Thai Union Group reported strong second-quarter results with a record gross margin of 21.4%, achieved through disciplined cost management, as sales volume grew for the tenth consecutive quarter. CEO Theeraphong Chansiri announced that gross margin reached its highest level on record, surpassing the 2026 target and matching the company's 2032 goal, while dividend per share jumped 14.3% to 0.40 baht—the highest interim dividend since 2022, representing a 3.4% dividend yield. Earnings per share increased 3.5% to 0.33 baht, and the net debt-to-equity ratio improved to 1.15 times.

Q2 sales grew 1.4% year-on-year to 33.845 billion baht, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of sales growth, while sales volume grew for the tenth straight quarter, driven by strong demand across processed seafood, pet care, and value-added products. The record gross margin was supported by favorable product mix, efficient operations, and disciplined cost control, boosting gross profit 10.2% to 7.238 billion baht and operating profit 12.6% to 2.150 billion baht.

The ambient seafood segment grew 1.5% in sales to 16.853 billion baht with volume up 4.4%, driven by increased private label demand for canned tuna and salmon and seasonal promotions in Europe, while canned sardine and mackerel benefited from global health trends, with sardine consumption up 13% and mackerel up 7% in 2024. The segment achieved a record 23.8% gross margin. The frozen seafood segment remained flat at 9.995 billion baht but improved gross margin to 13.5% from favorable shrimp prices and cost discipline. Pet care sales rose 2.3% with volume up 7.8%, boosted by strong demand in the US and Europe.

Speaking at Parliament on August 3, 2025, at 12:10 p.m., Kraweir Prisananuntakul, Phetchabun MP from Phumi Jai Thai party, addressed observations about his asset declaration form, which showed ownership of land identical to that formerly held by his father, Somsak Prisananuntakul, a former education minister whose assets were seized by the Supreme Court a decade ago. Kraweir distinguished between the land and house structure, noting that the court judgment applied only to the house, not the land. The land was inherited by his mother from her deceased uncle and placed in the names of all four children.

Regarding the house that was seized and auctioned by the court, Kraweir explained that four siblings pooled their money to repurchase it from the government. He stated that all actions followed proper legal procedure and were fully transparent and verifiable, with complete disclosure in the asset declaration form.

When asked about criticism of party spiritual leader Newin Chidchob for wearing shorts during a merit-making ceremony at the City Pillar Shrine in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Kraweir noted that the event was organized by Buriram United Football Club, not a government function. He urged the public to distinguish between political and sports matters, emphasizing that Newin attended in his capacity as club chairman, not as a party representative.

A 28-year-old woman who owns a rare Mercedes-AMG C43 4MATIC Coupe has spoken out about a road rage incident caught on video, in which two motorcyclists verbally abused her, spat on her car, and damaged her side mirror at a traffic light. The victim, Ms. Mew, said the incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. on August 2 along the Salaiya-Nakhon Chai Si road near Mahidol University, after she honked once when the motorcyclists were blocking her path. A female passenger on one of the motorcycles began cursing at her, then spat on the blue Mercedes and told the driver to pull over. The two motorcyclists later stopped at a red light before both riders got off and attacked the car, pushing and kicking the left side mirror until it broke, while continuing to curse angrily.

Ms. Mew explained that her car is a special edition Mercedes-AMG C43 4MATIC Coupe, one of only 120 in Thailand and one of just 18 blue models in the country. Repair costs are estimated between 300,000 baht and over one million baht. She said that after the incident at the traffic light, police cleared the situation and took both parties to Buddhamonthon Police Station, where the suspects continued to verbally abuse her and the officers. When questioned separately, Ms. Mew was unsure whether her statement constituted a formal complaint. She later returned to file an official report after discovering that the initial questioning was not.

After posting about the incident on Facebook, Ms. Mew said the male suspect messaged her with more insults and challenged her to meet. She also claimed that when she initially requested 300,000 baht in damages, the suspects refused, saying they had no money and would never apologize. According to Ms. Mew, the suspects implied that in two days people would forget about the incident and that if there was no money to pay, they would simply go to jail and come out again. Upon hearing this, she decided to pursue the case to its fullest extent, stating that accountability requires both consequences and compensation.

