Commerce Ministry and trade representatives are consulting with the Thai Chamber of Commerce on Thailand-U.S. trade conditions before attending the 2026 SelectUSA Investment Summit on May 3-6. Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supucha Sutthirampant chaired the discussion between the Commerce Ministry and the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Thai Chambers of Commerce Federation, joined by Assistant Commerce Minister Kirida Phaopichit, Thai Trade Representatives Nongnuch Petchrat and Veeraphong Prapa, and Chamber President Dr. Pojan Aramwattananont along with executives from both organizations.

The discussion focused on the current Thailand-U.S. trade situation, progress in free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the European Union and United Kingdom, important FTA frameworks, and Thailand's trade partner strategies. Key topics included strengthening Thai agricultural and food entrepreneurs' competitiveness in global markets, and coordinating between government and private sectors to implement unified and effective Thai trade policy.

Deputy PM Supucha will lead a delegation to the United States during May 3-6, 2026 to participate in the SelectUSA Investment Summit alongside Thai private sector representatives. The mission aims to attract new investment partners, expand economic cooperation, and conduct international trade negotiations while signaling Thailand's commitment to intellectual property protection. The delegation will also meet with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to discuss progress on Section 301 concerns, and engage with major U.S. investors USABC and USCC to facilitate investment cooperation and witness business partnership agreements (MOUs), demonstrating Thai private sector confidence in the U.S. economy and strategic partnership between the two countries.

Deputy Education Minister Akkanat Kankittinant visited Nonhayakha Nongsaraphit School in Chaiyaphum and Bansongyang School in Yasothon on May 1 to assess damage from recent summer storms and accelerate relief efforts for affected educational institutions.

Following his field inspection of Nonhayakha Nongsaraphit School, which sustained severe damage, Akkanat ordered immediate demolition approval for the heavily damaged Grade 1 classroom building and instructed local authorities to expedite budget requests for replacement construction, prioritizing the safety of students and teachers.

He praised the school's exceptional academic performance, noting that despite having only 55 students and 5 teachers, the school achieved an average O-NET score of 90 points, demonstrating the effectiveness of a 1:10 teacher-to-student ratio. The Education Ministry plans to expand this staffing model to other schools to improve learning outcomes.

Akkanat also conducted an unannounced inspection of the Buayai District Learning Center in Nakhon Ratchasima, discovering outdated 2008 curriculum materials, and directed modernization efforts. He subsequently traveled to Yasothon to oversee assistance for five storm-affected schools, allocating nearly 1.88 million baht in remaining central budget funds for safety repairs before the school term reopens.

The ministry will suspend operations at the severely damaged Yasothon Kindergarten and is preparing to advance 14 million baht from the 2570 fiscal year budget to construct 18 replacement classrooms.

"Under this administration, safety in education must be our top priority," Akkanat stated. "We cannot allow children to be at risk in educational institutions. Additionally, learning centers must rapidly adapt to serve over 100,000 out-of-school children and vulnerable groups. I am pushing to allocate an additional 4 billion baht in the 2570 budget to address personnel shortages and teacher qualifications, while transforming learning centers into the modern era through online re-skilling courses and converting libraries into co-working spaces. Education is the foundation of national security."

A renowned independent bookstore in Bangalore, India has suffered a major crisis after heavy rains caused sudden flooding, destroying thousands of books in a single night. The incident shocked the book-loving community deeply.

The Bookworm, located on Church Street, shared images of the disaster on Instagram showing countless books floating in water inside the store, while hail covered the ground outside, reflecting the severity of the weather that day.

The store reported losing between 4,000 and 5,000 books, with newly restocked inventory suffering the heaviest damage. Store owner Krishna revealed that this occurred during a critical period as the store had just prepared stock for the holiday season, typically their busiest time. Instead, they faced an unexpected catastrophe.

