The Culture Ministry's Department of Religious Affairs organized ceremonies on July 27, 2025, at the ministry's culture building to launch the "90-Day Buddhist Lent: Understanding Dharma, Doing Good, Transforming Lives" campaign for the Buddhist festival of Asalha Bucha and the beginning of Buddhist Lent. The event was presided over by the Supreme Patriarch of the Northern Region and Petcharat Saithong, the Culture Ministry's inspector-general, alongside religious officials, government personnel, and media representatives.

Petcharat stated that the ministry prioritizes promoting Buddhism and applying Buddhist teachings to daily life. The campaign encourages Buddhists nationwide to study Buddhist principles, perform religious duties, maintain the Five Precepts, abstain from alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and other harmful behaviors, and build moral and ethical character during the 90-day Lent period. The central activities include Buddhist chanting ceremonies, a "Tree of Goodness" where participants write their resolutions on Bodhi leaf-shaped cards, candle casting rituals, and a procession delivering Lenten candles to 10 major temples in Bangkok.

Regional activities, coordinated by provincial culture offices in cooperation with monasteries, schools, local governments, and community organizations, will run from July 24-30, featuring similar ceremonies and merit-making activities. The campaign emphasizes continuous positive change through personal development, extending to family, community, and society by maintaining the Five Precepts, practicing meditation, volunteering, planting trees, caring for the elderly and disadvantaged, and promoting daily acts of kindness. A "One Person, One Good Deed" initiative encourages citizens to perform at least one good deed daily.

Thai housemaid files complaint after heated argument with 2 foreigners in PattayaLegacyA Thai housemaid filed a police complaint, alleging that two foreign men insulted and threatened her during a dispute over rubbish outside a home in Pattaya. The neighbour dispute took place in a housing estate on Khao Thap Phraya Road, although the date and time of the incident were not disclosed. The woman, whose identity has been withheld, shared CCTV footage of the confrontation with Amarin TV and described what happened. According to the housemaid, she works for an Italian family whose home is opposite the property occupied by the two foreign neighbours. She alleged that an elderly foreign man, wearing only a towel, carried a bag of rubbish and left it outside her employers’ property before walking away. Photo via Amarin TV Footage broadcast by Amarin TV appeared to show the man placing the rubbish bag beside the fence before leaving the area. The maid said she waited outside the house to speak to the old foreign man when he returned. According to the footage, she questioned him about leaving the rubbish outside the property. Although much of the conversation could not be clearly heard, the foreigner was audible at one point saying he did not like the woman’s employers. The housemaid responded that security cameras had recorded what had happened. The argument then escalated before the pair moved apart. Photo via Amarin TV A second foreign man, believed by the housemaid to be the elderly man’s son, later approached and continued the confrontation. According to the woman, the younger man, who spoke Thai, said his father was elderly and had acted out of misunderstanding. She alleged he then insulted her, calling her dead brain and saying she had a low level of education. The maid also alleged that the man claimed his father was a high-ranking soldier before threatening her, saying, “Lucky, this is Thailand. If you are abroad, you will be beat to death.” Photo via Amarin TV The woman said she called police to the scene, but claimed the two men refused to speak with officers. Amarin TV reported that its journalists also attempted to contact the two foreign men for comment but were unable to do so because the property remained closed. At the time of publication, police had not announced whether the two men had been summoned for questioning or provided any update on the investigation. The incident prompted calls from some social media users for the foreign nationals to be deported. Authorities have not commented on those demands.

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At 11:00 AM on July 27, 2025, at the Ang Thong Provincial Health Office, Dr. Thaveechoik Rojanaarumphakul, provincial health officer, along with Dr. Parichard Sirawat, director of Ang Thong Hospital, and other senior medical officials held a press conference regarding the death of a newborn. A 40-year-old father and 36-year-old mother filed a complaint with the Pavena Foundation after delivering their premature son via cesarean section. The infant weighed 4,305 grams at birth and was admitted to the neonatal ICU with a lung infection.

