Police arrested a Myanmar criminal gang that used two pickup trucks and armed members in balaclavas to raid and steal electrical cables worth over 600,000 baht from a Chonburi company, threatening a security guard with knives before tying him up and escaping.

On July 3, 2026, Colonel Krit Masuk, commander of Ban Bueng Police Station in Chonburi, led officers from Ban Bueng and Pluak Daeng police stations in Rayong to raid a worker camp in Maenam Khoo subdistrict, Pluak Daeng district, Rayong, which they had identified as a hideout for the Myanmar gang responsible for cable thefts in the Ban Bueng area. Police arrested two suspects: Ye Moe and Yan Oo, both Myanmar nationals, and seized multiple items including an unregistered 9mm handgun with ammunition.

Both suspects confessed to carrying the unregistered 9mm pistol with ammunition to intimidate anyone who resisted their crimes. The incident began when more than 10 suspects dressed in black with hooded balaclavas burst into a company work site in Nong Irun subdistrict, Ban Bueng district. They threatened the lone security officer with knives, tied his hands and feet with nylon rope, and gagged him with cloth.

Two more pickup trucks then arrived, and the gang quickly loaded large rolls of electrical cable onto the vehicles, fleeing within minutes with over 2,034 meters of cable worth approximately 600,000 baht. After the incident, investigators reviewed CCTV footage along the escape routes and found the suspects had sold the cables to scrap metal shops in the area. Using vehicle registration records, police traced the gang to their worker camp hideout in Pluak Daeng district and conducted the raid that led to the arrests.

The Permanent Secretary of the Interior is preparing to establish a severe disciplinary committee to investigate five government officials from the Department of Local Administration in connection with the local government examination fraud scandal, indicating involvement at high ministerial levels. An investigation committee led by Deputy Permanent Secretary Santi Yimlammai discovered score alterations and identified Department of Local Administration staff, contracted employees, private companies, and outside individuals as potential suspects. The NACC has also begun investigations in Nonthaburi Province.

The Interior Ministry will proceed with disciplinary action against five officials within its jurisdiction, while approximately ten other suspects remain under investigation by the Central Investigation Police. The NACC plans to conduct a comprehensive backward-tracing investigation within three to six months to identify all involved parties.

When asked whether the five officials face regular or severe disciplinary proceedings, the Permanent Secretary stated that severe disciplinary action typically involves matters affecting public perception and ministerial reputation. The disciplinary committee decision is currently being processed and the Secretary promised to sign the order within one to two days.

Regarding the involvement of the Transportation Ministry secretary's recent resignation, the Permanent Secretary declined to confirm any connection, stating he was unaware of other related matters. When pressed about the Terms of Reference for selecting examination contractors involving four past and present directors of the Department of Local Administration, he noted the investigation dates back years and involves multiple departmental leadership across different periods.

At 6:20 p.m. on July 3, 2025 at Government House, Deputy Interior Minister Worasisd Liangprasert revealed that the fact-finding committee has reported irregularities in exam scores detected during a random inspection. The Prime Minister has ordered preliminary checks on approximately 15,000 candidates from the recruitment list to determine whether score anomalies occurred.

If irregularities are confirmed, further action will be taken, including referral to relevant agencies for investigation. Should actual errors or fraud be found, cancellations may follow, consistent with previous central committee resolutions calling for a new verification process.

The first batch of recruitment scheduled for July 1, 2025 will be postponed pending investigation results. Upon completion, the government emphasized that candidates who passed through legitimate means without involvement in fraud will proceed normally through the recruitment process.

Regarding candidates who have submitted appeals for fairness, requesting that the postponement be lifted because they passed honestly, Deputy Interior Minister stated that even in the three-day round on July 1, the central committee reaffirmed the postponement decision to await facts, while ensuring no unfair impact on genuinely qualified candidates.

Currently there is a waiting period for the recruitment list. Once exam results are released, the list can be immediately activated, but only after establishing the facts about who may be involved in any irregularities.

When asked about the National Institute of Development Administration's statement to open a flash drive containing exam questions from both NIDA and the Civil Service Commission, Deputy Interior Minister stated this was NIDA's matter alone, and that the priority was to establish the facts, expressing confidence that the National Anti-Corruption Commission already has the information.

When asked if salary suspension has been ordered for NIDA officials, Deputy Civil Service Commission Acting Secretary-General Siriphan Srikongplee stated the matter remains pending.

On July 3, 2025, at Khlong Ha Police Station in Pathum Thani, numerous vehicle owners damaged by tar from the Bang Khen-Nong Sua road construction project filed complaints with investigative officer Wirawat Bunypaeng. They sought to document damages from tar stuck to their vehicles that couldn't be washed off after driving through the construction zone, which had no warning signs or lighting.

One victim, Ms. Supharat, reported driving her white Honda HRV at 8:30 PM when she felt rocks hitting the car. By morning, she discovered tar coating the vehicle. After unsuccessful car washing costing money, she contacted her insurance company and filed a report. Her car was less than a year old. She noted the site had no lighting, warning signs, or barriers, estimating hundreds of vehicles were likely damaged.

