The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has engaged with the World Bank to advance collaboration on developing water management systems and flood prevention. The partnership includes knowledge sharing, grants, and technical assistance aimed at strengthening Thailand's water infrastructure to address future disaster risks and climate change impacts.

On May 14, 2025, Surawut Neuangchamnangh, Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, welcomed a World Bank team led by senior water resources management expert Sanjay Pahuja, accompanied by officials including Suriypol Nuchanong, Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department, and Pairyya Sevatjinda, Director of the International Agriculture Office, at the Agriculture Ministry headquarters.

Both parties exchanged cooperation approaches on water management and flood prevention. The World Bank outlined its support for Thailand's project preparation phase, including knowledge transfer, technical advice, grants, and technical assistance to help the Royal Irrigation Department systematically study and develop detailed project proposals.

Surawut emphasized that both sides agreed water management and flood prevention are critical national infrastructure requiring accelerated system development to effectively manage future disaster risks. The Ministry plans to incorporate international knowledge and experience adapted to Thailand's context, coordinating with relevant agencies on budget and funding sources to proceed with the project.

The discussion also covered preparations for a meeting between Water Resources Minister Suraiya Jungrungruangjit and Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank's Global Director for Water Resources, scheduled for June 2025 to discuss water resource cooperation and major projects.

A male student decided to withdraw from school after a teacher confiscated his mobile phone and demanded 10,000 baht to return it, claiming it was school policy. Police attempted mediation but the teacher refused to budge.

On May 14, 2025, the Facebook page 'Jam Moy v+' posted about a student forced to leave school after his phone was seized. The student, nicknamed Boy from Narathiwat province, was studying in Bangkok when he accidentally answered a call on April 20, 2025, revealing he had a phone despite the school's strict no-phone policy. On April 27, the teacher confiscated the device from his locker. When the student explained he wanted to send it home and had already obtained his mother's address, the teacher insisted that his mother come explain in person.

At 4 p.m., the student borrowed an adult's phone to notify his mother. Worried, he went to his uncle's house on Ramkhamhaeng 53 for help in resolving the matter at school. When the uncle arrived at school to negotiate, the teacher's only response was 'How much will you pay?' The uncle suggested 1,500 baht, but the teacher questioned the student again, and negotiations reached a dead end with no payment made.

On April 30, the student's mother decided to withdraw him from school immediately and contacted the teacher's wife, asking for the phone back. The wife responded that according to school rules, confiscated phones are not returned—they must be 'repurchased.' Three days later, when the grandmother tried negotiating with the teacher, he quoted a price of 10,000 baht to return the phone.

The mother and grandmother felt exploited since the iPhone 15 was still being paid off in installments and had only recently been purchased. They viewed this as theft and filed a police complaint. Police called the teacher to negotiate and warned that confiscating, selling, or profiting from the phone would be illegal. The teacher insisted he would not return it. After eight rounds of negotiations—with the grandmother attempting twice and police intervening—the teacher told police he would sell the phone and return the money instead. Police firmly stated that was unacceptable; the phone must be returned as is.

Following reports of black-chin tilapia sightings in Pattaya waters after video footage circulated on social media and local fishermen reported the discovery, relevant agencies coordinated with the Chonburi Provincial Fisheries Office to conduct urgent fieldwork.

On May 14, 2569, at 2 p.m., Nattapong Wannapat, director of the Chonburi Provincial Fisheries Office, led a team to Pattaya Beach where the fish were reported. They interviewed Sart, 40, who recorded the footage and caught dozens of kilograms of the fish. Sart reported seeing schools of black-chin tilapia swimming together for several consecutive days and pointed out the exact location for officers to investigate.

Officials surveyed the beachfront areas, drainage points, and conducted boat inspections around Cape Bali Hai using nets and fishing lines at multiple locations, but found no additional black-chin tilapia—only common fish species and marine life.

Though daytime surveys found no additional fish, Nattapong confirmed the nighttime video evidence definitively showed black-chin tilapia. He theorized their appearance may be linked to heavy rainfall that flushed water from canals and brackish areas into the sea, carrying schools of fish toward shore. "Black-chin tilapia can survive in fresh, brackish, and saltwater environments, but their ideal habitat is brackish areas near canal mouths, which represents a high-risk zone for spread," Nattapong stated.

The species has been reported across multiple Chonburi locations including Muang, Sri Racha, Bang Lamung, Pattaya, and Sattahip districts, with highest concentrations near Bang Lamung canal mouths and Tambon Samruk.

The Fisheries Department classified black-chin tilapia as an invasive species with potential ecological impacts, as they are predators of small aquatic animals that could disrupt the natural food chain. Continuous monitoring and removal measures are necessary.

For management, small populations may be removed directly from water bodies, but widespread occurrences require assessment with local fishermen. Nattapong emphasized the fish is safe for human consumption and can be processed or used as aquaculture feed, provided they are completely killed beforehand to prevent natural population spread.

