Nong Bua Lamphu — A 68-year-old man was found dead inside a charcoal kiln after he was believed to have inhaled toxic smoke while crawling inside to collect charcoal that was still smouldering. His body was burned down to only a small amount of bone, making identification difficult.

Pol. Lt. Col. Songkran Kanesuk, a deputy investigation inspector at Mueang Nong Bua Lamphu Police Station, was notified that human bones had been found burned inside a charcoal kiln in a rice field about 3 kilometres from a village. He coordinated with an on-duty doctor from Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital and the Khuntham Nong Bua Lamphu rescue team to inspect the scene.

The incident took place in the area of Ban Nong Saeng, Moo 8, Hua Na subdistrict, Mueang district, Nong Bua Lamphu province. Police found a large charcoal kiln measuring about 3 metres in diameter. Its opening was about 60 centimetres wide and 80 centimetres high, large enough for a person to crawl inside.

Parts of the kiln had been broken open, except around the entrance. Village headman Saiyan said villagers had broken open the structure so they could spray water inside and put out the flames. Rescue workers used lights and hoes to search inside the kiln. They recovered a small amount of white bone fragments and placed them in a cloth. Most of the remains were tiny and badly fragmented.

The man who discovered the remains was identified as 27-year-old Thawatchai Hueangsri, the grandson of 68-year-old Veera Dana, who owned the rice field and charcoal kiln. Thawatchai told investigators that Veera normally stayed overnight in the rice field and only occasionally returned home when he had errands to attend to.

Thawatchai said he last saw his grandfather that morning when Veera came home and asked him to buy painkillers because he was suffering from pain in his legs due to his age. Veera left home at about 07:00, telling his grandson that he planned to open the kiln and take out charcoal to sell. He then disappeared.

At about 19:00, Veera's younger brother went to the family home looking for him. Thawatchai was asked to go to the rice field and bring his grandfather back to meet his brother in the village. When Thawatchai arrived, he searched the area and called out for Veera but received no response. His bicycle and personal belongings were still there, but Veera was nowhere to be found.

He then looked inside the charcoal kiln and saw that its entrance had been opened, with signs that someone had already removed some charcoal. However, flames were still burning inside. Thawatchai said he shone a light into the kiln and saw what appeared to be a human hip bone. A stainless-steel basin about 30 centimetres in diameter was lying nearby.

He immediately suspected that the remains belonged to his grandfather because Veera had told him he would be opening the kiln that day. Thawatchai alerted relatives and village authorities, who contacted police. Villagers then helped break open the kiln and spray water inside.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) successfully concluded its world-class international travel trade event, "Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+ 2026)," which took place from June 10 to 12, 2026, at ...

On August 13, 2025, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra posted a message in English via the X application expressing condolences on the death of former Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, whom he deeply respected. Although Zhu stepped down from his political position quietly, the world remembers him as China's 'Economic Czar,' playing a crucial role in laying the foundation for and driving the major transformation that elevated China to its current status as a global economic superpower.

Thaksin recalled his first meeting with Zhu, which was originally scheduled as a brief 15-minute courtesy conversation but extended into a full hour of discussion before Thaksin took office as Prime Minister. Since then, Thaksin developed a personal relationship and working collaboration with Zhu, sharing a vision to promote Asian prosperity, mutual trust, and a commitment to strengthening Thai-Chinese relations.

Thaksin fondly remembered Zhu's visit to Thailand in 2001, during which the Chinese Prime Minister supported Thailand by arranging currency swap agreements and pledging to purchase Thai goods during Thailand's financial crisis recovery period. Thaksin expressed his sincere condolences to Zhu's family and the Chinese people on this significant loss.

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This vote reversed a prior assessment by the previous Election Commission board chaired by Ittiphon Boonprakong, which had rated Sawaeng's performance below the 60 percent benchmark, a result that would have triggered his removal under contract terms. The current board cited contractual provisions requiring the sitting commission to conduct evaluations and noted that precedent does not allow former boards to assess incoming officials. On July 15, the board voted to nullify the previous evaluation and conduct its own assessment, resulting in today's passing vote.

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Dr. Panth Aruneekul stated that the programme serves as a critical mechanism to strengthen the knowledge, understanding, and capabilities of council members and administrators, enabling them to apply governance principles in institutional oversight and management with efficiency, transparency, accountability, and responsibility in line with the Higher Education Act of 2019. The ministry's office has also drafted a ministry regulation on best practices for managing higher education according to governance principles in 2025, establishing a framework for developing quality, transparent, and sustainable management systems.

The training programme functions as a platform for exchanging knowledge, experience, and case studies to be applied in institutional management, while promoting each institution's strengths in technology, innovation, community development, social innovation, and workforce development aligned with industry needs. Dr. Panth Aruneekul emphasized that the ministry prioritizes budget allocation for higher education development alongside enhanced governance and transparency, with council members and administrators serving as key mechanisms to foster environments conducive to change and innovation, enabling Thai universities to create positive impacts on the economy, society, and nation.

According to Jarureena Pu-ranyan, the second cohort programme runs for eight days across four sessions between August and September 2025, with 45 participants including university council chairs, council members, and senior administrators from 31 public higher education institutions, 13 private institutions, and one ministry unit. Participants learn from expert speakers from both public and private sectors and exchange experiences and case studies to apply this knowledge to institutional and organizational management with efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness to changing higher education contexts.

On August 13, 2025, participants attended lectures and discussions on key topics including the ministry's strategy, higher education strategy, and proactive university council strategies focused on achievement; institutional advancement under ministry policies; and global university rankings to develop Thai higher education quality.

On August 13, Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva commented on accusations that party MP Chaiyachon Detdecho, who oversees southern operations, assaulted a Thung Yai police station deputy during a funeral. Abhisit said the party is conducting a thorough review of the matter and has spoken preliminarily with Chaiyachon, but is requesting time to verify the facts before issuing further statements. Party secretary-general Chaiyut Banwattana said he is unaware of the details and circumstances since he has not yet spoken with Chaiyachon. He stated that with charges already filed, the case must proceed through the legal system, and the party will not interfere or intervene in any way. He added that while the party has internal procedures for reviewing matters that could damage its reputation, the current case has entered the judicial process and must be allowed to follow its course. "The party is not ignoring what has happened, but we must follow party regulations, such as establishing a fact-finding committee," Banwattana said. "However, since this case is now in the legal system, we must allow the process to proceed."