TOKYO, Japan — Thai culture took centre stage in Japan as the 26th Thai Festival in Tokyo drew massive crowds over the weekend, with Japanese social media users marvelling at the popularity of Thai food and entertainment.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow presided over the opening ceremony of the festival on 9 May at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. Shimada Tomoaki, Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended as guest of honour.

Held from 9-10 May under the theme "Creative Life and Creative Heartbeat," the Thai Festival in Tokyo is regarded as the largest Thai festival overseas and one of Tokyo's major cultural exchange events, attracting more than 300,000 visitors annually.

The event featured booths promoting Thai products, services and creative industries, alongside cultural performances including traditional Thai dance, Muay Thai demonstrations, concerts and fan meetings with Thai artists and actors.

Photos and videos of packed crowds at the festival went viral online. One Japanese X user, @Thai__Suki, posted images showing visitors filling the venue and wrote: "Look! This is Tokyo's Thai Festival, where 300,000 Thai food lovers gather! It's so packed!"

The user added: "This year too, Thai Fest is so crowded I can't move forward. Japanese love for Thailand is seriously amazing. As a fellow Thai enthusiast, I'm nothing but thrilled."

Thomas Theerathat is excited and honored to serve as a judge at the Miss World Thailand 2026 Final Competition held at MCC Hall. For the acclaimed young actor, this marks his first time judging on such a major stage. He expressed feeling thrilled and privileged, having prepared by studying the contestants' information and wanting to fully absorb the atmosphere of the event.

Reflecting on turning 25, Thomas shared that he feels he's grown significantly and has been involved in more diverse activities. He emphasized wanting to focus on his career, seeking new experiences, and developing himself to create the best work for his audience to follow. When asked about his birthday gift to himself this year, he joked that he'd love a long sleep—around 12-15 hours.

"Today I'm serving as a judge at Miss World Thailand 2026," he explained. "It's actually my first time judging at a stage this big, so I'm incredibly excited. It's truly an honor that Miss World Thailand 2026 invited me. I've watched the pageant before and even know Opol Suchat, who became Miss World 2025—she's amazing. I'm really happy to be here and feel like it's all like a dream."

When asked how he prepared, Thomas said: "I studied beforehand and came to see the overall setup today. Honestly, I wanted to absorb as much of the atmosphere as possible because this is a really big event. I looked into all the contestants."

On reaching 25, Thomas reflected: "I feel like I've matured another year. This year I've done so much more and gotten involved in things I love. I've been to fashion week, done various shoots—you'll have to stay tuned to see what else comes out."

Asked what's changed at 25, he said with humor: "First of all, I feel smarter and more knowledgeable. I can get along with people better now, and people don't tease me as much."

Regarding special goals, Thomas mentioned: "I've had these since I was young. I want to find new experiences and travel abroad more often. It really brings back a lot of knowledge and experience that helps me grow."

On what he's focusing on: "My career. There's so much ahead of me in the future. I want to achieve success in my work and create the best possible projects. I want to be someone who produces quality work."

When asked how far he plans to go in fashion: "To the top, if I can make it happen. Right now I'm climbing slowly in the fashion world—slow but steady is better."

For his birthday gift to himself: "It would probably be sleep time. Lately I'm only getting 4-6 hours, but last night I managed to sleep about 10 hours. I'm a big sleeper. If I could do whatever I wanted, I'd sleep 12-15 hours."

Asked if his friend Kong gave him a gift, Thomas said with a smile: "I'm not sure if it counts as a gift, but we went out to eat together and spent time together—that's a gift for me."

At 12:40 p.m. on May 11, 2026, at Government House, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul commented on the political situation following former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's sentence commutation. As he previously mentioned, Anutin said he was once under Thaksin's command and is pleased for him and his family, who reportedly returned home beaming with joy.

"We let him have his private time. After this, there are legal processes he must complete. We let everything proceed smoothly first so he can adjust and spend time with his family, giving him privacy. We're happy he's been released," Anutin said.

When asked if there's a chance to meet Thaksin privately, Anutin immediately responded, "It's already happened." Once everything settles, since Bangkok is a small place, meeting with someone you know and mutually respect is nothing unusual.

When asked about his outlook on the political atmosphere going forward, Anutin stated that he views everything positively. If work is done sincerely for the nation's and people's benefit, there's nothing to worry about. Even if mistakes occur while benefiting tens of millions of people, accepting responsibility for those mistakes is a point of pride and honor.

Pheu Thai Urges Government to Fast-Track Constitutional Amendment, Key Laws, and CARE Pension Plan, insisting that if the government is sincere in respecting the people, it must not reject the public referendum vote.

At 10:30 AM on May 11, 2025 at Parliament, Nathpong Ruangpanyawuthi, list MP and leader of the Pheu Thai Party, chaired the party's second shadow cabinet meeting and presented demands to the government. The urgent priorities are:

1. The government should confirm the constitutional amendment draft's return to parliamentary consideration quickly. In the recent election, 21 million people gave a clear mandate for a new constitution, so concerns that the old draft won't pass parliament are unconvincing. The government should honor the people's referendum intention.

