A selection committee chaired by Natthriya Tavivanggul, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, announced that two candidates passed screening from a total of ten applicants for the position of new SAT director. They are Dr. Meechai Inwud, deputy director for administration, and Pordpran Samanmit, deputy director for professional sports and muay boxing.

On August 19, the SAT board, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Thongsak Thongsri with Minister Surasak Panjaicharungkul as vice-chair, convened at Government House to select the new director. Reports confirm the board has appointed Pordpran Samanmit as the new director, making her the 14th leader of SAT and the first female director in the organization's 62-year history. The board has determined her remuneration and drafted an employment contract, which will be submitted to the State Enterprise Policy Office under the Finance Ministry for approval, then returned to the SAT board for final approval, followed by submission to the Cabinet for endorsement.

Pordpran Samanmit, nicknamed Tor, was born on April 1, 1969, and is currently 57 years old. She is from Khon Kaen province and holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication from Chulalongkorn University and a master's degree in public and private administration from Ramkhamhaeng University. She joined SAT on April 9, 1991, and has progressed through various roles: public relations director (2012–2017), director of the director's office (2017–2021), deputy director for strategy and information technology (2021–2022), deputy director for sports promotion (2022–2024), and most recently deputy director for professional sports and muay boxing (2024–present). She also completed the 66th course of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Defense and Deception Prevention program in 2023–2024. In 2025, the SAT board voted to appoint Pordpran Samanmit as the 14th director and the first female leader in the organization's history.

Deputy Interior Minister Jaichatra Thaisehat has mobilized jet skis, boats, and helicopters to assist with flash flooding in Nan province, with flood waters expected to reach Mueang District on August 20. Officials have issued orders for maximum preparedness and explicitly prohibited any loss of life. On August 19 at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Jaichatra chaired a central command meeting attended by Permanent Secretary Arthit Samphantharatana and other senior officials to oversee relief operations for flash flooding in the northern region.

Jaichatra instructed Nan's deputy governor and Pua District officials to immediately evacuate vulnerable populations and monitor all social media requests for assistance. He ordered the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and lower northern units to rush jet skis and flat-bottomed boats to Nan, and deployed a KA32 helicopter to stand by for emergency operations. Coordination was ordered with highways authorities, police, and local volunteers to quickly transport vehicles, equipment, drinking water units, mobile kitchens, and personnel supplies to affected areas.

Deputy Governor Burjang Kunpetch reported that flash flooding and heavy rain have impacted three districts in Nan: Pua, Mae Chrim, and Santisuk, with Pua District the hardest hit. Nine subdistricts, 35 villages, 8,000 households, and approximately 16,000 people have been affected, with five roads cut off. Ten evacuation centers have been established, and military units, disaster prevention teams, volunteers, and foundations are distributing personnel to affected areas to assist those stranded in homes.

Bangkok has received its first GO Kart, a mobile gaming station that brings video games to children receiving hospital care, at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital. Scar, a member of the Hermitcraft Minecraft creator community and a Gamers Outreach board member, announced the arrival on X on 18 August, writing: "New country unlock by the Hermitcraft community. Thailand received their first GoKart!"

The portable gaming kiosk was provided through Gamers Outreach's partnership with the Hermitcraft community. Despite its name, a GO Kart is not a racing vehicle. The units can be wheeled to patients' bedsides and carry a television, gaming console, controllers and games, allowing hospital staff to bring entertainment directly to children receiving treatment.

Gamers Outreach says its carts are designed specifically for healthcare settings, with adjustable screens and storage for accessibility devices. It began producing the units in 2008 and says it has deployed them to hundreds of hospitals worldwide. The Samitivej Srinakarin delivery is the first confirmed GO Kart placement in Thailand. It may also be the first in Southeast Asia, although this has not yet been confirmed.

Hermitcraft, a long-running invite-only Minecraft community, has become one of Gamers Outreach's most prominent fundraising partners. Its members first held a charity livestream for the organisation in 2022, raising more than $439,000, enough to fund more than 100 carts. The community raised more than $840,000 at Gamers for Giving in 2024, followed by more than $847,000 in 2025. Its fourth annual fundraiser in 2026 raised more than $1 million, according to Gamers Outreach.

