On May 1, 2025, at Bangkok City Square outside Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Hall, Deputy Prime Minister Yotchanan Wongsawat, who also serves as Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, presided over Labour Day celebrations alongside Labour Minister Julphand Amornvivat and related officials.

Yotchanan emphasized that the government's primary goal extends beyond economic growth—it must ensure workers enjoy a better quality of life, as labour is a vital mechanism driving the nation forward. He stressed three key dimensions of International Labour Day: recognizing workers as essential pillars of the country; listening to and advocating for workers' rights and welfare; and fostering cooperation between employers and employees to solve problems collectively.

Yotchanan acknowledged that Thai workers face multiple challenges, including Middle East crises affecting energy prices and living costs, as well as technological transitions involving artificial intelligence and green economy shifts. The government must therefore pursue both reactive and proactive policies alongside workforce skill development, particularly for the combustion engine industry requiring adaptation to new technologies.

The government will also establish a national skills database to match worker capabilities with industry demands, providing support systems to increase employment and income opportunities.

Yotchanan stressed that labour issues extend beyond the Labour Ministry alone—they require comprehensive human resource management involving all ministries.

For his part, Julphand presented five urgent strategies:

1. Modern social security system reform—introducing the CARE formula to calculate retirement pensions aligned with actual wages throughout workers' lives, ensuring financial security in retirement. 2. Future skills development—accelerating AI adoption to enhance Thai workers' expertise to international standards through intellectual capital promotion. 3. Proactive rights protection—emphasizing reskilling and upskilling programs to encourage employers to develop staff rather than lay off workers, with concrete workplace safety measures. 4. Skilled labour market expansion—broadening opportunities for overseas employment in high-paying positions and systematizing cross-border labour management. 5. Platform worker advancement—creating flexible social security systems for freelancers and gig workers to ensure equitable access to welfare and protection.

Worker groups submitted eight key demands to the government, including ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 for collective bargaining rights, establishing a risk insurance fund, increasing maternity benefits to 30,000 baht, and expanding protection for contract workers. Yotchanan accepted all proposals and ordered a follow-up task force within 30 days to demonstrate the government's commitment to creating quality employment.

Deputy Prime Minister Somsakdi Thongsri presided over the 6th meeting of the National Sports Development Fund Management Committee held at Meeting Room 109, Government House, Bangkok, conducted both in-person and via video conference. The meeting was attended by Surasak Pun-Charoen, Minister of Tourism and Sports; Nathriya Tweevaongs, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports; and representatives from Thailand's Olympic Committee, Paralympic Committee, and various sports associations, along with Sports Authority of Thailand leadership.

The committee passed several key resolutions:

* Approved payment of 33.98 million baht in prize money to athletes, coaches, and sports associations for their performance at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, with a victory celebration scheduled for May 6 at The Grand Fourwings Convention Bangkok * Approved bonus support of 400,000 baht for Paralympic athlete Puangpraech Chaiyathongratchadej and 80,000 baht for her coach from the 13th ASEAN Paralympic Games * Endorsed the strategic framework and operational plan for the National Sports Development Fund for fiscal years 2570-2573 * Approved change of Sports Development Screening Subcommittee chair from Than Wutthitham to Karavit Maerath * Approved the 2568 annual report of the National Sports Development Fund * Endorsed risk management guidelines and internal control procedures for fiscal year 2569 * Approved guidelines for generating additional fund revenue, tasking officials to study feasibility of increasing revenue from specific excise taxes such as sugar tax and sin tax to support elite athlete development

The committee also reviewed progress reports on direct payments to athletes from the 6th Asian Beach Games and the 41st National Youth Sports Games "Surat Thani Games" finals. It approved expedited disbursement procedures for approved 2569 projects and allocated an additional 32 million baht budget to the Professional Sports Committee, including 20 million baht for the Queen's Cup Thailand Championship professional golf tournament and 5 million baht for professional snooker Point Ranking Division 1 competition.

The Digital Economy Promotion Office (depa) is accelerating the One Tambon One Digital Season 3 (OTOD #3) project through the Accelerate Digital Agriculture and Digital Agriculture Pitching Day roadshow in the upper northern region. The initiative seeks to upgrade digital technology skills in agriculture for community groups, farmers, and entrepreneurs in northern Thailand while providing a platform to identify innovative community ideas for funding support from the project.

The event takes place April 29-30, 2025 at the Centara Riverside Hotel in Chiang Mai, with Vice Governor Siwakorn Buapong presiding over the opening ceremony. Government agencies, private sector representatives, farmers, and community groups are participating, alongside Boonthawee Duangirat, Director of Community Development Promotion and Support at depa, and Prachaya Komanan, Northern Branch Manager of the Digital Economy Promotion Office.

Boonthawee highlighted that the upper northern region is a major agricultural production area generating significant income for farmers, yet the sector faces multiple challenges including rising production costs, labor shortages, climate volatility, and technology gaps. Integrating digital technology into agricultural management is essential to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase agricultural productivity while enabling new-generation farmers and communities to develop sustainable modern agricultural business models.

