FAMOUS BIG-BIKE racer “Benz Racing”, who was being sought by police over his possible links to an alleged Laotian drug kingpin, |surrendered to police yesterday.

Akarakit Worarojcharoendet, better known by his racing moniker, reported to police at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) at 3.30pm yesterday as emerging evidence suggested he might be involved in laundering the ill-gotten gains of Xaysana Keopimpha’s alleged drug trafficking network.

He looked calm as he walked into the NSB office with his mother and a lawyer.

His actress wife Napapa “Patt” Tantrakul was not with him at the NSB. As he talked to police, his now heavily-pregnant wife posted a video clip on Instagram showing her husband kissing her big stomach under the title “We”.

Napapa and her brother, Anucha, said they believed in Akarakit’s innocence.

Akarakit came forward after police searched his home and business, interviewed his wife, and went public about transactions that could link him to at least two drug suspects in Xaysana’s network.

On Thursday, Akarakit was nowhere to be seen as police conducted the search and revealed his name at a press conference.

The Lamborghini Gallardo SuperLeggera that has been linked to Xaysana and Akarakit has been found at a car-care centre in Bangkok. Police are in the process of examining the supercar.

A source also said that Akarakit’s car-accessory shop had operated without any licence.

Thai police arrested Xaysana, who portrayed himself as a rich and well-connected man from Laos, at Suvarnabhumi Airport last month. As the ongoing investigation into his network in Thailand expands, several more suspects have been arrested and Akarakit’s name has come up.

Police have found that Akarakit conducted numerous transactions with at least two drug suspects in Xaysana’s network during the past few years. The two drug suspects have already been arrested.

Police suspect that several other celebrities in Thailand might have assisted Xaysana with money laundering and asset concealment. The alleged drug lord is said to have developed ties with prominent members of Thailand’s high society through the many parties he had hosted in recent years.

NSB deputy chief Pol Maj General Pornchai Charoenwong refused to elaborate on further suspects. “We can’t disclose details. We are in the process of gathering more evidence,” he said.

He said officials would be able to take concrete steps against other members of Xaysana’s network next month.

“We will go after key network members first and we will confiscate their assets,” he added.

Police deputy spokesman Pol Colonel Krissa Pattanacharoen said police would pursue culprits no matter how famous they were.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said everyone was under the law and wrongdoers would face legal actions.

“Our Smart Lab has enjoyed increasing recognition in the [medical] industry,” Asst Prof Anak Khantachawana said in his capacity as KMUTT assistant president for internationalisation.

Late last year, the Smart Lab at KMUTT Faculty of Engineering grabbed six awards for its research-based innovations – three from the 12th Taipei International Invention Show & Technomart and the rest from the 10th International Warsaw Invention Show. One of the awards was for enhancing materials for internal fixations through fine shot peening techniques.

“We can produce thinner and lighter materials with greater durability. They are easier to use for both surgeons and patients,” Anak said.

He added that these materials, when launched to market, would also reduce the risk of the materials becoming loose or breaking inside patients.

These materials have already been tested on the bodies of people who donated their remains for educational purposes. Following positive results, they are now being tested on rabbits.

“We believe human clinical trials can start soon,” Anak said. “We expect the commercial production of these materials to start before the end of next year.”

He said when these materials were launched to the Thai market, their prices would be about half the price of imported products.

Anak complained that at present most of imported devices for Thailand’s medical industry were significantly overpriced.

He hoped his institution would be able to ease this problem by introducing Thai innovations. The Smart Lab of KMUTT has now dedicated about half of its research to such developments, with about 40 researchers working there.

“We plan to shore up doctors’ and patients’ confidence in Thai medical devices and materials,” he said.

The Smart Lab has got the attention of the Thai medical community based on the potential of fabrication and development of shape-memory alloys for orthodontics and medical applications, which provided Smart Lab with the opportunity to work more on researching this medical device.

The Smart Lab has also been working on other innovations that could be used for commercial purposes, including a LED device for Alzheimer’s treatment and a distractor device that helps move the jaw of cleft palate sufferers.

The 8.30am crash, which involved seven trailer trucks, two pickup trucks and a car, occurred on the two-lane No 304 road (Nakhon Ratchasima-Na dee) in Tambon Bu Phram.

The pile-up started when a trailer truck carrying tapioca flour collided with another trailer truck, causing gas cylinders on the trucks to explode in flames.

Arthit Srisongchai, 39, the driver of the first truck, died at the scene. Sakijpong Khokpa, the driver of the second truck, was seriously injured. The female car driver was also seriously injured.

The crash caused a 10-kilometre traffic jam and police diverted motorists to other routes for about two hours until the accident scene was cleared.

An initial police investigation found the first truck had a brake malfunction while travelling downhill and it crashed into vehicles in both lanes.

The Highways Department has warned motorists to drive cautiously through the curvy, mountainous 12 kilometre section in Buphram. A section of the road is under construction to expand the lanes.

