Performing on a major concert stage alongside famous artists represents a significant experience and an important step toward making musicians' dreams a reality.

FWD Music Live Fest 5 serves as a platform of opportunity, giving Gen Z students from various schools a chance to showcase their talents and gain meaningful experience on their musical journey, in an atmosphere of joy, fun, and shared passion.

A key highlight is the opportunity for young performers to take the stage at a large-scale concert, allowing them to practice, develop their skills, and learn from real-world experience performing before large audiences.

In (Peeriyaporn Jai Rungsee), lead vocalist, and Zoom (Pongsphirapra Prayurpat), guitarist, Grade 12 students from DSRU band at Ramkhamhaeng University Demonstration School, shared: "We went through tough auditions and rehearsals. Getting on a stage like this to play music in front of many people and standing on the same stage as artists we admire is an important opportunity. It's an experience that inspires us to keep developing our skills."

Blyde (Nannapat Pumsiree), lead vocalist, and Yufa (Thanakrit Sripanomwarn), keyboard player, Grade 10 students from Woodstock band at Thepchasrinint School, said: "We dreamed of performing on a big stage. FWD Music Live Fest 5 taught us how to perform at a festival and see how real artists work up close. This stage opened up a lot for us. Thank you FWD Insurance for giving students like us the chance to showcase our abilities."

Winnie (Mawinn Viriyayutmamm), lead vocalist, Grade 11 student, and Jing (Kittipitch Sangsitthisetying), bass player, Grade 9 student, from Mandrake band at Assumption School, said: "This is the biggest stage we've ever performed on. It's an important opportunity for students like us to prove ourselves and experience a real large-scale concert stage, which isn't easy to find. Performing alongside artists we admire is the motivation that pushes us to develop further."

Pavarisah Chumwikrant, Marketing Executive Vice President at FWD Life Insurance Public Company Limited, said: "This stage was created to give music-loving young people the chance to perform and learn from professional artists. Performing on the same stage as leading artists is an important step in developing skills and advancing toward the future. We hope this stage becomes the beginning of opportunity and another source of inspiration for music lovers."

Archaeologists have uncovered an extensive 700-year-old underground tunnel network at Wat Umong, one of Chiang Mai's most historically significant temples located at the foot of Doi Suthep. The temple was established by King Meng Rai in an area once known as "Eleven Bamboo Groves," and expanded by King Khuena with elaborate underground passages designed to provide monks a secluded meditation sanctuary. The vaulted passages feature remarkably preserved ancient murals depicting flora and fauna, along with scattered broken Buddha statues rescued from archaeological sites across Thailand. The complex showcases Lanna Kingdom Buddhist architecture influenced by Sri Lankan design principles, with its maze-like underground corridors and meditation chambers representing a major achievement of medieval Southeast Asian craftsmanship. Officials announced that Wat Umong will undergo high-standard digital restoration of its murals and receive international cultural promotion through partnerships with academic institutions. The discovery has drawn attention from heritage enthusiasts and cultural tourists interested in exploring the temple's spiritual and historical significance.

Bangkok, 13 July 2026 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered with ZEEKR Thailand on “Amazing Thailand in ZEEKR Luxury Way”, a six-month campaign using electric-vehicle journeys to spotlight lesser-known destinations, local culture and natural attractions across Thailand.

Running from August 2026 to February 2027, the campaign centres on the “Travel the ZEEKR Way” content series, featuring Northern Thailand, the Northeast, the South, Bangkok and nearby provinces. TAT’s first collaboration with ZEEKR Thailand supports quality domestic travel and wider adoption of lower-carbon transport.

Mr. Nithee Seeprae, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, said, “Thailand’s tourism growth must create stronger value for travellers, destinations and local communities. Under our Value over Volume direction, TAT is focusing on meaningful experiences that respect culture and the environment while strengthening the resilience of the tourism sector. Electric vehicles offer another practical travel option that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on conventional fuel.”

TAT will select routes and experiences that reflect the identity of each area, with an emphasis on destinations offering distinctive cultural, natural and community value. ZEEKR Thailand will provide electric vehicles for the journeys, enabling the campaign to present EV travel within real destination settings rather than as a standalone automotive experience.

The four themes will highlight different aspects of Thailand. “Northern Escape” will explore mountains, waterways, Lanna architecture and traditional crafts. “Isaan Stories” will present the Northeast through local lifestyles, music, food and everyday wisdom. “Southern Serenity” will feature coastal scenery, islands and restorative journeys by the sea. “Urban Retreat” will uncover lesser-known places in Bangkok and nearby provinces, connecting heritage, contemporary culture and short-distance travel.

Mr. Alex Bao, Managing Director for Southeast Asia at ZEEKR Thailand, said, “ZEEKR’s direction in Thailand is evolving from electric mobility towards a broader connection with lifestyle and travel. Working with TAT allows us to place our vehicles within journeys that reflect the diversity of Thailand and the changing expectations of travellers. We believe the travel experience should be as considered as the destination, with performance, safety and comfort supporting each stage of the journey.”

