NAKHON RATCHASIMA — A 67-year-old rice farmer in Sikhiu district has been severely affected by drought linked to Super El Niño, forcing her to sow rice twice and replant by hand in hopes that some of the crop will survive.

Muay Singkhon, a farmer from Ban Huai Takaeng Tai in Nong Bua Noi subdistrict, Sikhiu district, said a prolonged dry spell had left local water sources running low, making it impossible to pump enough water into her rice fields.

"I planted jasmine rice on seven rai, but the drought caused almost all of the rice seeds not to germinate. Only small patches have sprouted," she said.

Rain has been scarce in the area for nearly a month, with only occasional light showers that are not enough to thoroughly soak the soil. Muay said she had also seen little benefit from the government's artificial rainmaking efforts, as no significant rain had reached her fields.

She has now been forced to manually sow rice seeds in empty patches after planting twice already.

"The lack of water caused the seeds to dry out and become shriveled, so they could not grow. I don't know what else to do," she said.

Muay had hoped to harvest enough rice this year both for her family to eat and to sell, but the severe drought has caused significant damage despite the fact that it is the planting season.

"At this point, I just hope to get enough rice to eat," she said, adding that she had planned to pump water from a natural canal into her fields, but the water level had fallen too low for pumping.

Muay called on the government to increase artificial rainmaking operations and help reduce the cost of agricultural inputs.

"The prices of herbicides and fertilizer are still very high. I want the government to lower them further. Farmers are already struggling with high production costs," she said.

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the organizers of The Tom Thailand 2026 pageant, copyright holder Lek Bunnada Tipphipal and pageant director Nan Wilailaksana Sirisak, reveals the vision and effort behind creating a stage for Thailand's tom community to overcome fear and showcase their talents to the world. The founders share their dedicated work experience, generous budgets from the outset, and recruitment of top-tier mentors to help contestants develop sustainable careers.

Lek explained the pageant's origin and purpose, saying inspiration came after attending a competition and questioning why there was no stage specifically for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly toms, despite recognizing their high potential in music, performance, and business. Nan added that roughly 80 percent of contestants typically remain hidden, too afraid to reveal their identity or abilities on social media, so the pageant was created as a "stage of opportunity" to help them overcome that fear.

Lek runs private businesses including a costume rental shop, Chinese goods import, and a beauty line. Nan has spent over 20 years in the nightlife entertainment industry, previously opening a tom bar and hosting parties, bringing experience in nurturing talent and giving young people stage opportunities that now extends to daytime society.

When asked about investment and preparation, Lek revealed the budget spiraled far beyond the initial 2 million baht estimate, running out within three days of actual work. However, neither organizer is concerned about profit in the first season, prioritizing quality instead. Nan noted they share the philosophy of creating value and not disappointing contestants. The pageant organized free workshops for over 200 contestants, teaching skills, languages, and inviting TikTok teams to teach income-generation strategies, ensuring every participant leaves with knowledge, professional skills, and lasting opportunities regardless of placement.

Regarding selection and coach roles, Lek emphasized choosing mentors based on their philosophy, discipline, and exemplary character. Pa Tob and Pi New represent stable family values and lasting love, using psychological methods to transform behavior and unlock potential. Gaeng Thachaya brings energy and positive mindset, Wim Piyanun embodies natural expression and challenges stereotypes about tom presentation, and Pom Winicha uses sharp insight to identify and highlight each contestant's hidden strengths.

The organizers originally planned to judge the final round themselves but decided to step back and invite professional external judges including singers, vocal and dance instructors, and celebrities to ensure transparency and ease the emotional burden. Both Lek and Nan expressed surprise at the results, noting that initial skepticism has transformed into widespread public support, with viral content generating 25 million total views.

The Board of Investment secretary-general Nuratn Theodsatheersakdi announced the official visit to Australia and New Zealand from August 17-22, 2025, led by Prime Minister Anuthon Charnweerakul, marking an important opportunity to open investment doors for Thailand. Australia and New Zealand are valued as key nations with strengths in resources and technology that can enhance Thailand's potential. Australia leads in future industries including digital, energy, advanced manufacturing, and modern agriculture, while New Zealand is the world's largest producer and exporter of dairy products and holds strengths in agriculture, food, and tourism. The prime minister will hold direct one-on-one discussions with leading business executives from both countries who are considering investment in Thailand. The delegation will also hold investment networking events, providing direct communication with top business leaders and creating opportunities for over ten Thai companies—some already investing in Australia and New Zealand—to build new partnerships. The mission goes beyond diplomacy to represent an important economic opportunity for Thailand to attract investment, knowledge, and modern technology that will create jobs, generate income, and strengthen Thailand's economic foundation on the global stage.

Government spokesman Ratchada Thanadirek reported progress on identity verification and rights review for the state welfare card program on August 16. According to the Department of Local Administration, as of August 15, 2.3 million new cardholders have completed identity verification, representing 76 percent, up from 2.1 million (69 percent) on August 2. This means 800,000 people still need to verify their identity to access benefits, which begin on October 1.

Rights review applications have increased to 4.4 million people, up from 4.1 million on August 2, with 4.9 million still pending completion by the August 31 deadline. The spokesman noted that government outreach and support have driven steady progress, with 200,000 people completing verification and 300,000 submitting rights review applications in the past two weeks. Officials stressed that all agencies will continue promoting the program and providing full assistance to help remaining applicants complete the process.

