Thanin Chearavanont, Senior Chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group, spoke following Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's government-private sector meeting on developing Thailand's economic competitiveness at Government House on May 15, 2026. CP Group presented proposals at "The Listening Forum: Voices to the PM," highlighting Thailand's "enormous opportunities" amid global crises, particularly in agriculture and food—described as "land oil" with unlimited potential. The group urged the government to accelerate investment in irrigation infrastructure, water management systems, and modern agricultural development to increase farmer incomes, transform grassroots economy, and ensure long-term food security.

Thanin noted that Thailand possesses strong advantages in climate, sunlight, and farming potential, but the primary challenge for Thai agriculture is water access. If the government invests in irrigation, creates reservoirs, and distributes water nationwide—similar to how electricity and roads were developed—agricultural productivity and farmer incomes could increase dramatically. With adequate water, farmers could cultivate three crops annually, and improved management efficiency could boost yields by up to five times.

"Land oil is more important than underground oil because everyone needs to eat. Farmers are the benefactors feeding the nation, yet many remain poor. We must work together to solve this," Thanin said.

He also proposed an "agricultural industrial park" concept linking agriculture, industry, and commerce in integrated zones to connect production, processing, transport, and markets into one system, reducing logistics costs and creating high-value agricultural products through AI, technology, and food innovation.

Thanin emphasized that Thai industry has significant opportunities, but businesses must rapidly adopt modern production systems using AI, automation, and smart logistics to compete globally. This includes transforming Thai agricultural products into high-value goods such as processed foods, future foods, and research-intensive products.

"Future winners are those who adapt quickly, and logistics will be the competitive heart. With good AI management, existing businesses become more efficient and new opportunities emerge," Thanin concluded.

The owner of Plu Villa Pattaya is presenting evidence to counter allegations, threatening a counterlawsuit against customers over the child drowning incident at the property. The homeowner claims the house design is not at fault and has backing to pursue legal action. May 15, 2025 – After a Facebook user posted CCTV footage of a child drowning in the pool at a vacation villa in Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, the child was fortunately rescued by a parent who jumped in immediately. The incident occurred on May 11 in the afternoon. The Facebook poster had questioned the unusual villa design, particularly noting that the living room didn't overlook the pool area, arguing that standard designs provide constant pool visibility. The poster noted that during the child's drowning, visibility was blocked by a large duck, and suggested the child might not have survived without parental presence. Reporters visited Ventis Villa and met with 37-year-old owner Arisa, who showed them the disputed areas, revealing four large sliding glass doors just 3 meters from the pool. Arisa disclosed that a customer had texted asking for the CCTV footage, claiming their child had nearly drowned and wanting the video as a cautionary lesson, offering compensation. Upon hearing this, she reviewed the footage, found it to be true, and sent the file to the customer without further thought. However, when the clip was later posted online with criticisms of the villa's design and suggesting the child nearly died due to poor layout, the homeowner attempted to contact the original poster but reached a man claiming to be the poster's husband. During the conversation, he became defensive, made threats, and challenged her to pursue legal action. She is now consulting with lawyers to file charges against the poster. Arisa emphasized that the villa maintains high safety standards, even providing life jackets. Since the incident, she has lost multiple customer bookings. Most importantly, the CCTV footage confirms that a parent stood nearby throughout the child's drowning, which lasted less than 20 seconds before the father jumped in to rescue him. This contradicts the mother's online criticism of the villa's design. Prior to the incident, the child had always worn a life jacket while swimming, and the parents had even taken the child to swim in the nearby sea, where the mother removed the life jacket and the child went back into the water unsupervised until drowning. This situation has nothing to do with the pool villa. She emphasized this should not become a legal matter and would accept an apology from the other party to resolve everything.

Tonight's football schedule features just one Premier League match, but it's a critically important one. Aston Villa face Liverpool, with the winner guaranteed a UEFA Champions League ticket for next season.

Football Schedule May 15, 2025 English Premier League Aston Villa vs Liverpool kicks off at 2:00 AM and will be broadcast live on Mono Max. The "Villans" open Villa Park to welcome the "Reds" of Liverpool.

Both teams have played 36 matches with 17 wins, 8 draws, and 11 losses each, accumulating 59 points. However, on goal difference, Villa sit in 5th place while Liverpool hold 4th. The winner of this match will immediately secure a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.

Recent Form - Last 5 League Matches: Villa: Drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest (away), beat Sunderland 4-3 (home), lost 0-1 to Fulham (away), lost 1-2 to Tottenham Hotspur (home), drew 2-2 with Burnley (away).

Liverpool: Beat Fulham 2-0 (home), beat Everton 2-1 (away), beat Crystal Palace 3-1 (home), lost 2-3 to Manchester United (away), drew 1-1 with Chelsea (home).

Head-to-Head: In their last five meetings, Liverpool are unbeaten with 3 wins and 2 draws. Their first league meeting this season saw Liverpool win 2-0 at home.

Injury Concerns: Villa: Missing Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana (injured), and Harvey Elliott (ineligible to face former club).

