CHAI NAT — 10 August 2026, patients at Chai Nat Narenthorn Hospital were briefly alarmed after a monk waiting outside the pharmacy appeared to be carrying a handgun.
Police were called to the hospital after people saw what looked like the black grip of a gun protruding from the pocket of his outer robe.
Officers found that the object was a plastic imitation gun attached to a mobile phone case. They removed and seized it, and warned the monk that it could cause panic even if he had no harmful intent.
The monk, from Chai Nat’s Noen Kham district, told police he had bought the case through TikTok because it felt comfortable to hold. He said he had come to the hospital for a scheduled appointment and prescription, and promised he would not do it again.
NONTHABURI — 10 August 2026, Former Nonthaburi MP Chalong Riaowrang surrendered to police after allegedly shooting Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) president Pol. Col. Thongchai Yenprasert and his driver on Monday morning.
The shooting took place at about 10:20 as Thongchai was preparing to leave the Nonthaburi PAO office at the Nonthaburi Provincial Government Complex on Rattanathibet Road.
According to an initial investigation, Chalong was waiting for Thongchai before approaching his vehicle and knocking on the window. Thongchai opened the window to speak with him, after which Chalong allegedly drew a firearm and opened fire.
Thongchai was shot four times, including in vital areas, while his driver was also hit by a bullet. Rescue workers from the Nonthaburi City Municipality provided emergency treatment, including CPR, before taking both men to Phra Nang Klao Hospital.
Footage recorded by staff at the nearby Nonthaburi Provincial Public Health Office reportedly showed Chalong holding a firearm before putting it into his waistband and walking away from the scene.
Chalong was recorded on video walking away from the scene, calmly putting away the firearm believed to have been used in the shooting.
Chalong later surrendered to police at a station.
Reported 11 million baht dispute
A possible motive emerged after the shooting when Chalong reportedly called media personality Anjalee “Jae Pong” Pairirak, who was hosting a programme at the time.
According to Anjalee, Chalong told her that he had shot the PAO chief and said he had fired four or five rounds before leaving the PAO office.
Anjalee said Chalong told her he was angry because he had supported the other side and had asked for 11 million baht, but was allegedly told there was no money to give him.
Chalong reportedly told her that he felt he had been treated badly and had decided to shoot Thongchai before saying that he would surrender to police.
Anjalee also said Chalong referred to a dispute over the selection of an MP candidate. According to her account, Chalong had previously asked the other side not to field a particular candidate but the candidate was still put forward.
The claims about the alleged financial and political disputes have not been independently verified. Police have not yet confirmed a motive for the shooting.
Police investigate shooting
Nonthaburi Governor Chettha Mosikarat, along with the deputy governor, the deputy commander of the Nonthaburi Provincial Police and officers from Rattanathibet Police Station, inspected the scene after the shooting.
Police secured the area and began collecting evidence and questioning people who witnessed the incident.
In this photo released by the East Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire that razes through Mount Bromo National Park in Probolinggo, Indonesia on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (East Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency via AP)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia sent airplanes and hundreds of firefighters on Sunday to fight a blaze in a popular national park, one of a growing number of wildfires the country is battling during an unusually dry season.
The largest fire reported this week has burned about 176 hectares (435 acres) of Mount Bromo, located within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java province, one of Indonesia’s best-known tourist destinations.
Authorities closed the park to visitors Saturday and Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, the park chief, said the shutdown would remain in effect until further notice.
Hundreds of firefighters, disaster management personnel, police, soldiers, park rangers and volunteers have been mobilized to contain the blaze. Helicopters and drones have also been deployed to help battle the fire, while crews have built firebreaks to try to prevent further spread.
Nugraha said difficult terrain has complicated efforts, with some hotspots located on steep volcanic slopes that are difficult to reach by land.
The Bromo fire comes as several other wildfires have been reported across Indonesia during an unusually dry season.
A forest and land fire broke out in Central Java’s Banyumas Regency on Friday, authorities said. That fire was triggered by land-clearing activities and spread rapidly to surrounding areas, fueled by dry conditions. In West Java, a fire broke out this week in the Suryakencana Meadow area of Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, a popular hiking destination. The incident prompted authorities to temporarily close hiking trails to Mount Gede and Mount Pangrango.
Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency said strong winds and extremely dry vegetation are accelerating the spread of fires. The El Niño weather pattern, combined with seasonal dry winds from Australia, has increased the risk of fires across parts of the country.
Forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands often break out during dry spells. Fires are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for planting, and those burns periodically blanket parts of Southeast Asia in hazardous haze.