The pickup was inspected by Toyota Motor Co Ltd’s Samut Prakan-based factory, a source at the Justice Ministry revealed yesterday.

In addition, the truck’s “Bor Khor 56 Sakhon Nakhon” licence plate was found to have no scratches or traces of being repaired after an inspection by King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi.

The Land Transport Department also found there is no history of the licence plate being changed.

Deputy permanent secretary for justice Pol Colonel Dusadee Arayawuth is planning to meet the Royal Thai Police team assigned to further investigate the case on Monday.

Evidence is due to be presented at witness hearings which are being held at the Nakhon Phanom Court for three days from next Wednesday, as a step toward a possible retrial.

Jomsap was sentenced to three years and two months in jail for allegedly killing an elderly man, Lua Phorbumrung, in a hit-and-run accident on March 11, 2005, in Nakhon Phanom’s Renu Nakhon district.

She served 18 months before being released by royal pardon in 2015.

While the Justice Ministry has sought to help her to seek a retrial, police have stood by the original evidence.

The rental contract revocation affects Thep Sathit Wind Farm Co Ltd, which had invested in “Asean’s largest wind farm” project in Chaiyaphum’s Sap Yai and Thep Sathit districts and sought to expand to the province’s Nong Bua Rawe district.

The decision has created uncertainty for other proposed renewable power-generating projects in the province, with another 17 private companies halting their investments.

Chaiyaphum-based Arlo office head Jirathit Roj-oonwong told reporters yesterday that the court’s verdict was considered final and would be respected by all sides.

She said her office would wait for the result of a meeting yesterday involving related agencies at Atrlo’s head office in Bangkok before deciding on the next move.

The verdict issued on Tuesday stemmed from a lawsuit filed by local residents and the Association of Lawyers for Environmental Protection against a Chaiyaphum-based Arlo committee’s 2009 resolution and the subsequent contract signing in 2012. The agreement rented a 39-rai (6.2 hectare) Sor Por Kor land plot at Bt32,000 per rai per year for 27 years to Thep Sathit Wind Farm Co. The company was to operate a 90 megawatt electricity-generating wind farm.

Jirathit said that her office would consult with Arlo’s head office first because this matter was the result of a government policy to promote renewable energy.

She said at Chaiyaphum 17 private companies applied for Sor Por Kor land use for wind farms for a rental period of between 25 and 27 years and they had invested at least Bt15 billion in construction costs.

Alro secretary-general Sompong Inthong said officials would look into the details of every contract for Sor Por Kor land leased to wind farm companies in Chaiyaphum and Nakhon Ratchasima province to ensure land was not being misused.

Nakhon Ratchasima-based Arlo office head Chamnan Klinchan said he had reported to the agency’s headquarters that his office had earned over Bt10 million per year in rental fees from seven private companies that rented a total of 286 rai in Dan Khun Thot, Theparak and Sikhiu districts to install wind turbines for power generating since 2010.

Chamnan said the rental fees went to the Arlo Fund, with the money distributed to farmers as loans for farming, to buy land for landless farmers and for funding basic infrastructure buildings.

FAMOUS BIG-BIKE racer “Benz Racing”, who is married to a well-known actress, is the first celebrity to be exposed as an alleged accomplice in suspected Lao drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpha’s network in Thailand.

Akarakit Worarojcharoendet, who is better known as “Benz Racing”, will report himself to police at 3pm today, according to his brother-in-law.

He disappeared from his home on Wednesday night, leaving behind his heavily pregnant wife Napapa “Patt” Tantrakul, who had to deal with the police alone yesterday.

Police suspect that several celebrities in Thailand might have assisted Xaysana with money laundering and asset concealment.

Napapa’s elder brother, Anucha Tankrakul, said yesterday that Akarakit had talked to him over the phone and denied any involvement in the drug trade.

“He has proper documents to show to police about the Lamborghini police say belonged to the alleged drug lord,” Anucha said.

He said Napapa would accompany Akarakit to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) today. “We believe in his innocence,” Anucha said.

Office of Narcotics Control Board secretary-general Sirinya Sittichai yesterday said records showed Akarakit and Nattapon Nakkham, a drug suspect affiliated with Xaysana, had transferred assets back and forth over the past few years. “Akarakit will have to explain how he has amassed his wealth,” Sirinya said. “We expect him to contact authorities.”

NSB chief Pol Lt-General Sommai Kongwisaisuk said Akarakit might face charges of drug trafficking and money laundering because there was clear evidence that Nattapon had delivered drugs for Xaysana.

Xaysana and Nattapon are currently in police custody.

Pol Maj-General Pornchai Charoenwong, a deputy chief of the NSB, said the ongoing investigation suggested Xaysana might have bought luxury cars with his ill-gotten gains while some money might have been left with Akarakit.

Police arrested Xaysana on January 19 at Suvarnabhumi Airport on drug charges. During the past few weeks, many suspects affiliated with his network have also been arrested.

