NONG BUA LAMPHU — A 38-year-old man with a prior conviction for sexual assault was arrested on Monday afternoon while attempting to flee on a motorcycle, following the discovery of his 13-year-old stepdaughter's body and a brutal attack on his partner.

The suspect, identified by police only as Pornchai, 38, was apprehended at 14:10 on Monday on a rural road connecting Ban Don Klet and Ban Non Muang Noi in Sri Boon Ruang District.

The arrest followed a tragic discovery earlier that day. Pol. Lt. Col. Pichetphong Ratchabuakhot, an interrogation officer at Sri Boon Ruang Police Station, received a report at 12:30 regarding a fatality at a residence in Ban Mai Tanthawan, Nong Kung Kaeo Subdistrict.

At the scene, authorities located the body of a 13-year-old girl, a Matthayom 1 student from the area, in a bathroom at the rear of the property. The victim had been bound, and forensic evidence indicated she had been physically and sexually assaulted before her death. Her body was transferred to Loei Provincial Hospital for a formal forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Outside the residence, authorities found the victim's 32-year-old mother with severe, deep lacerations to her head and face. According to neighbors and family members, she had been attacked and rendered unconscious, remaining trapped inside the home for two days before regaining consciousness Monday morning. She was immediately transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

Investigation and Timeline

Police investigators determined the 13-year-old victim typically lived with her maternal grandparents in a neighboring village. However, on Friday, May 22, she traveled to her mother and stepfather's residence in Ban Mai Tanthawan to visit them and attend the local Rocket Festival (Bun Bang Fai) scheduled for Saturday.

When the child failed to return home as expected, her grandfather searched for her at the village and school without success.

Separately, a local resident visited the property Monday morning to retrieve a motorcycle the family had borrowed on Friday to access an ATM in town. Upon arrival, the resident discovered the severely injured mother outside the home and immediately alerted relatives and emergency services.

Suspect Intercepted and Tests Positive for Drugs

Following the discovery of the homicide, Sri Boon Ruang District Chief Thanayut Yaikaew, acting in his capacity as an Office of the Narcotics Control Board official, coordinated with local administrative staff, village leaders, and Sri Boon Ruang Police to establish checkpoints along potential escape routes.

Administrative officers spotted Pornchai operating a red-and-white Yamaha motorcycle leaving the subdistrict. Officials successfully intercepted and detained him on a village road.

While a physical search yielded no illicit items, a mandatory drug screening returned positive for methamphetamine.

BOI Secretary-General Narutt Therdsteerasukdi announced that on May 25, 2026, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the Thai delegation, including BOI officials, met with senior executives from five leading French companies in Paris to advance investment cooperation in strategic industries amid the global supply chain restructuring. France is a European leader in advanced technology across aviation, smart electronics, advanced materials for battery production, and digital identity systems. The discussions represent a critical opportunity for Thailand to attract investment, technology, expertise, and industrial networks to strengthen the country's manufacturing base.

The five companies discussed were:

1. Airbus Group SE – Europe's largest aircraft and defense systems manufacturer, promoting Thailand's development as a digital aviation hub with modern aerospace expertise using Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies.

2. EssilorLuxottica – the world's leading eyeglass and optical lens company owning brands like Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Varilux. Operating in Thailand for nearly 40 years with over 16,000 million baht invested, the company recently decided to expand AI Glasses manufacturing in Thailand.

3. Imerys S.A. – a global advanced materials leader producing graphite and Conductive Carbon Black, critical components for lithium battery electrodes in EV vehicles and high-performance energy storage systems. The company holds over 50 percent global market share.

4. Thales Group – a global leader in defense, aerospace, digital security, and cybersecurity technologies. The company proposed developing cybersecurity infrastructure for the Thai government, including electronic passport systems.

5. IN Groupe – France's digital identity verification system leader specializing in passports, digital national ID cards, driver's licenses, and Digital ID systems. The company proposed collaborating with Thailand to develop new Digital ID systems, biometric technology, and digital authentication systems.

PM Anutin invited these companies to consider investment in Thailand, noting that Thailand is the region's largest EV manufacturing base and offers strategic advantages in location and EV ecosystem readiness to support advanced materials manufacturers. The discussions reflect that leading French technology companies view Thailand not merely as a manufacturing hub but as a strategic partner in building a new regional supply chain across EV, aviation, and digital sectors.

CPF is participating in THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2026 to strengthen Thailand's position as a regional food innovation center, showcasing food innovations alongside building strong strategic partnerships.

On May 26, 2026, Prasit Boondwong, CEO of Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF), revealed that "today's global consumers are looking for food that is not only delicious and safe, but also convenient, nutritious, and produced responsibly. CPF is committed to continuously developing and applying innovation at every stage of our production to deliver better experiences, support good quality of life, and meet the ever-changing needs of consumers worldwide."

The event features award-winning products sold domestically and internationally. CPF's innovations highlight its achievement in elevating Thai chicken to meet space food safety standards, building Thailand's reputation as the world's kitchen. Featured products include Bencha chicken and Chiva pork, developed using innovations that promote internal health through flaxseed and probiotics without antibiotics, enriched with naturally high omega-3 levels.

