On July 24, 2025, at Parliament, Sirikanya Tansakul, a Pheu Thai list MP and deputy party leader, discussed the overall budget bill review for fiscal year 2570 in the special budget committee. Over the past three weeks, numerous agencies have had their budgets cut significantly. However, during the first week of subcommittee deliberation, Sirikanya noted that despite major cuts, abnormally high budget items and redundancies persist. The Digital Economy Ministry received a 30% budget increase, mostly for central government cloud infrastructure, adding 5 billion baht to this year's budget. She explained that when examining individual agencies, separate cloud system purchases and leases were discovered, creating duplication. The subcommittee reviewing digital government integration plans suspended agencies seeking additional cloud purchases, requiring certification from the Digital Economy Ministry that there is no redundancy before approval. Sirikanya also flagged the Social Development Ministry's cuts to disability benefits while allocating funds for internal Data Center projects with excessive costs: a 200,000-baht fire exit door, an 800,000-baht backup power supply, and 15,000-baht office chairs per unit. The subcommittee, which began work only this week, has already identified numerous irregularities and excessively inflated line items requiring adjustment. She concluded that despite government claims of significant self-imposed cuts to cover pensions and healthcare costs, examination of individual projects continues to reveal overpriced items.

Following the incident involving influencers Jai Ratchanon and Haru Supakob crossing a street with their children near Rom Hub Market in Samut Songkhram, where a pickup truck accelerated toward them, police deputy Sangad Baubamdee recently visited Mrs. A, 37, the driver's wife, to question her about the incident and deliver supplies to assist the family.

Mrs. A apologized tearfully, explaining that her 44-year-old husband was driving to pick up their child from the hospital at the time and did not intend to harm anyone. She stated her husband was rushing because he wore a prosthetic leg. She disclosed that her husband has since passed away on May 24 following a motorcycle accident on May 7, after spending approximately 17 days in hospital.

"I admit that hearing about this in the news causes me great stress," she said. "I have no milk to feed my child, so he must drink special formula because he is allergic to cow's milk. I want to apologize to Jai and Haru on my husband's behalf. If his manners were poor, I apologize. Now he is gone, and there is nothing more I can say. I truly ask for your forgiveness."

Mrs. A's sister added that she contacted the media to prevent similar incidents in the future. She noted that because the truck driver has died, the full truth cannot be known, and the incident occurred three months ago. She appealed for mercy and understanding, saying some people have accused them of lying despite the incident being completely genuine.

Deputy Sangad disclosed that police investigated the matter due to its prominence on social media and the damage to Samut Songkhram's reputation. Officers located the vehicle, which was found to be a manual transmission pickup with a stiff clutch. Investigators learned the driver had already passed away and was disabled on his left side, which affected his ability to operate the clutch properly—a challenge especially on steep inclines. Sangad urged social media users to discuss the incident fairly without attacking the deceased driver, noting that the difficulty with the manual clutch and his disability likely contributed to the incident rather than any intentional wrongdoing.

At 9:30 a.m. on July 24, 2569 at Parliament, Sirikannya Tansakul, a list-system MP and deputy leader of Pheu Thai Party, discussed the fiscal year 2570 budget bill during a special parliamentary committee review. She stated that approving 6.5 billion baht in central budget funds for drought relief was problematic given that all parties recognize budget shortfalls so severe the government must reserve 10 billion baht transferred from 2569 spending.

The concern deepens because an additional 6 billion baht is allocated for water projects, specifically a solar-powered groundwater drilling initiative rather than conventional groundwater extraction. Sirikannya warned this may repeat 2568 mistakes, when the NACC flagged 7.5 billion baht in drought and flood management spending for corruption risk and irregularities, leading the government to cancel those projects.

She called for public scrutiny as the TOR (Terms of Reference) review opens for comment, urging experts to flag any "spec-locking"—restricting technical specifications to favor particular private companies. Solar groundwater projects require drilling equipment, solar panels, electrical systems, inverters, and other gear, creating risk that benefits go to specific contractors. She criticized the contradiction: the central budget gains 6.5 billion baht for drought while the Irrigation Department loses 7 billion baht, questioning whether drought is even real and noting the government feels compelled to launch emergency projects late in the fiscal year despite tight finances and creditors demanding payment for projects like the orange electric train line and Khlong Dhan bridge costs.

Government spokesman Paradorn Parisunanondkul confirmed that the state welfare card benefits will remain in effect through the end of September while the appeals process is completed. The Finance Ministry will present three additional eligibility criteria to the cabinet on July 27, including vehicle ownership limits and rules for non-formal education students. About 80% of those re-screened already qualify for the Thai Nation Plus 60:40 program.

When asked how many people will ultimately qualify—currently over 9 million—Paradorn said the final number depends on appeals results, but the government will support those genuinely in need and crack down on fraud. The government is not setting a numerical target. The ministry will verify those who used poor people's names for corporate directorships, fake accounting, or tax deductions, and will pursue back taxes and penalties.

Paradorn clarified that the re-screening is driven by complaints of both ineligible people receiving benefits and eligible people being denied them. A recent survey found 2.3 million additional eligible people, prompting the comprehensive review. While the appeals process continues, the Finance Ministry will later audit fraudulent claimants. The official characterized the effort as updating the country's data systems, noting that outdated records—such as vehicle registries showing cars no longer in use—have skewed eligibility determinations.

The Oil Fund Management Committee has approved a subsidy using 3.89 billion baht in excess refinery margins to freeze retail diesel and petrol prices across all grades from 24 July to 15 August 2025. Global crude costs have climbed steeply due to ongoing Middle East conflicts and Red Sea shipping blockades, with Singapore diesel reaching 167.62 USD per barrel and petrol hitting 128.33 USD per barrel on 23 July—equivalent to an 8–10 baht per litre increase in domestic prices over the past one to two weeks.

The fund is deploying a 2.40 baht per litre refinery price cut, approved by the Energy Policy Committee, to act as a shock absorber and prevent rapid pump price increases. Fund officials stated they are managing cost differences efficiently and monitoring global energy volatility closely to sustain retail prices at current levels and ease the cost-of-living burden on citizens.

Authorities acknowledged the severe global energy price volatility and its direct impact on household expenses, and have mobilized all mechanisms—including full refinery margin profits—to maintain stable pump prices in the near term. They also appealed to all sectors to conserve energy where possible to reduce strain on the Oil Fund, which ultimately draws from public resources over the long term.

On July 24, 2025, at Government House, Paradorn Parisunanon, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office and Ang Thong MP from Bhumjaithai party, addressed the party's defamation lawsuit against Yingluck Shinawatra, director of iLaw (Internet for the People), after she publicly accused nine Bhumjaithai members in connection with the Senate dissolution case. Paradorn said he has not yet spoken with Yingluck directly, though they are acquainted and can communicate. When asked if Bhumjaithai might drop the lawsuit, Paradorn said the decision rests with the party, not personally, and that he believes the party will move in the right direction.

Responding to opposition lawmaker Rangsiman Rome's claim that Paradorn accused Pheu Thai of feeding information to iLaw, Paradorn denied making such an accusation, saying he only raised questions about whether that occurred. He noted that iLaw, which he previously followed closely, has recently appeared to lean toward one political faction, which he said lowered the organization's standards. He clarified that iLaw does good work in monitoring legal issues and educating the public, but emphasized that civil society groups must never become tools of political parties. When asked if he would have said this if iLaw had cooperated with Bhumjaithai instead, Paradorn laughed and suggested "society should judge for itself."