Tone Bangkae, the renowned amulet dealer, appeared at Phaholyothin Police Station at 1 PM on May 8 alongside his lawyer to identify individuals involved in his case against Deputy National Police Chief Jaroon Kiattipan (Madam Kaeng) and four associates. He provided photographs and evidence related to the case to investigators. After an hour of questioning, Tone told reporters that his debt repayment arrangements were legitimate with regular interest payments throughout, and that many of his assets came from business operations spanning over 10 years—possessions he owned before ever meeting Madam Kaeng.

Regarding the 152 amulets used to collateralize a 180 million baht loan (assessed at 400-500 million baht), Tone stated that an associate known as "Tao" conducted the valuation. He acknowledged that the amulets exceeded the loan amount, but in a second appraisal, they were valued at only 35-40 million baht—a discrepancy he claimed not to understand. When questioned why he didn't simply sell the amulets to pay his debts, Tone explained that his assets weren't limited to cash, noting he had already paid off numerous installments of his obligations.

Tone also pointed to another amulet dealer named "Un Gokee" as evidence of disparities in lending terms, noting that Un paid 200 million baht in interest to Madam Kaeng while he, having borrowed 800 million baht, questioned what interest rate he was charged. He denied involvement in any organized scheme and emphasized his focus on his relationship with Madam Kaeng alone. Regarding the public stigma of being labeled a debt defaulter, Tone challenged critics by asking whether any amulet dealer would dare report a high-ranking police officer without genuine threats. He concluded by asserting that all his assets have been offset by interest payments and denied wronging Madam Kaeng in any way.

The Coke Cup U17 Thailand Football Championship 2026 officially launched with Madame Pang Nuealpan Lamsam, chairperson of the Thai Football Association, hoping to discover brilliant gems for Thai football. On May 8, the Coca-Cola business group in Thailand—comprising Coca-Cola Thailand Limited, Thai Tippy Water Corporation, and Haad Thip Public Company—jointly announced the official opening of the Coke Cup U17 Thailand Football Championship 2026 through a draw ceremony determining competition brackets. The schedule for all 192 youth teams from six regions nationwide was revealed, with participants competing for prize money exceeding 1.5 million baht and opportunities to pursue professional football careers and compete on the world stage.

Retima Rucyan, General Manager and Vice President of Franchise Business at Coca-Cola Thailand, stated: "Coca-Cola aims to provide opportunities and support Thai youth in developing football skills throughout the Coke Cup U17 Thailand Football Championship 2026. This year, we're not just organizing a tournament but opening doors to dreams for new players alongside the association. The friendly football matches on May 8 also celebrate Coca-Cola's 140th anniversary and our 77 years in Thailand, creating excitement for young football fans while inspiring new players with experiences from former Coke Cup participants."

Madame Pang Nuealpan Lamsam, chairperson of the Thai Football Association, said: "Developing Thai youth football with national-level skills and potential is our core mission, and this partnership with Coca-Cola powerfully fulfills that. This year's most striking reflection is that 367 U-17 youth teams nationwide registered, showing that Thai youth's dreams and determination remain burning brightly. Among all these teams, we see impressive dedication, and we're proud to give 192 selected teams the opportunity to stand on this stage. With Coke's support, the association will systematically identify and develop talented players through the T-MASC model to polish Thai football's gems and make them shine at the national level."

After the competition management committee announced 192 qualified teams last week, comprising T1-T3 club teams, provincial sports association teams, and gold, silver, and bronze-level Academy Licensing member schools and academies, the official draw ceremony for regional brackets was held today. Competitions will take place across six zones from May to August 2026:

East Zone (Chonburi Province): May 19-24 Northeast Zone (Buriram Province): June 2-7 Central and West Zone (Kanchanaburi Province): June 16-21 South Zone (Songkhla Province): June 30 - July 5 North Zone (Chiang Mai Province): July 14-19

At 10:30 AM on May 8, 2025, Deputy Police General Nirandr Leumshri, director of the E-Cigarette and Tobacco Product Crime Prevention and Suppression Center under the Royal Thai Police, coordinated with officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau's Technology Crime Division, Udom Suk Police Station, and Customs Department officials to inspect an e-cigarette storage warehouse on Sukhaphiphat 2 Soi 3 in Prawet District, Bangkok. Following the raid on this major underground e-cigarette distribution network, authorities discovered over 200,000 e-cigarette units and related equipment, three vehicles, and arrested nine suspects—two Thai nationals named Charan and Charun, and seven Lao nationals. Two of the Lao suspects were found to be connected to money mule accounts used to receive payment transfers from e-cigarette sales.

