PHUKET: A Swiss national has been arrested and charged over the alleged sexual abuse of a 14-year-old autistic boy at Patong Beach earlier this month.
PHUKET: A Swiss national has been arrested and charged over the alleged sexual abuse of a 14-year-old autistic boy at Patong Beach earlier this month.
The Thailand Securities Depository released guidance on verifying securities accounts through the government welfare card program website or the wiset app, allowing citizens to check if they've ever opened a trading account with any broker.
The Thailand Securities Depository (TSD) has released a comprehensive FAQ to help the public understand how to verify their securities accounts as part of the government welfare card program eligibility process. The guidance is intended for those unsure whether they have ever opened a securities trading account.
Those unable to recall whether they have opened a securities account can verify through the government welfare card program website at https://welfare.mof.go.th or via TSD e-Service in the wiset app under "Shareholder Account Information." After downloading the app and verifying their identity, the system will display all securities accounts ever opened with various brokerage firms.
If someone has never opened a trading account or invested but finds their name listed, they can contact the brokerage firm in question to verify details directly. Those wishing to close an account can contact their broker or use their broker's application immediately. For those without share certificates or with account 600, TSD Counter Services at the Stock Exchange of Thailand building can assist during business hours.
Account 600, or Issuer Account, is an account opened by securities-issuing companies with TSD to hold shares for investors. Most companies conducting IPOs maintain such accounts to facilitate investors who do not yet have personal securities accounts.
Those wanting to verify their holdings can check through the wiset app's My Wealth menu or contact their broker directly. TSD also offers services to confirm where citizens have opened trading accounts through TSD e-Service on wiset, and can check shareholdings through the My Wealth menu. Inquiries can also be submitted via the form at www.set.or.th, and TSD will expedite verification and report results through the specified channel.
Note: Government welfare card eligibility follows official criteria. Check your eligibility at https://welfare.mof.go.th. Those wishing to appeal eligibility decisions can contact the government welfare card program directly at https://welfare.mof.go.th.
Thailand's government is rushing to launch TISA, a new savings account with tax breaks, before September 2025, allowing citizens to freely choose long-term investments rather than being restricted to specific government-approved funds.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekoniti Nitithanprapracha stated that the Ministry of Finance, in coordination with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Stock Exchange of Thailand, is pushing forward the TISA (Thai Individual Savings Account) initiative with the goal of completing it before September 2025. "There will be tax deductions for savings, and I believe we should not restrict people to investing in LTF or SSF funds only to get those deductions, because people end up losing money," he said. "Instead, we should give people the freedom to choose long-term investments so that when they retire, they have financial security and incentive, especially for ordinary citizens." Ekoniti noted that the framework has largely been finalized but recent feedback on criteria means the multiplier conditions of 0.3 and 0.7 will likely be removed to create equal treatment. Regarding the size of the tax deduction allowance, he said the government is still carefully considering the matter and will announce it in due course.
A 67-year-old woman in Prachuap Khiri Khan lost her poverty card eligibility because her son took out a life insurance policy to cover her funeral costs, leaving her without government assistance despite living in extreme hardship.
On July 21, 2026, residents of Pang Ku subdistrict in Prachuap Khiri Khan district filed a complaint reporting that one of the poorest elderly people in their community had been disqualified from the government's poverty card program despite her severe hardship. They urged media attention and called on the government to resolve the issue quickly, noting that many other poor households face similar cutoffs.
Investigators found Samae (surname withheld), 67, living alone in a corrugated metal shack with no electricity or gas stove—only a single solar light bulb for illumination. Her kitchen contained minimal supplies: one bag of sugar, one bottle of fish sauce, one bag of salt, and one packet of seasoning powder. She prepares her own meals.
Samae's circumstances have been familiar to villagers for about five years, since she returned to her home village. Neighbors occasionally help out of pity, though support is sporadic.
Neighbor Samjai, 50, explained that Samae previously held a poverty card but it was revoked. The village headman told residents the reason: Samae holds a life insurance policy taken out by her son, which disqualified her.
Samae's son purchased the policy with an annual premium of approximately 12,000 baht and a death benefit of 200,000 baht—intended to cover funeral costs should his mother pass away, since he worried he would not have the means to pay for her funeral himself. When her son could no longer afford the premiums, a sympathetic neighbor stepped in, though on the condition that the insurance payout be split, with part reserved for funeral expenses.
Neither anticipated that Samae would lose her poverty card eligibility. The neighbor expressed heartbreak, noting that Samae survives on boiled eggs as her only daily meal, and called on the government to address this kind of situation urgently.
An unidentified 50-year-old man was found dead at a company compound in Lampang's Muang district on July 21, prompting police to launch an investigation into his identity and cause of death.