Nattapon was caught on Wednesday. Yesterday, police arrested Chaiwat Chusai for allegedly delivering drugs on Nattapon’s orders at night, while he was a driver for a hospital during the day. Chaiwat was found to possess 20 kilograms of ketamine, worth about Bt13 million.

Chaiwat said he had only made five deliveries for Nattapon, who paid him Bt800,000 for the latest delivery.

To date, authorities have seized more than Bt200 million worth of assets related to Xaysana’s alleged network. Among the confiscated items were several vehicles, including big motorcycles.

Anti-narcotics officials searched Akarakit’s house and car-accessory shop yesterday on suspicion that Xaysana’s Lamborghini might have been there. Sommai said police had already interviewed Napapa but did not get much useful information from her and the investigation had not found any link to implicate the actress.

Officials did not find the Lamborghini, which is worth an estimated Bt20 million, at Akarakit’s home or business premises during |yesterday’s search.

Later yesterday, police received a tip-off about the car’s location. “It’s in Bangkok and we have already got it. Next, we will examine it in detail to determine whether it has been brought into Thailand legally,” a source said.

The case was brought before the NLA by the US Justice Department a few days ago. The department reportedly alleged that bribes were paid to people who claimed to be advisers for the Parliament’s CCTV procurement project.

The allegations prompted the NLA to launch an initial investigation by its vice president before forwarding the report to its president to sign and set up the fact-finding panel.

Air Chief Marshal Weerawit Kongsak, who chairs the panel, said they would determine whether the alleged corruption was at a policy level. The findings will be ready by late next week to be forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Centre (NACC) set up by the National Council for Peace and Order, he said.

In its first meeting yesterday, the panel learned that there were at least two private firms involved, and it was likely they were the same company.

Weerawit said the panel would probe how the project was initiated. The panel has contacted the NACC to get information concerning the claims made by the Justice Department, he said.

NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said at least two procurements of CCTV cameras took place.

However, he said information from the NACC was needed to help establish the facts.

He said the NLA could not approach the US Justice Department for information as it had to wait for the NACC to forward the information to it.

Meanwhile, he said construction of the new Parliament was proceeding smoothly after the NLA had resolved the construction area problem. He said 30 per cent of construction had been completed.

He said the current NLA was not involved in any procurements involving the project.

Kamnoon Sidhisamarn, secretary and spokesman of the NRSA coordination committee, said at a press conference that the whips decided to return two draft laws to the media reform panel for review.

The spokesman said the controversial issues regarding the bill on media reform, such as the composition and the authority of the proposed “media professional council”, would be reviewed by taking into consideration complaints made by media organisations. It remained unclear when the revision would be completed, but Kamnoon said it “should not take long”.

One bill involves the protection of media rights and liberties and the promotion of occupational values and standards, while another bill involves the registration of media organisations. The former point has been strongly opposed by 30 media organisations nationwide, which issued two statements denouncing the bill as opening the door for state interference in the media sector.

However, NRSA whips agreed during their meeting at Parliament that the proposed media professional council should remain in the draft legislation with the legal authority to ensure better self-regulation mechanisms within the sector, Kamnoon said. The highly controversial proposal for a media regulatory council has faced much criticism from media groups, which have described it as a veiled attempt to control the media.

In response to concerns over the composition of the proposed media council, which would include four ministry permanent secretaries, the whips advised that the council be made up of members from related and diverse fields, according to the spokesman.

Additionally, the whips said the bill must be in line with the constitution that was approved in the referendum last year, Kamnoon said. Media organisations have complained that the bill was against the new charter, which ensures the independence of the media.

Leading figures in the media industry, such as Wanchai Wongmeechai, Thepchai Yong and Chavarong Limpattama-panee, yesterday submitted an open letter endorsed by 30 media organisations that called on the NRSA to review the draft bill and replace the head of the media reform committee, Kanit Suwannet. They said Kanit had conceded he was not familiar with journalism and should be replaced by someone who was.

In addition, the media organisations said Kanit’s claim that media representatives had accepted the draft bill and that it was backed by academic research were inaccurate.

Media representatives emphasised that the regulatory bill posed threats to media freedom as well as the public’s freedom to access information.

They said that instead of protecting the rights and freedom of the media, the bill would allow control of and interference in the media by the state through the professional council, which would include permanent secretaries appointed by politicians. The media representatives also said the media were currently subject to self-regulation and regulation by members of public, making further regulation by a professional council unnecessary.

In a related development, veteran journalists who were members of the NRSA’s media reform panel, such as Pradit Ruangdit, Suwanna Sombatraksasuk and Amornrat Mahimmathiruk, yesterday resigned from the panel to express opposition against the contentious bill, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Meanwhile, Constitution Drafting Commission chairman Meechai Ruchupan yesterday called on media groups and the NRSA media reform panel to debate amicably in order to settle the differences between them.

Meechai said he did not think this issue would ignite a conflict between the media and the government.