Deputy Minister of Interior Je-sed Thaiset flew urgently to Mukdahan to follow up on the tragic incident where a 10-year-old boy drove a vehicle and collided with an ascetic monk, resulting in the monk's death. He ordered the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to extract lessons learned and enhance preventive measures, stressing that "training must translate into real practice." "tags": ["Deputy Minister of Interior", "Mukdahan", "accident", "child driver", "ascetic monk", "disaster prevention"]
On 2 July 2026, Je-sed Thaiset, Deputy Minister of Interior, traveled urgently to Mukdahan province to follow up on the incident in which a 10-year-old boy drove a relative's car from home and was involved in an accident that killed an ascetic monk. This incident deeply saddened the public. He held a meeting with the Governor of Mukdahan, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, local administrative authorities, police, and related agencies to hear the facts and determine ways to prevent similar future occurrences.
Je-sed said that before traveling to Mukdahan on the same morning, he presided over the opening of the 2026 National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Exercise (C-MEX26). He emphasized to all agencies that current disaster management must prioritize preparedness, integrated operations, and proactive actions to effectively handle all situations.
"Today's incident underlines that preparedness is not just about drills; it must lead to effective real-world application. When an incident occurs, every minute is vital to people's lives. Good training must enable all agencies to respond swiftly, systematically, and minimize losses," Je-sed said. Je-sed stated.
The Deputy Minister of Interior said that this visit was not intended to interfere with the investigation process, which is the responsibility of the police, but to understand the facts from the field, listen to all parties' issues, and use the lessons learned to develop the nation's public safety measures.
"Every loss is a lesson the government must learn from and use to improve its work. We should not wait for incidents to happen before responding but use every event as an opportunity to enhance prevention systems' effectiveness," he added. Je-sed added.
He ordered the relevant agencies to implement three urgent measures:
1. Provide full care and compensation to those affected and the bereaved families according to government regulations.
2. Instruct Mukdahan province to analyze the incident with all relevant agencies to develop preventive proposals to avoid recurrence.
3. Integrate lessons from this incident into drills and preparedness activities in all provinces, following integrated disaster management guidelines, to ensure all agencies can respond quickly, cohesively, and effectively to real situations.
Je-sed emphasized that since assuming office as Deputy Minister of Interior, he has directed all subordinate agencies to shift their work towards "proactive operations." He believes that current disaster management must extend beyond natural disasters to include all incidents that may affect people's lives, safety, and property.
