On July 16, 2025, Sports Minister Surasak Pun Chaeomvongkul received Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Patron of Save the Children UK, during her visit to Thai children and youth participating in a football program. The visit was made in connection with her tour of Save the Children projects, accompanied by Reverend Sir Tim Lawrence. Education Minister Prasert Chanthrawong, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, and Football Association of Thailand President Nualpan Lamsam led the Thai national football team in welcoming the Princess.

The visit took place at Pattana Community School in Khlong Toei district, Bangkok, where the Princess toured classrooms, spoke with students, and engaged closely with schoolchildren before observing the youth football development program, which was filled with warmth and smiles.

The activity was organized through collaboration between Save the Children, the British Embassy in Thailand, and the Liverpool FC Foundation to promote educational opportunities, youth development, and use football as a tool to inspire Thai children. A major highlight was the appearance of Emile Heskey, the legendary former Liverpool forward, who played alongside the young participants and shared his experiences with them, creating excitement and making a lasting impression on all attendees.

At 11:00 a.m. on July 16 at Phahol Yothin Police Station, Police Commissioner General Siam Bunsawat and Deputy Commissioner Kiratkul Santinern held a one-hour meeting with investigators on the Ladprao beer hall fire case. General Siam revealed that investigators are conducting a detailed examination of the true cause. Registered shareholding records show the shop owner and his mother's names, while police are questioning staff to determine if other undocumented parties are involved. The commissioner ordered a comprehensive financial audit of the establishment to trace income transfers and will summon all relevant parties for questioning in order of priority and urgency.

The shop owner's sister, who managed operations but held no official shares, gave a statement on his behalf as he remains hospitalized with severe injuries, on respiratory support and unconscious. Police cannot yet interview him but are monitoring his condition daily; charges will be filed as soon as he can communicate. Preliminary charges include negligence causing death and injury, unauthorized building modification, negligence causing fire, and violations of service establishment regulations if the venue exceeded its licensed scope. Coordination with the Chatuchak district office is ongoing; authorities are assembling construction permit documents and may pursue legal action against the district if negligence is found.

The forensic pathology report revealed that victims died not from direct flame but from asphyxiation due to toxic gas inhalation. Tests detected carbon monoxide and cyanide—both substances that block oxygen absorption in tissues—with exposure to high concentrations proving fatal within four minutes. The toxic gases also affected police officers who risked their lives rescuing people on the day of the incident, causing respiratory irritation and severe coughing, though all received hospital care and were safely discharged.

Thai Airways and the PTT Group have partnered to fuel flight TG409 (Bangkok–Singapore) with domestically produced sustainable aviation fuel (HEFA-SPK SAF) for the first time at Suvarnabhumi Airport, signaling a major collaboration between Thailand's two leading organizations to reduce aviation emissions and transition toward Net Zero energy goals. According to Chai Eamsiri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thai Airways, the initiative demonstrates Thailand's capability to develop a robust energy and aviation ecosystem that supports the industry's sustainable future. The SAF used on this flight originates from Thailand's first standalone HEFA-SPK production facility, which began commercial operations in May 2026 with an initial capacity of 1 million liters per day. The facility uses recycled cooking oil as raw material and can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel, while meeting international standards including ISCC CORSIA and ISCC EU certification.

Chaivatana Kovavisarach, President and Chief Executive Officer of the PTT Group, emphasized that this collaboration marks Thailand's entry into the global low-carbon aviation industry and demonstrates the country's readiness to support the industry's transition while creating long-term business opportunities. The SAF is transported from PTT's Phra Khanong refinery to Suvarnabhumi Airport via pipeline infrastructure managed by Bangkok Pipeline Transport Company (BPT) and stored at the Bangkok Aviation Fuel Services (BAFS) facility before being loaded onto aircraft according to standard procedures. Thai Airways has been strictly complying with the European Union's ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative since 2567 (2024), using sustainable aviation fuel on all European routes and continuing to increase the proportion of SAF usage in 2568 (2025), including flights departing from airports such as Charles de Gaulle in Paris. This partnership underscores both organizations' commitment to sustainable aviation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and achieving Thailand's Net Zero Carbon Emission target by 2570 (2027).

The Stock Exchange of Thailand, working with the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) and Bank of Thailand (BOT), has developed the Bond Connect infrastructure to enhance access to debt securities investment through the capital market and support purchases of government "Auompplus" savings bonds. The initiative makes it easier for the public to invest in government bonds with a minimum investment of just 1,000 baht under a total allocation of 2 billion baht.

The allocation will use a "Small Lot First" principle to give smaller investors priority, ensuring fair and equitable distribution across a wide range of investors. The bonds offer higher returns than fixed-term deposits, with fixed interest rates of 1.8% annually for a 3-year maturity and 2.8% annually for a 10-year maturity. The first offering runs from 8:30 a.m. on August 3 to 3:00 p.m. on August 5, 2026. Anyone with a Thai securities account can apply through 24 participating securities firms and banks via digital platforms, branches, and the Streaming app.

Assadej Kongsiri, Chief Executive Officer of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, stated that the Bond Connect Platform is a public-private collaboration leveraging the Thai capital market's infrastructure to support government policy and provide greater convenience for citizens accessing government bonds. Investors can hold bonds in scriptless form through a securities trading account and manage them alongside other assets. The bonds are also eligible for secondary market trading on the exchange with transparent, verifiable market prices. Additionally, investors can view their "Auompplus" holdings alongside other assets through the wiset application, and may eventually use the bonds as collateral to enhance investment flexibility.

Deputy Permanent Secretary Nirat Pongsitthathavorn, acting as director-general of the Department of Local Administration, announced on July 16 at Don Mueang Air Base that he would attend a central civil service exam board meeting the following day to consider revoking the appointments of 3,621 local officials. When asked whether all 3,621 officials could be revoked immediately, Nirat said that revocation would depend on whether clear evidence of wrongdoing was found. Responding to claims by the anti-corruption group STRONG Thailand that he was close to Dr. Win, the accused exam fraudster, Nirat stated he had never studied with or hired Dr. Win. He acknowledged knowing Dr. Win on a casual basis, explaining that he meets many people in his role and that Dr. Win had introduced himself to various officials as a courtesy, which he characterized as normal conduct. Nirat denied ever providing Dr. Win with any budget or employment opportunities during his tenure.

CHAIYAPHUM — Six male juveniles who escaped from the Nakhon Ratchasima Juvenile Observation and Protection Center and allegedly stole a school pickup truck in an attempt to return home have been arrested in neighboring Chaiyaphum province.

The escape occurred at 05:30 on 16 July 2026, when the six youths took advantage of officers opening a door in the early morning and ran out of the facility. Police said the group had planned the escape in advance by cutting through the bars of their detention room before fleeing.

At around 07:00, the group allegedly stole an Isuzu pickup truck belonging to Ratchasima Witthayalai School, which was parked about 800 metres from the detention center, and drove toward Chaiyaphum.

Police in several jurisdictions set up checkpoints and tracked the suspects' route as they fled. The abandoned pickup was later found in Noen Sa-nga district, Chaiyaphum. Maj Gen Sujarit Panlek, commander of Chaiyaphum Provincial Police, ordered investigators to work with officers from Noen Sa-nga Police Station to locate the escapees.

The six juveniles were eventually found and taken into custody without incident.

During initial questioning, one of the youths admitted that he missed his family and wanted to return home. He told investigators he persuaded the others to escape from the detention center and steal the pickup truck to travel back to their hometown.

The six juveniles have been returned to police custody and will be transferred back to the Nakhon Ratchasima Juvenile Observation and Protection Center for legal proceedings.