The National Sports Development Fund, directed by General Suphmanit Parbpob, visited Chachoengsao and Rayong provinces to monitor training for three Thai sports teams preparing for the Asian Games. General Suphmanit Parbpob, fund director and chair of the project oversight committee, accompanied by General Somkwer Tongnark and General Worchati Fongchol, visited the two provinces to assess readiness and encourage the athletes in beach volleyball, men's division, rowing, and windsurfing ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

The delegation first visited Satahib District in Chachoengsao to monitor the men's beach volleyball team at R1 Life Fitness Center, where they reviewed training plans, fitness development, athlete allowances, and support factors. They then traveled to the Royal Thai Navy Rowing Training Center in Rayong, where the rowing team reported approximately 90 percent readiness and plans to train in China before the Games. The visit concluded at Jomtien Water Service Center in Chachoengsao, where the windsurfing team—consisting of four athletes with two youth and two open division competitors—was preparing, including experienced athlete Siriporn Kaeodungnuam.

General Suphmanit stated that the field visit aimed to assess athlete readiness, hear concerns from sports associations and staff directly regarding training, allowances, welfare, equipment, and health care, and provide targeted support. He thanked athletes and personnel for their dedication and encouraged them to maintain health, prevent injury, and follow their coaches' plans to compete at full capacity in the Asian Games. The fund will continue close monitoring to ensure appropriate and effective support for athletes and sports associations.

AYUTTHAYA — Four tourists were injured after a tree broke and fell within the grounds of Wat Phra Si Sanphet in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province on Sunday, 16 August 2026. The incident was reported at around 12:30, with the historic temple, a major tourist attraction, crowded with visitors at the time. JS100 Radio reported that a tree inside the temple grounds broke and fell, hitting tourists in the area and leaving several people injured. Volunteer responders rushed to the scene to assess the situation and provide first aid before transporting four injured tourists to Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Hospital for urgent medical treatment. Authorities were investigating what caused the tree to break, including whether weather conditions or other factors were involved. Officials were also inspecting the surrounding area to assess safety and prevent a similar incident from happening again.

On August 16, Chumphon Provincial Police responded to a collision at the Don Thai Ngam red-light intersection on New Cut Road, Moo 6, Bang Mak Subdistrict, Mueang Chumphon District. A pickup truck driven by Sak, 52, from Phato District was heading toward Chumphon town to take his wife Na, 44, and two female relatives to visit a patient at Chumphon Hospital. At the intersection, his truck collided with a Honda sedan driven by Phinyo, 46, from Mueang Chumphon, who was returning home with his family of three. The impact caused both vehicles to sustain severe damage. Na died at the scene, while four others—two women and two men—were injured and transported to hospital. The pickup truck's rear axle was dislodged from the impact.

Initial police investigation found that both drivers gave conflicting accounts of the accident, making it difficult to determine which party was at fault. Officers are collecting evidence and conducting witness interviews to establish the true cause. Investigators attempted to review security camera footage from Bang Mak Subdistrict Municipality to aid the investigation but found that two cameras in the area had been damaged by lightning and were non-operational.

Police are continuing their inquiry to determine whether either driver violated the traffic signal or acted negligently. The investigation will be forwarded for prosecution once evidence and witness statements are fully compiled.

The Department of Agricultural Extension is recommending that farmers stop burning rice straw and use microorganisms to decompose straw and stubble within 5-7 days, returning nutrients to the soil while reducing PM2.5 pollution, improving soil health, and lowering production costs. Many farmers across Thailand are shifting from "burn everything" to "return nutrients to soil" using microbial starter cultures that can decompose rice straw and stubble within 5-7 days before preparing fields for the next crop, offering another method to manage agricultural waste while reducing burning and restoring soil fertility.

Suparee Manmai, a senior agricultural scientist at the Department of Agricultural Extension's Production Factors Development Research Division, said the microbial decomposition method is an important alternative for managing agricultural waste because it not only reduces burning and PM2.5 problems but also increases soil organic matter, improves soil fertility and water retention, and lowers long-term production costs. The application method uses approximately 1-1.5 kilograms of microbial starter per hectare, scattered across the field after harvest; for heavy straw, mix with 5 kilograms of compost or urea fertilizer per hectare, or 3 kilograms for moderate straw, then allow microbes to work for 5-7 days before field preparation.

