On May 19, 2569, Parliament President Sophon Saram announced the decision regarding benefits and appointments of MP and Senator assistants. He explained that the previous parliament president had approved a pay increase, but the current administration believes implementing it during the ongoing economic situation is inappropriate. The Parliament Administration Committee held its first formal meeting and voted to cancel the raise and maintain the existing compensation structure.

Regarding public discussion about eliminating parliamentary assistant positions entirely, Sophon said he has established a committee to clarify whether such positions are necessary and at what compensation levels. The committee, chaired by Police General Prasit Tham Dee, will include experts from both the House and Senate, budget office officials, civil service commission representatives, legal department representatives, and external credible figures. The committee will deliberately exclude sitting MPs and Senators to avoid conflicts of interest.

The committee has been given 90 days to complete the study, ideally finishing by October, though faster completion is welcome if data is comprehensive. Sophon stated that the legislature will address any obstacles to parliamentary operations and implement necessary changes. When asked how the committee should proceed if findings recommend reducing assistant numbers, Sophon said policy has been set to follow whatever the study concludes, provided the data is complete. He noted that parliament regulations can be changed by the president according to national circumstances, and that nothing is immutable.

2 men attack woman with durian peel during exercise in ChachoengsaoLegacyA Thai woman is seeking justice after two men attacked her with durian peel while she was exercising outside Chachoengsao Provincial Hall on Sunday, May 17. The victim, identified as 48 year old Noi, submitted a police complaint and medical certificate to several Thai media outlets following the incident, which reportedly took place at about 9pm. Noi said she and her husband had gone jogging together outside the provincial hall, but later separated because he was running faster. She continued exercising alone near a motorcycle parking area. Photo via DailyNews According to Noi, she noticed a man wearing a white T-shirt staring at her while she exercised. She said she did not feel threatened until the man suddenly approached and pulled her shirt over her head. The suspect allegedly used the shirt to cover her face before repeatedly striking her with durian peel. A second man then joined the attack, beating her until she fell to the ground. People nearby reportedly intervened, causing the two attackers to flee the scene on a motorcycle. Noi suffered cuts and scratches to her face and arms from the durian peel during the assault. Photo via DailyNews She told reporters she did not know the motive behind the attack and said she and her husband had only recently started exercising in the area. Noi also stated that she had never had any disputes with people nearby. During interviews with local media, Noi urged police to arrest the suspects as quickly as possible. She said she wanted to know whether the attackers intended to rob her or had mistaken her identity. A similar incident was reported in 2022 when a woman told media outlets she was assaulted with durian peel by a loan shark over unpaid debt. The victim claimed the lender attacked her despite an earlier agreement to temporarily pause repayments. The story 2 men attack woman with durian peel during exercise in Chachoengsao as seen on Thaiger News.

On May 19, 2025, at the Police Hospital Institute of Forensic Medicine, Pol. Col. Virul Suphasing Siripricha, director of the institute, announced progress in identifying victims from the Route 206 bus-train collision that occurred at the Makkasan railway crossing with Asoke-Din Daeng Road. Four victims have been successfully identified and their names forwarded to Makkasan Police Station for coordination with families. Four additional remains require special examination; while the victims themselves have been fully examined, family DNA samples are still needed for comparison. So far, seven of eight families have provided DNA samples, though officials cannot yet confirm complete matches. Families of missing persons are urged to contact authorities if they suspect a relative may be among the victims. For unidentified remains, officials will retain them and conduct public outreach similar to unidentified body procedures, collecting evidence, DNA samples, and coordinating with police for public announcements. The Compassion Foundation has prepared seven vehicles on standby to transport bodies to their hometowns at no cost once forensic clearance is obtained, and psychological support teams are ready to assist affected individuals. Relatives can contact the Police Hospital Institute of Forensic Medicine at 02-2076108 if they have missing family members.

