Thai police announced the dismantling of a Northeast drug trafficking network on May 25, 2025, with Deputy National Police Commissioner General Samran Nualmua and Narcotics Control Board chief Acheyon Kraitong presenting the results. The operation resulted in the arrest of four suspects, seizure of over 20 million methamphetamine pills, and confiscation of six vehicles used in the crimes.

Police, working with the Special Operations Command and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, acted on intelligence regarding a sophisticated teen-based drug courier network operating across regions. The organization sourced drugs from the Northeast border in Loei Province, stored them in rental warehouses, and employed rotating courier teams to transport them to Bangkok. The network continuously changed routes, vehicles, and transportation methods to avoid arrest.

Investigators identified Narasak, 28, as a command-level member responsible for recruiting and hiring teenager couriers to transport drugs from the Northeast border to Bangkok. He was issued a warrant on charges of conspiracy and drug distribution. When arrested, officers found a semi-automatic Glock handgun with ammunition, as well as assets worth approximately 5.5 million baht.

The broader operation resulted in arrests in 11 related cases involving 33 suspects, with 12 additional arrest warrants issued. Police seized over 15.5 million methamphetamine pills, approximately 4,800 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, over 500 kilograms of ketamine, and various other assets.

Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Luwan Saengsinit reported impressive progress on the Thai Help Thai Plus program registration, which exceeded 23.2 million enrollments by 2 p.m. on May 25, 2569. Citizens with no prior experience in government assistance programs need not worry about the 30 million benefit slots filling up during their three-day verification period, as the system automatically reserves their allocation upon successful registration. "People don't need to fear losing benefits while waiting for qualification verification, because the system has already reserved their allocation from the moment they register successfully," Saengsinit stated, adding that those passing verification will definitely receive their benefits with no possibility of losing them due to quota exhaustion.

The Finance Ministry upgraded system capacity from 100,000 to 300,000 transactions per second, with potential expansion to 700,000 per second during peak usage, ensuring stable service with only minor delays in certain periods. Of approximately 1 million merchants from previous iterations, about 400,000 have already confirmed participation, with over 500,000 still needing to confirm through the application by September 30, 2569. New merchants can register at all Krung Thai Bank branches to prepare before benefits commence on June 1.

The ministry is also upgrading the "Money Bag" application with AI technology to help small merchants manage costs, record transactions, and maintain simple accounting, creating reliable financial data that can support loan applications from state banks. Officials highlighted that AI-generated records will serve as important documentation for merchants seeking bank credit, addressing the widespread problem of merchants unable to access financing due to lack of formal financial documentation. The government expects the program to reduce living cost burdens, stimulate spending in the economy, and support purchasing power during a period of continued high energy costs.

On May 25, 2026, the Bureau of the Budget announced June 2026 state welfare benefits, with Thanachoke Rungthipanon, Deputy Director-General of the Bureau of the Budget, serving as spokesperson. Eligible cardholders registered in the 2022 state welfare program can access benefits through their smart ID cards as follows:

Starting June 1, 2026, beneficiaries receive welfare credits for consumer goods and transportation (cannot be withdrawn as cash and do not accumulate in subsequent months): - 1,000 baht per person per month for consumer goods for four months (June–September 2026) - 80 baht per person cooking gas discount for three months (April–June 2026) - 750 baht per person monthly for public transportation (including state buses, trains, BTS, MRT, and participating private buses)

On June 19, 2026: Persons with disabilities holding a disability ID card receiving 800 baht monthly disability allowance will receive an additional 200 baht. Funds are transferred to bank accounts linked to the 13-digit national ID number or accounts authorized to receive the 800 baht disability allowance.

"For questions, contact the State Welfare Card Customer Service Center at 0-2109-2345 or the Bureau of the Budget Call Center at 0-2270-6400 during business hours," the spokesperson said.

The Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand under royal patronage is organizing a youth tennis tournament for players aged 14 and under competing for Asian Grade 2 ranking points in the 'LTA ATP Asian Fourteen and Under (1) 2026' at the National Tennis Development Center in Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi province, with main draw rounds beginning May 25, 2569.

In the women's singles first round (32-player draw), Thai national youth representative Sruda Sudta delivered an outstanding performance, defeating India's Parivita Vedakiri without dropping a single game, winning 6-0 and 6-0.

