Deputy Minister Supchai Patumnakaul presented awards at the 21st National Research Festival under the theme "Research Synergy: Powering Research to Build Sustainable Thai Economy and Society." The event, organized by the National Research Council (NRC) with all 38 Rajabhat Universities, featured participants including NRC Director Dr. Viparat Deeong, faculty, researchers, and students from across the network.

Patumnakaul emphasized that "Social Engineers Next Gen: Student Power Toward Community Development" reflects the vital role of the younger generation in driving change, applying knowledge and innovation to improve people's quality of life and strengthen communities. Dr. Viparat noted that the NRC has long worked with the 38 Rajabhat Universities to support students in developing their potential while creating tangible benefits for communities and society.

The competition selected outstanding community development innovations from Rajabhat Universities nationwide. Top awards included the Excellence Award for "90% Fresh Sugar Products Mixed with Palmyra Palm" from Nakhon Sawan Rajabhat University; the Very Good Award for "Adding Value to Small Palm: Developing Brooches from Toddy Palm Leaves Through Social Engineering" from Songkhla Rajabhat University; and the Good Award for "Waste Bank Application Creating Happiness" from Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University.

Seven Commendation Awards were also presented to institutions including Yala, Phuket, Nakhon Pathom, Maha Sarakham, Phetchaburi, Valaya Alongkorn, and Chandrakasem Rajabhat Universities for innovations ranging from thermal energy boxes to herbal foot soaks and community enterprise development. An additional 28 Rajabhat Universities received certificates for participation, celebrating their contributions to community development through social engineering and knowledge application.

The Student Loan Fund (Korskor) has warned borrowers with outstanding debts to verify the identity of anyone contacting them about payment, in order to prevent fraud. Acting fund manager Anchalee Phuriwitthawattana stated that Korskor conducts debt collection through its own officers and authorized agents in accordance with the Debt Collection Act B.E. 2558 and the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562.

Borrowers must verify that any contact about debt repayment is from an authorized Korskor representative before paying, to protect against impersonation by scammers. The fund advises borrowers to be cautious of anyone claiming to be a Korskor official and to verify information before taking action. Borrowers should not comply with requests to transfer money to personal accounts, provide personal information, passwords, or OTP codes, as Korskor and its authorized agents will never request such information via phone or social media.

Korskor recommends that borrowers verify their outstanding balance and pay through Mobile Banking at any bank by scanning a QR code, which is available anytime and anywhere, or at any Krung Thai Bank counter by providing the fund type, account number, ID number, and payment amount. Borrowers can find other payment methods on the official website www.studentloan.or.th.

The fund emphasizes that borrowers should be extra cautious of urgent requests to transfer money to personal accounts or disclose financial information, and should not comply under any circumstances to avoid becoming victims of fraud. Borrowers who need to verify information can call the Korskor Call Center at 0 2016 4888 or contact the fund's official LINE account.

Yala Province is preparing to host its 2025 Fruit and Local Goods Festival from August 4–6, 2025 at Chang Phueak Field in Yala Municipality. The event will provide farmers and producers a platform to sell agricultural products, livestock goods, OTOP items, and local specialties, while boosting the province's image, stimulating the economy, promoting tourism, and enhancing community well-being.

On July 8, 2025, Vice Governor Amnuay Chutong and Vice Governor Muhammad Santipimuek, along with government officials and related agencies, held a preparatory meeting at Yala Provincial Hall to coordinate implementation of the event.

Vice Governor Amnuay Chutong said the festival aims to help farmers market agricultural products, expand sales channels for fruits and livestock products, and promote community goods while showcasing Yala's potential as a quality fruit producer and source of distinctive southern border products.

Activities will include exhibitions from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives under the theme "Innovation, Energy Efficiency, and Sustainable Agriculture Development for Yala," durian tastings, agricultural product competitions, native and Betong chicken contests, fruit and agricultural product sales, OTOP demonstrations, and product competitions from all eight districts of Yala. Cultural performances and stage shows will be held throughout the festival.

Yala Province will hold a press conference on July 21, 2025 at the Provincial Agriculture Office to publicize details and invite the public, tourists, and interested parties to participate. The event is expected to generate income for farmers and businesses while stimulating the local economy.