Liverpool: Without Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Wataru Endo, and Giovanni Leone (injured). Will assess fitness of Alisson Becker and Florian Wirtz.

Expected Lineups: Villa (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Youri Tielemans, Victor Lindfelof; John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia, Morgan Rogers; Ollie Watkins.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Giorgi Mamardashvili; Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Jeremy Frimpong, Dominic Sobolaski, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak.

Although Villa enjoy home advantage, they must also contend with the UEFA Europa League final midweek. Liverpool, meanwhile, aren't in peak form. Given these factors, a draw appears quite likely.

On May 15, 2025, at the Ministry of Labor, Labor Minister Julphand Amornvivat held talks with South Korea's Ambassador to Thailand regarding the suspension of worker placements from four Thai provinces under the MOU system. The suspension came after discovering a significant number of Thai workers had fled their employment contracts.

The minister confirmed the Labor Ministry is urgently addressing the issue in both short and long-term solutions to restore South Korea's confidence. South Korea's embassy acknowledged that the suspension follows standard criteria applied to all countries sending workers to South Korea, not measures specific to Thailand.

"The MOU clearly stipulates that workers must not flee employment, with South Korea setting a threshold of no more than 20 percent. However, in Thailand's latest batch of 57 workers, 30 disappeared—approximately 59 percent—which is exceptionally high," the minister stated.

Before the full blacklisting measures take effect, Thailand negotiated for one final batch of workers, which South Korea approved. However, no further extensions will be granted. The ministry is now tracking the 30 absconded workers through family contacts and local authorities to encourage their return to the proper system.

"We have names, records, and families, and we are monitoring the situation. We cannot deny that some genuinely fled their employment," Julphand acknowledged.

Under Thai law, direct prosecution may not be possible since the violation occurred under South Korea's immigration laws. However, the Labor Ministry can restrict future overseas work rights. "Those who refuse cooperation may face limitations on foreign employment permits, especially for South Korea. E-8 visa defaulters will be banned entirely," the minister stated.

Regarding solutions to worker flight, the ministry plans stricter pre-departure screenings, behavior and background checks, and implementation of the "Smart TOEA" tracking system for Thai workers in South Korea. "Workers will report monthly through the system to confirm they are employed at the designated location and complying with regulations. This should alleviate South Korean concerns," Julphand explained.

When asked if he plans to travel personally for negotiations, Julphand confirmed he informed the South Korean ambassador of his readiness to discuss with South Korea's labor and justice ministers immediately once a schedule is arranged, as this matter is critical to bilateral relations.

Thai esports team FULL SENSE moved closer to the Pacific regional title after an impressive victory against Global Esports in the VCT Pacific Stage 1 Upper Bracket Final in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on May 15. Both teams had already secured qualification to Masters London next month.

FULL SENSE, featuring an all-Thai roster, opened strong on Split, edging out a thrilling 13-11 victory to take a 1-0 map lead. They continued their dominance on Breeze, where FULL SENSE built a commanding 10-2 lead before the half, and sealed the map 13-8 to close out a 2-0 sweep.

With this victory, FULL SENSE advanced to the Grand Finals, where they will compete for the championship on May 17. Global Esports was relegated to the lower bracket.

The Buddhist community mourns the passing of Venerable Luang Pu Bua Geht Patumsiro, former abbot of Wat Pa Pang Kuet Kitti Tham in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai, and former ecclesiastical advisor to the Thammayut sect in the Chiang Mai-Lamphun-Mae Hong Son region. He passed away peacefully at 9:29 AM on May 6, 2025, at Wat Pa Dara Phirom in Chiang Mai at the age of 92, with 72 Buddhist vows years. His health had declined gradually in his final years before his peaceful passing, causing deep sorrow among the faithful, as he was a highly respected meditation master beloved by the people of Northern Thailand. Born on May 31, 1934, in Banglamung District, Chon Buri, with the secular name Bua Geht Kitsupap Sirikul, he was ordained at age 20 at Wat Chong Lom on July 5, 1954. He studied Buddhist texts and became a teacher at Wat Chong Lom's school until 1968. In 1965, he became abbot of Wat Chong Lom in Pattaya, and in 1966, he received the ecclesiastical title "Phra Kru Phiphatthan Bannakij." He later traveled extensively throughout Eastern, Northeastern, and Northern Thailand, studying meditation under renowned masters including Luang Pu Tesk at Wat Hin Mak Peng in Nong Khai and Luang Ta Maha Bua Yannasampanno at Wat Pa Ban Tat in Udorn Thani. He eventually settled in Pang Kuet, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai, and founded several temples throughout Northern Thailand, including Wat Mae Pang, Wat Khao Nok Yung, and Wat Pa Kaew Nan Thon. On June 30, 2023, he was elevated to the rank of Phra Raj Khanakhana (Royal Sangha rank) with the ecclesiastical title Phra Racha Vatch Pathom Khun. In his later years, he suffered from heart disease and neurological complications, receiving royal patronage and care at Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital and Wat Pa Dara Phirom. The royal water sprinkling ceremony over his remains is scheduled for Friday, May 8, 2025.