Chalong Riaorueang (left), a former Nonthaburi MP, allegedly shot Pol. Col. Thongchai Yenprasert (right), president of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation, at the PAO office.
BANGKOK — 10 August 2026, police are investigating a shooting at the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) office in Mueang Nonthaburi district, where its president, Pol. Col. Thongchai Yenprasert, was reported injured.
Initial reports identified the alleged gunman as Chalong Riewrang, a former Nonthaburi MP. Authorities had not confirmed further details, including the motive, at the time of publication.
Officers were examining the scene, gathering evidence and questioning witnesses to establish the sequence of events.
Thongchai is the president of the Nonthaburi PAO, the province’s elected local-administration body.
BANGKOK — 10 August 2026, The government has ordered authorities to establish 24-hour command centres in northern Thailand to prepare for flooding and drought, while instructing provincial governors to use emergency funds to provide immediate assistance to residents in high-risk areas.
Phatdarasmi Thongsaluaykorn, a deputy government spokesperson, said Deputy Prime Minister and Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Minister Yodchanan Wongsawat, who chairs the committee overseeing flood and drought prevention in the North, had ordered relevant agencies to adopt a proactive approach.
The measures come amid highly unpredictable weather, including heavy rainfall that could trigger flash floods and forest runoff, as well as drought conditions in some areas.
Authorities have been instructed to establish local incident command centres and ensure that personnel, machinery and water pumps are ready for deployment around the clock. If local resources are insufficient, provinces are to immediately coordinate with military units and regional Disaster Prevention and Mitigation centres for additional support.
Provincial authorities have also been told that if an area is assessed as being at high risk, they may use emergency government advances to mitigate potential damage in advance.
The government said administrative regulations and procedures should not become obstacles to providing assistance to the public.
Vulnerable groups are to be prioritised in relief efforts. If conditions deteriorate to the point that evacuations are required, authorities are to respond accordingly.
After flooding occurs, officials have been instructed to conduct comprehensive assessments of affected areas and accelerate compensation and rehabilitation payments to help residents return to normal as quickly as possible.
For areas at risk of drought, the government’s longer-term measures include accelerating assessments of available water supplies, reserving water for household consumption and coordinating with farmers to adjust planting plans.
Thai airports will be allowed to open and search checked baggage without passengers present from 16 October 2026 under new aviation security regulations issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT).
The regulation, issued on 24 February, authorizes operators of public airports to inspect checked baggage if there are reasonable grounds to suspect it contains prohibited items, explosives, dangerous goods or other items banned from being carried on aircraft.
Security screening officers will be authorized to open suspicious baggage and confiscate prohibited items without returning them to the passenger. Further action will be taken in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
Passengers will not need to be present when a checked bag is opened. Officers will record the inspection and leave a notice inside the baggage informing the owner that it has been searched.
CAAT recommends that passengers use internationally recognized baggage locks, such as TSA-approved locks, which can be opened by authorized security personnel using a master key or tool. If a bag cannot be opened, officers may break the lock to conduct the inspection, with no compensation required for damage to the lock.
The new rules are intended to strengthen Thailand’s aviation security measures and bring them in line with international standards.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (David Mareuil/Pool Photo via AP)
BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) — The Japanese authorities should listen to the call of the people, fulfill the country’s obligation under international law of not accepting, producing, possessing or proliferating nuclear weapons, and stop playing with fire on the issue of nuclear weapons, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks when answering a query regarding a recent survey conducted by the Japan Association for Public Opinion Research.
The survey showed that 76 percent of people in Japan support upholding the country’s three non-nuclear principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons on its territory. The survey also found that 77 percent of the respondents believe Japan should not pursue nuclear sharing, an arrangement under which the United States would station nuclear weapons in Japan.
The fact that nearly 80 percent of people in Japan support upholding the three non-nuclear principles and oppose nuclear sharing speaks to the Japanese public’s overwhelming and clear-cut opposition to possessing nuclear weapons, said Lin, adding that it also reflects how much the Japanese public cherishes peace and prosperity which has not come easy.
Recent moves by those running the Japanese government to clamor for “nuclear option” and seek to violate the three non-nuclear principles only reveal the inflating political and military ambitions of Japanese right-wing forces, who are gambling with the future of over 100 million Japanese people, said Lin.
“The will of the people must not be defied,” Lin said, noting that the Japanese authorities should not repeat the wrong path of miscalculating the historical trend and acting against the people’s will for peace.
