BANGKOK — Opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut has criticised the government led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, saying it appears strong on the surface but is in fact fragile due to networks of vested interests.
Speaking at 11:50 on 26 April at a hotel in Bang Na, Bangkok, the leader of the People’s Party was asked whether the government could complete its full four-year term and what potential political “traps” could threaten its stability.
From the outside, Natthaphong said the administration appears to have stability across multiple fronts, with some analysts attributing its strength to influence over the Senate and independent organisations. However, he argued that beneath that image lies internal weakness.
“What makes this government fragile is that all the power groups tied together are driven by interests,” he said.
He pointed to what he described as political factions absorbed into the Bhumjaithai Party, alleged misuse of power by independent agencies, business groups providing support, and bureaucrats benefiting from the so-called “blue government” network.
Natthaphong said these interconnected interests would become more visible during crises, citing recent tensions over an oil-related issue as an example that exposed underlying weaknesses. He also suggested that even technocratic ministers have been reluctant to criticise sensitive policies such as the land bridge project.
“In every crisis, this internal fragility will emerge. A government that looks strong will ultimately reveal its weaknesses,” he said.
He added that it is the role of the opposition, including the People’s Party, to show the public that such a system could make Thai society more fragile and eventually undermine the government’s stability.
PATTAYA — An Indian tourist has filed a police complaint after allegedly being robbed of a gold necklace worth more than 100,000 baht by a group of transgender women on Pattaya beach.
At 01:30 on 26 April 2026, Rishav Singh, 36, reported the incident to police at Pattaya City Police Station after returning to his accommodation and discovering his necklace missing.
The incident is said to have taken place on the night of 25 April along Pattaya Beach Road, opposite a shopping centre in the Nong Prue area of Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province.
Singh said he had been visiting Pattaya for a five-day trip and went out to entertainment venues on Walking Street in South Pattaya around 04:00 before walking back to his hotel along the beachfront road.
He said that while passing the beach area opposite a shopping centre, two transgender women approached him, initiated conversation and behaved in a friendly manner before hugging him. The tourist said he felt suspicious and tried to push them away.
After returning to his hotel, he later found his gold necklace missing, valued at around 300,000 Indian rupees, or approximately 100,000 baht.
Police said the complaint was recorded as evidence and investigators have been instructed to review CCTV footage from the area. Officers are also compiling records of individuals involved in similar incidents for identification.
If a match is found, authorities said they will move forward with legal action.
Nearly a week after The Wall Street Journal published an article titled “How Cybercrime Became a Leading Industry in ‘Scambodia’,”Cambodian officials and members of the public continue to voice anger, urging the US outlet to remove the term.
The report described Cambodia as a major hub for global cybercrime, alleging that criminal syndicates have corrupted officials, trafficked and exploited workers, and defrauded victims worldwide.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a 2025 expert report cited by US authorities estimated that scam operations in Cambodia generate up to $19 billion annually — equivalent to nearly 40% of the country’s GDP — surpassing its largest legitimate sector, garment manufacturing.
The global impact is also significant. Americans alone lost about $10 billion to online scams linked to Southeast Asia in 2024, marking a sharp year-on-year increase, the report said.
Cambodia’s Information Minister Neth Pheaktra sent a letter to the newspaper’s editor rejecting the term “Scambodia” and stressing that the government is committed to tackling scam networks.
The letter was later published on the newspaper’s website. However, The Wall Street Journal has neither removed the article nor altered the reference to “Scambodia.”
President Donald Trump, left, is seated on stage as U.S. Secret Service agents respond to take him from the ballroom after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside a high-profile journalists’ dinner attended by President Donald Trump and multiple senior U.S. leaders on Saturday night, rushing toward the ballroom before Secret Service agents swarmed him and took him into custody. The president was uninjured and was hustled away.
Guests went diving under tables as the scene unfolded and some reported hearing shots outside the vast subterranean ballroom in the Washington Hilton where the event was being held.