The Department of Agricultural Extension has rolled out a project to expand the use of microbial starter cultures for decomposing organic matter to reduce burning in agricultural areas nationwide. Results from field applications show clear benefits: Kraitong Luntaiyoh, head of a participatory organic agriculture learning center in Nakhon Sawan province and a model farmer, reported switching from burning straw to using microbial decomposition, opening his land as a learning center for other farmers. After trials in the 2568 rice season, straw and stubble decomposed as intended, soil became more crumbly with better moisture, and subsequent corn and sugarcane crops grew better with higher yields than traditional burning methods relying on chemical fertilizers, prompting many local farmers to stop burning and adopt microbes instead.

Manas Thupmekhahh, a farmer in Uthai Thani province who adopted the microbial method, found improved soil fertility, reduced fertilizer and pesticide costs, and increased yields from 600-700 kilograms per hectare to 800-1,000 kilograms per hectare. Similarly, farmers in Kamphaeng Phet who switched from burning stubble to microbial decomposition reported stronger rice plants, especially in root systems and tillering, with model farmer Rossukan Onuuthai developing her field as a demonstration plot to build confidence and expand results to other farmers. Another farmer, Wasana Srianyoo, applied the microbial culture to 20 hectares and found better plant growth, reduced insecticide spraying, lower fertilizer use, fewer weeds, and stronger rice plants compared to untreated fields.

The National Astronomical Research Institute (NARIT) is inviting visitors to the National Science and Technology Fair 2026 to follow Thailand's first lunar exploration mission and learn about the CE-7 MATCH instrument before it launches toward the moon on August 24. Suparak Kruehanon, Assistant Director of NARIT, said the institute's exhibition booth at the fair is themed "Thailand's First Step to Lunar Exploration: Thailand Moonshot: CE-7 MATCH" and will countdown to the moment when CE-7 MATCH—a scientific instrument designed and developed by NARIT with Mahidol University—departs to orbit the moon as part of China's Chang'e-7 mission on August 24. The exhibition will display the actual CE-7 MATCH instrument used in testing, a detailed model of the Chang'e-7 spacecraft, and a mockup of the Long March-5 Y14 rocket that will carry the mission into space, along with lunar soil models, lunar surface photography activities, and Milky Way displays, as well as examples of space and astronomical technology developed in Thailand, showcasing Thailand's role in deep space exploration for the first time.

NARIT is also hosting special events including an exclusive talk on "Thailand's First Step to Lunar Exploration" featuring engineers and scientists from the ILRS Thailand project on Sunday, August 16, 2026 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. at Phoenix 3 Hall, Impact Muang Thong Thani; an awards ceremony for the annual school-level astronomy exchange and learning activity on Monday, August 17 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the central stage; and support for elementary students in the "Little Star Contest" finals on Monday, August 17 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the central stage. The fair runs August 15–23, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Hall 9 of Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi Province and is free to enter.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA — Two Buddhist monks were injured after their pickup truck was hit by another vehicle as they made a U-turn while returning to their temple after collecting alms in Pak Chong district.

Police were alerted at 09:00 to the crash on Mittraphap Road, between kilometres 45 and 46, on the inbound side toward Nakhon Ratchasima, in front of the Klang Dong Highway Maintenance Unit. Police, traffic officers, highway police and rescue teams from several local agencies rushed to the scene.

At the U-turn, officers found a white Nissan pickup bearing a sticker identifying a forest temple on its front windshield. The vehicle had been struck on its right side, veered off the road and crashed into a wooded area. Its Carryboy canopy had been torn off and was found on the road.

Two monks were found injured on the ground after being thrown from the vehicle. They were identified as Luang Pho Subin, 64, the driver, and Phra Phongphiphat, 47, who had been sitting in the rear canopy.

A short distance away, a white Toyota Vigo pickup fitted with a steel cage had crashed into a concrete median barrier, with one of its wheels lodged on the edge of the road. The driver, identified as 18-year-old Arthit Takan, and a male teenage passenger were also injured. Rescue workers provided first aid before taking the injured to Pak Chong Nana Hospital and Bangkok Hospital Khao Yai.

A preliminary police investigation found that Subin had driven the pickup from a forest temple early in the morning with Phongphiphat. They parked the vehicle and went out to collect alms. After finishing, the monks got back into the pickup to return to the temple. Phongphiphat was sitting in the rear Carryboy compartment.

As Subin began making a U-turn, the Toyota Vigo travelling behind them crashed heavily into the side of their vehicle. Both pickups lost control and were thrown in different directions, causing the two monks to be ejected from their truck.

Police said all injured parties were taken for medical treatment. Pol. Maj. Attaphon Thuekphranow, an investigating officer at Klang Dong Police Station, said officers had photographed the scene and arranged for both vehicles to be towed to the station for inspection.

Police will question both drivers once their injuries have improved and proceed with legal action based on the findings.