Permanent Secretary of Interior Ministry Discusses Southern Gulf Coast Regional Development Proposal Before Cabinet Mobile Meeting in Songkhla, Emphasizing Coordination and Linkages Among Provincial Groups to Maximize Public Benefits. On May 14, 2025, at the Ministry of Interior, Arthit Sampatharatana, Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, chaired a meeting to prepare development proposals for the southern Gulf coast regional group (Songkhla, Surat Thani, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Phatthalung) and the southern border provincial group, with multiple senior government officials participating alongside provincial governors who joined via online systems.

Artthit stated that Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul conceived the idea during his recent visit managing flood situations in Hat Yai district, Songkhla in late 2024, proposing the first formal cabinet mobile meeting (cabinet on the move) in Songkhla province. The meeting aims to allow the cabinet, government agencies, and private sector to jointly propose development plans for the southern Gulf coast region, particularly drawing lessons from the flood disaster management in Hat Yai and strengthening early warning systems and disaster management capabilities, while also ensuring comprehensive basic infrastructure development that benefits the public most effectively, with proposals and projects coordinated across the provincial group.

Artthit further explained that the Ministry of Interior is collaborating with the National Economic and Social Development Council, the Government Secretariat's Office, and the Budget Bureau to prepare for the first cabinet mobile meeting in 2025, scheduled for June 8-9 in Songkhla province, by conducting an integrated development meeting for the southern Gulf coast regional group via online systems with governors of five provinces: Songkhla, Surat Thani, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Phatthalung, along with relevant network partners from government, local administrations, academics, private sector, and civil society, to present development agendas to the cabinet meeting.

Artthit noted that following this preparatory meeting, the National Economic and Social Development Council, Budget Bureau, and Interior Ministry will conduct field reviews to refine and strengthen project proposals before an integrated public-private sector meeting for southern Gulf coast development, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, who oversees the region, at Government House. Subsequently, on June 8, there will be coordination meetings with provincial governors and private sector representatives in the southern Gulf coast regional area.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachai Panitchpakdi presided over the opening of the "Thailand Pavilion," a promotional booth for Thailand's film and video industry, at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in the International Village in Cannes, France. The event was attended by Culture Minister Surasak Khadiengcham, Commerce Ministry Permanent Secretary Wuthichai Leeveraphan, and other government and entertainment industry officials alongside renowned filmmakers and actors.

Supachai stated at the opening ceremony that Thailand's film and video industry is a high-potential creative sector capable of generating economic value, creating income and employment opportunities, and connecting to related industries. He emphasized that cinema serves as a vital tool for promoting national identity, culture, and image while building networks and expanding markets internationally. Participation in the Cannes Film Festival represents a crucial step in advancing Thai cinema on the global stage, building confidence with international partners, and creating continuous opportunities for Thai films to gain international recognition.

Supachai further praised the government's integrated cooperation among the Culture Ministry, Commerce Ministry, Tourism and Sports Ministry, and Foreign Ministry, along with public and private sector participation, in positioning Thailand's film industry as a major player on the world stage. This coordinated effort opens new opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs and drives sustainable growth in the country's creative economy.

Culture Minister Surasak Khadiengcham outlined the ministry's strategy to promote Thai cultural content on the global stage under the "Content Thailand" concept through public-private partnerships. She congratulated two Thai films selected for the festival: "9 Temples to Heaven," competing in the Directors' Fortnight category, and "What Do You Seek in the Dark?," selected for Critics' Week.

Thailand also organized the Thai Pitch program, presenting three selected film projects to international investors, producers, and industry representatives. Additionally, the country coordinated activities with leading industry media to further exchange ideas and expand international collaborations.

On May 14, 2025 at 11:00 AM, Parliament held a questioning session chaired by Sompon Saramae where opposition lawmaker and Deputy Democrat Party leader Piyarut Jongtep questioned Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul regarding the arrest of Chinese national Ming Chen Sun for possessing military weapons. Deputy Interior Minister Jetsada Thaiset responded on the PM's behalf.

Piyarut stated the case was significant, noting it resulted from a traffic accident during heavy rain rather than intelligence work—when traffic police discovered the weapons-laden truck after the accident, leading to the arrest. He criticized the fragmented response from various agencies and questioned whether the government would acknowledge systemic failure in intelligence and security operations.

Piyarut highlighted three similar cases involving military weapons and assassinations, expressing concern about government or military official involvement, particularly noting a warrant issued for a navy officer in the Ming Chen Sun case. He asked whether investigators would pursue background connections and accountability for state officials who may have enabled weapons trafficking.

