National Artist Professor Kamchorn Sunpongsheet, a scholar and artist of exceptional knowledge, passed away peacefully on the morning of Friday, July 3, 2026, at age 89. The Department of Cultural Promotion and Cultural Promotion Fund received notice from his family. Sunpongsheet, who was honored as a National Artist in the field of visual arts and painting in 2020, will have Buddhist chanting ceremonies held at Sala 6 of Wat Thatsutong Royal Temple in Bangkok's Watthana District. The water-sprinkling ritual will be held on July 4, 2026 at 4:00 p.m., followed by funeral chanting at 6:00 p.m. Additional evening chanting sessions are scheduled for July 5-8 at 7:30 p.m. The cremation ceremony will take place at the Meru of Wat Thatsutong on July 9, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. The Department extends deepest condolences to his family and those who revered Professor Kamchorn Sunpongsheet, whose paintings were distinguished by their unique character, reflecting ideas, emotions, and sentiments with profound depth and creativity. His work demonstrated the significant value of art to Thai society.

A group of more than 10 teenagers on motorcycles raided the home of a first-year technical college student in the Taling Chan area on July 2, shouting "Are you a police informant?" while brandishing swords before fleeing. The incident occurred in a housing estate in Sao Thong Hin subdistrict, Bang Yai district, Nonthaburi province at 5 p.m. Police Lieutenant Colonel Siraphop Anusiri, commander of Bang Yai Police Station, ordered an investigation that led to the arrest of all suspects, identified as youths aged 16-20.

One suspect, 18-year-old "A" (alias), claimed that on July 1 while eating with his girlfriend at Index Market in Bang Yai, the victim approached them suspiciously, apparently calling friends. He and his girlfriend hurried to catch a songthaew to Bua Thong market, but the victim pursued them on a motorcycle and pulled a knife, threatening him to get out of the vehicle. He refused and the victim rode away.

The next day after school, he and approximately 10 friends rode to confront the victim, intending to demand an apology. Two of his companions brought long knives for intimidation purposes only, without intention to harm, since the victim was still a first-year student. He shouted into the house asking "Was it you who tried to stab me and my girlfriend?" and questioned "Are you a police informant?" before riding away, stating there would be no further conflict if the victim didn't cause problems.

After mediation, both parties apologized to each other and shook hands. Parents from both sides accepted the resolution, documenting the incident as evidence before departing.

On July 3, more than 50 residents from Ban Rong Chiang Raeng village in Phu Sang district, Phayao province, gathered outside a school with placards demanding the transfer of one teacher. They stated they cannot accept his behavior, which they claim is the root cause of internal school conflict, creating divisions among teachers, parents, and students.

Residents reported that years of ongoing conflict have led multiple teachers to seek transfers and several parents to move their children to other schools, resulting in a clear decline in student enrollment. They called on relevant authorities to address the problem urgently.

Representatives alleged the teacher engages in fault-finding behavior toward colleagues, creates conflicts, lacks teaching effectiveness, and makes accusations against others, preventing teamwork. One teacher reported feeling constantly monitored and photographed during lessons, creating pressure and preventing full performance of duties.

The teacher in question clarified that similar situations occurred at his previous school. He maintained that during his 7-8 years at this school, he investigated the lunch program after noting concerns about food quality unsuitable for students and procurement issues he felt warranted review. He stated he was simply performing his duty but was portrayed as fault-finding. He affirmed he is ready to transfer immediately if it would resolve the situation and ease community concerns.

Nikom Kiratiwanakul, deputy director of the Phayao Primary Education Area Office 2, and school principal Noprudthi Tovaas visited the site to hear complaints and monitor the situation personally.

Nikom stated the education office would thoroughly investigate the facts from both residents' complaints and the teacher's explanation to ensure fairness. The teacher was instructed to submit a transfer request and temporarily leave the school premises to reduce tension and prevent further escalation while the investigation continues.

A shocking tragedy struck on July 3 along the Mukdahan-Ubon Ratchathani road in Mukdahan province when an 11-year-old boy secretly took his parents' pickup truck and, losing control, crashed into a Buddhist alms-walking procession. Ten monks were killed and numerous others injured. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security later confirmed the boy is registered with a Type 7 disability classification—autism spectrum disorder—which involves developmental delays in social interaction, communication, language, and behavior stemming from neurological abnormalities that limit daily functioning, with symptoms evident from early childhood. Dashboard camera footage emerged showing a man offering drinking water to the monks moments before the accident. The video poster wrote: "I was still making merit when the accident happened. My sincere condolences." He added that the footage of the water-offering occurred just minutes before the tragedy.

Thai AirAsia, together with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and Ministry of Transport, held a stakeholder consultation on July 3, 2025 with over 60 tourism business operators in the Hua Hin and Cha-am areas to study the feasibility of opening international flight routes from Hua Hin Airport. The consultation yielded four key conclusions:

1. Promising international direct routes include flights from Hua Hin to Singapore, Taipei, Shanghai, and Kuala Lumpur. 2. Target tourist segments are family groups of 3-5 people and honeymooning couples. 3. Services expected to appeal to target markets include golf and water sports activities, as well as wellness and spa activities. 4. Required support measures include increased benefits and incentives for airlines and tourism operators, airport fee reductions at Hua Hin Airport, infrastructure development and enhanced connectivity within and between cities, investment in new tourism attractions in the area, and aggressive marketing promotion coordinated with the Tourism Authority of Thailand's overseas offices to raise awareness of the flight routes and Hua Hin.

AirAsia will study the information gathered to consider launching international routes in the future.

Pairatl Pornpatannangkur, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thai AirAsia, stated that following the government's policy to stimulate the economy and distribute income to the regions through upgrading transportation and tourism infrastructure—particularly promoting Hua Hin Airport to handle international flights comprehensively—AirAsia is fully prepared to support this policy. The airline organized the stakeholder consultation to gather in-depth information for evaluating new international routes.

"Currently, AirAsia operates domestic flights from Hua Hin Airport on the Hua Hin-Chiang Mai route with four flights per week, and will increase to daily service starting in October. We are very pleased to study and return to launch international routes as the first airline, aligned with the government's development plan. We are confident that Hua Hin will become a popular destination for international tourists, as it caters to both mainstream and premium markets with distinctive health and sports tourism activities," Pairatl said.

The consultation was conducted within a framework of four key topics: Right Destination (identifying promising international routes), Right Customer (identifying target tourist segments), Right Product (identifying services that appeal to target markets), and Right Support (identifying necessary cooperation). The response from local operators was positive, and they are ready to collaborate in promoting Hua Hin, Cha-am, and surrounding areas as a sustainable tourism hub in the region.