Khun Sakon Lek Bum Dek Sayan, the former Rajadamnern 118-pound champion, returns to the ring this Saturday, August 15, after an 11-month absence that he describes as the most painful period of his life. He will face Iranian striker Payman Solfagari, a former Rajadamnern title challenger, in a 122-pound bout at the Rajadamnern stadium.

2567 was a golden year for Khun Sakon Lek. He earned between 4 and 5 million baht in bonuses and fight purses from RWS, received consistent main card billing as the Rajadamnern 118-pound champion, and won the prestigious Fighter of the Year award. However, when 2568 began, his fortunes shifted dramatically. He successfully defended his title once before relinquishing it due to weight-cutting difficulties and moving up to the 122-pound division. His two victories at the new weight seemed to set him on course for greatness, earning him a title shot against Petchsila W. Orachat in October 2568. But weeks before the bout, he suffered a knee injury in a soccer accident and was forced to withdraw.

After four months of treatment, he returned in February with a bout against Chayaton W. Orachat, only to suffer a ruptured appendix days before the fight. He underwent emergency surgery and months of recovery. The fighter confirmed that the past 11 months have been filled with hardship that caused him immense emotional pain.

"I sit staring at my own photos all the time, crying inside," he said. "During my peak year, I was the Fighter of the Year and earned 4 to 5 million baht from RWS in that year alone. But these past 11 months, all I could do was watch other fighters compete. I missed boxing so much. I'm glad to be back."

The past 11 months have robbed Khun Sakon Lek of multiple lucrative opportunities and high-profile matchups. Now he stands at the threshold of redemption, facing Payman, a former Rajadamnern 118-pound title challenger and fighter from Medi Satut's renowned Vietnam Muay Thai gym. The boxing world will be watching closely to see whether his extended layoff affects his performance and whether the 2567 Fighter of the Year can reclaim his dominance. Don't miss tonight's RWS card at Rajadamnern.

Biu Kin announced he is collecting evidence and preparing legal proceedings against stalkers and coordinated harassment campaigns that have spread misleading information suggesting he is in a romantic relationship. The issue arose after a secretly recorded video showed him sitting with a female companion, triggering online criticism and concern from fans about his agency's response.

Speaking at a Coke event, Biu Kin stated he has been dealing with this problem for years but felt recent incidents had crossed a line. "This has been happening for many years, but I felt it hadn't gone too far until now. The latest case made me realize it's becoming more frequent and getting closer to us. We've been gathering evidence gradually and trying to find ways to handle it, but when people started deliberately attacking and spreading misleading stories suggesting I was with a woman, it may have crossed the line. We need to take serious action," he said.

He acknowledged the difficulties of pursuing such cases. "Honestly, it's very difficult. When someone follows you in public, proving they did it is hard. Once damage is done, proving they caused it is also hard. We have to gradually collect evidence and gather documentation to pursue legal action against these people. Finding the perpetrators isn't easy either—some are abroad, some can't be located. It's not easy dealing with stalkers and malicious people. We were impacted so badly that we had to speak out. This incident has escalated the situation significantly."

Biu Kin explained there are two videos in question. One was recorded in a bar where he was with seven to eight friends, all people he has known for over a decade. Another photo on the street shows someone he met in university. "I'm starting to see a pattern—there's clear intent to capture certain moments and manipulate people's understanding of me. This is why we need to speak out and take action, because the impact has spread in many directions," he said.

The harassment has extended beyond him to his family and friends. "Some people don't know the facts and got misled and incited. They keep messaging me, but it's now reaching my friends and family. Recently, on Mother's Day, my mother received messages. It's gone too far. The content people have added is quite severe. I'm uncomfortable with it. Some of our friends are women who know nothing about this, they live their normal lives, but people are asking if they're the person in question, attacking them, cursing them, telling them to go to hell. I feel this has gone way too far. If I stay silent, it's like letting people around me and people I love face this kind of treatment. So I had to speak out."

