Surapong and the National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC) will be given a chance to defend their acts before the NLA votes, Jet said.

The NACC voted unanimously a few weeks ago to seek criminal action against Surapong and also his impeachment over his decision to reissue passports to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2011.

The national anti-graft agency accused Surapong, a key politician from the Pheu Thai Party, of malfeasance and dereliction of duty under the Criminal Code.

The NACC asked the Office of Attorney-General to indict him for criminal negligence and malfeasance in connection with his actions and also requested the NLA to impeach him.

While serving as foreign minister in 2011, Surapong allegedly instructed the Foreign Ministry to issue two new passports to Thaksin, whose passports had been revoked in 2009 by the Democrat-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva on the grounds that the former PM was deemed to be damaging the country while living abroad.

Thaksin’s diplomatic passport, often issued to senior government officials particularly prime ministers, had been revoked since December 2008.

Thaksin has lived in self-exile overseas after fleeing the country in 2008.

After the coup in May 2014, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, under then foreign minister General Tanasak Patimapagorn, revoked Thaksin’s two ordinary passports in May 2015. The revocation came after the ex-PM severely criticised the new administration and Thailand in an interview with foreign media.

The ministry explained that the revocation came after a suggestion by security agencies, which deemed Thaksin’s action a threat to national security and an attempt to damage the country’s reputation and dignity.

However, as a Thai national, Thaksin still has the right to return to Thailand although he no longer carries a Thai passport.

People have flocked to the Grand Palace where his body now rests to show their respect.

His successor is his only son, HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

“We are in the process of asking His Majesty to review our plan to hold the royal cremation ceremonies in late October,” Government Spokesman Lt General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Wednesday.

He dismissed as groundless reports that the royal cremation ceremonies would take place from December 25 to 30.

A Government House source said the premier feared the high temperature forecast by Thai Meteorological Department may cause health issues for senior officials.

Presiding over a seminar on Thai digital government vision, Prayut said that the weather is expected to be very hot especially in the afternoon.

Since December, the exercise sessions have been led by Prayut, including aerobic dancing, soccer, table tennis, and many more activities on an open field in front of the Thai Khu Fah building.

The sessions are carried out in other government agencies nationwide every Wednesday at 3 pm as part of Prayut’s initiative to promote good health among Thai people.

In January, Pramern Krairos, director of Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district, died after suffering a heart attack while leading district officials in exercises in accordance with the prime minister’s policy.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations said the BBC’s Thai-language output impeded discussions about renewing the 20-year lease on the complex, the network’s main shortwave broadcast station for Asia.

The centre’s large red and white transmission towers in Nakhon Sawan 150 miles (240 kilometres) north of Bangkok beamed local language news into tightly-controlled countries such as China and North Korea, and into places where many still rely on radio like Pakistan and Afghanistan

But it went off air on January 1 following the expiry of the lease. “Despite extensive negotiations, we have been unable to reach an agreement to re-commence transmissions,” the BBC said in a statement.

The BBC World Service produces uncensored news in 29 different languages. It is part-funded by the British government but editorially independent.

The Asia transmission station was moved to Thailand from Hong Kong in 1997 after the city was handed back to China. The BBC did not give details of why the talks broke down.

But two sources said the network’s Thai-language service had become a sore point.

Dissident student leader Jatupat “Pai” Boonpattararaksa, one of more than 8,000 people to share the profile on Facebook, was charged with royal defamation in the first such prosecution under Vajiralongkorn’s reign.

Sansern Kaewkumnerd, head of Thailand’s Public Relations Department, confirmed discussions had faltered and said it was “still unclear whether the contract would be extended or not extended”.

Thailand’s 2014 coup brought to power a group of ultra-royalist generals who have stamped down on dissent and cramped media freedoms.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations said the BBC’s Thai-language output impeded discussions about renewing the 20-year lease on the complex, the network’s main shortwave broadcast station for Asia.

The centre’s large red and white transmission towers in Nakhon Sawan 150 miles (240 kilometres) north of Bangkok beamed local language news into tightly-controlled countries such as China and North Korea, and into places where many still rely on radio like Pakistan and Afghanistan

But it went off air on January 1 following the expiry of the lease.

“Despite extensive negotiations, we have been unable to reach an agreement to re-commence transmissions,” the BBC said in a statement.

The BBC World Service produces uncensored news in 29 different languages. It is part-funded by the British government but editorially independent.

The Asia transmission station was moved to Thailand from Hong Kong in 1997 after the city was handed back to China.

The BBC did not give details of why the talks broke down.

But two sources said the network’s Thai-language service had become a sore point.

Sansern Kaewkumnerd, head of Thailand’s Public Relations Department, confirmed discussions had faltered and said it was “still unclear whether the contract would be extended or not extended”.

The forum on Wednesday at Rangsit University on how the Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process is carried out for development mega-projects in the South, hosted by the Thai Society of Environmental Journalists, reached a conclusion that the current problems with the EIA/EHIA procedures in the Southern region were largely caused by the lack of proper public participation.

Dr Suphat Hasuwankit, Chana Hospital director and prominent opponent of the Thepa coal-fired power plant, said the EIA/EHIA procedures were only a ritual that the project owners had to go through, while real practice caused conflict everywhere development projects were undertaken.

Suphat claimed that developers routinely hired consultant companies to manipulate the EIA/EHIA processes, so “the public participation in almost all the projects in the South such as the Krabi and Thepa coal-fired power plants is fake public participation”.

On her personal Facebook page, Yingluck said the world had changed a lot but there were still some social issues related to gender inequity and violence against women, hence this IWD should be the starting point for everyone to change that.

“I want to be one more person to push for visible change. Let’s #BeBoldForChange by giving importance to serious tackling of gender inequity and opposing the violence against women …

“I invite my fans and [members of the public] to start by giving opportunities to women around you to express their full potentials for the better change in our society towards a gender-equal status. Do tell and share in this page about what you have done today to create gender equity.”

Yingluck also urged that Thailand, although it had made much progress in allowing women better access to education and public health, must promoting more female participation in economic and labour issues and work towards a higher ratio of women in politics.

IWD, celebrated on March 8 every year, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Visit http://www.internationalwomensday.com to find out more.

The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) said it would withdraw a criminal complaint alleging criminal defamation and violations of the Computer Crimes Act against Pornpen Khonkachonkiet, Somchai Homla-or and Anchana Heemmina, who published a report on torture in the southern border provinces.

The report, by the Cross-Cultural Foundation and Duay Jai Group (Hearty Support Group), was published in February last year.

“We commend the military authorities for their decision to drop the case against these brave activists. We hope the authorities will follow this step in the right direction by immediately and unconditionally dropping complaints and charges against other peaceful human-rights activists,” said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“This case is emblematic of how criminal-defamation provisions and other repressive laws have been used to target activists peacefully exercising their rights in Thailand. To prevent further such injustices, the authorities should reform or repeal repressive laws and bring them into line with the country’s international obligations.”