Dr. Jo launches the 'Transparent Bangkok, AI Catches Corruption' policy, featuring the 'Bangkok Redflag AI' system to combat graft and return over 20 billion baht to Bangkok residents. At 09:15 on May 19, 2569, at the Democrat Party headquarters, Chaivatanvijit, the Democrat Party's candidate for Bangkok Governor, announced the 'Transparent Bangkok, AI Catches Corruption' policy, describing corruption as a chronic problem that has long plagued Thailand and undermines the country's economic development, with budgets leaking into individuals' pockets regardless of the amount allocated. This prevents development projects and welfare spending from achieving their full potential, with corruption occurring at all levels—central government and local authorities alike.

With Bangkok's budget in the hundreds of billions of baht, there is an opportunity to address entrenched corruption and return over 20 billion baht to Bangkok residents. The first 10 billion baht comes from preventing corruption in procurement projects, while the second 10 billion comes from savings eliminated through tackling bribery and graft. Chaivatanvijit stated that as a gubernatorial candidate, he aims to systematically cut off these corruption schemes from source to end.

Chaivatanvijit explained that corruption tactics used for decades can be simplified into four steps: writing specifications, locking specifications, inflating middleman prices, and pricing—all steps before Bangkok City Council consideration. When reaching the Council, a TOR is designed before private bidders submit prices. Most of this information exists as paper or image files, preventing computer processing and hiding fraud.

Therefore, the Bangkok Redflag AI system addresses these four steps by making Bangkok transparent. The system has seven core capabilities: 1) All budget items from administration must be in digital format processable by computer or AI, not image files, which is the most critical step for easier fraud detection; 2) Redflaging specs using AI to detect overly narrow specifications that could indicate irregularities; 3) Redflaging expensive prices through AI to investigate suspicious pricing.

On May 19, 2025, Prof. Dr. Yong Pooworawan from the Department of Microbiology at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine addressed concerns about Ebola reaching Thailand. He explained that it is unlikely for Ebola to spread to Thailand because the disease's extreme severity—with mortality rates between 25-90%—actually limits its transmission. Infected individuals become severely ill and rarely have the opportunity to travel long distances by air or across continents, making widespread global pandemics unlikely. Unlike diseases such as influenza or COVID-19, which can spread rapidly due to their lower severity, Ebola's virulent nature restricts its reach.

Ebola is a severe viral infection from the viral hemorrhagic fever group, caused by viruses in the genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae. The disease originated in wild animals in Africa and is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it was first identified in 1976. The largest outbreak occurred between 2013-2016 in West Africa, affecting Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, with over 30,000 cases and 11,000 deaths. The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda involves a moderately severe strain with over 250 cases and 80 deaths, but no vaccine yet exists for this particular variant.

Transmission occurs through direct contact with infected patients or animals, particularly among African communities with traditional practices involving contact with deceased bodies. Each outbreak typically begins in rural areas linked to wildlife, with high transmission in hospitals, resulting in significant healthcare worker casualties. Symptoms include sudden high fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and uncontrolled bleeding internally and externally.

The World Health Organization emphasizes disease prevention through avoiding contact with patients and animal sources, alongside vaccine development for specific strains. A vaccine now exists for the Zaire strain. Thailand's distance from outbreak epicenters, combined with the disease's severity limiting transmission, means there is currently no cause for excessive concern, though public education about Ebola remains important.

Recently, CKPower Public Company Limited partnered with the Chas Kaengchuang Group to hold a blessing ceremony and install a five-tiered white cloth parasol over the main ordination hall at Wat Na Huai in Pranburi District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, marking the completion of the temple's restoration work. The ordination hall is a historically significant religious structure in the community, believed to have been built during the late Ayutthaya to early Rattanakosin periods. The restoration was carried out in consultation with the Fine Arts Department's architecture office and the Fine Arts Regional Office No. 1 in Ratchaburi to ensure the preservation and restoration aligned with the original architecture and ancient monument conservation principles. This project is part of efforts to maintain the community's important religious site as a spiritual center for Buddhists and to preserve Thai cultural heritage. Thanavat Triwisvethed, Managing Director of CKPower, presided over the ceremony alongside Seevalee Triwisvethed, company advisor; Walaiyanutt Triwisvethed, Managing Director of TTW Public Company Limited; and Dr. Anukul Tantimas, Deputy Managing Director of Human Resources and General Administration at Chas Kaengchuang Public Company Limited.