One law enforcement official said a gunman had opened fire. A law enforcement officer was shot in the bullet-resistant vest but is expected to be OK, several sources told The Associated Press.
U.S. Secret Service agents surround President Donald Trump, third from left, as he is taken from the stage after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The shooting suspect — described by Trump as a “sick person” — was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP.
“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump, safe and uninjured and still in his tuxedo, said at the White House two hours later. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”
There was no immediate indication of any other involvement, and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had ”no reason” to believe anyone else was involved. Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him.
“There does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public at this time,” Bowser said at a separate news conference.
All officials protected by the Secret Service were evacuated. Those in attendance included Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and many other leaders of the Trump administration on a night when the nation is at war with Iran.
It was the third time since 2024 that the president had been under threat by an attacker in his immediate vicinity — including the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured him and killed a local firefighter.
“Today we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before,” the president said. But he also said, “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges related to Saturday night’s attack will be filed shortly, and that the nature of the charges would be obvious considering what had happened at the dinner. Blanche stressed that “the investigation is obviously ongoing and just started.”
FBI Director Kash Patel, flanking Trump, said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
Dinner turns to disorder
Guests were dining on a spring pea and burrata salad when noise began — noise Trump said he initially thought was a tray dropping but some journalists believed were five to eight gunshots.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Audible gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening; hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. He fell briefly — he apparently tripped — and was helped up by Secret Service agents. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume, the event was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
“We will do this again,” said Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Shortly afterward, staff began breaking down table settings and the presidential lectern.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, who both attended the event, were “praying for our country tonight.” The House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, said “The violence and chaos in America must end.”
The banquet hall — where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s remarks — was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not immediately reenter. Security outside was also extremely tight.
Republican Rep. MIke Lawler of New York, a guest at the dinner, said he heard a pop and “we didn’t know what the hell it was. And then you heard all sorts of things clatter.” Lawler said he gets “death threats often” and said “I think we live in a climate where everybody recognizes its a problem, but I don’t think people fully appreciate how much of a problem it really is.”
Guests exit during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
The event had initially appeared set to resume after the disorder. Servers refolded napkins and refilled water glasses in preparation for Trump’s return. Another worker prepared the president’s teleprompter for the remarks he was scheduled to make.
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the correspondents’ dinner, and security has typically been focused on the ballroom and rather than the hotel at large, with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself. In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Hilton — an event that prompted redesigns of the property that increased security and added a special presidential suite near the entrance where chief executives could be taken. Trump was dispatched there briefly after the incident Saturday night.
Event would have highlighted Trump’s relationship with press
Trump’s attendance at Saturday’s annual dinner in Washington for his first time as president is putting his administration’s often-contentious relationship with the press on full public display.
Trump arrived to an event where the leaders of a nation at war mingled with celebrities, journalists and even a puppet — Triumph the Insult Comic Dog — in a dinner that typically generates debate about whether the relationship between journalists and their sources should include socializing together and putting aside sometimes adversarial relationships.
Trump was being watched closely at the event held by the organization of reporters who cover him and his administration. Past presidents who have attended have generally spoken about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, adding in some light roasts about individual journalists.
President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The Republican president did not attend during his first term or the first year of his second. He came as a guest in 2011, sitting in the audience as President Barack Obama, a Democrat, made some jokes about the New York real estate developer. Trump also attended as a private citizen in 2015.
Trump entered the banquet hall of the Washington Hilton to the strains of “Hail to the Chief” and greeted prominent journalists on the dais, also pausing to laud White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt with a cheerful pointing of his finger.
Past dinners have also featured comedians who poke at presidents. This year, the group opted to hire mentalist Oz Pearlman as the featured entertainment.
A few dozen protesters stood across the hotel in the runup to the event. One was dressed in a prison uniform, wearing a Hegseth mask and red gloves. Another carried a sign saying, “Journalism is dead.”
NAKHON RATCHASIMA — 25 April 2026 — A schoolteacher in northeastern Thailand set up a camera to catch a suspected thief who had taken a tray of boiled eggs, only to discover the culprit was a crow.
