Air Force Deputy Commander Praphapas Santheartkham, director of the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Information Center (JIC), responded on August 18, 2025, to Cambodia's claim that Thailand is acting as "ASEAN's police." He stated that Thailand does not position itself as ASEAN's police and does not interfere in any nation's internal affairs, but it will not ignore transnational crime harming Thais, ASEAN citizens, and people worldwide.

Praphapas emphasized the importance of separating facts from accusations, distinguishing between sovereignty matters, scamming operations, and Myanmar-related issues—three separate topics that should not be mixed to imply hidden Thai intentions. When asked about Cambodia's assertion that Thailand uses scammer suppression as a pretext for invading Cambodia, the JIC director said facts should prevail over political language. Thailand has never declared itself ASEAN's police and respects all member states' sovereignty.

"However, scammers and online crime are not any single nation's internal matter because victims exist worldwide, involving fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, forced labor, and various transnational crimes," he said. Combating these networks is not overreach but a shared responsibility of the international community.

When pressed on Cambodia's claim that Thailand uses scammers as a pretext for territorial disputes, Praphapas said the two issues must be separated decisively. Border disputes must follow international law, agreements, and relevant mechanisms, while scammer suppression is a transnational crime matter. Crime should not shield border issues, nor should border claims protect criminal networks. Thailand is ready to discuss borders factually and through existing mechanisms while protecting citizens from criminal networks.

On whether Thailand has evidence that scamming is a global problem, the JIC director noted that this is not Thailand's view alone. International organizations and countries worldwide recognize that scam centers in Southeast Asia are serious transnational crime and human trafficking problems. Rather than ask "Does Thailand have the right to crack down?" the world community wants to know "How do we cooperate to prevent any ASEAN region from becoming a safe haven for transnational crime?" Thailand stands ready to cooperate with all nations, including Cambodia.

Regarding Cambodia's view that Thailand overreaches, Praphapas said Thailand is not overstepping and does not seek to replace other nations' law enforcement. Thailand seeks "cooperation," not "intervention." When crime occurs in one nation but defrauds citizens across ten others, uses bank accounts elsewhere, crosses telecommunications borders, and involves human trafficking from dozens of countries, it can no longer be called "internal affairs." The solution is cooperation, not accusations.

On August 17, two construction company owners aged 25 and 22 reported to police in Ban Lamung district, Chachoengsao province, that they have been harassed by an illegal lending group attempting to collect a debt they claim they did not incur. The men revealed that their former employee, known as Chai, took out the loan using their phone number and posed as their employer. The loan amount is estimated to be in the tens of thousands of baht.

According to their account, at around 10 p.m. on August 2, they received a call from an unknown number asking if they wanted to borrow money and mentioning someone called "Pong." When they went downstairs to investigate, they claim four men confronted them in a threatening manner. The victims ran back inside, and the gang then kicked over two motorcycles parked outside, damaging both, while shouting insults and threats before leaving. Prior incidents included being followed for debt collection, threats, and spray-painted messages on the office wall reading "You scum, you borrowed money and refuse to pay." Security footage also showed someone adjusting a CCTV camera to point away from the office.

The victims filed a report at Nong Prue Police Station and expressed fear for their safety, requesting that police investigate and pursue charges against those responsible. CCTV footage from July 26 showed two men surveilling the office and adjusting a camera, and footage from August 2 captured a gray four-door pickup truck arriving before the attack occurred around 10:20 p.m., with approximately 3-4 men approaching the building and damaging the motorcycles before fleeing.

On August 17, Thalang Police received a report of a death at a guesthouse in Moo 3, Pa Klok Subdistrict, Thalang District, Phuket. Officers arrived at the scene and found the deceased, identified as Wirojn Yihli, 43, a freelance van driver from Phang Nga. His wife, Siriwan Payom, reported that she had left for work in the morning while her husband remained at the guesthouse. When she returned at 6 p.m. and called for him at the door, there was no response. Using her key to enter, she found him lying motionless in front of the bathroom and immediately contacted police.

