The Cabinet's decision to 'not endorse' the constitutional amendment draft on Article 256 and Section 15/1 to pave the way for appointing Constitutional Drafting Assembly members is drawing scrutiny. This goes beyond simply letting the draft languish in the process—it signals the government's stance toward the more than 21 million voters who approved a new constitution in the referendum.

The February 8, 2026 referendum result represents a clear political mandate: despite over 11 million opposing votes, 21.6 million voted in favor, reflecting substantial social consensus that the 2017 Constitution has fundamental problems requiring a complete overhaul rather than piecemeal amendments.

Logically, the next step after the referendum should have been advancing the constitutional amendment to enable the assembly to proceed. Instead, the government chose not to endorse the original draft while offering no clarity on whether or when a new draft would be proposed.

From the ruling coalition's perspective, delays may serve political calculations, but procrastination carries its own political costs. The government attempts to justify the delay by citing urgent needs to address economic problems, energy crises, and cost-of-living issues first, but this explanation rings hollow. In practice, constitutional reform and economic fixes can advance simultaneously—they're not mutually exclusive.

This contradiction becomes glaring when the government is simultaneously pushing forward with a 400-billion-baht emergency loan decree for economic relief while providing no constitutional roadmap. This raises questions about how seriously the government takes the people's voice.

The Bhumjaithai Party, as a leading government coalition member, cannot escape responsibility for this. Constitutional reform is not merely a political promise—it's a matter on which the people have clearly expressed their will through the referendum. If the government remains indifferent and allows the constitutional reform process to stall further, public dissatisfaction may gradually accumulate and eventually erupt as broader political pressure. Ultimately, this could become a new flashpoint of conflict that directly threatens the stability of the Bhumjaithai-led government.

On May 10, Japanese influencer and mother Yoriko went viral after posting photos with a same-aged female friend who shares a striking facial resemblance. Yoriko playfully joked that their ancestors might be connected by blood, noting that both are mothers of two children with identical family compositions—each has one son and one daughter. The photos showed them wearing matching green outfits with similar hairstyles, hair color, and facial structures, leading many netizens to marvel at their twin-like appearance.

However, after the post garnered over 8 million views on X (formerly Twitter), negative comments flooded in. Some critics argued their similarity wasn't genetic but rather the result of using the same cosmetic surgery clinic, with harsh comments like "they're not relatives, they look like they came out of the same factory." Others suggested they simply weren't that similar—just styled identically with matching clothes and hairstyles.

Instead of responding emotionally, Yoriko handled the controversy with maturity. She posted another photo with her friend by a pool, smiling brightly, and acknowledged that she never expected the image to become such a hot topic online. She expressed gratitude for the attention while asking people to avoid making unfounded assumptions. She also appealed to social media users to refrain from posting false information anonymously and called for greater respect in online spaces.

Many praised Yoriko's gracious and dignified response, appreciating that she chose civility over emotional retaliation against the negative comments.

On May 10, 2025, the Thai Meteorological Department announced Weather Advisory No. 11 (60/2569) regarding unstable atmospheric conditions affecting Thailand through May 10. Northern Thailand will continue experiencing thunderstorms, strong gusty winds, and heavy rainfall in some areas, particularly in the North. Cooler air temperatures are expected as high-pressure systems and cold air masses from China move over the Northeast and South China Sea, combined with southerly and southeasterly winds carrying moisture from the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea into upper Thailand.

Easterly winds strengthening over the South and Gulf of Thailand will bring heavy rainfall to some areas in the southern region. Residents are advised to stay alert for dangers from thunderstorms and strong winds by avoiding open areas, large trees, weak structures, and unstable billboards. Heavy rainfall may cause flash flooding and forest runoff. Farmers should reinforce fruit trees and prepare to protect agricultural products and livestock. The public is encouraged to monitor their health during this weather transition period.

Forecast for the next 24 hours: Northern Thailand will continue experiencing thunderstorms in 70% of areas with strong gusty winds and heavy rainfall, particularly in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, Phayao, Tak, Mae Hong Son, Lamphun, and Lampang provinces. Minimum temperatures 21-24°C, maximum 32-37°C, with southeasterly winds 10-15 km/h.

The Northeast will be hot with 20% thunderstorm coverage, mainly in Loei, Nong Bua Lamphu, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Surin, Sisaket, and Ubon Ratchathani. Temperatures 22-25°C minimum, 34-36°C maximum, with northeasterly winds 10-30 km/h.

Central Thailand will be hot with 40% thunderstorm coverage and some strong wind gusts, affecting areas including Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, and Samut provinces.

