A parliamentary anti-corruption committee led by Asuraphon Sannathiraphop from Sisaket visited the Financial Intelligence Unit on August 4, 2025, to discuss measures and policies on combating corruption. The committee posed 23 questions covering foreign nominees, online gambling, and systematic cheating in local civil service recruitment exams.

Financial Intelligence Unit Secretary Thepsu Bowornchotidara confirmed that 200 names suspected of involvement have been forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission as requested. While investigators traced the financial transactions, they cannot disclose individual names due to legal restrictions, though the names are those flagged by central police investigators.

Regarding 5,925 test-takers under investigation, officials said the legal deadline is 120 days, though the actual process takes less time. Asuraphon emphasized that high-ranking officials involved in the scheme have no one to turn to except themselves, and expressed hope they will testify and reveal those above them in the hierarchy. He urged authorities to pursue the case thoroughly and report any financial trails leading to higher-level officials to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Dr. Sirikhant Ansonkran, president of Miss Earth Thailand Organization, alongside her daughter Nayploy Narupit, director of the competition, held an official press launch at the InterContinental Bangkok. The event was attended by executives, celebrities including Dr. Koh Teerasak and Tao Teevapol, and media representatives, with DJ Annapol Kittikul and Tom Tosawarot (Mister Earth Air Thailand 2025) serving as hosts.

The 2026 competition operates under the central theme "REBIRTH" and the slogan "One Earth, Many Voices, One Mission," emphasizing environmental conservation and identifying representatives who combine beauty, knowledge, and understanding to create sustainable social change. The competition is supported by numerous national executives and sponsors, including leaders from Nopparat Cosmetic Clinic, Amornphand Villa Resort, Super League, Thai Smile Bus, Chat Cosmetics, the Thai Dairy Promotion Organization, Brilliant Power Company, and Traill International School.

The competition offers prizes and rewards totaling over 1.7 million baht to send winners to serve as environmental ambassadors on the global stage at the Miss Earth pageant in the Philippines. Dr. Sirikhant emphasized that Miss Earth is an international platform focused on environmental issues, requiring contestants to not only present beauty but also possess knowledge, understanding, and the ability to communicate environmental concerns to the public. The "REBIRTH" concept represents not starting from zero, but beginning anew with accumulated experience, knowledge, and deeper understanding to address long-standing environmental problems through collective cooperation.

The National Water Resources Office is investing 210 billion baht in the lower Huay Luang water management project, a critical initiative to solve flooding and drought problems in Udon Thani and Nong Khai provinces. NWRO Secretary-General Chayant Mueangsoong revealed this after visiting the Ban Dan Muang pumping station in Phon Phisai district, Nong Khai province, on August 4, 2025. The project is anchored by the Ban Dan Muang pumping station, which is over 85% complete and designed to manage water flow in two directions. During the rainy season, ten pumps will discharge water from Huay Luang into the Mekong River with a combined capacity of 150 cubic meters per second. During the dry season, the station will pump water from the Mekong back into the system for local storage and use. "Whenever any component is finished, we will begin operating it to help residents immediately, without waiting for the entire project to be completed," Mueangsoong said. He noted that land acquisition and COVID-19 had delayed the project, prompting the National Water Resources Committee to approve an extension through 2025. The extended timeline will cover an additional 20 water-retention pond sites and river improvements to increase total system storage capacity to over 250 million cubic meters, benefiting more than 300,000 rai of agricultural land. The NWRO intends to use the "Huay Luang Model" as a template for similar projects across the northeast. The broader lower Huay Luang basin development project in Nong Khai and Udon Thani is approximately 25% complete and includes the Ban Dan Muang pumping station, 82 kilometers of water-retention dams, and 35 water-retention ponds to manage water for agricultural areas during both rainy and dry seasons. Mueangsoong noted that El Niño is currently reducing rainfall by about 10%, so the NWRO is coordinating daily with the Meteorological Department and the Water Resources Information Institute to assess conditions and manage water through a dynamic curve system. The Irrigation Department has been tasked with maximizing water retention in Huay Luang. Sunton Khamsrimueang, director of Large-Scale Irrigation Construction Office 5 under the Irrigation Department, explained that the area's main challenge is flooding during the rainy season, which prevents farmers from growing rice, while all water drains into the Mekong during the dry season. The project is designed to use the pumping station at the mouth of Huay Luang to control flow and utilize the waterway as the primary reservoir. When the spillway gates are completed, water storage during the dry season will reach 160 meters above mean sea level, representing approximately 138 million cubic meters—enough to significantly ease water shortages for local residents. Thammapong Naowbut, director of the NWRO Region 3 office, stated that the NWRO Region 3 uses the Northeastern Mekong River Basin Committee as the primary mechanism for monitoring and overseeing the project to align with the master water resources management plan, coordinating with the Irrigation Department and related agencies to drive progress. The NWRO is also advancing the master plan for water resources management in the northeastern Mekong basin, covering 15 provinces.

