On May 26, 2025, at TK Palace Hotel, Sawaeng Boonmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission (EC), presided over the opening ceremony of the Quality Political Party Curriculum Trainer Workshop, 2nd batch of 2025. Sawaeng stated that while good laws and constitutional reforms are important foundations for legitimate political competition, having sound legislation alone does not guarantee success. He pointed out that despite Thailand having excellent constitutions in 1997 and what was called an "anti-corruption" constitution in 2017, Thai politics has made little progress over nearly 30 years, with corruption indices remaining among ASEAN's worst. Sawaeng emphasized that the real problem lies with people, not laws, and urged against weaponizing democracy for partisan political goals. He stressed that good politics requires three elements: good political players, good voters, and good election administrators. While affirming that Thailand has the world's most transparent electoral system, Sawaeng acknowledged that all three groups face accusations—politicians are accused of vote-buying, citizens still accept payments for votes, and the EC faces questions about impartiality. He noted that the electoral system belongs to the people and called for collective responsibility rather than scapegoating any single institution.

The family of Nawin Tar has been cleared of involvement following clarification from Namphueng (Hisonan'amhuan), his wife, regarding criticism over a 1990s actress's child playing rough and breaking a restaurant's glass door. The restaurant owner initially had a civil conversation with the actress, but when damage costs of over 10,000 baht were presented, the actress stopped responding to calls and messages.

On social media, speculation linked the incident to Nawin Tar, with comments directed at him and criticism extending to the child. A popular social media page hinted at a 1990s-era actress who was once famous but hasn't appeared in recent work, has two children, and confirmed the family is not related to Nawin Tar.

Namphueng went live on social media to address the issue, firmly stating no connection to her own family and expressing sympathy for the child being attacked in comments. She offered to help hire a lawyer for the actress if she wanted to sue those criticizing her child.

Namphueng stated: "People sent me news and everyone wrote 'N.T., N.T.' saying the child broke the glass. I apologize. The child didn't know any better. You can't blame a child. Whether it's our child or someone else's, if they grow up they won't do it again. They don't want their parents to lose money. But adults with negative thoughts sit around criticizing."

She continued: "Don't say the parents taught poorly. Hasn't your child ever made a mistake? Thai society gives chances to people. Those who don't fit society's norms sit commenting for attention. If not, new standards are coming and you'll be sued."

Navin Tar added during the live stream: "If you're going to criticize, criticize the parents, not the child. Don't mention the child."

Namphueng further stated: "If that person is being harassed and criticized in comments, I will help them file a lawsuit myself. Stop saying the child wasn't educated, wasn't disciplined—blame the parents, not the child."

She concluded: "This makes me angry, not because of our child, but because you're talking about a child. Don't say the child wasn't taught. Don't criticize the child. How old are they?"

Namphueng announced her willingness to fund a lawsuit for the parents: "Today I can speak because we have money to hire a lawyer. But if that child's parents are facing financial difficulties right now, they might not have money to sue commenters. I want to announce here that I'm willing to send a lawyer to help them file a lawsuit. This would set a standard for Thai society and stop strange criticism that traumatizes children. Because your comment today is online, when the child grows up and searches, it becomes part of their history, their family's history. If it were your family, you wouldn't want this to happen."

Music News - The five-member boy group LYKN teams up with actress BOW Maylada on a surprise new T-POP single 'Lokhmong' (You Shine I Choose), delivering vibrant energy and brightness. RISER MUSIC announces this special collaboration project bringing together the five members of LYKN with actress BOW Maylada (Bow-Melda Susree) for the single 'Lokhmong' (You Shine I Choose). LYKN states: "'Lokhmong' (You Shine I Choose) is a T-POP style track with a fun, energetic beat that everyone recognizes. But this time we're especially excited because we got to collaborate with our senior BOW, who came to add color and depth to the song, making it radiant and vibrant. The song's story is about searching for the right person, encountering many people and attractions along the way, but ultimately finding just one person who stands out so much that the heart chooses instantly, leading to fully committing with 'Lokhmong.' On the day of the music video shoot, before stepping onto set, BOW chatted with us and was so charming and friendly. Once we got to the set, the director had everything run smoothly, and we had a blast. BOW was amazing at singing, acting, and dancing. We gave our all to match her level. We hope all our fans will keep following and watching LYKN's new single 'Lokhmong' (You Shine I Choose) Feat. BOW Maylada." Follow LYKN's new work with the single 'Lokhmong' (You Shine I Choose) Feat. BOW Maylada on YouTube: LYKN and on all music streaming platforms.

