Election Commission faces calls to review ballot rules after over one million votes were spoiled in recent elections; winner Pheu Thai Party and opposition groups weren't as distant, raising concerns that invalid ballots affected seat distribution

Sacred elephant tusks belonging to the Karen community have been returned to Thailand after decades; The repatriation is seen as a significant cultural restoration, with community leaders welcoming it as recognition of indigenous heritage and traditions

70 tigers died at a private park in Chiang Mai, possibly for an outbreak of canine distemper virus; Officials are examining vaccination records, quarantine measures and disease-control protocols as lapses in biosecurity could contribute to mass fatalities

Risks in ballot transport, counting and certification are a post-vote test for elections: past annulments and court interventions fuel concern among analysts and civil groups; Polls show pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party leading, opposition still competitive

5th Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, connecting Bueng Kan to Bolikhamxay, is now the shortest strategic route linking Thailand, Laos and Vietnam; it helps make Bueng Kan a logistics centre, supports cross-border tourism in the area with a permanent route