2. The Cabinet should quickly approve the CARE pension formula from the Social Security Office. Labor Minister Julapan Amoriwiwattana promised to push this forward for the Social Security Fund advancement, so tomorrow's Cabinet meeting should show concrete progress.

3. The government should review multiple laws still pending Cabinet approval. Tomorrow's meeting is the final deadline to reconsider bringing stalled laws back to parliament, such as the PRTR law and labor protection law to establish fair working hours. The Cabinet should make a decision on May 12 to advance these laws to parliament.

When asked how he would monitor the Cabinet's decision on returning the original constitutional amendment draft to parliament, Nathpong stated that a government claiming to derive legitimacy from the people cannot reject the referendum in which a clear majority voted for a new constitution.

He added that if the government is genuinely sincere and respects the people's voice, it should let parliament itself decide whether the original draft will pass, rather than using concerns about its passage as an excuse to block it in Cabinet. If the government is truly sincere and respects the people, it must bring the original draft back for parliamentary consideration.

At 11:00 AM on May 11, 2026, Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Perisivivattana announced that Prime Minister Anuthit Charnveerakul and Interior Minister presided over a policy briefing for village headmen and elders at the Government House's Santhimaitri Building (Outer Section). The briefing included Interior Ministry deputies, administrators, and representatives from village headman associations.

The Prime Minister outlined that village headmen and local leaders serve as critical mechanisms of governance, operating as the frontline closest to citizens and serving as a lifeline during times of hardship. They bridge the gap between state institutions and communities, bearing responsibility for public welfare while acting as the public's eyes and ears. He emphasized they must perform their duties with transparency, fairness, and strict adherence to law, stating: "Be suppressors of abuse of power, not wielders of power, to serve as a reliable foundation for the people and support the work of district officers and the Department of Local Administration with concrete results."

The Prime Minister stressed coordinated efforts across all agencies, particularly on drug prevention and suppression using the "card never falls" principle, disaster management enhancement, and ensuring citizens receive genuine, transparent, and fair state protection. He also highlighted the need to stay vigilant against emerging crimes such as human trafficking and online fraud scams, enabling citizens to recognize threats and protect themselves and their families.

Economic development initiatives were emphasized through the "Thai Helping Thai Plus" program to alleviate hardship, aiming to distribute state benefits equitably to all target populations. The PM requested village headmen and local administrators to disseminate information and facilitate public access to state benefits and measures.

Additionally, the Prime Minister asked village headmen to monitor local situations and coordinate continuously with district officers and provincial governors to ensure coordinated, efficient problem-solving. An integrated coordination meeting among all parties is scheduled within two weeks to strengthen collaboration between local administration and police.

Following the policy briefing, the Prime Minister shared lunch with village headmen and organizers at the Santhimaitri Building's central hall, then posed for photos with them at the Thai Koo Fah building.

The Department of Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce is actively managing prices for school uniforms and educational supplies during the school term opening, despite increased transportation costs and reduced consumer spending due to economic conditions. Most business operators have maintained prices similar to the previous year.

On May 11, 2569, Deputy Director-General Jirawut Suvannaaj revealed details following field inspections of major school uniform retailers in Bangkok's Thonburi district. The department launched the "Thai Help Thai Plus: Big School Opening, Easy on the Wallet - Back to School 2026" program, with multiple business sectors cooperating to reduce prices for school uniforms and related educational supplies.

The department visited major retailers including Thonburi Education Company, S. Chang Education shop, and Taraso department store. These establishments are helping reduce parent expenses through the program while maintaining original pricing, comparable to the previous year. Despite increased transportation costs, items from existing inventory remain at the same price. Additionally, stores offer promotional discounts on educational supplies and services such as free embroidery or school initials.

According to data collected in early May across Bangkok's department stores, distributors, and regular shops, most school uniform prices remain stable compared to the previous year. Examples include Samjai Nueuk boys' shirts at 215-360 baht per item, Thomson boys' trousers at 325-375 baht, and Samjai Nueuk girls' shirts at 165-360 baht. Some items showed slight increases, such as Nom Chit boys' shirts rising from 139-300 baht to 179-290 baht, while others decreased, like Taraso boys' trousers dropping from 260-375 baht to 238-350 baht.

Deputy Director-General Jirawut noted that consumer purchasing power has declined this year due to economic conditions and rising living costs, causing many families to be more cautious about spending. Some reuse old uniforms or buy only essentials. The department is therefore prioritizing both price controls and promotions to alleviate back-to-school expenses.

The "Thai Help Thai Plus: Big School Opening, Easy on the Wallet - Back to School 2026" program runs from April 30 to May 31, 2569, with 49 participating merchants covering over 1,000 education-related products and services with discounts up to 86%. This is expected to reduce household expenses by at least 300 million baht.

For parents in other provinces, the Department of Internal Trade is collaborating with provincial commerce offices to organize similar "Thai Help Thai Plus: Back to School 2026" activities in areas coordinated with the Ministry of Education, including Chachoengsao, Phetchabun, and Mae Hong Son provinces, making affordable school supplies more accessible.