One suspect claimed to have previously worked as a security guard before a friend recruited him to work at the warehouse for 500 baht per day. He alleged he was unaware the warehouse stored e-cigarettes or that the products were illegal until authorities conducted the raid. His duties involved monitoring the warehouse, checking surveillance camera feeds, receiving notifications of delivery trucks, and controlling access. Other warehouse workers earned the same 500 baht daily wage packaging and shipping products to customers.

This arrest followed an investigation expansion from an earlier condominium raid in the Sukhumvit area, where authorities found a Thai male operating an online e-cigarette shop network. His mobile phone contained chat records of e-cigarette sales to customers through LINE ID "Heaven." The condo unit yielded approximately 500 e-cigarettes, ten packaging boxes each containing roughly 100 units prepared for shipment. Investigators discovered the network packed goods overnight and shipped during early morning hours to evade police inspections, keeping the warehouse closed during daytime to avoid detection.

Authorities also discovered new-model e-cigarettes capable of delivering up to 20,000 puffs, priced at hundreds of baht each—exceeding standard models with approximately 10,000 puffs. Investigators found numerous vape cartridges at risk of being mixed with etomidate, creating dangerous "zombie pods" or "zombie cigarettes" posing serious health threats to users' nervous and respiratory systems.

The deputy police commissioner stated that investigations are ongoing to track the network's owner, believed to be Thai, who may face money laundering charges. Authorities are coordinating with relevant agencies to enhance enforcement measures against illegal e-cigarette smuggling across borders.

Dr. Chaiyanun Sithipusit, acting chief medical officer and director of the Tobacco Product Control Committee, noted that this seizure represents a major shipment. Had these products reached the market, they would significantly harm public health. Officials also found evidence of continuous product development designed to increase health dangers.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wisit Limsombunchai, Vice President for Asset Management at Kasetsart University, presided over the press conference launching the operational research project 'EEC Water Alliance: Know-Adapt-Survive,' designed to create a learning mechanism and sustainable water management system for the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) on May 8, 2026, at Room 904, 9th Floor of the Science Services Building, Office of Lifelong Learning Development at Kasetsart University. The event was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veeraket Suwanphaka, Director of the Office of Lifelong Learning Development at Kasetsart University, and leading network partners in water management.

The operational research project 'EEC Water Alliance: Know-Adapt-Survive' was initiated by Kasetsart University's Office of Lifelong Learning Development, uniting five leading water management network partners: the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), Royal Irrigation Department, Department of Water Resources, Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA), and East Water Resource Management and Development Company Limited (East Water). The project aims to analyze water situations, create mechanisms for participation among industrial, agricultural, and household sectors, bridge information gaps, and develop practical policy recommendations to address the eastern region's water crisis.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wisit Limsombunchai stated that Kasetsart University supports efficient water use and conducts water research. The university is pleased to announce a joint commitment with five leading water management partners to oversee water management in the Eastern Economic Corridor, ensuring water is used efficiently to support the EEC's substantial water demands. Informed decision-making combined with inter-agency cooperation will prepare the region to handle potential water crises.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veeraket Suwanphaka explained that the project stems from lessons learned during the 2005 Eastern Region water crisis, which saw protests and obstruction of water diversion to industrial areas. The 'EEC Water Alliance: Know-Adapt-Survive' is a participatory action research (PAR) project that treats stakeholders as 'co-researchers' rather than 'data subjects,' using the PAOR (Plan-Act-Observe-Reflect) process across four strategic zones: Map Ta Phut, Pluak Daeng-Bo Win, Laem Chabang, and Chachoengsao. The project employs data-driven principles to consolidate water data from all agencies into a unified dataset through three strategies:

'Know' – Unified, accurate data integrating information from five main agencies into one source, transforming raw data into accessible, understandable knowledge for the public.

'Adapt' – Managing crises through intelligent networks by developing the EEC Water Network and a flexible Water Grid system to handle emergency situations such as El Niño phenomena.

'Survive' – Sustainably and securely by elevating practices into national-level policy recommendations, aiming to support industry and communities.

