Police are pursuing a man known as Sueua, 45, after he allegedly shot his coworker Ballang, 33, in the forehead outside a used car lot in Bang Pa-In district, Ayutthaya province in the early hours of August 13. Ballang died at Rajdhani Hospital after receiving treatment for severe gunshot wounds. His body has been sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Pathum Thani for autopsy. Investigators from Bang Pa-In Police Station gathered evidence and requested an arrest warrant from Ayutthaya Provincial Court. Police also questioned a 67-year-old man named Uncle Maa for information after finding clues about Sueua's escape route. Officers discovered that Sueua may have hidden in a rice field area in Uthai district, Ayutthaya, but he was not found during their search. At the site, police found one set of clothing believed to be what Sueua wore after the shooting, two empty bottles of rice whiskey, and the remains of a campfire, suggesting he used the area as a temporary shelter before fleeing. Uncle Maa revealed that he regularly walks through the rice fields and typically returns home around 6 p.m. This morning at approximately 6 a.m., he discovered the campfire, signs of grilled fish, two empty whiskey bottles, and an abandoned factory uniform, but did not initially know it belonged to the shooter. Maa confirmed he had no prior knowledge of Sueua's involvement and provided no shelter. He said he knows Sueua because the latter frequents the area to fish and they last met about two days ago. Maa described Sueua as hot-tempered and noted he frequently argued with his wife but never mentioned problems with coworkers. Maa also stated he has no mobile phone and does not use social media, so he was unaware of the incident. Maa later guided reporters to the rice field location, approximately 6 to 7 kilometers from the crime scene, accessible only by dirt road. The area showed signs of habitation, including a pile of firewood, camping traces, and two whiskey bottles on a stone table. Police are examining the evidence to link it to the suspect. According to Maa, Sueua fled on a Honda Wave motorcycle of unknown color without working headlights. Police are urgently pursuing Sueua and gathering evidence from CCTV footage, witnesses, and physical evidence found at the scene to determine the motive and proceed with prosecution.

Residents are complaining about large packs of stray dogs roaming the parking area at Chiang Mai City Hall, biting and chewing motorcycle seats until they are badly damaged. Frustrated residents are asking who should be held responsible. On August 13, residents recorded video footage of the stray dogs causing trouble in the parking lot, with dogs biting and damaging motorcycles, and questioned why the province's previous efforts have not resolved the issue, given that so many stray dogs remain. The incident in the video occurred on August 11.

Residents are urging relevant agencies to urgently and continuously address the problem so that Chiang Mai's provincial government center becomes a safe area for residents and staff, preventing the stray dog problem from recurring.

On June 18, residents who came to conduct business at the city hall filed complaints about the large number of stray dogs living inside and around the building. The dogs congregate in packs, bark loudly, chase people, and sometimes attempt to bite residents. Dogs have also been found lying on roads, blocking traffic and creating safety concerns.

Field inspections found stray dogs scattered throughout Chiang Mai City Hall, many lying on traffic surfaces, with some chasing passersby. Residents reported that at night, numerous dogs shelter in holes and spaces beneath buildings.

On August 13, 2026, Deputy Commander Pattanasak Bubphasuwan of the Suppression Division ordered officers Suriyasak Jirawat and Watrasamn Nethararn to arrest Lampoon (surname withheld), 39, based on a warrant issued by Chaiyaphum Provincial Court on July 31, 2552, for attempted murder of a police officer and unlawful possession of a firearm in public. He was caught at a rental home on Bamrung Muang Road, Khlong Mahanag Subdistrict, Bangkok, after 17 years in hiding.

The case originated during Songkran 2552 in Nong Bua Daeng District, Chaiyaphum Province, when teenagers clashed at a festival. Police from Noen Moe Station responded to control the situation. During their intervention, Lampoon allegedly confronted officers, retrieved an illegal shotgun, and fired at police, forcing them to take cover before he fled the scene.