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-backed government has rejected the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ renewed call for the unconditional release of detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi and dismissed the need for the organization’s special envoy on Myanmar, according to the foreign affairs ministry.
President Min Aung Hlaing, the former army chief who had originally seized power in 2021 from Suu Kyi’s civilian government, has been trying to win political legitimacy since the takeover and resume relations with ASEAN.
ASEAN came up with a peace plan for the Southeast Asian country in April 2021 to end hostilities and initiate dialogue among contending parties, to be facilitated by the special envoy. Min Aung Hlaing has since been barred from attending top-level meetings for failing to comply with the plan.
In an apparent effort to placate critics, the government allowed a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit 81-year-old Suu Kyi last week, the first known contact with an outside international independent humanitarian organization since her detention five years ago.
Suu Kyi is serving her sentence under house arrest at an undisclosed location in the capital Naypyitaw, on charges that her supporters and rights groups have said are politically motivated.
Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing during his Thailand visit last week.
The current ASEAN chair, the Philippines, welcomed the meeting as a step toward dialogue and reconciliation on Friday, while urging greater access to political detainees and reiterating its call for Suu Kyi’s “complete and unconditional release.”
Myanmar’s foreign ministry’s statement late Saturday criticized the call.
“Although the government has commuted her sentences based on humanitarian considerations, the matter of a full and unconditional release shall only be carried out in accordance with the law,” it said.
The statement also said the government will continue working with ASEAN’s current special envoy, Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro, but doesn’t see the need to continue down that path when Singapore takes over on Jan. 1, 2027.
“At present, the government, which emerged from the multiparty democratic elections reflecting the genuine will of the people, has assumed state responsibility,” the statement said.
In a speech more than three months after being sworn in as president following the elections, Min Aung Hlaing dismissed ASEAN’s peace plan, saying some member states have discriminated against Myanmar and it would respond on a case-by-case basis.
Critics dismissed the elections, which were held in December and January, as a sham designed to consolidate the military’s grip on power while ostensibly restoring civilian rule.
LONDON (AP) — Former U.S. President Joe Biden ’s prostate cancer has spread to other parts of his body and is causing him pain, even as he continues to speak out on public issues, his son Hunter said in an interview.
In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC broadcast late on Friday, Hunter Biden grew emotional as he discussed his father’s condition, describing it as very sad to watch.
“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” he said. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.”
Joe Biden, 83, was the oldest man to serve as U.S. president and his age was a source of concern for much of his four years in office. He and his White House advisers have faced intense criticism for allegedly concealing the extent of his problems, especially after he was forced to abandon his bid for re-election after a disastrous debate with his eventual successor, Donald Trump.
The former president revealed his cancer diagnosis in May of last year, less than four months after he left the White House.
Hunter Biden said the diagnosis had been tough on the family.
“It’s really sad to watch,” Biden said. “The only thing that I’d say about my dad, about his health right now, is I wish he would complain more, because it’s not good.”
But Biden said his father remains “out there,” speaking publicly about the issues that are important to him.
“He’s still doing his thing,” he said. “He so believes in this country.”
The former president will publish a memoir, “Promise Me, America,” after the mid-term elections.
A 44-year-old Norwegian man who spent more than two years living rough around Pak Kret in Nonthaburi is finally set to return home after Thai immigration authorities stepped in to help him contact his embassy.
Odd Stian Hesseberg was found living around temples and public areas in Pak Kret after a social media post raised concerns about a foreign man sleeping near the Pak Kret waterfront.
Hesseberg told reporters he came to Thailand alone about two and a half years ago to meet a female friend in Nakhon Sawan but lost contact with her. He later travelled to Nonthaburi, where he said his bag containing his passport and other documents was stolen. Without his documents, he ended up living rough and sleeping at temples and along the waterfront.
He said he wanted to return to Norway but did not know who to contact for help.
Immigration officers located Hesseberg at Wat Klang Kret on 7 August and checked his immigration record. He entered Thailand on 3 March 2023 on a 30-day tourist visa and later received an extension until 16 May 2023. His immigration status currently shows an overstay of 1,179 days.
Authorities are now questioning Hesseberg and coordinating with the Norwegian Embassy to arrange his return to Norway in accordance with Thai law.
Temple staff said they had previously tried to help him return home, including arranging transport to the Norwegian Embassy about three months ago. They said they were concerned about his wellbeing as he had been living alone and often sleeping in public places.
After being taken by immigration officers, Hesseberg thanked temple staff and local residents who had helped him during his time in Thailand. He said he was happy that he would finally be able to return to Norway, his home country, after more than two years.