CCTV footage outside the room of Anuwit Tiamkrathok, an art and music teacher at Ban Mabkrad School in Khon Buri district, captured the bird repeatedly stealing eggs left overnight.
Anuwit said he regularly boiled large batches of eggs and stored them for convenience. On 23 April, he left a tray in a pot outside his room overnight, only to find them all gone the next morning.
After questioning staff and students without success, he initially suspected a dog but doubted it could remove the eggs without knocking over the pot.
He then repositioned his camera and left two boiled eggs as bait. Footage showed a crow swooping in at 5:50 to take one egg, before returning at 6:19 to grab the second.
“I never expected the thief would be a crow from nearby,” he said.
BANGKOK — 25 April 2026, Thailand is considering scrapping its 60-day visa-free entry scheme for foreign visitors and reducing permitted stays, as authorities shift focus towards higher-spending, long-stay tourists, officials said.
Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said the government is reviewing the policy after a trial period and is preparing to submit proposed changes to the Cabinet soon.
The measure currently allows travellers from 93 countries and territories to enter Thailand without a visa for up to 60 days. Officials now plan to scrap the blanket scheme and revert to country-specific arrangements, while exploring new visa options tailored to different markets.
Surasak said the changes aim to better reflect actual travel patterns and curb misuse of the system.
“More than 90% of tourists stay between one and 30 days, while only about 10% remain longer,” he said. “Allowing extended stays may enable some individuals to work illegally or engage in improper activities.”
He said the revised approach would prioritise “quality tourists” who stay longer and contribute more to the economy, while serving as a screening mechanism for undesirable visitors.
The Foreign Ministry has already discussed the proposal, which will require Cabinet approval to amend the original resolution.
Separately, authorities are also pushing ahead with plans to introduce a 300-baht tourism fee for foreign arrivals by air. The levy would fund tourism development, safety measures and infrastructure improvements.
Surasak said such fees are common internationally, citing Japan’s departure tax as an example, and insisted the measure would not deter visitors but help strengthen Thailand’s tourism sector in the long term.
KHON KAEN — 25 April 2026, Police are hunting suspects who broke into a prominent temple in northeastern Thailand, stole donation boxes and carried off a safe weighing more than 200kg before smashing it open and fleeing with cash.
CCTV footage circulating on social media shows a slim man wearing a cap and face mask moving around Wat That Phra Aram Luang in Mueang district, searching for valuables and prying open donation boxes placed around the temple grounds.
Temple caretaker Thongdee Thonglon, 76, said the intruders likely climbed into the compound from outside before breaking into donation boxes near the pagoda and inside the ordination hall. A safe containing donations was taken from inside the hall and later found broken open in a nearby alley.
He estimated the thieves made off with around 40,000 to 50,000 baht in donated money. Some boxes were successfully forced open, while others showed signs of attempted break-ins.
Thongdee said the temple had switched off electricity at the time of the incident, leaving some internal cameras unable to record the theft. He added that petty theft had occurred before, but this was the first time a safe had been stolen.
Police said evidence from CCTV footage suggests two groups of suspects may be involved, one acting alone and another consisting of two individuals. One suspect has been detained and reportedly admitted to stealing less than 100 baht, while investigators are working to identify whether the second group was responsible for taking the safe.
Authorities are reviewing additional surveillance footage in nearby areas as they continue efforts to locate and arrest those responsible.
MAE HONG SON — 25 April 2026, Wildlife officers have rescued a severely injured pangolin from a wildfire-hit area in northern Thailand, highlighting the growing toll of forest fires on vulnerable species.
Officials said the female Sunda pangolin was found by a firefighting team from Tham Pla–Namtok Pha Suea National Park while tackling blazes west of Wat Pa Tham Wua.
The animal was discovered weak and struggling for breath, sheltering in a hollow to escape the flames after becoming trapped by the fire. Initial checks showed serious injuries, including damaged and deformed scales along its back and a partially severed tail, believed to have resulted from both human activity and the wildfire.
