Deputy Prime Minister Pokkhrong Nila-praphan chaired the first meeting of a fact-finding and legal review committee investigating fraud in civil service recruitment exams for local government positions in 2568, held at Government House on July 8, 2025. Attendees included the Justice Minister, the Prime Minister's Office Secretary-General, the National Police Commissioner, Cabinet Secretary, Civil Service Commission Secretary-General, and other relevant officials.

Pokkhrong emphasized that this matter is critically important, as local governance is a fundamental pillar of Thailand's democratic system with the Monarchy at its head. He stated that the issue extends beyond law and regulations—it undermines public confidence in local governance processes and violates constitutional principles of decentralized power and ethical administration standards outlined in Article 251 of the Constitution.

"This is not a minor matter," Pokkhrong said. "It's like a malignant cancer destroying the local government system. If left unchecked, it could cause irreparable damage to our decentralization efforts, which are a cornerstone of the Constitution."

He instructed the committee to identify systemic weaknesses and close loopholes to prevent future misconduct. Pokkhrong called on the National Anti-Corruption Commission to pursue criminal cases in parallel with disciplinary proceedings and the Civil Service Commission to rigorously enforce ethical standards—noting that violations are severe enough to disqualify individuals from government positions.

Pokkhrong stressed that ethical standards enforcement must be comprehensive and uncompromising. Anyone entering the system through fraudulent means to make a living has no place in politics. He tasked the Decentralization Committee and the Prime Minister's Office to remain vigilant and directed the Civil Service Commission to address ethical breaches with full severity, as such violations can disqualify even cabinet ministers.

The committee will establish a work timeline and framework today, though deadlines can be extended given public interest. Additional joint committees may be established to handle the matter.

Chiang Mai – Nakornping Hospital has partnered with Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) to launch 'Every Purchase is a Gift of Hope,' inviting the public to support quality, safe food products at special prices. All net proceeds will be directed toward purchasing medical equipment and supplies to enhance patient care at Nakornping Hospital. The campaign runs July 6-8, 2025, from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM at the hospital's multipurpose grounds in Chiang Mai Province.

The event will be opened by Saowakun Piasupong, Deputy Director of Administration at Nakornping Hospital, along with hospital management and Chaanchay Channorong, CPF's Northern Regional Manager.

Saowakun Piasupong, Deputy Director of Administration at Nakornping Hospital, stated that 'Every Purchase is a Gift of Hope' is a collaborative initiative that gives the public an opportunity to support the development of medical services at Nakornping Hospital. The proceeds will be used to procure necessary medical equipment and supplies, and enhance the hospital's capacity to provide more effective patient care. She invites Chiang Mai residents and the general public to purchase quality food products at the event and participate in supporting patient care.

'Every Purchase is a Gift of Hope' is one of several campaigns CPF is conducting with hospitals nationwide to improve public health systems through the purchase of quality food products. Proceeds from the campaign support each hospital's operations, including the acquisition of medical equipment and supplies, facility repairs and improvements, and strengthening hospital capacity to respond to emergencies such as floods and earthquakes. This underscores CPF's commitment to standing alongside communities and continuously improving the quality of life for Thai people.

On July 8, Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), revealed after a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Porkorn Nilprapanh that the committee has made significant decisions to reform renewable energy power purchase guidelines from the private sector, ensuring fairness to consumers and reflecting true costs in line with government policy.

The committee identified the core problem: perpetual power purchase agreements for small and very small renewable energy plants (SPP/VSPP)—both solar and wind—signed between the government and private sector in the past feature automatic renewal upon contract expiration. Additionally, the original buyback rates reference wholesale prices plus fuel adjustment charges (FT) exceeding 3 baht per unit, despite these plants having no actual fuel costs since they generate electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar.

The committee has adjusted the new buyback rate to align with current, cheaper technology, using the community solar project rate of 2.16 baht per unit. This will initially apply to solar cell plants, which have clear benchmark pricing, while wind power plants will receive a separately determined rate.