When asked who was affected, Biu Kin said: "Mainly people around me. My parents definitely. My team and manager definitely. Some of my friends, mostly women, might be mistaken for being the person in the video and get attacked. But that's not true and they have nothing to do with this. They don't deserve to face the consequences of these actions."

Biu Kin acknowledged proving such cases is difficult but said he has information about which vehicles have been following him and is working with authorities on the matter.

The director of the Sports Authority of Thailand announced the team's goals for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2025, emphasizing confidence in reaching the top six nations and topping the ASEAN medal table. The Sports Authority is coordinating with multiple organizations to maximize athlete readiness, with systematic budget disbursement planned for both the Asian Games and Asian Para Games to ensure uninterrupted preparation. Officials confirmed a target of 15 gold medals, citing continuous team development since the Southeast Asian Games last year and intensive use of sports science, nutrition planning, and psychology to secure a top-six finish and first place among ASEAN nations. The director acknowledged the challenge, noting strong competitors including Japan as host, China, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, and Taiwan, but stated that this Asian Games will be a crucial test of Thai athletes' readiness ahead of the 2028 Olympics in the United States. At the previous 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Thailand finished eighth with 12 gold, 14 silver, and 32 bronze medals, topping the ASEAN standings, while China won 201 gold medals in their 11th consecutive top finish, Japan placed second with 52 gold, and South Korea third with 42 gold.

On August 15, 2026, Deputy Interior Minister Palpeer Suwanachui, accompanied by Deputy Police Commander Samran Nualma, Assistant National Police Chief Surpong Thamnojit, the Surat Thani provincial governor, the Department of Business Development, and Department of Special Investigation officers, launched "Phase 7 of the Foreign Nominee Network Dismantling" operation in Koh Samui, Surat Thani. The operation, involving over 300 personnel, targeted foreign nationals conducting illegal businesses while using Thai nationals as nominee shareholders or asset owners, following the "Koh Phangan Model" framework.

Authorities examined all 12,906 registered businesses in Koh Samui, discovering 8,254 with foreign shareholders and 875 displaying characteristics of nominee structures. After deeper screening, investigators identified 59 suspect companies controlling land and structures across 37 plots, covering 31 rai 2 ngan 36.3 square wah, valued at approximately 1.2 billion baht. This led to 60 criminal cases involving 88 suspects: 26 Thai nationals and 62 foreigners. The Koh Samui Provincial Court approved 37 search warrants, resulting in the arrest of 14 suspects including nationals from China, the United Kingdom (4 each), Italy, France, the Netherlands, Austria, the Philippines, and the United States (1 each).

The operation focused on five key business networks:

An Israeli-connected network of 19 companies using multilayered corporate structures and Thai nominees, operating unlicensed nurseries (early childhood care facilities) and buying, developing, selling, and renting luxury villas to foreign customers.

A German-connected network of 4 companies engaged in real estate and luxury villa construction on steep terrain potentially exceeding legal limits, risking unlicensed building permits. They sold villas by transferring nominee company shareholdings to avoid property transfer taxes and corporate income tax reporting.

Twenty-seven companies where Thai nationals helped establish businesses for foreigners seeking work permits or business visas—long-term one-year visas—with conflicting registration data and actual investment.

Sixteen companies initially established entirely by Thai nationals to avoid document disclosure requirements, then bringing foreign individuals into the shareholding structure to secure work permits and business visas without conducting any genuine business operations.

Two companies originating from leads provided by the French Embassy in Thailand, involving a French national accused of defrauding investors in a cannabis farm operation causing 21 million baht in losses. Surat Thani Provincial Police investigation revealed the defrauded money came from French victims who had set up these companies. Thai nominees held shares to purchase land and construct a luxury hotel with swimming pool and tennis court, operating a hotel management company through concealed rental agreements advertised as daily accommodations on websites at 11,000–17,000 baht per night, without any hotel business license.

Deputy Police Commander Samran revealed this operation was part of ongoing efforts to dismantle nominee networks in major tourist destinations, following six previous phases that examined 238 companies.