Operatives received a tip that Lampoon—listed as the 61st priority fugitive on the 2569 national police wanted list—was residing in Bangkok. After investigation and surveillance, they located and apprehended him at the rental address. During interrogation, Lampoon confessed to the shooting, claiming he was a teenager at the time and acted impulsively without considering the consequences. He is now in custody pending prosecution through Noen Moe Station, Chaiyaphum Province.

Somjit Jongjoho, a former Olympic gold medal boxer, posted a video clarifying previous remarks about visiting fellow Olympic hero Manas Buunchamnong in prison. He said money he had arranged to be delivered to Manas went missing en route, blaming neither the prison nor himself but an intermediary who failed to pass it along. In the video, the 51-year-old boxer apologized to Bangkok Special Prison for miscommunication that led to misunderstanding.

"Let me be clear—this has nothing to do with the prison," Somjit said in the clip. "I didn't deposit the money with the prison. I arranged it through someone from outside who was visiting. Many people from the boxing world and fighter friends gave me money to pass along, but when I visited Manas and his wife, they told me the money never reached his hands. So I have to figure out where it got lost along the way and who ended up with it. It's really unfortunate."

At 3:00 p.m. on August 13, 2025, officers from Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi Province received a report from Pornaphaa, a curry rice buffet restaurant owner in the Muang Thong Thani area of Pak Kret District, that her son had stormed into her shop and threatened to harm her. Police responded and found the suspect, Chakrit, 22, shouting in front of the restaurant after smashing the front window with a rock. Officers calmed him down and took him into custody. No firearm was found despite his threats to have one; he claimed it had been seized in a previous incident. He was taken to the police holding cell and then transferred for interrogation.

Pornaphaa later filed a formal complaint, citing safety concerns. She stated that her son had called threatening to kill her, but she did not expect him to actually come. When he arrived, he demanded to know: "What are you doing? Are you choosing a new husband? Is he better than me?" She tried to reason with him, but he became enraged, saying "Don't kick me out," before throwing the rock through the window. She fled. He has a history of threatening her with a gun, though she has never actually seen one.

Background checks revealed that Chakrit previously used a firearm to shoot his ex-girlfriend to death in Rayong Province in 2023. He had been imprisoned for that crime and was only recently released in December 2024. The prison issued a one-year behavioral monitoring order set to expire this December. Pornaphaa also disclosed that her son had previously suffered from mental illness and received treatment at Bang Plee Hospital, but stopped taking medication approximately four months ago because his liver enzymes became elevated. In July of this year, he threatened her with a knife.

Gun ownership in Thai society has become a major point of contention, partly triggered by the tragedy at Thepsirin School in Nonthaburi, where the perpetrator used his grandfather's firearm. It is undeniable that had the attacker not accessed a weapon, the violence might not have occurred or would have been less severe. However, imposing a blanket ban on civilian gun ownership requires careful and comprehensive consideration, as guns serve legitimate purposes for self-defense and property protection alongside their dangers. An unrestricted approach—allowing firearms everywhere and settling disputes as in cowboy films—is clearly not viable, but those needing protection deserve viable options. Historically, countries like the United States permit civilian gun ownership based on colonial-era principles of armed self-defense, with the right to bear arms enshrined in the constitution partly as a safeguard against tyranny. By contrast, 18 countries including North Korea, Mali, Somalia, and Cambodia completely ban civilian firearms, operating on the principle that the state holds a monopoly on violence and should control society according to law. These nations require citizens to fully trust the state to protect them and not abuse power. The question for Thailand is which path to choose and whether it is genuinely feasible. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has proposed banning civilian guns, but statistics from 2020 to June 2025 show that of 161,466 gun-related crimes, 143,274 (84.7 percent) involved illegal or smuggled weapons. If legal guns are controlled, will illegal weapons simply flood in? Will solving one problem create many others? This demands truly careful and comprehensive thought.