At 10:30 AM on May 7, 2025, Chatpraorn Niyom, Governor of Chachoengsao Province, ordered Pornthep Ajarbanditgul, Deputy Governor of Chachoengsao, to lead a coordinated team including local administrative officials, military personnel, the Provincial Buddhism Office, and volunteer rangers to inspect two prominent temples in Panom Sarakham District following complaints that they had become gathering spots for youth engaging in drug use from both the district and surrounding areas.

During the first temple inspection, which housed 14 monks, officials requested urine tests from all residents. One monk, Phra Kitti, who had been ordained for 8 years and exhibited suspicious behavior, tested positive for drug use. He confessed but requested permission to extend his ordination by one year before arrest, a request authorities denied. A subsequent search of his quarters revealed shocking conditions resembling a trash heap, with empty plastic bottles and rotting rice bags creating foul odors throughout.

Inside his room, authorities discovered kratom water containers, methamphetamine paraphernalia scattered across the floor, a pot for boiling kratom water in front of his quarters, and four bottles of kratom water—two in a refrigerator and two in a foam cooler. Officials seized the evidence and escorted Phra Kitti for defrocking proceedings. A 29-year-old man named Manas, found sitting nearby, also tested positive for methamphetamine and admitted to drug use.

At the second temple, authorities intercepted a suspect attempting to flee on a black sidecar motorcycle (Bangkok plate วฉก 551). A search of his black shoulder bag revealed 11 methamphetamine pills in a clear plastic bag. The suspect, identified as Sommassit, 26, admitted to selling methamphetamine to monks at the temple. Subsequent investigation led to the apprehension of two additional monks from the temple who had purchased and used methamphetamine. All suspects were referred for prosecution.

A hardworking 45-year-old man was fatally struck by lightning while working in a sugarcane field, having taken the job to earn money for his 9-year-old daughter's school uniform before classes resumed. At 2 p.m. on May 7, 2025, police and rescue teams responded to reports of a lightning strike victim in a sugarcane field in Don Mon subdistrict, Satuk district, Buriram Province. They found the body of Sunthorn, 45, lying unconscious with burn marks and a shovel beside him. Despite emergency CPR, he died before reaching Satuk Hospital.

According to a witness, Sai, 67, the sugarcane farm owner had hired 17 workers to clear grass at 300 baht each. Sai had invited Sunthorn, a son-in-law in the village, knowing he was desperately raising money to buy a complete school uniform—pants, shirt, and shoes—for his daughter in fourth grade before the semester opened. After lunch, as dark clouds gathered, Sunthorn went to retrieve his shovel near a tree despite warnings from others about the approaching storm. The moment he picked up the metal shovel, lightning struck with a loud crack, and he collapsed.

A local resident, Kiang, 60, recalled that Sunthorn had been a productive member of the community for eight years, always working hard and taking any job available to support his family.

On May 7, 2026, reporters received a complaint from Ladda (name withheld), 49, and her 78-year-old mother Prasit (name withheld), who suffers from cancer and kidney disease. They came to seek public sympathy after facing repeated hardships while arranging the funeral for their brother Shuchisd (name withheld), 55, who had recently passed away.

Ladda tearfully explained that their family is extremely poor. When their brother died, they didn't even have proper government documents, forcing them to seek help from a relief foundation to obtain copies of their national ID cards to submit to the Nakhon Rangsit Funeral Assistance Association. Their brother had been contributing to this fund for five to six years, with the expectation of receiving 20,000-30,000 baht as agreed upon to cover funeral expenses.

Yesterday, Ladda brought her seriously ill mother—suffering from both cancer and kidney disease—to the association office for a scheduled appointment, hoping to receive the funds to pay for the funeral arrangements. However, they were left waiting for hours under the intense heat. Her mother complained of thirst, back pain, and severe abdominal pain. The response they received was disheartening: officials claimed that "Decha," the only person authorized to make decisions, was unavailable and unreachable, and was supposedly in Chiang Mai.

"What hurt our family the most was when the official told us to go borrow money from others to pay first," Ladda said. "These days, people won't even lend a hundred baht. Where are we supposed to get money to pay the temple's funeral bills? This money is genuinely ours—we've been paying for years. But when we finally need it, it's like we're begging at their doorstep."

The body of Shuchisd is currently lying in state at Rangsit Temple, with the funeral rites scheduled for today (May 7) at 4:00 PM. The family remains anxious about how they will cover the temple's various expenses. Ladda emphasized that they are not asking for the entire amount at once—they simply need the initial funds they were promised to lay their brother's spirit to rest.