On August 15, former Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopradit commented on progress in the investigation into irregularities in the local government personnel recruitment examination, following the discovery of 5,925 candidates with anomalous scores.

He expressed support for the Interior Ministry and the Department of Local Administration's serious investigation efforts, stating that this issue transcends mere test-score errors—it strikes at the heart of public confidence in Thailand's civil service system. The 5,925 affected candidates cannot be treated as a statistic to close the case. Authorities must pursue the investigation to its conclusion, not stop at minor operatives. If evidence leads to masterminds or beneficiaries, they must be traced and held accountable.

Prompong noted that managing the flawed examination records is only half the battle. The other half—what the public is waiting to know—is who did it, where the system failed, whether there were financial benefits involved, when honest test-takers will receive justice, and how to seal the loopholes to prevent recurrence. He called on the government and Interior Ministry to advance two priorities simultaneously.

First, restore fairness to honest test-takers. Once new records are compiled, authorities must promptly process those who passed according to their scores, qualifications, and available positions. Those who studied hard and passed on merit should not lose their futures due to irregularities they did not cause. While removing wrongdoers from the system matters, restoring justice to honest candidates is equally important.

Second, investigate comprehensively across three tracks: system, money, and people. On the system track, authorities must identify which points allowed irregularities to occur, who accessed the data, who had editing rights, and where controls failed, to prevent recurrence. On the money track, if any evidence or reasonable suspicion of financial benefit emerges, follow the trail rigorously and apply the law strictly. On the people track, investigate every person who may be involved—officials, intermediaries, or others. If evidence points to anyone, it must be pursued, regardless of rank.

Prompong emphasized that the public does not seek temporary headlines; they want truth, accountability, identification of loopholes, and confirmation that merit-based test-takers get their chance back. Civil service recruitment must be measured by ability, not connections; by competence, not money. The Interior Ministry has started down the right path but must see it through completely—not just removing names, not stopping at minor figures, and not letting honest test-takers bear the burden. If evidence reaches those who orchestrated or profited from the scheme, action must reach them too.

Prompong further stated that Prime Minister Anustin Charnvirakul, who also serves as Interior Minister, must assure Thai citizens that those who genuinely study and pass on merit will have advantage over those attempting to buy their way in with money or connections. Hard work must count for more than knowing powerful people. Ability must prevail over networks. Integrity must not lose. If the Prime Minister is serious, establishes this as the standard, and pursues the evidence to the end, this will not merely be a cleanup of local exam fraud—it will be a restoration of justice to honest test-takers and renewed confidence in Thailand's civil service.

Petchjeeja, a ONE Championship kickboxing world champion and boxing camp owner, backs professional fighter Nabil Anane's bid to represent Thailand at the 2028 Olympics, stressing that advancement depends on ability, not connections.

In a personal Facebook post, Petchjeeja wrote: "I have competed and trained at the national team level before, so I understand well that becoming a national athlete or reaching national competition level is not easy. Everything must go through rigorous training, experience, competition, and importantly, proving oneself and passing the selection system."

Regarding Nabil, a fellow camp member and ONE Championship professional, Petchjeeja said: "For a professional athlete like Nabil to get a chance to compete in the Olympics is an excellent opportunity. Everyone knows that being an Olympic representative in each weight class requires passing training, competition, and selection processes—no one can skip these steps. Nabil's physical attributes, speed, fighting style, and existing experience make him a highly capable athlete. He has trained since childhood in both Thai boxing and Western boxing techniques over many years."

Petchjeeja continued: "If this is a good opportunity for him, he should receive it and use it to learn and develop further, especially in Western boxing technique and style. I don't see Nabil as having special connections or shortcuts to the Olympics. He still must pass the system like any other athlete. Several senior figures simply recognize his potential and believe he could develop into a Thai Olympic representative, so they want to support his training in Western boxing."

She concluded: "For me, what matters most is not why someone gets an opportunity, but whether they can prove themselves once they have it. Ultimately, an athlete's performance and ability in competition will answer everything."