Amid climate variability and the Super El Niño phenomenon causing extreme weather changes, Thailand must prepare to manage water resources adequately for consumption and agriculture. Sri Thoe Subdistrict in Mae Jai District, Phayao Province, faces chronic problems with irregular rainfall and severe dry-season water shortages, while having no storage facilities during flooding seasons. The Royal Irrigation Department is now advancing the "Huai Mae Jai (Huai Hok) Reservoir Project" to ensure sustainable water security and revitalize farming communities, initiated by a public request letter.

Lieutenant Colonel Surachit Duangjanthorn, chairman of the Huai Mae Jai water users group, stated that in July 2013, water users formally submitted a letter to the Royal Irrigation Department requesting construction of the reservoir to store water for both consumption and agriculture, as over 80 percent of the area lies outside irrigation zones. He emphasized that "with the Huai Mae Jai reservoir, residents will have reliable drinking water, farmers can plan their planting schedules, water can be stored during flooding season to mitigate flood damage, and risks of drought from increasingly severe weather changes can be reduced."

Darini Chaiyaphet, environmental impact consultant for the Royal Irrigation Department, stated that the department has collaborated with government agencies, local organizations, and communities to thoroughly study the project and found it viable through reservoir construction. The project is expected to take three years to complete with a budget of 490.31 million baht, including 47.22 million baht for land and property compensation. The project shows strong economic value, with farmer household income projected to increase from 7,874 baht per rai to 20,569 baht per rai.

The Huai Mae Jai (Huai Hok) Reservoir Project will be a medium-sized facility with a storage capacity of 2.825 million cubic meters, covering 2,300 rai of both elevated and lowland areas in Sri Thoe Subdistrict, Mae Jai District, Phayao Province. The dam will be constructed as a compacted earth dam with clay core, reaching approximately 40 meters at its highest point and spanning 208 meters in length, equipped with spillways and water delivery pipes for efficient water management and distribution to agricultural areas.

Sithisong Petchaploy, village headman of Moo 6, Thung Pa Kha Village, Sri Thoe Subdistrict, Mae Jai District, Phayao Province, noted that farmers currently plant only during the rainy season, with many migrating for work during the dry season, leaving fields abandoned. With the reservoir, farmers will have sufficient water to plan additional planting cycles, reduce pumping costs, increase household income, and keep families from having to migrate for seasonal work elsewhere.

Currently, the Huai Mae Jai (Huai Hok) Reservoir Project is undergoing feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments with full public participation, from gathering public opinions to implementing environmental mitigation measures and monitoring implementation progress.

The Department of Agriculture is coordinating intensive quality control measures for durians from Eastern Thailand, actively eliminating underripe and substandard fruit from markets to build consumer confidence and protect Thailand's durian reputation. On May 10, 2025, Agriculture Department director Anchalee Suwajittanon announced that the agency is implementing comprehensive quality management across all sectors in the region's three major producing provinces: Chachoengsao, Rayong, and Trat.

Currently, the Department of Agriculture is working with relevant agencies to continuously enforce quality controls, including establishing inspection checkpoints, conducting random dry matter percentage testing, pre-harvest inspections, and organizing orchards and packing houses across the three provinces.

From March 1 to May 7, 2025, a total of 53 pre-harvest inspection service points operated across the three provinces, processing 15,136 samples from 11,938 farmers. Chachoengsao recorded 6,534 samples, Trat 5,024 samples, and Rayong 3,578 samples.

Rayong province coordinated with local administration, community leaders, police, farmer representatives, and agricultural agencies to establish 4 checkpoint stations. These inspected 645 trucks of durians with random dry matter testing on each vehicle, finding only 2 non-compliant samples. Officials educated distributors and traders on the principle of not harvesting or selling underripe durians to maintain Thailand's durian standards.

Chachoengsao province checked 633 trucks through stations in Klung, Nai Ai, and Makham districts, conducting random dry matter testing on 57 samples with 51 passing standards and only 6 failing. For trucks at risk, officials coordinated with destination packing houses to implement strict sorting, with further inspections by the Agricultural Research and Development Office Region 6 according to Thai standard 9070-2566.

Chachoengsao Agricultural Office and district offices also coordinated to monitor packing houses, preventing substandard fruit from reaching markets. They discovered 43 non-standard durians (119 kilograms) in Nai Ai district and 208 durians (496 kilograms) in Chachoengsao city, which were marked and kept from market distribution according to provincial fruit quality control measures.

Trat province's special task force for preventing low-quality durians established 4 checkpoint stations covering Khao Saming, Bo Rai, and Muang Trat districts, checking 1,687 trucks. The Ban Tha Chot checkpoint in Khao Saming, a critical inspection point, found 1,473 trucks with complete dry matter percentage test certificates, while those lacking documentation underwent external inspection and random testing by officials.