However, the store remains resilient. They plan to dry some books in the sun and sell them at steep discounts, though many others are too severely damaged to be salvaged and must be discarded. Krishna also noted that modern printing trends worsened the damage, as many publishers now use low-quality recycled paper that cannot withstand water. Even illustrated comics like Asterix and Obelix, printed on oil-coated paper, could not survive the flooding.

The incident quickly sparked an outpouring of sympathy online. Many people expressed their condolences and offered help, with numerous voices calling for the reading community to support the store by purchasing damaged books to help it weather this crisis.

Some comments referenced a similar event in Kolkata on College Street, where a "Wet Book Fair" was held to sell water-damaged books and was overwhelmingly successful, inspiring similar relief efforts here.

Many supporters stated they were ready to purchase books even in damaged or water-stained condition because they wanted to participate in helping revive this bookstore, which serves as an important space for thousands of readers.

SA KAEO — Thai police arrested three suspects wanted on outstanding warrants on May 1, 2026, after receiving Thai nationals repatriated from Cambodia, where authorities had dismantled a 13-storey scam operation.

On the evening of April 30, officers received 635 Thai returnees and conducted detailed background and warrant checks. Several wanted suspects were identified among the group and arrested immediately. Others with possible links to criminal cases were separated for further screening, including checks on cross-border travel and their activities in Cambodia.

The operation was overseen by Deputy Commander of Provincial Police Region 2 Pol. Maj. Gen. Thitthawat Suriyachai and Sa Kaeo Provincial Police Chief Pol. Maj. Gen. Thaworn Dulyawit, along with relevant officers. Investigators from Khlong Luek police station arrested three suspects:

Sitthichok, also known as "May", 35, wanted by the Criminal Court on serious charges including premeditated murder, attempted murder, armed night-time trespass, criminal association and carrying weapons in public, was transferred to the Criminal Court.

Benjawan, 29, wanted by Sa Kaeo Provincial Court on embezzlement charges, was transferred to the provincial court.

Phuwadol, 29, wanted by the Criminal Court for jointly organizing illegal online gambling and money laundering, was transferred to the Criminal Court.

Authorities said they are continuing to screen and question other returnees to expand the investigation into related networks.

Reports indicate that Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth's head coach, is the leading contender to challenge Michael Carrick for Manchester United's new permanent manager position. Manchester United has not yet made a final decision on the permanent manager appointment, despite Carrick's impressive interim performance, which has kept the club in third place and on track to secure a UEFA Champions League spot for next season. According to Telegraph, Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth's head coach who will leave the club after this season, has become a rival to Carrick for the Manchester United managerial post. Reports suggest that Iraola has earned considerable praise from United executives for his attacking style of football and is believed to fit well with the club's long-term development plan. However, Carrick remains the top favorite for the position, while Iraola has also attracted interest from other clubs including Chelsea and Athletic Bilbao.

Prime Minister Anuthin Charnvirakul and Interior Minister announced a new electricity rate restructuring on May 1 at Government House, explaining that citizens will benefit from lower electricity costs by converting sunlight into income through solar roof installations. The government would purchase any surplus electricity generated by households, creating a system comparable to the mobile phone market transformation, where devices that originally cost nearly 200,000 baht are now available for as little as 400 baht.

When asked if solar roof costs could be reduced to improve public accessibility, the Prime Minister said it follows supply-and-demand principles similar to the early mobile phone era. He recalled his first mobile phone cost 120,000 baht and was cumbersome to carry, yet today basic phones cost just 400 baht, sometimes given away free with purchases.

Regarding the electricity rate structure itself, the Prime Minister explained that the first 200 units will be reduced to 3 baht per unit for all consumers equally. Units 200-400 follow a tiered system, while usage above 400 units carries a different rate, representing a fair cost-sharing approach used in many Thai systems.

Concerning timing concerns about implementation relative to billing cycles, he stated that procedures must be followed and that the Energy Regulatory Commission operates as an independent body. He added that implementation began the second week after his policy address to Parliament and would be completed as quickly as possible, with government assistance programs like Kon La Khrueng and Thai Chuay Thai Plus aimed at reaching citizens by early June.