Danucha outlined the committee's approach, divided into two groups:

1. Plants completing their 25-year contracts (approximately 515 contracts totaling roughly 2,400 megawatts): These currently have automatic 3-5 year renewals. The new resolution eliminates automatic renewal, allowing only one additional extension matching the original contract term (3 or 5 years) at 2.16 baht per unit. Upon expiration, contracts terminate immediately.

2. Plants that have received subsidies (Adder) for 10 years but have not reached 25-year expiration (approximately 46 contracts with around 1,478 megawatts already operational): These are considered cost-recovered from the subsidy period, so remaining contract years will be adjusted to 2.16 baht per unit.

For non-operational plants (4 contracts, 67 megawatts total) exceeding their commercial operation date by 2 years with no progress, contract cancellation will be considered case-by-case.

When asked about electricity rate reductions, Danucha stated no precise figures are yet available, but reducing FT to reflect true costs will benefit overall public electricity rates. The new price structure removes the FT component to reflect current actual costs, as renewable technology prices have dropped significantly.

The Office of Energy Policy and Planning (OEPP) and the Energy Regulatory Commission are calculating the exact electricity rate reduction resulting from the contract revisions, with baseline rate reductions possibly not occurring immediately.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachee Pasmapunpipat has revealed the results of a recent field visit to Ratchaburi province, where she observed the high-value aromatic coconut development model of Aromatic Farm, an example of elevating Thai agriculture from volume-based to premium products. The Commerce Ministry is promoting the Harmony Model as a blueprint for upgrading the country's agricultural industry across the entire supply chain by encouraging farmers to produce appropriate crops, find market buyers, and ensure products meet food security needs.

Under this model, farmers will be incentivized to produce according to market demand while meeting quality standards and quantity targets. Standards may include Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) for community-certified organic farming, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), organic certification, or geographic indication (GI) registration. Once farmers produce the right products and secure markets, they must expand membership while motivating participants with incentives to maintain quality standards and continuously seek new markets to address the typical blind spot where farmers focus only on production.

Regarding Aromatic Farm, which serves as a prototype for the Harmony Model concept, Supachee noted discussions with founder Nuallaew Thedkiatkul revealed that the farm receives year-round orders from prestigious national companies, hotels, and organizations with strong business growth. The farmer network operates cohesively and has added value through circular economy initiatives and valued waste concepts to create price stability and sustainable income. Most notably, it has partnered with government agencies to pursue carbon credit opportunities.

The operation has also established farmer networks with training programs aligned toward the shared goal of producing quality goods in agreed quantities. A central platform provides knowledge to members from upstream (cultivation and care), midstream (water-splitting techniques, meat extraction, product processing including gelatin, yogurt, and ice cream), with follow-up monitoring before new members join Aromatic Farm. Simultaneously, price stability and sustainable farmer income are achieved through circular economy promotion, emphasizing valued waste by repurposing coconut shells, husks, and residual materials into biochar and value-added products like packaging materials, fuel, eco-friendly products, and alternative energy in collaboration with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), while facilitating access to funding through the Thai SME Development Bank.

Gold prices continued their downward trend on July 8, 2569, as announced by the Thai Gold Association. Ornamental gold prices fell 150 baht compared to July 7, settling at 65,800 baht per baht for selling. According to the latest announcement from the Gold Association at 09:01 AM, gold bars are being bought at 64,800 baht and sold at 65,000 baht per baht. Ornamental gold of 96.5% purity is being bought at 63,505.24 baht and sold at 65,800 baht per baht. Meanwhile, global gold spot prices remain at $4,111.00 per ounce. Gold traders predict that prices could surge by 1,000-2,000 baht per baht tomorrow, potentially breaking through the 80,000 baht mark. Leading gold merchants recommend careful timing when purchasing gold.

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