BANGKOK — On 13 August 2026, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered the Department of Provincial Administration to immediately stop awarding shotguns as raffle prizes, following an incident in which five long-barrelled shotguns were offered at a Kamnan and village headmen's celebration on Koh Phangan.

Speaking at Impact Muang Thong Thani at 10:20, Department of Provincial Administration chief Narucha Khosa-siwilais said the government's policy was to control the number of firearms in circulation, including by suspending the issuance of Por 3 firearm-acquisition permits.

He said kamnan and village headmen would no longer receive guns as prizes. Organisers must instead offer rewards of equivalent value, such as cash or commemorative pins.

"The urgent policy at present is that this must be cancelled or suspended first," Narucha said, adding that regulations allow prizes to be replaced with items of comparable value.

The shotguns raffled at Koh Phangan last week still require Por 3 permits before they can be legally obtained, he said. As permits have now been suspended nationwide through a central database system, officials will review the case and the recipients.

Narucha also addressed concerns over the suspension of the welfare firearm scheme for officials, which some police officers say could make their work more difficult. He said welfare firearms were intended for officials carrying out public-order duties, but the scheme must also be suspended under the urgent policy to limit firearms, in order to treat state officials and the public equally.

Officials may carry firearms only while on duty and where they have written authorisation from a supervisor assigning them to public-order duties in their area of responsibility, he said. Police stations and government agencies must issue orders covering officers authorised to carry guns for duty.

Anutin, speaking shortly beforehand at the same venue, said he had instructed the department chief to cancel the policy and replace firearms with other prizes.

On August 13, 2569, senior traffic police officers ordered officers from the Vibhavadi Rangsit traffic control centre to arrest Veeraphet (surname withheld), 26, together with his grey Honda CBR motorcycle with Bangkok registration plates. He was charged with driving without regard for the safety of others' lives and bodies.

The suspect is a popular bigbike influencer who, during March and April 2569, rode his motorcycle on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road (outbound) in Ladyao subdistrict, Chatuchak district, Bangkok. He drove at high speed while revving the engine, weaving abruptly between lanes without signalling to other road users.

This continuous, reckless weaving at close distances, combined with high speed, made it impossible for other drivers to predict his direction and posed a serious danger. The offences were recorded at two locations: near Kasetsart University and near the Special Patrol and Operations Division station. Such driving showed no regard for road safety and risked accidents or injury.

On August 10 at 1:30 p.m., the suspect met with investigators, who explained the charges and impounded the motorcycle as evidence. The suspect confessed to all allegations. On August 11, Phranakhon North District Court sentenced him to four months in jail, an 8,000-baht fine, forfeiture of the motorcycle, and a two-year suspended sentence.

Other violations included improper lane positioning, unpaid annual road tax, incomplete motorcycle controls, and reckless driving causing alarm. The suspect was penalised for these infractions.

The daughter of a landowner has spoken out to clarify that her father genuinely intended to build a temple but did not donate the land itself. She argues that once her father passed away, everything becomes void because the temple was never actually constructed.

The dispute began when heirs of the landowner claimed rights to 21 rai of land at Paa Adulayaram Temple in Muang District, Khon Kaen Province, which the father, known as Hiang, had pledged in 1990. The heirs contested that no formal land transfer ever occurred, leading to a court case where both the lower court and appeals court dismissed their claims. The situation escalated when a group of about 30-40 men blocked the temple entrance with concrete pipes.

On August 13, 2026, a reporter visited the home of Buean, the third daughter of Hiang and Noi, who filed the lawsuit jointly with her mother. Buean explained that her father was a village headman and land seller. Of his total 42 rai of land, he allocated 10 rai to Khon Kaen University and about 21 rai for the temple, with another 5-6 rai of marshland. The area was originally forest until Buddhist nuns built a small dwelling there. Moved by their presence, her father purchased a structure for them, which gradually inspired his intention to build a temple. However, he never formally donated the land to anyone.

Buean recounted that after her father obtained a land title deed in August 1, he presented it at a merit-making ceremony to the abbot, showing villagers his intention to build the temple using that land—though he did not actually transfer ownership. The temple displayed the deed on its wall to announce the planned construction. Eventually, people with ulterior motives sought to seize the land entirely, triggering the dispute.

Buean admitted that she and her siblings gave up the fight due to lack of financial resources to compete with organized interests. Her niece Daa, who lives in Bangkok and works as a real estate agent, took over the case with the family's support. After her father's death, everyone understood that all intentions became void since the temple was never actually built, Buean said. The family had originally discussed dividing the disputed 6 rai among nine siblings after their father's death, in line with his wishes, but lacked the means to pursue it against those seeking to claim the land.

"Everything is now being handled by Daa, and she should be the one interviewed by the media," Buean stated, reaffirming that the land legally belongs to Hiang. She noted that if the temple were truly to be built, the land title should reflect that ownership.

Country music fans are invited to prepare their hearts for this week's lineup. On Thursday, the beloved programme Chumtang Daotong, hosted by quality presenter Nok-Bripan Chaiyaphumi, opens its stage to welcome rising country music star Pan Panchiva, who has grown up immersed in the genre since childhood. She will deliver her sweet vocals to captivate audiences, followed by Pe Veerasak, who will shift the mood with vibrant energy and get everyone on their feet dancing and having fun together. Beyond the musical performances, audiences will enjoy candid conversations with both artists, filled with personal stories, memorable moments, and insights into their lives as country music performers, promising fans plenty of smiles and heartwarming moments to take home.

On Friday, viewers should prepare themselves for the intense second round of GLO Miracle Music Season 3, where every point matters and every performance could change a competitor's dreams. This week features two 17-year-old contestants—Orm from Lopburi and Noy from Chachoengsao—ready to showcase the power of their generation on the country music stage, followed by Nim from Nakhon Si Thammarat, who hopes to use her stage experience as momentum to advance further in the competition. With every performance potentially deciding who moves forward and who must leave the competition, viewers will want to closely follow which contestant impresses the judges, who delivers a powerful vocal performance to secure a spot in the next round, and who's journey ends here.

Country music fans must not miss Pan Panchiva and Pe Veerasak on the Chumtang Daotong programme on Thursday, August 13, 2025, and the GLO Miracle Music Season 3 second round on Friday, August 14, 2025, at 1:10 p.m. on Channel 7HD. Viewers can also watch replays on bugaboo.tv, YouTube Channel 7 Star Studio, and the official Facebook page.

The Constitutional Court scheduled a witness cross-examination for August 26, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. to examine five witnesses in the barcode ballot case, with no live broadcast of images or sound. On August 13, the court considered the Ombudsman's petition requesting a constitutional ruling. The Ombudsman alleged receiving 22 complaints and argued that the Election Commission's February 8, 2025, general election used ballots with barcodes and QR codes that could identify voters and reveal voting results, thereby violating ballot secrecy and conflicting with multiple constitutional provisions.

The five witnesses scheduled to testify are Nitriya Rattantasanee, Worapong Anancharoen, Phakaphoom Phodom, Kanyyanat Pikultong, and Savaeng Boonmee. Two other originally scheduled witnesses—Reuanglak Reuangyangmee and Sompong Tandee—submitted affidavits covering the relevant points, so they are not required to appear in court.

Under the 2561 Constitutional Court Procedure Act, Section 65, parties may review and copy all evidence in electronic form, except classified documents. Under the 2562 Constitutional Court Rules, Articles 30 and 36, the August 26 hearing will not be broadcast and only parties and persons approved by the court may attend.