According to questioning, Wirojn was a regular consumer of herbal tea. A preliminary body examination revealed no signs of injury or foul play, and there were no signs of forced entry or missing property at the guesthouse. The door was locked from the inside. Medical personnel from Thalang Hospital conducted an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. No conclusion has been drawn, pending further legal proceedings.

Samut Songkhram — A son returned home from eating noodles to find his 85-year-old father dead face-down in a canal next to the house. Police believe the man suffered a sudden health episode related to his chronic condition, causing him to lose consciousness and drown in the mud.

On August 17, Sub-Lieutenant Pisasin Noo-pinit of Bang Khun Thian Police Station received a report of a drowning victim in a canal in Tambon Bang Sakaek, Amphoe Bang Khun Thian, Samut Songkhram. Officers rushed to the scene with duty doctor Kanokwan Chameenichai from Naphalalai Hospital and rescue staff from the Samut Songkhram Sarn Pra Rajesohn Foundation.

At a waterway connecting to the house in Moo 1, Bang Sakaek, they found the body of an 85-year-old man, a garden owner, shirtless and face-down in the mud beneath a wooden bridge. Rescue workers pulled the body up for preliminary examination by a medical examiner. No wounds or signs of assault were found. The man was estimated to have been dead for at least one to two hours.

Nat, 57, the deceased's son and the one who discovered him, recalled that around 3 p.m. he saw his father resting in a hammock under the house. He left to eat noodles outside and returned around 4:30 p.m., but could not find his father. After searching for more than half an hour, he heard his father's phone ringing near the waterside pavilion. Upon investigating, he found the phone and bag, then looked under the bridge and spotted his father face-down in the mud.

Nat explained that his father was a diligent, hardworking man who regularly did tasks around the house. He likely went down to clean the canal or dig mud from a water pump line to prepare for watering the garden, work he did routinely. However, his father suffered from high blood pressure and frequently experienced dizzy spells. Nat believes his father suddenly lost consciousness while working by the canal, fell in, and was unable to save himself.

Initially, the duty doctor and police suspected the man died after losing consciousness from his chronic illness while working by the canal and falling into the mud. The family did not contest the cause of death, and officers handed the body to relatives to proceed with funeral arrangements.

Chiang Mai – On August 17, numerous fish of various species were found floating dead throughout the Mao River in Pong Nam Ron subdistrict, Fang district, Chiang Mai province. Local residents rushed to collect the fish by the sackful for consumption and sale. Sithichai Pandee, a member of the Pong Nam Ron subdistrict administration representing Village 3, revealed that fish of all types showed signs of intoxication and were dying in large numbers, particularly in the areas around the weir at Ban Hua Fai and near Ban Mon Pin Nuea. Officials from Fang district, fisheries, village leaders, local water authority, and Fang police investigated and found the fish were in spawning condition with full roe, as the breeding season was approaching. These are local fish species that the community has been conserving. Upon examination, the gills of dead fish showed dark discoloration, leading to a preliminary assessment that the fish were exposed to concentrated toxins. Given agricultural and orange orchard activities upstream, authorities collected dead fish for further laboratory analysis. Mass fish die-offs in the Mao River have occurred before, most recently in 2566 (2023). After a two-year gap, fish populations had recovered and the ecosystem seemed stable, making this new die-off particularly unfortunate. Residents have called on authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible. The Pong Nam Ron subdistrict administration has issued public announcements warning residents not to consume or sell the fish, as they died under unnatural circumstances and may pose health risks to consumers.

On August 17, 2025, Chiang Mai City Police received a report of a man drowning in the Chiang Mai moat near Samphetch Market. Officers coordinated with the city's disaster prevention and relief office, Maharaj Hospital rescue team, and Phetchkasem Foundation rescue volunteers to search the area. Within approximately two minutes of arriving, rescue workers located the man's body in the water and pulled him out. He was a shirtless man wearing shorts. Rescue personnel immediately performed CPR before transporting him urgently to Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Initial investigation revealed that witnesses saw the man remove his clothes and walk into the moat before failing to resurface, prompting them to quickly call for assistance. Authorities will continue their investigation according to legal procedures.