Authorities will continue close monitoring and coordinate with local fishermen. If outbreaks increase, control measures will be accelerated immediately to protect Pattaya's long-term marine and coastal resources.

A bride in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, has gone viral online after stopping her wedding motorcade mid-journey in heavy rain to pay respects at her late father's grave. As the motorcade was heading to the wedding venue, the bride rushed out of the car, lifted her wedding dress, and ran through the downpour to a small, simple grave by the roadside. There, through tears, she told her deceased father, "Dad, I'm getting married now." She then knelt in front of the unmarked grave hidden behind roadside bushes. According to witnesses, her father had passed away years ago and never got to see his daughter in her wedding dress.

What deeply moved everyone was the groom's immediate response—he knelt beside his bride without hesitation and bowed before the grave, telling her father, "You can trust me. I will take good care of her." This poignant moment lasted nearly 20 minutes. Although traditional Chinese beliefs consider stopping a wedding motorcade or visiting a cemetery on wedding day to be inauspicious, no one thought to stop the bride from paying her respects.

On May 14, 2025, the Health Promotion Foundation (HFEP) joined with the Council of Deans of Dental Schools of Thailand and Naresuan University to conduct the workshop 'DENTAL MIND CONNECT 360°: Integrated Digital Counseling & Proactive Mental Health Screening for Dental Students' at Amari Don Muang Airport Hotel in Bangkok.

Under the mental health promotion and network strengthening project in dental schools, the initiative aims to develop a proactive mental health care system for dental students across the country.

Dr. Pairojn Saonuam, Deputy Manager of HFEP, stated that this collaborative effort in establishing a proactive mental health care system represents a significant step toward mental health support for youth and students who face continuously increasing psychological risks.

Data from Thailand's 2024 mental health assessment shows that young people aged 18-24 in higher education and early career stages face higher mental health risks than other groups, with 26.9% at risk of depression, 24.5% experiencing high stress, and 6% developing clinical depression. This directly impacts mental health, academic performance, daily functioning, and related issues.

Dr. Pairojn stated that HFEP collaborates with networks to develop multiple mental health promotion models for university-aged youth, including specific models for the dental school network. Working with the Council of Deans of Dental Schools of Thailand and Naresuan University, they designed approaches aligned with the specific challenges faced by dental schools.

These include promoting knowledge, understanding, and mental health skills; developing supportive environments, curricula, and teaching methods that benefit mental well-being; establishing mental health care mechanisms, counseling systems, and mental health monitoring; as well as developing best practices, mental health innovations, and collaborative networks.

'Mental health in education is critically important as it affects quality of life and learning. This workshop provides an excellent opportunity to develop dental school personnel from 19 institutions to effectively support their students, and the work will generate lessons that can be scaled and shared as knowledge for other organizations,' Dr. Pairojn said.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Patcharpol Samneang from the Faculty of Dentistry at Naresuan University, who heads the mental health promotion and network strengthening project for dental schools, stated that mental health issues among dental students are a serious concern requiring all institutions' attention.

A survey of 4,255 dental students from 17 universities revealed a concerning mental health situation, with many students at risk who have never accessed mental health services, reflecting critical gaps in care systems and service accessibility.

Key stress factors for dental students stem from academic pressure, clinical training demands, social relationships within the learning community, and the intense educational environment, which directly affect academic achievement, quality of life, and students' mental well-being.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Patcharpol stated that through this project, the Council of Deans of Dental Schools of Thailand aims to develop a comprehensive and sustainable mental health care system for dental school personnel and students.

The workshop included participation from 19 dental schools nationwide, aiming to strengthen the mental health care system.

At 3:40 p.m. on May 14, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanpraphase held a press conference at Government House regarding the opposition's petition to the Constitutional Court challenging the decree authorizing the Finance Ministry to borrow 400 billion baht to address the energy crisis and advance the country's energy transition. The government stands firm that the decree is economically necessary, he said, citing a global economic crisis stemming from ongoing conflicts, energy crises driving up oil prices, and rising inflation expected to reach 2.9 percent and impact living costs. Ekniti emphasized this current crisis differs from past financial crises like the 1997 Asian financial crisis or the 2008 global financial crisis.

Ekniti stated the decree aims to support citizens' livelihoods and questioned why energy transition couldn't proceed simultaneously, describing it as "killing two birds with one stone." He illustrated how rising costs could force businesses to cut profits or lay off workers, making immediate intervention crucial. Using a medical analogy, he argued that just as a sick patient cannot wait five months for medicine, Thailand cannot delay action. He cited the Russia-Ukraine crisis's impact on electricity costs, arguing the country should have shifted to clean energy then, noting that solar panels, biodiesel transport, and renewable energy reduce living costs while addressing long-term challenges.

Ekniti expressed confidence the decree was comprehensively designed with emergency safeguards and clear mechanisms. He dismissed opposition concerns about favoritism toward big business, asserting the decree includes oversight committees and transparency measures with detailed project screening processes. He stressed that immediate action is necessary as the sick patient needs medicine today, not waiting four to five months for next year's budget allocation.