Srisuwan claimed that Lt-General Vijak Siribunsop made an inappropriate remark during an interview to the media after Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had assigned a fact-finding committee to probe the case, which could be regarded as an interference with the justice system, a violation of the Defence Ministry’s ethical regulation and a breach of military discipline.

Police have labelled Chaiyapoom Pasae a drug suspect after Third Army Area officers said a soldier shot Chaiyapoom in self-defence because he had pulled out a knife and then a hand grenade. Soldiers manning the checkpoint in Chiang Mai’s Chiang Dao district claimed they later found 2,800 methamphetamine tablets in Chaiyapoom’s car.