Deputy Interior Minister Jetsada clarified that intelligence agencies confirmed the suspect traveled across five to six countries, but found no indicators of terrorist planning or organizational backing based on international inquiries. While declining to call it a "failure," he acknowledged potential gaps in inter-agency coordination and stated the PM has directed efforts to minimize such gaps. Jetsada revealed the Justice Minister will elevate the case to special status, enabling full inter-agency integration in the investigation.

Female YouTuber Petch (Instagram: petchz) has caught people's attention with her latest post about a past relationship she eventually revealed was with Tray Scott. The relationship was once good and comfortable, but ultimately couldn't continue, leaving her both heartbroken and confused. Only recently, after learning about the other side of his life story, has she come to understand the reasons why. She expressed sympathy for him as a fellow human, emphasizing that such situations shouldn't happen to anyone.

In her post, she reflected: "I want to share a story from last year. We had a good relationship with someone, and I gave him my heart completely. I loved who he was, loved listening when he talked about things he cared about, loved his passion for what he enjoyed. Every moment we spent together felt comfortable—like I could just float. Being around him felt at ease, without thinking about gender, status, or anything else. When the relationship reached a point where it couldn't continue, I was devastated and quite hurt. I never understood what happened, couldn't grasp why something that had been good all along suddenly felt meaningless to him. I was filled with confusion, anger, and sadness.

But when today came, after hearing and learning many things alongside everyone else, piecing the story together, I cried without knowing how I should feel. Understanding why things turned out that way, my own pain seemed small compared to everything he's been through in his life. Behind every smile, hug, warmth, kindness, silence, coldness, cruelty, joy, or sorrow, we can never truly know what someone's background is or what they've experienced. Even though we're no longer in contact, I now feel deep sympathy for him as a fellow human being. This shouldn't happen to anyone, and I hope no one else has to go through something like this."

The Private Sector Tripartite Committee, through its Zero Corruption Task Force, has released a private sector opinion survey on transparency in government operations based on responses from 401 business executives and sector representatives nationwide between March 26 and April 10, 2025.

The survey found that corruption remains a structural crisis severely damaging Thailand's business environment. Key findings include: 89.1% of businesses view corruption as a moderate to major obstacle to operations; 51.2% believe corruption trends have worsened over the past three years; and 51% report increased difficulty in dealing with government agencies, with only 3% reporting improvement.

Direct experiences from the business sector reveal troubling patterns: 60.9% of permit applicants encountered hints or requests for compensation during their most recent application; 45.9% of companies confirmed paying money, gifts, or benefits to officials for convenience; and 37.3% acknowledged paying extra fees to win government contracts, averaging 11-15% of contract value.

Common bribe formats include cash (46.6%), gifts or entertaining (23.1%), and donations or sponsorships (18.7%). In recent bidding processes, 27.3% reported claims from individuals promising to help them win, while 27.3% received hints to use intermediaries or consultants.

Business leaders cited complex procedures (29.1%), excessive legal discretion (25.0%), and addressing procedural violations (18.8%) as main reasons for paying bribes. Alarmingly, 52.3% of businesses lack confidence in government whistleblowing channels, and 43.7% stated they "don't dare report" even when solicited for benefits.

The survey marks the first time agency-level data has been released, ranking government units by bribery risk. Highway Police and Traffic Police topped the list with a 100% rate of compensation requests (1.69 contacts annually). Other high-risk agencies included the Justice System excluding courts (94.4%), Subdistrict Administrative Organizations (91.7%), Port Authority (90.0%), and Department of Highways (82.0%). The Department of Pollution Control showed the highest average bribe amount at 102,160 baht per instance.

Actress Cheer Tiwakorn Explains Instagram Comment and Requests Deletion; Mind Stands Firm Against Supporting Misconduct

Several celebrities and public figures have come forward to explain why they commented or liked a post on Mind Labbisall's Instagram, where she detailed family issues involving her husband and brother-in-law. Among them is actress Cheer Tiwakorn Ritthaa-aphirun, who posted an explanation about why she deleted her comment.

Cheer stated she wanted to demonstrate her firm stance against any form of misconduct. She requested to delete the comment to avoid misunderstanding and made clear that regardless of gender or age, no one deserves to be subjected to trauma that impacts their quality of life. She sent her support to help those affected get through this difficult time.

While her original intention in commenting was to encourage her pregnant sister-in-law, as she was concerned about the unborn child, Cheer apologized if it caused misunderstanding and thanked people for pointing out the inappropriateness. She acknowledged this and took responsibility for her part.

Although Cheer cares for and loves Mind and her family, this does not mean she should judge what is right or wrong in this matter. She urged everyone to move past this painful situation quickly.

Most importantly, Cheer emphasized the need for thoughtful and respectful comments. If someone posts disrespectfully or crosses the line, they may face consequences—not just for Cheer's post, but for anyone involved. She reminded people that we are all recipients of information, and explanations are family matters requiring caution.