By April 2025, Gamers Outreach said Hermitcraft had helped provide more than 310 GO Karts, estimated to create about 899,000 gaming experiences for hospitalised children each year. Scar joined the charity's board in 2025. Gamers Outreach accepts donations to help provide gaming equipment and play experiences for children receiving hospital care.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin reaffirmed on August 19 that Prachuap Khiri Khan province will not be included in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). Speaking after visiting the province as a representative of Prime Minister Ananthawin Charnweerakul to hear concerns from the "Strong Prachuap Network" and residents, Suchart emphasized that the government takes seriously local worries about environmental impacts, land use, water resources, forests, agriculture, community rights, and people's livelihoods. The EEC currently consists of only Chachoengsao, Rayong, and Chon Buri provinces, and Prachuap Khiri Khan is not part of this plan, Suchart said. Development decisions, he explained, must be based on facts, academic data, and public participation, while balancing economic growth with environmental care and quality of life.

Regarding environmental issues in Prachuap Khiri Khan, the government has ordered agencies to urgently pursue three key problems: illegal waste dumping, air pollution from smelting operations in Sri Mahosot and Kabin Buri districts, and water quality issues in public canals. Authorities have inspected contamination levels and are gathering evidence for legal proceedings, with the Pollution Control Department sharing analysis results with law enforcement and local forestry and administrative agencies filing complaints. The provincial industrial office is tracking violators and will prosecute chemical waste cases accordingly.

For air pollution from smelting fumes in Sri Mahosot District, the provincial industrial office has inspected the facility and issued orders under factory law; testing results are pending. An industrial waste-fueled power plant project in Kabin Buri District is undergoing environmental impact assessment, with agencies closely monitoring progress. Water quality issues in Buonlert Canal in Kabin Buri District are also being addressed by relevant authorities.

Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa has changed plans and is flying directly from Surat Thani to Nan Province to oversee flood relief operations following an urgent directive from Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin issued from Canberra, Australia. Yuthasak, who oversees the northern region and chairs the committee for flood and drought management in the north, will depart Surat Thani International Airport at 1:30 p.m. and is expected to arrive in Nan around 3:00 p.m. to assess the situation in Pua District, which has been declared a disaster zone.

Conditions in Pua District remain tense following severe cumulative rainfall and forest stream flooding that has inundated homes and cut off multiple roads. Authorities are urgently evacuating vulnerable residents to safe shelters. The Deputy PM will coordinate with the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in Nan Province on rescue and relief operations, and has instructed the provincial Social Development and Human Security Office to assist vulnerable groups in the affected areas.

The Department of Irrigation has been mobilized to provide assistance, including deploying one 24-inch water pump in Muang Nan District and eleven 8-inch pumps in Wiang Sa District. Heavy equipment including seven dump trucks and backhoes have been mobilized to clear waterway obstructions and bridge approaches. The Deputy PM will work closely with provincial authorities and local agencies to monitor the situation and prepare protective measures.

At 9:40 a.m. on August 19, 2025, at Government House, Nirat Pongsitthathaworn, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry and Acting Director-General of the Department of Local Administration, addressed concerns from local administrative organizations about the removal of civil servants who fraudulently passed local government recruitment exams. He expressed confidence that all procedures had been thorough and complete, from the Central Local Government Employee Examination Committee certifying correct scores through to the Central Civil Service and Local Government Personnel Committee's approval.

When asked where all the scores came from, Nirat explained that scores had already been verified by a company contracted with Srinakharinwirot University. The correct scores had never actually been used until the Central Investigation Bureau and the National Anti-Corruption Commission discovered the same record, which then became the basis for the verified scores. Nirat noted that when the matter arose, the Central Investigation Bureau used the same record, which the Department of Local Administration then cross-checked manually and electronically over 10 days, completing four rounds of verification with the same record.

The correct scores would be sent as classified documents from the Central Committee to provincial committees in all provinces. In each province, there are three committees—for subdistrict, municipal, and provincial administrative organizations—scheduled to meet between August 18 and 28. Committee members will see the document score sheets only in closed meetings because they are classified and cannot be posted on social media or disclosed publicly to protect personal information.

Regarding removals from office, Nirat said these would take effect on August 31. He pointed to the example of Lamphun Province, where provincial administrator Weeradet Phuppisit initially expressed concern about not having seen the documents but felt assured after the August 18 meeting. Nirat remarked that what had seemed like a hot issue to local administrators had cooled considerably thanks to careful scrutiny.