At 10:00 a.m. on July 27, 2025, Thanasak (surname withheld), 53, father of Ms. Chutathip (surname withheld), 28, a defendant in a methamphetamine smuggling case arrested at Fukuoka Airport in Japan, came to give an additional statement to investigators at Bangbuathong Police Station.

After his daughter lost all contact during her trip to Japan, the family received notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that she had been arrested by Japanese police on drug charges. The father insists his daughter has no criminal history and believes she fell victim to a drug smuggling gang.

Thanasak explained that the incident occurred after his daughter left the country on July 10. On July 22, the family received notification that she had been detained by Japanese authorities after methamphetamine was found hidden inside a parcel labeled as coffee packets. Since then, the family has been unable to contact her or receive further information from consular officials.

Previously, his daughter had worked buying secondhand goods and took jobs as a courier between Thailand and Japan for over a year, finding work through online groups. She had always been checked before boarding. However, this time the package she received was supposedly pre-sealed coffee, preventing her from opening it to inspect contents. The father believes she was tricked into becoming a drug mule without knowing.

The father expressed deep concern for his daughter's wellbeing and safety, having been unable to contact anyone. He filed a report with Bangbuathong Police Station for assistance in coordinating with Japanese authorities. During the interview, Thanasak became dizzy and had to stop the questioning to provide additional information to police officers.

Investigators have obtained crucial CCTV footage showing a white Honda City sedan with Bangkok license plates entering the woman's neighborhood on July 10 at approximately 21:11 and leaving at 21:23—about 20 minutes. Authorities suspect this vehicle delivered the methamphetamine and are accelerating their search for it.

On July 27, 2025, opposition legislator Kaladee Lieopairot, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, led a delegation to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to formally petition Digital Economy Minister Chaiyachok Chidchob to review, revise, or cancel the TH-AI Passport program, a 1.621 billion baht initiative designed to boost digital and artificial intelligence skills among Thai citizens.

Kaladee stated that she and her party seek sustainable and transparent innovation in Thailand and have raised five key concerns for the ministry to address. First, they cite doubts about procurement transparency and process irregularities, including abnormal haste in project approval and changes to critical terms during the interim government period, along with conditions that risk favoring specific contractors unfairly. Second, they argue the program offers poor value, noting that testing revealed the AI Pass system performs worse than free commercial alternatives, and that a similar project by another agency (OKMD) achieved comparable results with just 2.4 million baht, making the 1.621 billion baht investment wasteful and failing to create lasting innovation infrastructure.

Third, the opposition points to lack of transparency in the pay-per-use payment model, which lacks clear criteria for counting tokens and defining active users, risking overpayment and policy fraud without strict monitoring. Fourth, they argue the program violates its own terms of reference by sending user data abroad for processing on foreign servers, contradicting the requirement to store and process data within Thailand and threatening long-term data sovereignty. Fifth, they note the AI Pass system falls short of the pro or premium-tier capabilities mandated in the original specifications. The opposition maintains these concerns can be addressed through legal procurement procedures while prioritizing Thailand's public interest.

Settrade is opening subscriptions for Government Savings Bonds through its Streaming application across 15 securities firms from August 3–5, with a minimum investment of 1,000 baht. The platform fully supports the Bond Connect system, covering everything from subscription and small-lot-first allocation to future secondary trading, expanding public access to government bond investment.

On July 27, 2025, Amity Praphaphand, managing director of Settrade.com Limited, announced that the Streaming application is ready to open subscriptions for Government Savings Bonds through 15 brokers from August 3–5, 2025, with a minimum of 1,000 baht. Users simply navigate to the "More" menu and select "Bond." Settrade is one of the developers of the Bond Connect system, which provides end-to-end support for Government Savings Bond investment, from subscription through small-lot-first allocation to ensure all subscribers have equal and widespread access. Investors can check subscription status and allocation results via www.settrade.com, and the platform will eventually support secondary trading, allowing bonds and stocks to be held in a single portfolio and used as collateral for further investment.

The Government Savings Bonds are available for subscription through the Bond Connect system via 24 participating distributors from August 3 at 8:30 a.m. through August 5 at 3:00 p.m., with allocation on August 6, 2025. The total offering is 2 billion baht in two series: a 3-year term at 1.8% annual fixed interest, and a 10-year term at 2.8% annual fixed interest, with interest paid every three months. For more information, visit www.set.or.th/bond and www.setinvestnow.com/th/bond.

The 15 brokers offering Government Savings Bond subscriptions through Settrade Streaming are: Krungthai Securities, Kasikornbank Securities, Globlex, DAO Securities (Thailand), Beyond Securities, Land and House Securities, Asia Plus Securities, iRA Securities, Bualuang Securities, Tiscore Securities, KGI (Thailand), Invest EX, Yuan Ta (Thailand), CGS International (Thailand), and UOB Kay Hian (Thailand).

A 41-year-old mother filed a complaint with investigators at Muang Phayao Police Station after her 4-year-old daughter was slapped twice in the face by a 24-year-old man on July 25, 2569 (2026) at approximately 2:48 p.m. The incident occurred in the children's play zone on the first floor of a popular learning center building along Phayao's riverside.

According to the mother, she was comforting her crying child when the man suddenly walked up and struck the girl's face once. Staff members quickly intervened and ordered him away. However, the man returned moments later and slapped the child a second time before the mother raised her hand to shield her. She said he appeared ready to strike again two to three more times, prompting her to file a police report.

Investigator Lt. Col. Kittikorn Phala, Deputy Superintendent (Investigations) at Muang Phayao Police, accepted the complaint as evidence and arranged for the girl to receive a medical examination at Phayao Hospital. Doctors will assess her condition and provide findings to support the case file. The investigation is ongoing as police gather evidence and determine what charges to file against the suspect. The child's relatives claimed the man lost his temper due to the child's crying and the sound of his own dog, and apologized, but the mother decided to pursue legal action. She brought the child for a medical checkup today to provide documentation for the police investigation.

PHUKET: Large crowds attended the Phuket Parkland & Music Fest 2026 over the weekend, with thousands of residents and tourists visiting Phuket Gateway in Mai Khao for the three-day event celebrating music, art and local culture.

On July 27, 2025, police arrested 34-year-old Nakorin (surname withheld) in a sugarcane field in Kanchanaburi Province following a four-month manhunt. He was a top-143 wanted fugitive on the Royal Thai Police's wanted list, accused of his role in a shooting outside a well-known entertainment venue in Kanchanaburi City.

Nakorin was charged with attempted murder, illegal firearm possession, and reckless discharge of weapons in a public area. According to the investigation, the incident stemmed from a longstanding dispute between Phuwadet (surname withheld), the victim, and Chontit (surname withheld) and Nakorin.

On the night of December 27, 2024, both groups, each with six members, visited the same entertainment venue in Muang Kanchanaburi and sat near each other. Tensions escalated but no violence occurred inside. However, as the groups left the venue separately in vehicles—Chontit's group in an Isuzu pickup and Phuwadet's group in a Toyota Fortuner—the situation turned deadly in the parking lot of a nearby hotel.

When Phuwadet approached Chontit's group, he claimed the rival faction had drawn weapons. He then pulled a 9mm handgun and opened fire, triggering a fierce shootout between the two groups. Phuwadet was wounded, while Chontit's group fled the scene. Police later gathered evidence, obtained arrest warrants, and eventually captured Nakorin. During questioning, the suspect confessed, and he was transferred to Muang Kanchanaburi Police Station for further legal proceedings.