Pressum, a Pathum Thani reporter, was also affected. Driving at 8:30 PM from Nong Sua Police Station to Khlong Luang District, he didn't realize the tar-laying operation was underway in the dark, rainy conditions. He discovered his car fully covered in tar by morning and found multiple Facebook complaints about widespread damage.

"I paid 7,000 baht to clean my car and notified the construction contractor," he stated. "I'll submit the receipt and request the supervisor inspect the site to prevent this happening again."

Another victim, Pirat, driving a Toyota Vios, passed through the unmarked tar zone and discovered damage only the next morning. He demanded the contractor take responsibility for the damage.

The Meteorological Department issued its third warning (106/2569) regarding Tropical Storm Maysak at 5 p.m. on July 3, 2025. As of 4 p.m., the storm was positioned in the upper South China Sea south of Hainan Island at coordinates 18.3°N, 109.9°E, with maximum wind speeds of 74 kilometers per hour. The tropical storm is moving slowly northward and is expected to cross Hainan Island this evening before making landfall near Nanning, China, between July 4-6, with its center remaining outside Thai territory.

Under the influence of Storm Maysak, an active monsoon trough, and a strengthening southwest monsoon, Thailand will experience increased rainfall from July 3-4, particularly in the northern, upper northeastern, eastern, and southern regions, with some areas facing very heavy precipitation. The northern highlands and upper northeastern plateau will continue experiencing heavy rainfall through July 5-6.

Sea conditions are worsening. The upper Andaman Sea will see waves of 2-3 meters, exceeding 3 meters in thunderstorm areas. The lower Andaman Sea and upper Gulf of Thailand will have waves around 2 meters, exceeding 2 meters during thunderstorms. Mariners are advised to exercise caution and avoid sailing through thunderstorm areas, with small vessels in the upper Andaman Sea recommended to stay ashore during this period.

Residents are urged to plan activities and travel carefully during this period. Updates are available from the Meteorological Department at http://www.tmd.go.th, by phone at 0-2399-4012-13, or by calling 1182, available 24 hours daily. The next warning will be issued on July 3 at 11 p.m.

On July 4, the following provinces face very heavy rainfall: Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, and Nakhon Phanom (upper northeast); Kanchanaburi (central); and Chanthaburi and Trat (eastern).

Heavy rainfall expected on July 4: Northern provinces—Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Tak, Kamphaengphet, Phichit, Phitsanulok, and Phetchabun; Upper northeast—Loei, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Mukdahan, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Surin, Sisaket, and Ubon Ratchathani; Central—Ratchaburi; Eastern—Nakhon Nayok, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, and Rayong; Southern—Phetchaburi, Ranong, and Phangnga.

On July 5, very heavy rainfall expected: Upper northeast—Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanam, and Ubon Ratchathani; Central—Kanchanaburi; Eastern—Chanthaburi and Trat.

Heavy rainfall on July 5: Northern provinces—Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phayao, Nan, Phrae, Tak, Kamphaengphet, and Phichit.

A dangerous incident in Yunnan Province, southwestern China, has become an important cautionary tale about treating snake bite victims. A woman attempted to save her husband's life by using her mouth to extract venom from a white-lipped pit viper bite, following a method she had seen on television. However, she ended up absorbing the poison herself and required hospitalization alongside her husband.

According to reports, the husband was working in a field in Yuan Yang District when a white-lipped pit viper bit his finger. Shortly after, the wound swelled rapidly and he experienced dizziness and weakness. His alarmed wife immediately attempted to help using the method she remembered from television, sucking the venom from the wound without any protective equipment.

Shortly after the husband was rushed to the hospital, the wife began showing abnormal symptoms—numbness in her mouth, tongue, face, and limbs—followed by severe fatigue the next day. Her family quickly brought her to the hospital as well. Doctors diagnosed both with poisoning from a local white-lipped pit viper species and treated them with antivenom serum. Both eventually recovered and returned home.

Doctors explained that the belief that mouth suction can help snake bite victims is a dangerous misconception. The mouth contains numerous capillaries, and if venom contacts the oral mucosa, it can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream of the helper, putting them at equal risk. Additionally, snake bite wounds are typically only small punctures, but venom spreads rapidly through tissue and blood vessels, making it nearly impossible to extract it in time.

Physicians also warned against other dangerous practices such as cutting the wound to allow bleeding, using a lighter on the wound, or applying ice, as these increase risks of blood loss, infection, or worsening the condition.

The correct procedure when bitten by a snake is to immediately call emergency medical services, minimize body movement to reduce venom spread, and if safe, remember or photograph the snake to help doctors identify the species and select appropriate antivenom.

This incident is not the first of its kind to gain attention in China. In May, a 14-year-old student in Guangdong Province was bitten by an unidentified creature on the school grass field. Initially feeling no pain, he ignored it, but hours later developed numbness in his limbs and blurred vision. Doctors revealed that had he arrived at the hospital 1-2 hours later, the boy could have stopped breathing and died.

The couple's story went viral online in China, with many netizens viewing it as an important lesson that methods seen in dramas or television are not necessarily correct first aid procedures. Some commenters acknowledged that while the wife's method was wrong, it reflected her desperate attempt to save her husband's life, willing to risk danger alongside him.