Three French tourists renting a jet ski went missing in the sea off Koh Samui on August 13, 2569, prompting an overnight search that found all three men floating safely about 7 nautical miles from Koh Mad Lang. The incident began at 5:30 p.m. when a family of five French tourists rented a jet ski from Jet and Jump near Long Beach Hotel at Chaweng Beach for 30 minutes. Three men—Brahim Terki (50), Maheiddine Terki (12), and Ilyes Terki (9)—rode one jet ski while the wife and daughter waited on the beach.

When the jet ski did not return after 30 minutes, the operator used binoculars to search but found nothing. The operator sent out two jet skis to look but still could not locate them. At 8:25 p.m., the emergency hotline 1784 received a report of three missing foreign tourists. Koh Samui District officials and the 15th Volunteer Territorial Defense Unit coordinated a search involving multiple agencies and the jet ski operator's additional boats.

The overnight search proved difficult due to strong waves in the open sea. Officers suspended the search temporarily at 1:00 a.m. on August 14 and resumed at dawn. At 9:00 a.m., District Officer Amorn Chumchuay and rescue teams launched speedboats to continue searching. At 11:00 a.m., officers found all three tourists floating in the water approximately 7 nautical miles east of Koh Mad Lang. They were brought aboard safely, exhausted but unharmed, bringing relief to the waiting family and search teams after an anxious night.

The Thai Meteorological Department issued a seven-day weather forecast for August 14-20, 2025. From August 14-17, Thailand will experience isolated heavy rain mainly in the northern, northeastern, and eastern regions due to a monsoon trough passing over northern Thailand, Laos, and northern Vietnam. The southwest monsoon continues to cover the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand. From August 18-20, rainfall will intensify across the northern and upper northeastern regions with heavy rain in many areas as the monsoon trough shifts southward. Waves in the upper Andaman Sea will remain moderately strong at 2-3 meters during August 14-18, exceeding 3 meters in thunderstorm areas. The upper Gulf of Thailand will see waves around 2 meters, exceeding 2 meters in thunderstorm zones. From August 19-20, waves in both areas will remain 2-3 meters, exceeding 3 meters during thunderstorms. Residents in the northern and upper northeastern regions should beware of heavy rainfall and accumulated water that may cause flash floods, flash flooding, and riverbank overflow, especially in foothill and low-lying areas. Boaters should exercise caution and avoid thunderstorm areas. Small boats in the upper Andaman Sea should remain ashore August 14-16 and 19-20, while small boats in the upper Gulf should stay ashore August 19-20. Regional forecasts: Northern region with 60-80 percent thunderstorm coverage and heavy rain throughout, becoming very heavy August 18-20, southwest winds 10-20 kph, low 23-27°C, high 30-35°C. Northeastern region with 40-60 percent coverage August 14-17, increasing to 60-80 percent August 18-20 with heavy to very heavy rain, southwest winds 10-20 kph, low 23-27°C, high 31-35°C. Central region with 40-60 percent coverage August 14-17, 60-70 percent August 18-20 with heavy rain, southwest winds 10-25 kph, low 23-28°C, high 30-36°C. Eastern region with 60-70 percent coverage and heavy rain throughout, southwest winds 20-35 kph August 14-18 with 2-meter waves (exceeding 2 meters in thunderstorms), and 20-40 kph winds August 19-20 with 2-3 meter waves (exceeding 3 meters in thunderstorms), low 23-28°C.

On August 14, Chaiyachon Deathdecho, a Democrat Party list MP, addressed allegations that he assaulted a deputy superintendent at Thung Yai Police Station in Nakhon Si Thammarat, stating he has always respected and supported police, particularly on budget and personnel matters. As a former chair of the Police Affairs Committee, he said he has consistently fought for budget support for police operations and stressed to police leadership that he had no intention to harm any officer. He emphasized his respect for police as an essential organization protecting public safety. "As an MP and deputy party leader, I apologize to the public if the published news caused negative feelings, but I ask for fairness from society," Chaiyachon said, denying he assaulted anyone and requesting that the facts be considered fairly through due process. He welcomed and agreed to cooperate fully with any Democrat Party committee formed to investigate the incident, believing a factual review was appropriate and necessary to establish the truth.