TAT and ZEEKR Thailand will jointly produce and distribute the series through Osotho magazine and TAT’s online platforms. Content will also be developed with creators from The Zecret Revealer, The Zecret Insider and The Zecret Visualizer groups to reach travellers interested in experience-led journeys and new domestic routes.

The campaign forms part of TAT’s 2026 domestic tourism strategy, which targets 202.42 million domestic trips and 1.07 trillion Baht in tourism revenue. It also supports TAT’s wider direction to connect tourism value with responsible mobility, broaden travel beyond established destinations and strengthen the contribution of domestic tourism to local economies.

The post TAT and ZEEKR chart EV tourism routes across Thailand appeared first on TAT Newsroom.

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Chotinrin Kerdsum has ordered an urgent investigation into the proposed issuance of land title deeds for public land within the Baan Ao Makham (Khao Khad) wildlife reserve area, insisting that any action must be transparent, fair and carried out in accordance with the law.

Understanding flashover and backdraft fire explosions—deadly fire phenomena with hidden explosive power—revealing factors and warning signs of imminent severe combustion. On July 13, 2026, a severe fire at a beer hall in the Ladprao area in the early morning hours resulted in 27 deaths and 63 injuries. Video footage captured intense flames erupting violently from the shop entrance, believed to have been caused by gas accumulation in a sealed kitchen before the explosive burst.

According to the Samsen Fire and Rescue Station website, flashover occurs when fuel vapors inside a sealed, enclosed building undergo simultaneous combustion instantaneously, causing flames to engulf a room in a split second. Smoke and heat accumulate beneath the ceiling, and as temperature rises, heat radiation spreads downward, causing fuel to emit vapor throughout the room until reaching the ignition temperature, at which point all fuel ignites simultaneously.

Fire gas ignition is the explosion of flames from fuel vapors, typically occurring when flames are carried to vapor-gas mixtures with sufficient oxygen present. Heat can also transfer from one room to another, creating ignition conditions.

Vapor can leak through air ducts and gaps to other rooms and accumulate throughout building structures, such as ceilings and under stairs, requiring no additional air for combustion since the fire already has ready-to-ignite vapor and gas mixtures.

Backdraft is an explosion caused by outside air rushing into fuel or smoke that hasn't ignited or is dying, also called smoke explosion. It occurs when smoke suddenly ignites violently due to oxygen being introduced into a sealed space where oxygen has become depleted or nearly exhausted.

When the fire remains hot but not fully extinguished and doors or openings allow outside air to flow in, all combustion factors become complete, causing rapid, violent ignition resembling an explosion.

Warning signs of impending backdraft include extremely thick black smoke, smoke pulsing in and out through door and window cracks, smoke being forcefully pushed outward, rooms or buildings that are tightly sealed with poor ventilation, and walls with extremely high temperatures.

Before backdraft occurs, smoke can be observed pulsing in and out of openings, with thick black smoke visible through windows while the room fills with heat, carbon monoxide, and other vapors. When a door opens, internal smoke rushes out due to higher internal pressure, and cooler outside air is drawn in at the lower part of the room, mixing carbon monoxide gas with fresh outside air containing 21% oxygen, gradually flowing toward the fire source and displacing hot air upward, with flames visible at lower levels.

Singer M. Thepbut confirmed the body of Prawit Pudmuan, a 35-year-old keyboardist for the band Tosakan, at the Police Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine on July 13, 2025, at 12:50 p.m. Thepbut, 39, had searched throughout the night after learning of the fire at the Ladprao beer hall, initially hopeful when rumors of survivors circulated. He described his close friendship with Prawit, noting they had played in the same band before Prawit became keyboardist for Tosakan, which performed regularly at the entertainment venue. They remained in constant contact, and Thepbut had tried to call him on July 12 to discuss an upcoming collaboration but could not reach him before learning of the fire.

Thepbut recounted how around 3:00 a.m. he received word that Prawit had been found and taken to a hospital, prompting him to search multiple hospitals. It was only after learning that the deceased had been taken to the Police Hospital and identified that morning did Thepbut rush to confirm in person. Prawit was a highly skilled musician and instructor who also served in the military with a promising future. The two had previously discussed Prawit's plan to leave Tosakan by month's end to collaborate with Thepbut on composing and performing music, but scheduling conflicts kept him performing at the venue where the tragedy occurred.

As a musician himself, Thepbut highlighted serious safety concerns at entertainment venues. He noted that band stages are typically located deepest within venues, while musicians' exits are usually through specialized doors only. In emergencies, there is often insufficient time to evacuate safely. He emphasized the problem is especially acute on busy nights like Fridays and Saturdays when the venue is packed. Thepbut called for all entertainment venues to prioritize safety systems and fire evacuation routes to prevent future tragedies, saying many musicians are now fearful, having gone into the profession simply to support their families.