Managing Director Narathnari Rattaphat of Sukhumvit Asset Management Company Limited (SAM) and senior management attended the 26th Bangkok Financial Festival, Money Expo 2026, held May 7-10. The official booth opening at booth M9 in the Challenger Hall 1-2 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani was attended by Bank of Thailand Governor Withaya Rattanakorn, event chairman Santichai Viriyarangkul, and event organizer Prakani Viriyarangkul.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has joined forces with leading partners including NEXTOPIA Siam Paragon, Megatix Thailand, Bolt, and Sanook.com to invite modern workers to travel and explore remote work locations across 17 central provinces under the 'Work Wonder Belong' campaign.

The campaign transforms ordinary workdays into special moments by discovering new workspaces amidst relaxing and inspiring atmospheres that foster creativity and boost work efficiency. It curates products and services matching modern lifestyles, from accommodations and attractions to co-working spaces ideal for remote work, plus services enabling seamless work-from-anywhere setups. This supports the emerging trend blending work and travel, offering a fresh perspective on central Thailand's tourism appeal from May 1 to July 25, 2025.

Wannapha Keartpong, TAT Central Region Director, noted that many Thai organizations now adopt hybrid and remote work models to meet employee quality-of-life expectations and modern workers' aspirations. This enables weekday travel and has created growing demand for 'workation'—combining work with tourism. The trend includes 'weekend extenders,' stretching weekends without using vacation days, boosting travel opportunities while stimulating tourism in provinces near Bangkok, particularly the central region with convenient access and strong infrastructure for remote work.

TAT and partners have curated tourist attractions, hotels, activities, and co-working spaces suited for combined work and travel, offering discounts and special privileges to encourage weekday travel across major cities and attractions in central Thailand. The campaign aims to enhance work-tourism integration and create innovative travel experiences for today's workforce.

Chanisa Kaewruean, Creative and Innovation Executive at Siam Piwat Company, stated that NEXTOPIA is pleased to support this campaign promoting modern workers' lifestyles blending work and travel. NEXTOPIA opens its spaces as destinations for work, relaxation, and socializing in an inspiring atmosphere in central Bangkok, encouraging travel and lifestyle outside traditional offices.

The campaign offers multiple promotions: shopping at Siam Paragon mall to earn rewards with credit card cashback up to 22%, plus NEXTOPIA provides shopping, dining, and drinking coupons with discounts up to 200 baht in the NEXTOPIA Zone. Thai tourists can present the campaign banner or mention news of the 'Work Wonder Belong' campaign along with an ID card at Information Counters (G Floor North side, 1st Floor Star Dome, and 5th Floor NEXTOPIA).

Pun Pun Sutatta has become an icon of the spiritual devotion trend after sharing tips on worshipping the Trimurti statue for love, which led to her meeting an attractive, successful boyfriend—and now countless people are following her lead. Recently, she opened up about the truth: she's not actually a hardcore spiritual person or into occult practices, but simply believes in peace of mind. She revealed how she went to great lengths to find a fortune teller's phone number to get additional tips, which she then shared on social media, causing the trend to go viral.

She also disclosed that her current love life is happy without expecting a fairy-tale prince. Her boyfriend is a private person who dislikes media attention. When asked if she's become the symbol of spiritual devotion, she laughed it off: "In reality, I'm not that spiritual. But because of what happened that day, I tracked down the fortune teller's number—I had nothing, no contacts, nothing. When I called, he didn't remember me at first because we met at a birthday party. I sent him a video clip to refresh his memory, and he remembered. I asked if he had any additional tips or tricks to share. Since I'd only shared what the fortune teller told me initially, he gave me more tips, and I made another video to share."

When asked if lots of people are following her lead, she noted: "Probably a lot. The flowers are selling really well—supporting local Thai businesses. Initially, 100 flowers were ordered, and now it's 128. We're adding meaningful items like compasses, globes, and watches. The idea is that no matter where he is in the world, he'll find us. The clock spins with time as we pray, and the compass ensures we won't get lost. Each item has its own meaning."

She emphasized that this is her first time doing something like this and that she's not naturally superstitious. "When I pray, I pray as a whole for my entire life. I'm happier that way. I'm not a secretive person—I'll go pray at any temple anyone invites me to, but I've never consulted fortune tellers before. The fortune teller said if you do it, it has to work, so I distributed the blessings hoping no one would feel lonely."

Regarding whether she went to pray to find another partner, she joked: "Oh please, stop. You alone are already exhausted."

When asked about her current relationship, she said: "It's excellent. We live life well without any problems."

Giving it a grade, she answered: "A++? We have to say it's good. If we say it's not good, it won't be good. We have to think that everything is good."

Her advice for others: "Don't go looking for a perfect person or checking off a checklist. Make the person you're with happy. Don't have too many expectations. I'm not a princess, so I don't expect a prince. No one is perfect. Nobody is perfect."