The Accelerate Digital Agriculture program features intensive training and workshops on four key topics: digital technology for smart agriculture, income generation through digital content creation, financing readiness and business proposal development, and community green economy development. The event includes an AgriTech Showcase featuring digital agricultural technology from Thai entrepreneurs and a Business Matching area connecting community groups with certified technology service providers registered in the Thailand Digital Catalog.

Expert speakers from various sectors, including digital agriculture specialists such as Ajchara Chumphugkua (Ban Rong Tee Meed Community Rice Center Chairman), Second Lieutenant Nithorn Saenkampin (Young Smart Farmer Network Coordinator for Chiang Mai), Khawan Kamdee (Khaokham Community Enterprise representative), and Torlarp Samukrat (content creator), will share experiences and approaches to implementing digital technology in agriculture and community economics.

A major highlight is the Digital Agriculture Pitching Day regional pitching competition offering funding for technology development in communities. Community groups and entrepreneurs can pitch project concepts for depa support, divided into two categories: upgrading community groups in digital technology application (d-Community) with support up to 150,000 baht per project.

The previous government lottery draw hit 3 numbers! Mae Nam Neung, a lottery prediction expert, is confident about this draw scheduled for May 2, 2569. The live incense number reading took place on April 30, 2569, with the government lottery results coming in strong. Mae Nam Neung stated: 'The previous government lottery draw hit 3 numbers. The incense reading hit perfectly on all counts, giving us both 74 and 14 in the group. The previous group hit 3 numbers with 612, and I remain confident the numbers will come through this draw as well.' Before the incense reading, Mae Nam Neung announced: 'This draw will hit 3 numbers again. The formula numbers came out last time, and I'm still confident about the formula this draw—it will definitely come through.' Amid positive comments from followers, Mae Nam Neung is being followed for this draw, with incense numbers showing 396, which are also beautiful numbers.

Nuealpan Lumsam, president of the Football Association of Thailand, along with Vice President Adisak Benjasirivanna and Secretary General Ekkapon Phollanavy, attended the 76th FIFA Congress held on April 30, 2025, at the Vancouver Convention Center in Canada.

The congress, presided over by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, brought together representatives from all 211 FIFA member associations. Held ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the meeting focused on expanding football opportunities globally.

Key developments include:

FIFA's Investment in Global Football Development: - FIFA has invested over USD 5 billion in global football development over the past decade - The FIFA Forward 4.0 program will allocate a record USD 2.7 billion - Member associations will benefit from an eightfold increase in development funding compared to pre-2016 levels

New Budget Approval: - FIFA Congress approved a new budget cycle for 2027-2030 - Projected total revenue of USD 14 billion - All revenue will be reinvested in global football development - Focus areas include youth development, grassroots football, infrastructure building for member associations, and equal distribution of tournament hosting opportunities

Future Plans: The 77th FIFA Congress will be held in Rabat, Morocco, on March 18, 2026, where the FIFA presidency election will take place.

Kanjana Poolkaew, secretary-general of the Social Security Office, revealed that in response to Labor Minister Chulphan Amornvivat's policy aimed at mitigating the impact of the global economic crisis, the Social Security Office is accelerating the 'Social Investment Program' to provide concrete assistance to both insured workers and business operators.

To enhance business liquidity, the Social Security Office has partnered with seven banks—the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited, Thai Export-Import Bank, Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited, UOB Bank Public Company Limited, Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited, and Thai Military Bank Public Company Limited—allocating a combined 30 billion baht to support credit for businesses to maintain liquidity and preserve employment levels. Loan amounts range from no more than 15 million to 50 million baht according to business size, with fixed interest rates not exceeding 2.35% annually for secured loans and 4.75% for unsecured loans during the first three years.

From the fourth year onward, interest rates follow each bank's standard terms. Participating businesses must maintain continuous social security contributions for at least 12 months and maintain employment at no less than 80%. Applications are accepted from July 3, 2025, to December 30, 2026, or until funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. Businesses can apply through the Social Security Office website at www.sso.go.th to obtain a business status certificate before contacting participating banks. To date, 1,071 businesses have been approved for credit totaling 11.35 billion baht, preserving employment for 137,986 workers.

Simultaneously, the Social Security Office has partnered with Government Housing Bank to assist insured workers affected by flooding in nine southern provinces with a maximum allocation of 4 billion baht. The program covers insured workers under categories 33, 39, and 40 for home repairs or construction. Repair loans cap at 500,000 baht and new construction at 2 million baht, with special interest rates of just 1.59% annually for the first five years, then MRR minus 2% for years six through eight, and MRR minus 0.5% from year nine onward.

Eligible applicants must own residential property in affected areas, and those in category 40 must have contributed for at least six of the previous 12 months. Applications are accepted from January 29, 2025, to July 31, 2025, or until funds are exhausted. Applicants must obtain an insured worker status certificate from the Social Security Office nationwide before submitting applications to Government Housing Bank for approval.

Kanjana emphasized that the Social Security Office remains committed to implementing the Social Investment Program to alleviate the financial burden on insured workers while supporting business continuity.