The pangolin was transported to Pang Tong Wildlife Breeding Station, where veterinarians began urgent treatment, cleaning wounds to prevent infection and monitoring for shock and stress. Officials said efforts are being made to replicate a natural environment during recovery, with plans to release the animal back into the wild once it is fit.
Chaiyacharn Sriyong, director of a regional protected areas office, said wildfires were not only destroying forests but also killing wildlife indirectly, particularly slow-moving species like pangolins that cannot escape in time.
Authorities urged the public to refrain from burning forests, warning that a single act could cost wildlife their lives. They also encouraged people to report injured animals or suspected illegal burning via a national park hotline.
BANGKOK — 22 April 2026, The Australian Embassy in Thailand, in partnership with Siam Piwat Group, has launched a Rabbit Card design exhibition at Siam Discovery, showcasing creative works that highlight ties between the two countries.
Running from 22 April to 17 May, the exhibition features 35 selected designs from the third Rabbit Card Design Competition, organised by the embassy. The winning entry has been produced as a limited-edition Rabbit Card.
Australian Ambassador to Thailand Angela Macdonald said the exhibition followed strong public interest in the competition, which attracted more than 100 submissions across a wide range of styles and age groups.
“It is encouraging to see iconic symbols such as the Australian koala and the Thai elephant reinterpreted to reflect the close relationship between our nations,” she said.
The top prize was awarded to Kiadtisak Paramasin, whose design combines Thailand’s mythical temple guardian “Yak” with an Australian kangaroo. He received a return flight from Bangkok to Sydney and a two-night hotel stay, sponsored by Thai Airways and Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok.
Other winners included first runner-up Korakot Chaiyont, who received a hotel stay, and second runner-up Pison Wimonsoponkitti, who was awarded gift sets featuring Australian and Thai products.
Organisers said the exhibition also includes interactive activities, with visitors able to take part in a design challenge for a chance to win limited-edition cards.
The display is being held on the third floor of Siam Discovery until 1 May before moving to the fifth floor from 2–17 May.
BANGKOK — 25 April 2026, Thailand has approved a fifth-phase action plan to expand royal initiative-led development projects to 32 provinces nationwide, aiming to strengthen self-reliance and sustainability, officials said.
Mr. Grisada Boonrach, Chairman of the chairman of the Royal Initiative Discovery Institute, under the Royal Initiative Discovery Foundation, said the board endorsed the 2028–2032 plan at its annual meeting on 24 April, focusing on integrating efforts across sectors to improve livelihoods based on the sufficiency economy philosophy.
The foundation will continue its mission to “preserve, build upon and extend” royal initiatives under the guiding principles of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, drawing on the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s development concepts.
From October 2025 to March 2026, projects worth more than 416 million baht were implemented across water resource management, agriculture and environmental sectors.
Water development remains central, with surveys covering 1,911 water sources in 21 provinces and 136 rehabilitation projects in the Mun River basin expected to benefit more than 36,000 rai of farmland.
Agricultural programmes have focused on boosting productivity, including export-grade durian in the southern border provinces, safe vegetable farming in the northeast and the use of smart agriculture technology for crops such as coconuts in Khon Kaen and limes in Nan.
The foundation is also advancing “centenary village” projects in 10 communities across eight provinces as models for sustainable self-sufficiency, alongside initiatives to strengthen household food security.
Under the fifth-phase plan, operations will expand from 22 to 32 provinces, with a target of rehabilitating 150 small-scale water sources annually, totalling 750 over five years.
The strategy includes four pillars: development promotion, the establishment of 50 co-learning centres, proactive public communication and organisational upgrades through digital systems.
The plan also aims to enhance 10 key agricultural products, including organic durian, robusta coffee and high-quality rice, to generate stable income for farmers.
Krisada said the initiative would move beyond pilot areas to broaden its impact nationwide, embedding royal development principles into everyday life.
The five-year plan is expected to require a budget of about 1.57 billion baht, funded through a combination of state allocations, foundation resources and private sector cooperation.