On August 3, 2025, Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Lianprasit announced progress on investigating corruption in local government recruitment exams. He stated that the list of individuals whose scores were altered has been finalized, and the next step is presenting it to the Central Local Government Employee Recruitment Committee (CGLEC) for review and to establish guidelines for handling this group. The CGLEC will meet on August 5, followed by a Central Civil Service Committee meeting on August 6 to acknowledge the findings. Once provincial authorities are notified, they will instruct their respective local government organizations to proceed with removing the implicated officials.

Worasit emphasized that the process, which began in June, has taken approximately one and a half months to identify nearly 6,000 individuals involved in what he described as the largest-scale fraud in Thai history. He clarified that while the central committee's role is to provide verified data, the actual authority to remove officials rests with local government organizations. Worasit stated the timeline should be quick, with provincial meetings expected within days of the central committee's notification, after which local leaders will handle removals. He expressed confidence that removals would be visible by August, with provincial procedures likely concluding within the first week of the month.

Worasit also explained that once officials are removed, vacated positions will need to be filled through a new recruitment process by the CGLEC. He stressed that every step is proceeding concurrently, including parallel criminal investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and police, with ongoing arrests and charges.

Nuvo, Thailand's legendary boy band, delivered a full-scale reunion concert for the first time in seven years at Paragon Hall in Siam Paragon, reuniting original members Sek Loso, Pong Hin Lek Fai, and the iconic girl group Saao Saao Saao. The two-night event featured classic 1990s hits alongside rare tracks rarely heard in live performances, creating an emotional journey through beloved songs with special guest appearances and surprise collaborations that thrilled the packed venue. The concert culminated in a four-hour-plus celebration of the band's enduring legacy, with fans chanting for encores and the legendary ensemble reaffirming their status as timeless icons of Thai music.

On August 3, 2025, at the Ministry of Public Health, Raphasit Phathasirichaisin, deputy chairman of the Justice Recovery Foundation, led representatives of over 10 victims of inaccurate medical data in the Morsadok telemedicine system—including discrepancies in treatment records, health screening results, diagnoses, and medication history—to file a formal complaint with Public Health Minister Pattana Porpattano through the ministry's complaint office. The minister was unavailable as he was inspecting a dermatology institute. The complaint demands an urgent investigation and prosecution of those responsible if false data has been entered into the system.

Raphasit stated that the group now represents over 100 affected individuals and rejected the ministry's preliminary explanation that the errors were merely "human error" or caused by duplicate names. The victims, many of whom are real people, found that their treatment histories in the system did not match reality. The complaint contains four key demands: (1) conduct a thorough factual investigation to identify which hospitals, individuals, and personnel entered the data; (2) urgently correct and delete all inaccurate records from the system and issue formal written confirmations to all affected parties that the errors resulted from system malfunction, to prevent future legal consequences; (3) the Ministry of Public Health must pursue strict and urgent legal action against all responsible parties in both criminal and civil cases; and (4) investigate and report findings to all listed victims within 15 days.

When asked if he wanted to identify the wrongdoers, Raphasit stated that there must be accountability, as someone had to have entered the data into the system and it cannot simply be blamed on miscommunication errors. Without enforcement action, similar incidents will recur in the future.

"All affected parties wish to pursue both criminal and civil cases, but we are giving the Ministry of Public Health a chance to investigate first," Raphasit said. "If no clear answer is provided within 15 days, we will proceed with legal action immediately. However, we sympathize with operational staff who may have been pressured to meet performance indicators (KPIs), and we urge them to reveal all facts."

When asked about impacts on health insurance claims, one victim, Haru, revealed that many are anxious and afraid to come forward, fearing it could affect future insurance approval or claims. They are calling on the Ministry of Public Health to notify all insurance companies nationwide that these data discrepancies do not reflect the actual medical histories of the public.

Regarding coordination with other agencies such as Health Link or the National Health Security Office, Raphasit stated that the Ministry of Public Health should take the lead in coordinating all relevant agencies, as the public should not have to handle the matter themselves when they did not cause the error.