Over the past 2-3 weeks, the southern insurgency situation has become abnormal with severe incidents occurring almost daily and multiple incidents per day, causing loss of official lives, civilian injuries, and extensive property damage.

This prompted the Senate's Military and State Security Committee spokesperson to call for the replacement of Region 4 Commander and the ISOC secretary-general, citing policy failures in public relations and ISOC operations.

Frequent southern insurgency incidents clearly harm public peace and impact border tourism. Relevant agencies must acknowledge reality and urgently seek solutions.

The committee's focus on Region 4 Commander Lt. Gen. Nathip Poynaok stems from his previous controversial remarks in the Kamlasak Lewamae case, a Nakhon Si Thammarat MP from the Palang Pracharath Party, which involved Ponae Tadika school and a hardline, hawkish approach.

Globally established wisdom, including from Thailand's own civil conflict history, shows that political wars cannot be suppressed by force—the more one suppresses, the larger terrorism grows. Only politics leading military strategy, with principles of understanding, engagement, and development, can succeed.

Region 4 Commander's stance and the Kamlasak shooting case both contradict effective southern insurgency solutions and further destabilize the three southern provinces.

Authorities arrested seven operatives and coordinators, including two Navy officers at rear admiral and captain ranks. Military ISOC vehicles were used in the incident, and weapons forensics revealed a Navy rifle scheduled for destruction that was allegedly used to shoot MP Kamlasak, plus a U.S.-supplied weapon now involving the U.S. Embassy in Thailand.

Despite such official traces, police investigation stalled at the shooters without reaching the masterminds—a clear procedural failure. The Palang Pracharath Party investigation team, led by Police Major General Thawi Sodsong, party leader and former renowned detective, independently traced evidence and accessed suspect phone data through court processes, bypassing normal police procedures.

Major developments may emerge soon from the Palang Pracharath team, but the Kamlasak shooting case—orchestrated by government network—represents a critical fault line intensifying the three southern provinces' crisis.

By Vong Tawan

A teenager caused a crack in the glass floor at Baoquan Cliff World Scenic Area in Henan Province, China on June 20 by striking it with an umbrella tip, prompting immediate evacuation of visitors and staff. Although officials confirmed the three-layer laminated safety glass sustained damage only to its outer layer without compromising structural integrity or load-bearing capacity, the incident has sparked widespread online debate about safety standards. While authorities have cordoned off the area for repairs and plan enhanced visitor warnings against striking the glass with hard or sharp objects, many netizens expressed concern, questioning whether high heels could cause more serious damage if an umbrella alone could crack the glass. Critics argue that national safety standards represent only minimum requirements, and projects involving public safety should adhere to higher benchmarks. The scenic area, which holds the Guinness World Record as the world's largest glass viewing platform with over 1,700 square meters of two-level walkway set among red sandstone cliffs of the Taihang Mountains, is a major tourism landmark in China.

The Eastern Command, through the Khok Sung Special Task Force and the 12th Ranger Regiment Control Unit, has deployed personnel from Company 1205 to upgrade and reinforce border defenses by installing additional concertina wire. The operation aims to seal a vulnerable passage between checkpoint 40 and checkpoint 41 in the Ban Nong Jan area, Non Mak Mun Subdistrict, Khok Sung District, Sakaew Province.

The Khok Sung Special Task Force has issued an order restricting public access to the controlled area between 6 PM and 6 AM. However, residents with agricultural land in the area may enter and exit between 6 AM and 6 PM through checkpoint 40 only, provided they present national identification cards and register with officials each time.

This operation follows an order from the Khok Sung Special Task Force commander to enhance area control, prevent unauthorized border crossings, and strengthen security along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Under the authority of the 1913 Martial Law Act, the following measures are now in effect:

1. Public access is prohibited at all times between 6 PM and 6 AM. 2. Only individuals with agricultural land in the area may enter between 6 AM and 6 PM, exclusively through checkpoint 40, and must present identification and register with officials for each entry and exit.

This proclamation is effective as of June 28, 2026, and has been signed by Col. Nattawut Sompornam, Commander of the Khok Sung Special Task Force.