On July 21, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., emergency services received a report of a deceased man found within a private company compound in Pa Sak subdistrict, Muang Lamphan district, Lampung province. Rescue volunteers, highway rescue personnel, and officers from Muang Ji police station responded to investigate and discovered a man aged approximately 50 years old sitting on the ground. The body was transferred to the forensic department at Lampang Hospital for examination. The man's identity and hometown remain unknown. Police from the Lampang Industrial Estate police station are continuing their investigation, gathering evidence, and awaiting identity confirmation to proceed with legal procedures and locate relatives to claim the body.
Thailand recorded 246,992 new vehicle registrations in June, up 4.28% month-on-month, with motorcycles accounting for over 72% of registrations and electric vehicles reaching nearly 40,000 units.
The Department of Land Transport, led by Director-General Sarapong Paithurypong, announced that as of June 30, 2025, Thailand had 45,947,597 registered vehicles in total—consisting of 44,574,147 automobiles and 1,373,450 transport vehicles. Electric-powered vehicles numbered 1,277,257 units, or 2.78% of all vehicles, representing a 3.17% increase from the previous month. These comprised 694,320 hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), 491,496 battery electric vehicles (BEV), and 91,441 plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV).
In June 2025, 4,328,694 vehicles completed registration and tax transactions, with 3,330,566 mainly paying annual vehicle tax. Most payments (84.25%) were processed at transport department offices, followed by Drive Thru For Tax (10.78%) and online channels (3.84%). New vehicle registrations totaled 274,988 units, with 246,992 newly registered—up 4.28% month-on-month. Personal motorcycles dominated at 72.08%, followed by passenger cars seating up to 7 people at 21.94%.
Electric-powered new vehicles registered in June reached 39,606 units, a 1.01% increase from May, comprising 14,378 HEVs, 22,899 BEVs, and 2,329 PHEVs. Most (36,331) were passenger cars seating up to 7 people, with 3,009 personal motorcycles. The national total of driver licenses and operator permits reached 35,493,073 documents—33,663,919 automobile driver licenses and 1,829,154 transport operator permits. In June, 189,316 new licenses and permits were issued, down 1.94% from May, while 7,005 new public transport driver licenses were issued, up 31.01% due to extended Saturday operating hours for license applications and renewals from June 13 to August 1, 2025. International driving permits requested through the Pao Tang application numbered 5,310, representing 43.89% of 12,099 total applications.
Thailand delisted the Hoary-Throated Barwing from protected species on July 21, allowing captive breeding outside forests while maintaining strict safeguards including mandatory registration, movement controls, and identification markers to
On July 21, 2024, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchatchai Chomklin announced cabinet approval of draft regulations delisting the Hoary-Throated Barwing from protected wildlife. The proposal will now be reviewed by the Office of the Council of State before proceeding to the Prime Minister's Office and eventually the Royal Gazette, taking effect 30 days after publication.
For areas outside forests, the Parks Department will enforce strict measures in collaboration with breeders' associations and relevant parties. These include registry surveys, movement controls, animal cruelty law compliance, and community conservation participation. Safeguards against negative ecological impact from released birds include mandatory cage standards, loose-bird reporting centers, voluntary farm registration systems, expert oversight teams, and identification markers to distinguish captive from wild birds.
Parks Director-General Atthapol Charoenchansa emphasized that despite the legal delisting, birds in protected forest areas—national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and reserved forests—remain fully protected under area-specific laws. Poaching remains illegal. The department will maintain enforcement through patrols, checkpoints, arrest operations, network investigations, personnel training, and civilian surveillance networks. A subcommittee will closely monitor wild populations and can quickly restore protected status if illegal capture threatens the population.
Thailand's government is launching a moral credit system that tracks and rewards good deeds with tangible benefits like scholarships and job opportunities, while also prioritizing moral development programs for children under 13 as part of
Recently, Ms. Sabeeda Thaisetrach, Minister of Culture, chaired the second 2025 meeting of the National Committee for the Promotion of Moral and Ethical Development, attended by experts and representatives from various agencies at the Ministry of Culture's eighth floor conference center.
Ms. Sabeeda reported that the meeting reviewed past accomplishments across multiple fronts: establishing integrity standards for political office holders and independent organizations, increasing transparency in selecting provincial and Bangkok "good citizens," and integrating five core values—sufficiency, discipline, integrity, volunteerism, and gratitude—into good governance frameworks across the country. The meeting prioritized three key initiatives going forward:
(1) Drafting the third-phase National Moral Promotion Action Plan (2028–2032), emphasizing development of life capital in children under 13, a critical period for behavioral cultivation and learning. The plan will employ age-appropriate mechanisms and create safe, constructive environments enabling children to internalize values from all dimensions—home, temple, school, and community. It will mobilize all sectors to model good behavior, building children's moral foundations and social resilience to grow into quality citizens.
