-day entitlement already available to private-sector employees under the Labour Protection Act (No. 9), which took effect in December 2025.

However, the proposed pay provision would go further than the private-sector statutory minimum. Private-sector employees are entitled to up to 120 days' maternity leave, but employers are required to pay full wages for only the first 60 days. Under the amended Labour Protection Act, private-sector employees may also take up to 15 additional days of leave at 50% pay to care for a newborn with qualifying medical conditions. The law also grants private-sector employees up to 15 days of fully paid leave to assist a spouse after childbirth.

The state-enterprise consultation concerns maternity leave only. It does not alter the separate leave rules for civil servants, nor does it automatically change benefits offered under individual state enterprises' employment agreements, which may already exceed the minimum standard.

Labour Protection and Welfare Department director-general Captain Saroj Khomkhai said the measure is intended to improve workers' quality of life, support families and strengthen national labour protections.

Employers, state-enterprise employees, relevant organisations and members of the public may submit comments through the government's Law Portal until 24 August 2026.

Phichit underwear thief stole lingerie to sniff for sexual gratificationLegacyAn underwear thief was arrested on July 28 in Phichit after admitting he stole women’s underwear from clotheslines across Sak Lek district to sniff them for sexual gratification. The investigation began after the administrator of Sak Lek Police Station’s Facebook page spotted a social media post from a woman who said more than 20 bras and pairs of underwear had disappeared from her clothesline. Police soon discovered numerous women, from younger girls to older residents, had repeatedly had underwear stolen from clotheslines outside their homes. Officers then tracked down the suspect, identified only as 49 year old Banjong, and stopped him on a highway between Sak Lek and Wang Sai Phun while he was riding a motorcycle. Photo via Siamrath Banjong admitted to stealing women’s underwear from clotheslines outside of homes when no one was around. He said he took the items home to sniff them before masturbating. Afterwards, he hid the underwear in fertiliser sacks as a collection before going out to steal from new victims. He added that he had been committing the thefts for several years. A search of his room uncovered large quantities of women’s underwear, bras, skirts and sarongs in various colours and sizes hidden inside several fertiliser sacks. After the arrest, more victims came forward to report similar thefts. Police later took Banjong to homes in Ban Dong Yen village to point out the locations where he had carried out the thefts. ONE31 reported that villagers said the thefts had been happening for some time, but many women were too embarrassed to report them because the stolen items were of relatively low value. Photo via Siamrath Police initially charged him with theft in a dwelling at night using a vehicle to commit or escape the offence, trespassing at night, and using a Category 1 narcotic (methamphetamine). Officers also seized the stolen clothing and the motorcycle used in the thefts. In similar news, a woman was left fearing for her safety after a man grabbed her underwear hung outside her rented room in Chon Buri and sniffed it right in front of her. The story Phichit underwear thief stole lingerie to sniff for sexual gratification as seen on Thaiger News.

Police in Huai Yod District reported responding to a fatal shooting on the evening of July 30 at a residence in Huai Yod, Trang Province. Officers found the body of a 49-year-old man, identified as Mr. A (alias), lying beside the house wearing a white t-shirt and blue shorts. A 9mm pistol was found between his legs. An autopsy revealed a gunshot wound to the right temple with the bullet passing through the left side of the skull. The weapon still contained seven rounds—one in the chamber and six in the magazine.

Mrs. B (alias), the victim's mother-in-law and assistant village headmaster, explained that the victim lived with his wife in one house adjacent to hers. The couple ran an online cosmetics business with their own brand. According to her account, the incident likely stemmed from a back-tax demand issued by the Revenue Department, with a scheduled appointment at the Trang Tax Office on August 6. The exact amount owed remains unknown, though it is estimated to be in the millions of baht. The couple had been selling online for over 10 years and paid taxes regularly until about two years ago, when they expanded their sales channels through TikTok Live and Shopee, triggering the back-tax claim for two years. The daughter had prepared approximately three million baht and documents for the scheduled meeting.

On the day of the incident, the victim delivered fruit to his family before returning home with a visibly tense expression. Despite attempts to comfort him, he retrieved his own pistol from a bag in his house and walked toward the back. Moments later, a single gunshot rang out. The mother-in-law expressed deep sorrow, describing the victim as a good-natured, hardworking, and well-liked member of the community, and believed the stress from the unexpected tax demand had driven him to this tragic act.

With the 2025 monsoon season officially starting May 15, Bangkok is marshaling comprehensive flood preparedness measures. The city has cleared 3,739 of 3,815 kilometers of drainage pipes (98.1% of annual plan) and dredged over 82% of major canals, opening water flow routes to 99% completion. Bangkok has installed pumping equipment at all 560 locations citywide, distributed mobile water-pumping units to all 50 districts by July 2025, and deployed 12 rapid-response mobile pumping units for emergencies.

Monitoring systems include two C-Band weather radars, 130 rainfall gauges, 248 road-flooding sensors, 310 water-level stations on canals and the Chao Phraya River, 55 flow-rate measurement stations, and 270 pump-control stations. All data feeds into the Bangkok Flood Prevention Center for 24-hour real-time analysis and decision support.

Preparedness includes continuous monitoring of rainfall and water levels, pre-draining canals to create temporary capacity, inspecting gates and pumping stations, installing temporary pumps at high-risk zones, clearing debris and aquatic plants, accelerating drainage after rainfall, and operating the Nong Bon drainage tunnel at full capacity in 2025. Long-term projects include extending the Nong Bon tunnel to cover six districts spanning 152.90 square kilometers.

Deputy Prime Minister Pokkrong Nileprapen disclosed on July 31 that the government is accelerating efforts to repeal over 100 laws proposed by the private sector to lower business costs and strengthen the nation's competitive capacity, emphasizing tourism and industry. The government is collaborating with three private sector institutions through a public-private partnership committee to examine laws that obstruct business operations. Most proposals come from the Chamber of Commerce and the Industrial Council, which must be grouped and prioritized by their impact on the economy and competitiveness.

Pokkrong stated the approach will avoid lengthy master plans and instead seek clear input from the private sector on specific legal problems and necessary amendments. Once draft revisions are clarified, stakeholder consultations will follow immediately, and approved principles will be submitted to the Cabinet for implementation by respective government agencies. The government will prioritize laws affecting sectors outlined in the "Leading Thailand" strategy, particularly tourism and industry, where high business costs hinder international competition.

Pokkrong noted the team has already held preliminary consultations with the private sector to identify practical and impactful proposals, with a tracking system established for continuous progress monitoring. However, he acknowledged that legal reform alone is insufficient; structural costs—especially high energy prices affecting all businesses—must also be addressed concurrently. Originally estimated to take two months, the process has advanced significantly, with clearer outcomes expected within 1-2 months, as the government must move quickly to deliver tangible change.