The National Savings Fund (NSF) is planning to launch a retirement savings lottery within 2026, according NSF Secretary General Petch Shinbuttr. The fund is requesting 60 days to finalize project details and has coordinated with the Finance Ministry without encountering obstacles. Once the Finance Ministry approves, the NSF expects to formally begin lottery sales by year-end 2026 to encourage more Thai citizens to save.

For 2026, the NSF aims to add 140,000 new members to its over 2 million existing members, with 20,000 joining in the first half. The fund plans to step up outreach to younger generations, students, and teenagers to start saving from age 15.

Beyond the lottery, the NSF is considering revising regulations to allow members to withdraw emergency funds before the traditional age 60 retirement age. The proposed model uses a 60:40 split, allowing members to withdraw 40% for emergencies or business capital while preserving 60% for retirement. The fund is also exploring partnerships with state financial institutions like Krung Thai Bank and Government Savings Bank to use savings records as collateral for loans, enabling young savers to access credit for startups and business ventures.

Pheu Thai party leader Nattapong Rueangpanyawutthi, along with Bangkok governor candidate Chaiyawat Sathawarwijit and party secretary-general Picharn Chaowalpatanawong, conceded defeat to Chadchart Sittipunt in the Bangkok gubernatorial election and accepted all criticism regarding the controversial 'Surpol' incident.

On June 29, 2569 (2026), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jessada Denduangboripant, a biology lecturer at Chulalongkorn University and science communicator, posted on Facebook addressing the matter: "Losing again and again like this—in Britain, the party leader would resign and they'd find someone new. If there's another election next time and it's still the same party leader, I'd have to look for another party to vote for. By the way, the claims about getting more party-list MPs don't really convince me either, not like when we swept nearly the entire province in the general election."

Jessada subsequently posted again, noting that comparing the percentage of votes between the previous and current elections clearly shows Pheu Thai's support has declined, along with the Democrat Party, which finished fourth this time.

He then reshared a post by Wirot Luksanadit, a Pheu Thai party figure, commenting: "Khun Wirot speaks well—he acknowledges mistakes and understands how the party needs to reflect and reform. But the party executives themselves, both the party leader and party secretary, haven't made any statement like that at all."

On June 29, 2569, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphakorn Punyariddhi, Deputy Director of the Office of the National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (OHEC), revealed the situation amid major global transformations including digitalization, aging societies, climate change, and increasing complexity in inequality. Future national development cannot rely solely on scientific and technological progress or economic growth alone, but must also depend on understanding people, society, culture, and human behavior. "This is why OHEC emphasizes developing knowledge in social sciences, humanities, and arts alongside science, technology, and innovation to ensure public policy comprehensively addresses societal realities," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphakorn stated.

He further explained that social sciences and science are like two legs of a nation that must walk forward together, as future development is not merely about technology or economics, but requires understanding people, social context, and impacts on citizens. OHEC's work in this area covers research and policy recommendations on critical national issues including social and educational inequality, human capital development, demographic structure changes, regional economic and social development, promotion of social mobility, and leveraging cultural capital, creative economy, and arts as mechanisms for national economic and social development.

Currently, OHEC is promoting Social Science Policy—an approach that uses social sciences and humanities as part of designing Thailand's future. Rather than merely studying or explaining social problems, it aims to apply this knowledge to define development pathways that provide people access to opportunities, reduce inequality, and enable citizens to develop their potential and address structural inequality.

From OHEC's perspective, the role of social sciences, humanities, and arts extends beyond analyzing problems or explaining social phenomena; they must be part of public policy design, creating social justice, and laying foundations for long-term national development. "Sustainable national development must prioritize quality of life, inclusivity, and fairness alongside economic growth, because ultimately, development's goal is not economic figures but improving people's lives," emphasized the OHEC deputy director.

However, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphakorn noted that current inequality extends beyond income to include access to education, technology, future skills, and opportunities for self-determination. Therefore, the higher education, science, research, and innovation system must elevate its role from merely producing knowledge to becoming a Societal Transformation Platform that connects knowledge, technology, innovation, universities, government, private sector, and communities.

"The key word for the future higher education system is creating opportunities, not just creating knowledge," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphakorn stated, adding that OHEC has driven grassroots economic development and upward social mobility through various important mechanisms.