BANGKOK — On May 26, 2026, former Formula One driver Mika Salo disclosed that he required 28 stitches to close a deep leg wound from a suspected knife attack by a passing motorcycle rider while crossing a Bangkok street.

Salo, 59, told Finnish media the attack happened Tuesday evening near his hotel as he crossed at a pedestrian crossing. He initially felt only a slight impact and continued walking until a bystander alerted him that blood was streaming down his leg. Looking down, he discovered his shoe was soaked in blood.

The former Ferrari substitute driver was taken by taxi to a nearby hospital, where doctors discovered a deep open wound to his calf. Salo explained that doctors had to stitch both muscle and skin separately—eight stitches in the muscle and 20 in the skin—totaling 28 stitches.

Doctors suspected a knife or sharp object caused the injury, as the wound was deep, clean, and straight, according to Salo's account to Finnish media. However, Thai authorities have not independently confirmed the exact cause.

Salo also reported that hospital staff told him several other patients had been treated for similar slash wounds that same evening and overnight, with some possibly occurring in the same area near his hotel. This suggests the incident may not have been isolated.

No official Thai police statement has confirmed whether the reported cases were connected or if a suspect has been identified.

"If this was intentional, they only tried to injure me," Salo was quoted as saying, noting that the outcome could have been far worse if the blade had struck a vital area.

Salo said he has been returning to the hospital for wound cleaning and dressing changes while taking antibiotics during his recovery in Bangkok. He praised Thailand's medical care, calling the doctors and hospitals efficient and professional.

Salo raced in Formula One from 1994 to 2002 for teams including Lotus, Tyrrell, Arrows, BAR, Ferrari, Sauber, and Toyota. He is best remembered for substituting for an injured Michael Schumacher at Ferrari during six races in the 1999 season.

On May 26, 2569, Education Minister Prasert Jantarawongtong discussed the issue of children consuming excessive amounts of social media, resulting in diminished ability to focus on specific activities—a concern for society as a whole. Research shows that Thai children spend significant time on social media and watching short videos, causing attention span problems. The minister emphasized this is not a matter of blaming children or the platforms, but rather a challenge of the digital age. The Education Ministry considers this an urgent priority requiring immediate action to ensure Thai children develop into quality individuals.

The ministry is pursuing a two-track solution informed by models from other countries. For younger children whose brains are still developing, protective measures are necessary. For older children, instruction in proper digital technology skills and AI literacy is required. These are the ministry's responsibilities. The minister stated he will consult with relevant agencies promptly to increase children's focus and encourage appropriate social media use.

The minister acknowledged the serious concern that dangerous content is entering social media platforms and being consumed by youth. The ministry has implemented safety centers in schools working alongside student rights centers and education personnel to coordinate efforts. Going forward, there must be discussions about platform safety protocols, including age restrictions for accessing various platforms.

At 9:00 AM on May 26, 2025, at Parliament, Prasit Chawansakul, a list-based MP and deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, gave an interview regarding 89 senators who gathered to issue a statement criticizing Nattapong Ruangpanya-wit, a list-based senator and Pheu Thai Party leader, for alleged references to the "blue regime." Prasit used the opportunity to call on the public to monitor another group of over 130 senators whose names appear in Investigation Committee 16's report of the Election Commission (EC). That committee has voted to recommend that the EC refer the case to court to prosecute 229 people for senate vote-buying. This group includes over 130 senators plus a network of political party members, ministers, and national-level politicians—totaling over 90 additional individuals.

Prasit stated that the EC must make a decision within one month on whether to follow the investigation committee's recommendation and refer the case to court, or to dismiss and close it. The evidence in the committee's file includes numerous ballot numbers that are identical—contradicting mathematical probability—along with evidence of meetings, joint travel, financial trails, and hiring arrangements. This constitutes sufficiently strong evidence to warrant court review.

Comparing this to the red-number case 53/2568 from the past, the EC previously referred a case to court where the judge found guilt based solely on LINE chat messages between two individuals discussing vote trades. Given the far more substantial evidence in the current case, questions would arise if the EC decides not to refer it.

Should the EC vote against referral, it would invite accusations and prompt public questions about whether four of seven EC commissioners—who were endorsed by senators named in this case—are influencing the decision.