Sruda advanced to the round of 16, where she will face Vimuttinya Pongsnu, also a Thai national team member and the third seed, who defeated Singapore's Christie Cheng 6-1, 6-0 in the first round.

In the men's singles first round (32-player draw), Thai tennis player Pichyapong Chinnapunpun also secured a victory after defeating Singapore's Brian Hardono 6-2, 6-1 and advanced to the round of 16.

Other results from Thai youth tennis players include: Women's singles first round—Patchrayuda Rangsee defeated Hong Kong's Chloe Robin 6-0, 6-3; Loretta Lee Abrahams defeated American Katelyn Suwah Lee 6-2, 6-2; Jasmine Maneechayangkul defeated Varvara Kuvaitseva (seeded 7) 6-7(1-7), 7-5, 6-4; and Pinmukda Somsri defeated Rattapon Skulreungroach 6-0, 6-0.

Men's singles first round—Patchravuth Anantanasuvoong defeated Singapore's Aidan Ching 6-2, 6-0; Abhivat Krueawun defeated Uzbekistan's Kamronbek Alimov (seeded 5) 6-1, 6-1; and Inthach Supachantrasuk defeated Hong Kong's Maxime Robin 6-2, 6-4.

Summary of the Lao government lottery or Pattana lottery results for May 25, 2569, under the supervision of the Lao Ministry of Finance. Full prize results are as follows: 6-digit prize: XXXXXX 5-digit prize: XXXXX Final 4-digit prize: XXXX Final 3-digit prize: XXX Final 2-digit prize: XX Pattana 5/45 lottery draw for May 25, 2569 The 5/45 format lottery winning numbers are: XX, XX, XX, XX, XX

Lao Lottery Prize Rates and Prize Calculation Methods When checking the Lao lottery, players can calculate their winnings based on their purchase amount in Kip: 4-digit numbers: 6,000 times the purchase amount (example: buying 1,000 kip wins 6,000,000 kip) 3-digit numbers: 500 times the purchase amount (example: buying 1,000 kip wins 500,000 kip) 2-digit numbers: 60 times the purchase amount (example: buying 1,000 kip wins 60,000 kip)

What is the "Lao Lottery" or "Pattana Lottery"? What time does it air? The Lao lottery, officially called the Pattana lottery, is operated by the state-owned Pattana Lottery Company under the supervision of the Lao Ministry of Finance. It is the legally authorized government lottery of Laos.

Lao Lottery Schedule and Viewing Channels Draw days: Monday through Friday, with the 5/45 Pattana lottery drawing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Time: Live broadcast begins at 8:00 PM Thailand time Viewing channels: Lao National Radio and Lao National Television Channel 1 (LNTV)

How to Check the 6-Digit Lao Lottery, 4-Digit Final Numbers, Dream Numbers, and Animal Name Numbers The Lao lottery system begins with a single 6-digit prize drawing but allows multiple prize categories based on regional preference. The most popular format uses the final 4-digit numbers. Additional formats include dream numbers (4/40) and animal name numbers, which are unique to Lao gambling traditions.

Thai folk music group Ponglang Sa-on was forced to temporarily halt its comeback concert in Sweden after the venue became overcrowded during the band's first European performance in nearly 20 years.

The popular group recently reunited and launched a European concert tour, kicking off in Stockholm. However, the show was interrupted after organisers and security officials reportedly struggled to control the large crowd.

Eed Ponglang Sa-on, the group's leader, posted an apology to fans on social media, saying authorities had ordered the performance to stop temporarily for safety reasons. "Sorry to fans in Stockholm. For safety reasons, officials asked us to pause for a while. The venue is overcrowded," he wrote.

Band member Duangrudee 'Lulu' Phonam later said she and fellow member Khwannanpha 'Lala' Ratchata had not yet been able to perform because the crowd had exceeded safe capacity.

Lala later wrote that officials decided to stop the concert because the situation had become difficult to control, with people reportedly climbing into the venue as thousands gathered to watch the show.

In a livestream after the incident, Eed described having "mixed feelings" about the event. "I'm happy to see the power and unity of Thai people living abroad. Many foreigners also came wearing Thai costumes. Some travelled for hours or flew in to see us," he said.

Lala added that the audience had reached "tens of thousands," prompting organisers to end the performance due to safety concerns.