Sunday 19 July 2026

Good morning Bangkok. Happy Sunday. World Cup Final tonight.

🌡️ Weather: 27-37°C (81-99°F). Hot through the afternoon with scattered showers. A solid Sunday for indoor plans or an evening at Railway Park for the World Cup.

🌫️ AQI: 81-142 (Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Elevated. Morning is the cleaner window.

When we first covered this story on June 26, police had just raided a house in Nonthaburi and found 18 computers and 3,000 altered answer sheets. The scale has since exploded. It was confirmed on July 16 that 3,621 officials now face dismissal after investigators found discrepancies between their original examination scores and the results that were published. A total of 5,814 candidates' names have been referred to the Central Examination Committee, which is expected to decide on July 23 whether their appointments should be revoked. The Department of Local Administration is now rechecking all 480,000 answer sheets from the nationwide exam using technology, a process expected to take about a week, conducted in front of journalists.

The three key masterminds have been arrested: Win Thanaphatcharaphokin, an adviser at Kasetsart University's Office of Promotion and Training; his sister Sataporn; and Pichit Thangphrom, former director of the Strategy and Budget Division at Wichian Buri Municipality in Phetchabun province. Eleven active government officials face criminal charges for helping to alter score sheets. Candidates paid between ฿350,000 and ฿800,000 each for guaranteed passing grades on an exam for positions paying around ฿15,000 per month. PM Anutin called it "outrageous" and said it "ruins national development." When pressed on whether senior Bhumjaithai Party figures linked to the fraud network would also be investigated, he replied: "Certainly. If it involves anyone, action will be taken against them all."

Bottom Line: 400,000 people sat one exam. Thousands paid bribes to pass. 3,621 face dismissal. All 480,000 answer sheets are being rechecked in public. And the PM promised that nobody is protected, including people in his own party. Whether that promise holds will be tested on July 23 when the committee rules. This is the largest civil service corruption case Thailand has seen in years, and the outcome will determine how seriously the country takes its own anti-corruption commitments.

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The State Railway of Thailand confirmed that a new daily air-conditioned commuter service will begin running between Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal and Ayutthaya starting August 1. The service, branded SRT Bangkok Connex, is part of SRT's broader push to expand affordable and convenient rail options beyond the greater Bangkok area. Ayutthaya province now joins the network of destinations accessible by comfortable, air-conditioned rail from the capital.

For anyone who has made the trip to Ayutthaya on the old trains, the upgrade matters. The current service runs non-AC coaches that can take three hours or more, with wooden seats and open windows that let in the heat, dust and noise of the central plains. The Bangkok Connex service replaces that experience with air-conditioned coaches, a faster schedule and daily frequency that makes Ayutthaya viable as a genuine day trip rather than an ordeal you endure for the temples. Ayutthaya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with some of the most impressive historical ruins in Southeast Asia, sitting roughly 80 kilometers north of Bangkok. The new train service makes it more accessible than it has ever been.

Bottom Line: August 1. Air-conditioned. Daily. Bangkok to Ayutthaya. If you have been meaning to visit the ancient capital but kept putting it off because the train experience was uncomfortable, the excuse is gone in two weeks.

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Bangkok Art and Culture Centre sits at the Pathumwan intersection directly above BTS National Stadium, and it is one of the best free things to do in the city on any given day. The building spans multiple floors of rotating contemporary art exhibitions, artist studios, galleries, performance spaces, a bookshop, an art library and cafes. The exhibitions change regularly, meaning you can visit every month and see something different. The building itself, a circular tower with a spiraling ramp connecting each level, is designed so you walk upward through the art rather than moving room to room on a flat floor, which gives the experience a natural rhythm that most galleries cannot match.

The 4.6-star rating across 20,319 Google reviews at that volume tells you this is not a niche art space. It is one of the most visited cultural destinations in the city, drawing everyone from serious art collectors to families looking for a free Sunday activity to remote workers who want a cafe with better surroundings than a Starbucks. Free entry to the main galleries. Special exhibitions occasionally charge a small fee. On a Sunday when the AQI is elevated and outdoor plans need adjusting, four hours inside BACC with a coffee and whatever exhibition is currently on the walls is not a bad way to spend an afternoon in Bangkok.

TIP: Start at the top floor and walk down. The upper levels host the main exhibitions. The lower levels have commercial galleries, cafes and the bookshop. Closed Mondays.

📍 939 Rama I Road, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
📞 02 214 6630
🕐 Tuesday-Sunday 10AM-9PM. Closed Mondays.
⭐ 4.6 stars (20,319 Google reviews)
💰 Free (some special exhibitions may charge)
🌐 bacc.or.th

Always check opening times before heading out.

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Have a fantastic Sunday, and see you tomorrow morning.

— Patrick