The innovations also include convenient, diverse products with excellent taste. The event showcases products exclusively sold abroad, including Authentic Asia and Kitchen Joy authentic Thai and Asian cuisine in ready-to-eat formats such as green curry chicken, massaman curry chicken, tom yam chicken, spicy shrimp wontons, and laksa shrimp wontons. These are currently available in over 18 European and American countries.

Also featured is CP Nippon, a new brand resulting from collaboration between CPF and NH Foods, Japan's leading meat business. Hamburgers and cheese gyoza are on display and available for tasting.

Prasit added that this joint venture aligns with CPF's 2026 strategy to develop ready-to-eat food products meeting consumer demands, particularly the growing preference for convenience in accessing food both domestically and internationally.

CPF holds 51% and NH Foods holds 49% of the partnership, with plans to expand their ready-to-eat and processed meat products jointly. They have already expanded into the US market through Walmart's 1,500 retail and supermarket branches with positive reception, with plans to expand to 3,000 branches and other countries.

"With our 'World's Kitchen' vision, CPF is ready to use the THAIFEX-Anuga Asia 2026 platform to present various products including ready-to-cook meals, ready-to-eat food, high-protein healthy options, and Asian-flavored menus developed for global markets, to strengthen business partnerships and serve as an important mechanism for creating new opportunities for the food industry in the future," Prasit concluded.

Visit CPF booths 1-RR01 and 1-RR15 in Challenger Hall 1 at Impact Muang Thong Thani, May 26-30, 2026, 10:00-18:00.

Thailand's shrimp industry associations have submitted an urgent letter to the Prime Minister and four relevant ministries requesting immediate intervention to address a deepening crisis. According to Akkarapoj Yodpinit, chairman of the Thai Shrimp Association, the letter was co-submitted by allied shrimp farmers and the Thai Frozen Food Association to the Ministries of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Commerce, Energy, and Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, urging coordinated action across the entire supply chain.

The industry is proposing a national-priority action plan comprising 11 measures with a budget allocation of 5.537 billion baht to restructure the entire shrimp sector. The proposals include expanding domestic and international markets, promoting solar-powered shrimp farms, researching disease solutions, and developing microbial management systems to reduce costs and improve competitiveness.

Akkarapoj explained that Thailand's shrimp industry was once a world champion, generating substantial export revenue and supporting over 2 million people across the production chain. However, since an acute disease outbreak began in 2012, annual shrimp production has plummeted to just 270,000-280,000 tons, with only 160,000 tons reaching processing factories. This has resulted in annual export losses of approximately 60 billion baht, representing a cumulative economic opportunity cost of over 720 billion baht across 13 years.

Despite farmers and industry stakeholders' independent efforts to address the crisis, they have been unable to reverse the decline. The primary obstacle remains disease, which constrains production and keeps costs uncompetitively high compared to rival nations. "This letter to the Prime Minister and four ministries is an urgent call for the government to recognize the severity of the situation," Akkarapoj stated. "Without implementing coordinated measures that all stakeholders agree on, Thailand's shrimp industry may collapse entirely, which would be tragic given our competitive advantages in production capacity, quality, food safety standards, and traceability systems."

Akkarapoj expressed confidence that with government support and implementation of the proposed measures, the structural problems plaguing the entire industry could be resolved, potentially restoring Thailand's shrimp sector as a major driver of national economic growth.

Pattani FC, a newly promoted team from Thai League 2 to the Thai League, has been fined 143,333 baht by the Disciplinary Committee following the final playoff promotion match. The club secured their promotion ticket to the Thai League by defeating Nongbua Pitchaya FC with an aggregate score of 5-4 over two legs.

During the second leg playoff match at Pattani Provincial Organization Stadium, approximately 12,800 fans attended. After the match concluded, supporters and cheerleaders rushed directly from around the pitch onto the playing field to celebrate with the team's players.

The Disciplinary Committee has now issued penalties against Pattani FC for failing to prevent cheerleaders from occupying areas not designated for seating, in violation of penalty regulations Chapter 3, Section 2, Article 5.3.17, imposing an initial fine of 80,000 baht. Since this is a repeat offense within the same competition season, an additional 40,000 baht penalty was added, totaling 120,000 baht. However, due to this being a Thai League 2 competition, the fine was reduced to two-thirds, resulting in a 80,000 baht penalty.

The supporter group was separately penalized 50,000 baht for breaching the perimeter fence and entering the playing field, reduced to 33,333 baht under Thai League 2 regulations.

Pattani FC was additionally fined 30,000 baht for inadequate security management protocols under penalty regulations Chapter 3, Section 2, Article 5.3.18(3). Since the club had previously received penalties on August 16, 2568 and April 3, 2569 for similar violations in the same season, an additional 15,000 baht penalty was imposed, bringing the total to 45,000 baht, reduced to 30,000 baht under Thai League 2 competition standards.