Tao Anucha, a popular comedian and shadow puppet theatre performer from the Sriram Nampeetchai troupe, has opened up about taking his first television series role in "Ravana Kalyani" on Thai PBS, playing a character named Lom in a monkey shadow play. He revealed that the experience is new territory for him, particularly when it comes to memorizing lines differently from live theatre, since television requires multiple takes and continuous performance control. "It's my first TV series," he said. "I play a character called Lom in a monkey shadow play. I asked the director about the character type, and he said not to overthink it and just play along. But there's one challenge: when we perform live theatre, we just keep talking, but with series work, once I memorise the lines, if they're long I might paraphrase to what I understand, and sometimes I ad-lib. When we do retakes, I can't remember what I said before. We have to shoot multiple takes, though not too many. I try not to move around too much or I'll forget my lines. It's a new experience, but honestly not that difficult."

When asked how he manages multiple projects, Tao confirmed he hired a driver. "That's the only solution," he said. "Lately things have been piling up—back pain and drowsiness while driving. I'm doing four different jobs in one day, and driving itself is work. Otherwise, why would people have driving as a profession?" He admitted he realised he couldn't safely drive himself anymore. "Yes, I need help. People have been telling me this for a while, but I don't easily trust others. However, my brother drives for me, and at 100 kilometres per hour I can actually sleep."

Regarding his back pain, Tao explained he found a solution: stretching every night has improved his condition significantly. "It's probably office syndrome, which many people get from sitting too long—whether in a chair, on the floor, or in a car," he said. "It hasn't reached the point where I need physiotherapy. I do self-care, and it's much better now. Fans have also been considerate, asking me to leave events quickly, so I don't have to stay long for photos anymore. Now I just hold hands and go home."

Tao also shared about his sleep schedule during filming. "My eyes are always droopy and swollen," he joked. When filming the series, he sleeps only two hours, or sometimes just one. During a recent merit-making ceremony, he didn't sleep at all. When asked if he feared overworking and ending up hospitalised, he said, "I'm scared. Whenever I have free time, I sleep heavily, drink water, and do stretches. There were moments while driving when I dozed off—just a moment—but I'd jolt awake. Sometimes I'd pull over to nap, which delayed my drive home even more. By the time I got home, I'd wake up."

Regarding this year's shadow puppet theatre troupe's annual show, Tao said it would follow the usual format. "We have organisers involved this year, and it's sponsored, but it's not necessarily grander than previous years. We just aim to deliver as well as we always do."

Asked if he feels pressure to top last year's show, which was "King Naresuan," he explained that the troupe decided to go softer this year. "The story choice was deliberate because you can't compare mythological tales. This year's piece, 'Khun Chang Khun Phaen: The Origin of Khun Phaen,' basically has me playing myself," he laughed. "With stories like this, it's hard to define my exact character role when I'm playing a comedic part. I'm basically there to add colour to the story. I hope everyone will follow my first TV series, 'Ravana Kalyani.'"

Actor Chai Tittosomit has fully committed to producing and organizing trading card games. At the recent TCX 2026 event held at Paragon Hall's fifth floor—transformed into a "Thai content amusement park"—he unveiled plans to launch a trading card project, starting with a year-end card event intended to boost the competitive gaming scene in Thailand.

"The cards I'm making feature characters from films I've appeared in," Tittosomit explained. "At the end of this year, I'm hosting the Warlord event to promote the card set for gameplay, so we created cards featuring our faces from the films we've worked on to distribute to supporters."

When asked if he is pioneering serious card gaming in Thailand, he responded: "Yes, I'm trying. I'm fully committed to the card industry now. I like toys and games, but developing or creating digital games isn't my strength—it's too big and requires too much capital. When we entered the card world, I realized I already enjoyed board games. It's easier than developing digital games and requires less investment than major game projects. I think it's doable. Thailand already has an existing market group, and we've always played Japanese and international intellectual properties. If we had a strong enough Thai IP with proper competitive support and prize money, making it a legitimate sport would be interesting."

On how he views the card gaming scene, Tittosomit said: "For collectors, it's like any other collectible—it fluctuates. But now I've shifted to being an organizer and producer."

When told that some people blame him for disrupting the card market in Thailand, he replied: "There was chaos for a while in Thailand, but it's happening worldwide. It's not just me. Influencers globally started playing cards, creating a common point where many people converged, which hyped it up. Over time, it settled down."

Asked if he views his work as fulfilling childhood dreams, Tittosomit said: "It wasn't something I dreamed about as a child. It's more like I stumbled into it, found it fun, and realized it could be beneficial, so I just went with it."

The Warlord event will take place December 4–6 at Fashion Island Hall, where the public can test-play the new cards for the first time and learn about the game mechanics.

On recent concerns about fraud and unethical practices in the card market, Tittosomit noted: "It's quite chaotic right now, but that's a good starting point. When I entered, there were roughly ten thousand people buying and selling cards. Now it's three hundred thousand—increased by many times over. With so many more people joining, we need new organization. We need to discuss how we'll coexist, how we'll trade, how collectors will operate, how players will participate, and what each group will do. But there hasn't been real dialogue because the industry doesn't belong to any one person. Now that we've grown so large, we need shared rules for how our community will function."