On August 14, Bunruai Yamchinda, a list MP and United Thai People Party leader serving as deputy chair of the consumer protection committee, along with Prakanchan Cheepphittaya, the party's southern region strategy director, led a team on a fact-finding visit to community enterprises in Surat Thani. They toured Uncle Song's Garden in Muang district, which produces cold-pressed coconut oil and value-added products including coconut wine, serum, and soap, as well as other local enterprises like a weaving group producing natural indigo-dyed fabric.

Bunruai noted that while the region has abundant natural resources and local wisdom, enterprises struggle to scale up due to limited access to packaging development, branding, marketing channels, and affordable credit. He pledged to request parliament provide space to showcase and sell community products during legislative sessions to expand markets and create sustainable livelihoods.

Prakanchan added that the south is rich with potential but lacks opportunities to develop and scale. He committed to compiling community proposals into policy recommendations covering low-interest financing, product standards, packaging, and connections between community products and tourism and larger markets to strengthen the grassroots economy in the region.

On August 14, a male calf with an unusual white marking shaped like a bodhi leaf on its forehead was discovered at a house in Prada Jak Moo subdistrict, Chaiyaphum district, Buriram province. The distinctive mark has generated significant interest among villagers and visitors, with some believing it matches descriptions of a sacred bull or auspicious sign in ancient texts.

Sunan, 59, who owns the calf, has raised cattle for over 10 years but has never encountered an animal with such unusual markings. The calf was born in January 2025 and is now about seven months old. Before the calf's birth, Sunan had no particular premonitions, but since its arrival, she has felt a continuous stream of good fortune entering her family. She now believes the calf may be a blessed bull, or "Phra Yaa Wua," as described in ancient texts.

News of the unusual calf has spread, and many villagers regularly visit to see it. Even when Sunan takes the calf to graze by the roadside, passing motorists often stop to admire the distinctive marking and ask questions. The owner believes the bodhi leaf-shaped mark is uncommon and may represent an auspicious sign according to traditional beliefs. Though she has received purchase inquiries, she feels emotionally attached to the calf and prefers to keep it, convinced that the blessed bull will bring good fortune to her family.

Deputy Interior Minister Jaruserath Thai-setsiri chaired a monitoring and preparedness meeting on August 14, 2569 at Nakhon Phanom Province Hall to address flooding and drought across seven Mekong River basin provinces in the Northeast: Nakhon Phanom, Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen, and Ubon Ratchathani. Provincial governors, agency heads, disaster prevention officials, and relevant departments from all seven provinces attended.

Jaruserath stated that the field visit and meeting followed the Prime Minister's directive to gather comprehensive data on local flood and drought situations and needs. He will report findings to the Prime Minister and work toward integrated agency coordination to deliver timely, targeted support. He emphasized that officials must identify not just which areas face problems, but where exactly, what resources exist locally, what constraints apply, and what assistance is needed—enabling data-driven coordination rather than reactive responses.

Management of current conditions requires handling both flooding and drought simultaneously due to rapid weather fluctuations. The approach must be to "know first, prepare first, respond immediately" rather than waiting for crises to develop. All water resources, equipment, personnel, and aid plans must be ready beforehand.

Public communication must be swift and accurate. Citizens need to know what is happening, which areas are affected, water levels, what to prepare, and what the state is doing. Information must be consistent and official, not leaving people to seek rumors or unverified sources. Water supply communications must cover water conditions, appropriate usage, management, and any system problems—delivered online and offline to reach all groups, not forcing citizens to search for updates.

Drought preparation should not wait until the dry season begins. Agencies must compile historical data on areas facing water shortages, problem onset timing, available water volumes, usage needs, and past solutions, then compare against current conditions to establish water management frameworks in advance.

Jaruserath instructed all units to survey and inspect all areas once water levels drop, rushing to restore normalcy and prevent lingering issues or non-functional zones. Each unit must report completed work, inspected points, finished tasks, and remaining repairs to track progress until completion.