The embattled former abbot of Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu has broken his silence about his early life, admitting he evaded military service and assumed a friend’s identity before illegally entering Malaysia where he worked for several years before returning to Thailand.

Suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed optimism about resuming her duties during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, voicing her determination to return to work later this week.

Thai authorities are considering legal action under the Criminal Code following a border incident in which a group of Cambodian nationals allegedly dismantled sections of barbed wire fencing in the Nong Chan area of Sa Kaeo on Monday.

The cabinet on Tuesday selected Onfa Vejjajiva as the new secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), replacing Danucha Pichayanan, who will be transferred to lead a water management agency.

Thai security authorities are using a range of crowd control measures against Cambodians trying to invade a village beside the border in Thailand in the eastern province of Sa Kaeo.

The planned rollout of the highly anticipated 20-baht-flat mass-transport fare in Greater Bangkok in October is likely to be delayed, with the key enabling bills mired down in parliament.