Phuket – The Phuket Juvenile and Family Court has ordered the detention of a 12‑year‑old Myanmar girl for 30 days at a provincial juvenile observation and protection center following an assault on a Thai student. Our previous story: Phuket Governor Chotnarin Kerdsom has directed local authorities to step in and provide urgent support following a […]

Naa Nek made his first appearance on Club Friday Show to finally address issues he has carried for over a decade. He spoke about his time as a DJ at A-Time and at Samsen Pak Wan intersection, revealing that he has long harbored the feeling that host Chod never liked him. In his youth, Naa Nek admitted to behaving poorly in the radio industry—acting rough, making mistakes—and getting into trouble with fellow DJs while under the influence. Chod responded bluntly, questioning why Naa Nek expected to still be loved after such behavior.

Naa Nek also reflected on his struggles with romantic relationships, describing himself as insecure from childhood and unsuccessful with dating. He acknowledged later becoming a serial dater, but his most painful experience was having children with a partner whose love he doubted. The relationship deteriorated after their first child was born, ultimately ending in separation, leaving him with the guilt of having two young children—ages 7 and 3—whose situation he kept private from the public.

In a moment of transparency, Naa Nek revealed that his children had never been told the truth about their parents' separation and only saw him through television appearances. He expressed a desire to formally explain to them what happened and apologized for any emotional loss they suffered. He reflected that through his hardships, he learned that while life brings both gifts and lessons, one must carry both forward—forgiveness is not something that simply disappears, and the best path is to live honorably to avoid future regret.

On August 12, Deputy National Police Commissioner Trairuengchai Piwparn said the Royal Thai Police are aware of reports and online commentary regarding an incident that occurred at a funeral in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, which has raised concerns about potential case interference involving a former minister. The National Police Commissioner has instructed investigators to proceed strictly according to law, prioritizing facts and evidence regardless of the individuals involved or their connections.

Piwparn confirmed that he has telephoned the acting commander of Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Police to closely oversee the case proceedings. Investigators are now being asked to gather all evidence, verify the facts, and follow legal procedures completely. Should evidence implicate any person, legal action will be taken against them without exception, privilege, or immunity. The commissioner will monitor the case and release updates to the public as developments become available.

Peeraphan Korthong, Secretary-General of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives prioritizes elevating Thai agriculture through technology and innovation to help farmers increase production efficiency and tackle labor constraints as the sector enters an aging society. The ministry is promoting agricultural machinery use alongside the development of Agricultural Service Providers (ASP), a model that allows farmers convenient access to machinery services aligned with seasonal demands, reduces capital investment burden for individual purchases, and enables machinery owners to generate supplementary income from local service provision.

The key advantage of the ASP model is making agricultural machinery more cost-effective and widely accessible. Small-scale farmers can select machinery services as needed for specific production activities—from soil preparation and planting to maintenance, drone spraying, harvesting, and product transport—reducing reliance on manual labor, cutting work time, minimizing production losses, and improving accuracy in input use. Service providers gain opportunities for continuous income from existing machinery, stimulating local economic circulation and broadening machinery service distribution to more farmers in their areas.

Thailand's agricultural sector currently faces clear labor constraints. The average age of agricultural household heads has risen to 59.44 years as of 2022, while the proportion of farm workers over 60 increased from 13% in 2003 to 22% in 2018, while workers aged 15-40 dropped from 48% to 28% in the same period, underscoring the necessity of deploying machinery and technology to lighten labor burdens and boost efficiency.

The OAE supports a sharing economy approach in agriculture, encouraging farmers, agricultural cooperatives, and machinery-owning entrepreneurs to develop as ASP operators and serve other farmers lacking their own equipment. This enables cost-effective shared machinery use, expands technology access for small-scale farmers, and creates supplementary income for local machinery owners.

This aligns with the Department of Agricultural Extension's Agricultural Service Provider registration system via https://emachine.doae.go.th/, supporting farmers, cooperatives, and entrepreneurs to formalize service provision and tailor machinery management to regional farmer needs during each production season.

The OAE Secretary-General noted that when ASP machinery services are delivered appropriately to the area, crop type, and production period, farmers gain opportunities to raise yields and income, while service providers earn supplementary revenue from machinery service fees.

For 2025, the OAE will expand these efforts by collecting agricultural machinery service-rate data from 296 nationwide samples through its regional offices to build geographic datasets supporting cost-analysis studies, policy development, and improved agricultural machinery service planning responsive to local farmer needs.

Justice Minister Rutthapol Nueamwarat addressed the Prime Minister Anuthins Charnweerakul's policy restricting government officials from carrying firearms within the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). According to internal regulations, some DSI officers may carry guns if they have a permit and are on active duty, with a two-tier verification system requiring confirmation from the DSI Commissioner.

When asked what additional measures would be implemented under this policy, Rutthapol stated that he has instructed DSI personnel—those who require firearms for official duties—to obtain authorization from the DSI Commissioner for both government-issued weapons and personal firearms.

Regarding his own firearm, Rutthapol revealed he keeps a gun at home with proper licensing documentation for property protection, a practice he has maintained since joining the police force. He emphasized that he does not carry the weapon, especially now under the new directive. He also confirmed that the Prime Minister issued the directive both at a Phum Jai Thai party meeting on August 11 and at a Cabinet meeting, with instructions to conduct random checks even on the Prime Minister's own staff, which he views as a positive enforcement measure.

A group of rescue volunteers have been suspended after allegedly attacking a taxi driver in Bangkok, leaving him seriously injured in an incident that was captured on video and widely shared on social media.

The incident, which took place on 12 August, reportedly involved three to four rescue volunteers chasing and assaulting the taxi driver before the confrontation continued to MRT Fai Chai station.

Video footage circulating online showed several rescue volunteers surrounding and assaulting the taxi driver near the station's coin exchange area after he had run there seeking help.

Following the incident, both the rescue volunteers and the taxi driver reportedly filed complaints at Bang Khun Non Police Station.

The confrontation was reportedly sparked by a dispute over driving, with the parties allegedly cutting each other off and one vehicle following closely behind the other.

The taxi driver suffered serious injuries, including broken ribs, a broken nose and a fractured cheekbone. His taxi was also damaged after its windows were smashed, with damage reported around the vehicle.

Following the incident and the circulation of the video online, the foundation overseeing the rescue volunteers ordered the group to be suspended and barred them from carrying out volunteer duties pending further action.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.