(2) Establishing a concrete moral credit system to build a society that honors good people. The initiative will develop standardized good-deed recording systems, converting abstract moral behavior into measurable "social capital." Research will link good deeds to tangible benefits from multiple sectors—such as scholarships, faster public assistance access, and job opportunity consideration—making moral credit valuable life capital. This creates incentives for sustained goodness across all ages.
(3) Standardizing the moral province assessment mechanism to unify standards and strengthen governance at grassroots levels. The committee assigned a subcommittee to lead assessment across three tiers: moral promotion, moral development, and exemplary moral province, with outstanding exemplary province selection beginning in fiscal year 2027. This will systematize provincial moral data collection and develop local potential as better models.
The meeting also reviewed progress from four policy subcommittees implementing the second-phase National Moral Promotion Action Plan (2022–2026), showing significant advancement.
Three youths arrested in Krabi after a 17-year-old was fatally shot on July 20; police recovered two firearms hidden in a flower pot and charged the suspects with premeditated murder and weapons violations.
On July 21, 2026, Pol. Lt. Gen. Sukhakhet Nakhon Wilai, commander of Krabi Provincial Police, announced the arrest of three youths in two separate fatal incidents in Khlong Thom and Mueang Krabi districts. In the first case, police arrested two youths accused of shooting a teenager on Waterfall Road in Khlong Thom Nuea sub-district on July 20, 2026, which left three people wounded and a 17-year-old boy dead. After investigation and court approval, both suspects were charged with attempted premeditated murder and violations of the Firearms Act. A third suspect was arrested during the follow-up investigation, and police seized two firearms and ammunition hidden underground in a flower pot. All three are now in custody for prosecution.
In a second case, police arrested a youth suspected of stabbing a man named Mr. Kae to death in Krabi Yai sub-district using a knife. The suspect was apprehended after evidence was gathered and a warrant was issued, and the case has been transferred to Mueang Krabi Police Station.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Sukhakhet revealed that the firearm used by the youth gang was purchased online for only 7,000 baht as a BB gun, then modified to closely resemble a real weapon. However, it was lethal because the projectiles were real bullets. Police have announced that any youth groups involved in disputes will be placed on a monitoring list and closely watched to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Luang Pho Yid, a revered Buddhist scholar from Prachuap Khiri Khan, was honored with special merit coins featuring his portrait when he turned 89, among several sought-after amulets created by respected monks across Thailand.
"Faith alone does not succeed; one must have both faith and wisdom," according to a teaching by Luang Pho Cha Suphattho of Wat Nong Pa Phong in Ubon Ratchathani. Luang Pho Yid Chanthsuvanno, a renowned Buddhist scholar from Wat Nong Jok in Kuiburi District, Prachuap Khiri Khan, was honored in 2555 B.E. when his chief disciple Chaiya Am Samang commissioned the "Merit Coin 89" to mark the monk's 89th birth year. The oval coin features a half-length relief portrait with the number 89, Thai script identifying the monk, and decorative borders. The reverse depicts a Hanuman carrying a flag with Khmer script and temple information. The article also covers other popular merit amulets including the Safety Coin of Luang Pho Sawang from Wat Tha Phutra in Kamphaeng Phet (2510 B.E.), the Luang Pu Teuea Memorial Coin from Wat Pa Aranyavivek in Nakhon Phanom (2552 B.E.), and the Khun Phaen Chinbanchorn Victory Amulet by Luang Pho Mian of Wat Ja Niang Vanarama in Buriram (2557 B.E.), all of which have attracted strong collector interest.
A former narcotics police chief offered his expertise to tackle Thailand's drug crisis, proposing a new approach to handle 2,000 drug offenders he says are caught in a cycle of arrest and reoffense.
Former narcotics police commander Pol. Lt. Gen. Rewat Klinklaekaew visited Bhumjaithai Party headquarters on July 21 and met with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Deputy Interior Minister Worsathit Liangprasit. He denied that he came to join the party, saying he had arranged to meet with Chada Thaisetkasem, an Uthai Thani MP, and coincidentally ended up at the party office.
Rewat revealed he wanted to discuss the drug crisis with the government officials, particularly regarding approximately 2,000 drug-addicted individuals nationwide who need to be apprehended for public safety. He criticized the current cycle where police arrest offenders repeatedly, doctors prescribe medication, and they later abandon the drugs and reoffend, resulting in deaths. He stated he is willing to contribute his expertise to help solve this issue without accepting any official position or salary, instead serving as part of a support team if the government adopts this as a policy priority.