Many believe that once someone falls into drug addiction, their life is ruined forever. But in Ta Itsai Community in Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province, residents are proving that opportunity and community strength can genuinely rehabilitate those who have gone astray.

On February 21, 2025, Dr. Jadej Thammadhatchaari, Secretary-General of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), along with Dr. Sarayut Boonchaipanichawattana, Director of the National Institute for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts (NITRA), and Dr. Somchat Sujitrang, Regional Director of NHSO Zone 4 Saraburi, visited the CBTx Ta Itsai program—a community-based treatment and rehabilitation model for drug users. Local officials including Ta Itsai Municipality Mayor Prida Chueaphudit and Village Head Kasama Ta Itsai presented the community's transformation from a high-risk area into a multicultural harmony zone.

From Red Zone to Multicultural Harmony Village Head Kasama Ta Itsai recalled that in the past, Ta Itsai was a cramped, closed community facing severe drug problems. About 40 percent of residents had fallen into drug addiction, leading to disputes, theft, and domestic violence that created long-standing fear and mistrust.

However, Ta Itsai Community has a population of 16,608 people (6,617 households) embracing religious diversity. It includes Muslim communities (Groups 6, 7, 10), Buddhist communities (Groups 1–4), and multicultural Buddhist-Christian-Muslim communities (Groups 5, 8, 9), with four temples, one mosque, and one Christian church as spiritual centers.

This diversity has been refined through the concept of "white multicultural harmony," transforming differences into collective care strength and leaving no one behind. The Ta Itsai Mosque serves as the spearhead and spiritual center connecting family trust with concrete health services and support networks.

Not Just Suppression, But Treatment with Faith and Rehabilitation Through Systems The CBTx Ta Itsai model's distinguishing feature is that it does not turn patients into "outsiders" but instead treats them in their actual communities through two key mechanisms:

Treatment with Faith: Relying on trust, family strength, and religious principles to support the spirit and reduce stigma, creating a safe space for patients to seek help.

Rehabilitation Through Systems: Integrating all sectors from screening and rehabilitation planning to vocational training, home visits, and continuous follow-up through five critical steps: (1) identification and screening, (2) counseling and rehabilitation, (3) family and community care, (4) network coordination, and (5) continuous follow-up.

Dr. Jadej Thammadhatchaari, Secretary-General of NHSO, stated that drug problems cannot be solved by a single agency. Multi-sector integration and support for strong communities is the answer.

"NHSO's important role is to support communities in strengthening their capacity to care for drug patients within the community itself. We provide budget support through the Local Health Security Fund (LHSF) available nationwide so communities can learn to provide care and use their own context to solve drug problems in their communities. Drug problems cannot be solved by any single agency alone; multiple agencies must work together."

MK Restaurants has teamed up with budget airline AirAsia this August to thank loyal customers with the "MK Takes Mom to Eat and Win a Japan Flight" campaign, offering 10 round-trip prizes to five popular Japanese cities worth 680,000 baht total. Customers can enter by ordering the signature sukiyaki set or spending 899 baht or more per receipt (after discounts) at any MK Restaurants location nationwide—except MK Gold, MK Live, MK Premium Buffet, and MK Paradise—between August 1-31, 2025. Members earn two chances to win per receipt, while non-members get one. Winners will receive two-seat prizes to Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Okinawa (two prizes per city), with results announced September 11 and travel permitted from September 12 to December 31, 2025. Additionally, during Mother's Day week (August 10-16), customers ordering the "Mom's Travel Sukiyaki Set" or any menu totaling 1,299 baht or more receive a free duck-shaped neck pillow (worth 299 baht) as a gift, while supplies last.