The cabinet has approved Thailand's 2566-2570 (2023-2027) fisheries management policy and plan, establishing a comprehensive framework to develop the entire Thai fishing sector. The plan targets the restoration of aquatic resources, elimination of illegal fishing practices, advancement of fisher and operator capabilities, and increased competitiveness of the Thai fishing industry to ensure food security and sustainable resource use.

Deputy Government Spokesperson Pattharadarsami Tongsluaikorn announced that the cabinet approved the fisheries management policy and plan proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. This five-year framework will guide Thailand's fisheries management and development in alignment with resource conditions, economic factors, environmental concerns, and international trade regulations, while promoting balanced and sustainable growth in the fishing sector.

The spokesperson noted that Thailand's fishing sector is crucial to national food security and economic stability, yet faces significant challenges including declining aquatic resources, climate change impacts, illegal fishing (IUU Fishing), and international trade standards. The government established this policy and plan to direct comprehensive development of the entire fishing system—from resource conservation and fishing management to aquaculture and downstream industry development.

The plan operates through four strategies and 18 tactical approaches covering aquatic resource conservation and ecosystem restoration, sustainable fisheries resource management, enhancement of fisher and operator capabilities, product standard development, technology and innovation promotion, and value-addition to fishing products. These measures aim to strengthen Thailand's fishing industry competitiveness in global markets.

Deputy Spokesperson Pattharadarsami stated that approval of this policy will serve as a critical mechanism to balance resource utilization and conservation while improving fishers' quality of life, increasing fishing industry value, and building international confidence in Thai fishing products. The sector is positioned to become a sustained driver of Thailand's economic growth.

On July 21, 2569, the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road issued its judgment against defendant Prasit Chiaowkok and others, who were accused of helping another defendant escape during court proceedings. Prasit Chiaowkok was sentenced to 4 years and 12 months imprisonment. According to the court's findings, on December 22, 2565, the defendants conspired to steal an ankle monitor key from the Central Klong Prem Prison, a government facility operated by the Department of Corrections. The defendants planned and coordinated their actions: they obtained the key, provided civilian clothes (a blue short-sleeved shirt, jeans, socks, and shoes), and supplied 11,000 baht in cash to the escaping defendant. That same day at midday, the defendant requested permission to use the men's restroom on the ninth floor of the courtroom, then used the stolen key to remove the ankle monitor, changed into the provided clothes, and fled down to the third floor. The defendant was later apprehended the same day, and the provided clothing was recovered.

Call center gangs and cross-border scammers have quietly drained Thai wallets for years, pushing total fraud losses to a national crisis level. But mid-2025 brought encouraging news when Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy for Society revealed that scam damages fell significantly over four months, with a little-known law proving to be the breakthrough weapon: the "2025 Decree on Disclosure of Personal Information Held by State Agencies to Other State Agencies."

The decree took effect on June 30, 2025, after royal gazette publication on June 29. Its core purpose is to require state agencies to share personal data they hold with other state agencies upon request, enabling faster electronic cross-linking of information to serve the public. Previously, citizen data scattered across police, tax authorities, customs, and business development agencies sat trapped in separate "silos," forcing investigators to navigate slow bureaucratic channels to trace suspects' financial movements. The new law unlocked rapid data-sharing between agencies.

Digital Economy Minister Chaiyachanok Chidchob announced that his ministry has already integrated data with five major agencies: the National Police Office, the Special Cases Investigation Department (DSI), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Bank of Thailand, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Acting under anti-cybercrime powers, these agencies now access bank account data linked to scammer networks.

Results are striking: scam losses in June 2025 dropped to around 530 million baht, down from 2.111 billion baht in March 2025—a 1.581 billion baht decline, or roughly 75%, in just four months. When the decree reaches full implementation, the minister said, it will enable even broader data-linking across government, giving authorities a complete money-trail picture and faster victim restitution.

Most scam bases operate outside Thailand, scattered along borders with Myanmar and in special economic zones in Laos, backed by gray-market Chinese funding networks. National Police data show that since launching an online complaint system in March 2021 through September 2024, over one million online fraud cases have been reported, with cumulative losses exceeding 100 billion baht. Early 2025 saw major crackdowns in gray zones along the border, forcing call centers to repeatedly relocate—a "whack-a-mole" pattern rather than root-cause fixes, even as the private sector grapples with fallout.