Som Chiang embraced her youngest daughter Kim with tears as she opened her heart about the closure of her noodle shop due to economic downturn and an investment loss of 16 million baht from a scam. After announcing she would take on review work to raise capital, she faced criticism from some who questioned whether she was using the money for personal enhancement rather than business investment. Today, she brought her youngest daughter "Kim" onto the talk show "Khui Saep Show" on Channel One31, hosted by DJ Phut Phuttachai and Pekkie Srithanya, to share her pride in Kim's achievement.

Kim recently completed her master's degree in Digital Marketing in the United Kingdom, which took approximately a year and a half. Som Chiang expressed her immense pride, noting that as a person who came from a different province with limited education, seeing her daughter study abroad filled her with joy.

During the interview, Kim revealed her dreams and future plans. When asked about her aspirations, she humorously mentioned wanting to help her mother create YouTube content and find brand partnerships. Her childhood dream has been to become a flight attendant, inspired by the elegant appearance of cabin crew members she observed while traveling. Som Chiang supported this ambition, hoping Kim would work for an international airline after learning English abroad. However, Kim decided she prefers to work for a Thai airline to stay close to her mother.

Kim explained that after experiencing life abroad, she realized she felt most comfortable in Thailand. She appreciates the convenience and especially the food in her home country, which played a major factor in her decision to return. During her master's studies, Kim worked part-time at two places: photographing products at outlet stores and working at a Thai restaurant.

Som Chiang was amazed by her daughter's independence, joking that Kim had never even swept the house at home but managed to handle various tasks abroad. When the restaurant owner saw Kim's work, he even told Som Chiang that she could now rest easy and let go of their maid, which shocked Som Chiang with pride at how capable her daughter had become. Kim described her part-time restaurant work as enjoyable and rewarding, allowing her to practice English with foreign customers, learn more menu items, and make good social connections. She joked that while she wouldn't do such chores at home without payment, having earned money made the experience worthwhile.

The government is implementing strict safety standards for school buses across Thailand as the new academic term begins, with mandatory inspections of braking systems and GPS tracking to prevent accidents. Deputy Government Spokeswoman Lalida Perischwivatana revealed on May 18, 2569 that the government prioritizes the safety of children and youth traveling to and from schools through integrated cooperation between the Education Ministry, Transport Ministry, and relevant agencies.

To upgrade nationwide school bus standards, build parental confidence, and reduce road accident risks ahead of the May school term opening, the Transport Ministry has assigned the Department of Land Transport to expedite readiness inspections of school buses nationwide. Provincial transport offices have been directed to coordinate closely with schools to bring buses in for inspections, particularly of braking systems. Any vehicles failing to meet standards must be repaired before returning to service to ensure student and road user safety.

Additionally, the Department of Land Transport, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, has created a school bus database through the website schoolbussafety.dlt.go.th to monitor and improve the school bus system's standards and safety. The department is also promoting GPS technology use for location tracking and driving behavior monitoring to enhance transportation safety efficiency.

The government is further upgrading school bus service provider standards by increasing training for drivers and attendants on child safety, and studying special license plate guidelines for school buses to improve oversight and alert other road users to exercise caution near school buses.

Simultaneously, the "Young Driver License Program" is being expanded to instill traffic discipline and safety awareness in youth, along with enhanced safety training for public and truck drivers to improve overall road safety. "The government prioritizes safe travel for children and youth, and will continuously upgrade school bus standards through cooperation from all sectors to create a safe transportation system and assure parents nationwide," Lalida stated.

Auction prizes include luxury hotel stays in the Maldives, Bali, Japan and more, as PHAB returns to create scholarship and internship opportunities for talented young hospitality professionals in Phuket.

Akara Resources has partnered with three educational institutions—Chulalongkorn University, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, and Suranaree University of Technology—to present research on three prototype innovation projects that transform mining tailings from gold and silver production into "alternative resources." The initiative aims to convert production waste into upstream raw materials, reducing the need for new natural resources while creating real value for the construction, energy, and community enterprise sectors, and advancing a circular economy model.

Cheedsak Atthaoarun, General Manager of Sustainability at Akara Resources Public Company Limited, revealed that the company supports continuous collaborative research with educational institutions by opening mine sites for researchers to access and collect tailings samples for study and development into practical innovations for construction, energy, and community-level applications. This effort reflects Akara's commitment to system safety standards and Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) protocols.

The goal is to maximize the use of available resources. Partnering with these three institutions allows previously overlooked materials like mining tailings to be studied and developed into new alternatives for construction and energy sectors, while advancing community-level innovation adoption to create jobs, generate income, and improve economic opportunities for local residents, thereby reducing inequality and sustainably improving quality of life.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thidarath Bunsri, head of the Smart Biomaterials and Technology Research Group at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, developed the "biocement" innovation that combines mining tailings with industrial waste materials such as eggshells and microorganisms from fish sauce byproducts to create a future building material requiring minimal production energy. Unlike conventional cement, it requires no burning process and possesses special properties resistant to salt corrosion, addressing saline soil problems and capable of self-healing when cracks occur.

This innovation has been patented and is currently being applied as "salt-retarding panels" to assist farmers in Northeast Thailand. Trial results show it can increase rice yields by up to 53% in the first year compared to typical saline soil areas, while also increasing GABA levels in rice by over 300 times and reducing glycemic index by approximately 30%. This demonstrates the innovation's potential in linking environmental, health, and community economic dimensions, with plans to expand into full irrigation drainage systems through collaboration with the Irrigation Department in Uttaradit Province and the chartered gold mining operation.

Dr. Pete Homsuen, instructor in the Department of Mining and Petroleum Engineering at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Engineering, has researched mining tailings applications.

On May 18, a Facebook user posted about his younger brother being attacked by nearly 10 Myanmar teenagers. The victims had been riding motorcycles in the Pattaya South area when they encountered the gang near the Lam Bali Hai pier. When they rode past, the group shouted, "Why are you looking at me?" After the victims tried to flee, 3-4 motorcycles chased them for about 5 kilometers until they were forced to stop. The gang then swarmed the victim, beating him with kicks and punches, damaging his motorcycle, and stealing both his shoes while spitting on him. His friends managed to escape.

The victim, identified as Mr. A (16 years old), suffered severe bruising across his face and complained of constant headaches. He and his two friends—M (14) and L (15)—had been riding motorcycles for a leisure trip when the confrontation occurred. After filing a police report at Bang Lamung Police Station, the victim's post went viral, with local figures sharing the story and organizing a search for the gang members.

Once a thriving mining town over 70 years ago, E-Tong has now transformed into a quiet escape where nature, culture, and simple living come together beautifully. With cool weather all year round, stu...