During the infant's treatment, the hospital held five tables of a Chinese banquet inside the pediatric ICU, with approximately five other newborns present in the same room. Staff served the banquet without wearing masks or protective equipment. The following day, July 21, 2025, the couple's infant died.

Disturbed by the death, the parents sought help from the Pavena Foundation. The Foundation coordinated with police to send the body for an autopsy at the Police Hospital's Forensic Institute. The hospital had not initially notified police to conduct an autopsy, instead telling the parents to cremate the body immediately. The mother called the foundation's emergency hotline 1134 for assistance.

Preliminary investigation findings revealed that the mother had uncontrolled diabetes before pregnancy. Prenatal records showed her blood sugar levels were consistently elevated above normal range, contributing to the infant's above-average birth weight for gestational age.

On July 16, 2025, the infant was born prematurely at 36 weeks gestation, weighing 4,305 grams, exceeding the normal weight for gestational age (Large for Gestational Age: LGA). The mother had a history of diabetes and hypertension and experienced premature rupture of membranes. These factors resulted in the infant developing persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHIN), transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTNB), and suspected sepsis—conditions with high mortality rates.

About one hour after birth, the infant showed respiratory distress and low blood oxygen levels. The infant received standard medical treatment including medication, assisted ventilation, and close monitoring in the neonatal ICU. However, the infant's condition deteriorated according to the natural progression of the illness.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchat Chomklin announced that the government prioritizes continuous conservation and restoration of natural resources to maintain forest abundance and the country's biodiversity. This commitment has yielded concrete results with the discovery of the Hipposideros rotalis (Laotian Leaf-nosed Bat) in Thailand for the first time, found within Sam Wua Lin Limestone Forest Park in Bueng Kan Province.

Suchat reported that the Forest Department's Research and Development Office made the discovery through a vertebrate biodiversity survey project supported by the Science, Research and Innovation Promotion Office. Researchers began surveying the area in early 2025 and identified this bat species in Thailand for the first time, despite it being previously reported only in Laos. The minister stated that this finding reflects the ecosystem's richness in the forest park and provides valuable scientific data for studying the country's biodiversity. Although the species is classified as low-risk for extinction, it confirms that Thailand's forests retain potential for discovering academically important species in the future.

"The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry prioritizes surveying and conserving new wildlife and plant species as they reflect the completeness of our natural resources. We will continue managing our forests while supporting research to preserve biodiversity and pass on abundant natural resources to the next generation," Suchat said. The Forest Department will strengthen protection of Sam Wua Lin Limestone Forest Park and continue supporting biodiversity research to create new knowledge and enhance the country's natural resource conservation efforts.

PHUKET: Phuket officials have inspected the Chabad House in Patong as part of a multi-agency operation examining its fundraising activities, land ownership and business structure.

On July 27, Deputy Superintendent Pholwat Thumsing of Nong Krap Police Station in Rayong received a report of a capsized boat with a missing child in a large pond at Moo 5, Nong Bua Subdistrict, Ban Khai District. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the scene. The pond is known to be extremely deep, reaching 4 to 5 meters in some areas. A rowing boat and fishing equipment were found floating in the water. A 13-year-old boy was rescued by a villager and pulled from the pond with water aspiration symptoms; he was rushed to the hospital. Another boy managed to swim safely to shore. After approximately 30 minutes of underwater search efforts, rescue teams located the body of a 13-year-old boy submerged in the water. The body was brought to shore and medical personnel were contacted for an autopsy. Investigation revealed that all three boys had set out together to fish in the middle of the pond. During the outing, the boat lost balance, capsized, and sank. The incident was compounded by the pond's significant depth and the fact that the boy who died was not a strong swimmer. The deceased boy's grandfather expressed heartfelt regret, stating he had warned his grandson many times not to fish at this particular pond due to safety concerns. Despite the family having no shortage of food at home, the boy's youthful restlessness prompted him to invite friends out fishing, resulting in this tragic accident. Police have sent the body for a detailed autopsy and are conducting an investigation in accordance with the law before returning the body to the family for religious funeral rites.