The ITF Men's World Tennis Tour M25 and Women's World Tennis Tour W15 tournaments with prize purses of $30,000 (approximately 974,700 baht) and $15,000 (approximately 487,350 baht) respectively were held at Kasetsart University's Kamphaeng Saen campus in Nakhon Pathom on May 8, 2025, in the fourth day of the main draw.

In the men's doubles semifinals, young Thai players "Boom" Kasidis Samrutsai and "Dragonfly" Pawich Sanlauksang fought hard and managed to defeat the tournament's top-seeded pair, Charles Barry of Ireland and Joshua Charlton of Australia, winning in straight sets 7-6 (tiebreak 7-3) and 6-4. They advanced to the final to face Jesse Delaney of Australia and Yamato Sueoka of Japan, the second-seeded pair.

Meanwhile, Thai women's tennis players "Eve" Patcharin Cheepchanjaed and "Buoy" Kamalvaran Yodpetch secured victories in the women's singles category. In the semifinal, Patcharin, who is the defending champion from the previous week, ranked 1st seed and 452nd in the world, spent nearly two hours defeating Japan's Naho Sato (6th seed, 727th in the world) in straight sets 7-6 (tiebreak 7-4) and 7-5 to advance to the final against Erika Sema of Japan (4th seed, 631st in the world).

Kamalvaran, ranked 1,067th in the world, had to battle three sets against South Korea's I Kyeong-so, the defending champion from the previous week (595th ITF ranking). After winning the first set, Kamalvaran lost the second but dominated the decisive third set, winning 2-1 with scores of 6-0, 4-6, and 6-3 in 1 hour 35 minutes, advancing to face Liu Yuhan of China (1,010th in the world).

Other match results: Women's Singles Semifinals: Erika Sema (4-Japan) defeated Monique Barry (7-New Zealand) 6-4, 6-1; Liu Yuhan (China) defeated Im Heeram (South Korea) 6-2, 6-0

Men's Singles Semifinals: Mitsuki Wei Kang Liong (Malaysia) defeated S.D. Prajwal Dev (India) 6-1, 6-3; Moerrani Butsidis (3-Australia) defeated Taiyo Yamanaka (Japan) 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-2; Matthew Dellavedova (4-Australia) defeated Masami Imamura (5-Japan) 7-5, 1-6, 6-1; Takuya Kumasaka (7-Japan) defeated Cruz Hewitt (Australia) 7-5, 6-1

Men's Doubles Semifinals: Jesse Delaney-Yamato Sueoka (2-Australia/Japan) defeated Francis Kesy Alcantara-Colin Sinclair (Philippines/Northern Mariana) 6-2, 6-3

Women's Doubles Semifinals: Anchalee Chanthla-Taraspon Nakhlor (3) defeated Lalda Kamhom-Pimmaida Thongkam 6-2, 7-5

The Agriculture Ministry has approved a rice insurance subsidy program for the 2025 crop year, with a focus on comprehensive support for smallholder farmers. Permanent Secretary Winatroj Sapsongsuk announced the decision after chairing the first meeting of the agricultural insurance promotion committee, attended by Piraphan Khotong, secretary-general of the Agricultural Economics Office, and relevant agencies. The committee endorsed a hybrid insurance model emphasizing broad coverage of small-scale farmers. The government and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) will jointly fund insurance premiums for smallholder farmers and BAAC customer groups, covering cultivation areas of no more than 10 rai per household, providing protection against natural risks, particularly severe drought and sudden flooding that may occur under El Niño conditions. The committee urged the secretariat to accelerate submission of the resolution to the BAAC board and the National Rice Policy and Management Committee by June to coincide with planting seasons and when farmers most need protection. The initiative aims to serve as a prototype for integrating digital data between government and private agencies, allowing farmers maximum benefits and peace of mind through a unified, rapid assistance system nationwide. Additionally, the committee approved modernizing the insurance system with greater efficiency by incorporating advanced satellite imagery technology alongside existing assessment methods to increase accuracy and speed in paying compensation to farmers within 7 to 14 days. Simultaneously, the committee recommended bolstering farmer confidence through risk management education programs, enabling farmers to adapt effectively and plan cultivation efficiently. This represents a transition from providing temporary relief to establishing systematic livelihood security using international standard insurance mechanisms as a primary tool to protect production and ensure sustainable livelihoods.