It also insisted on having two permanent secretaries sitting on the proposed media professional council despite strong opposition by media groups, which said this could lead to state interference in the sector’s work.

Police Major-General Pisit Pao-in, the committee’s vice chair, said the panel would convene tomorrow to go through its various resolutions after the NRSA whip had requested that it get them in order following opposition by major media groups, including the Thai Journalists Association.

The committee started to draft the new media regulation bill last year, under which media personnel would be regulated via a proposed licensing system and there would be supervision by a new media professional council.

However, media groups considered that these regulatory proposals could lead to state control and interference in the media’s work.

Pisit said the new licensing system would require all members of the media to register after being certified by the council.

If they failed to gain certification, they would face penalties of up to two years in jail or a fine of up to Bt60,000.

The licensing system is supposed to follow the formation of the professional council two years after the law is enacted.

Pisit also said the committee insisted on having two permanent secretaries sitting on the media council, halving the number that had been proposed previously.

Another four committee members would come from independent as well as civil organisations, while the remaining seven would be from media professional organisations.

However, there is still a debate as to whether two of the seven media seats should be given to media professionals from upcountry provinces, the vice chair added.

Finalisation of the draft law, which has been delayed from last month’s deadline, is now expected to be presented to the NRSA’s whip first, before proceeding to an NRSA meeting for endorsement.

It will then be forwarded to the Cabinet, which will submit it to the National Legislative Assembly for deliberation before it comes into effect.

The court said in a statement that the asset seizures had not taken place so there was no need for a court injunction at this stage.

The government has filed a civil liability suit against Yingluck seeking compensation of Bt280 billion from the former premier for failing to prevent abuses and a huge loss to the state while supervising the ricepledging scheme during her tenure.

Under the civil liability law, state officials are potentially liable for official misconduct that results in damage to the public and can face compensation lawsuits in which the Department of Legal Execution is empowered to seize personal assets if a court rules against the defendant.

In the Yingluck case, financial damages from the ricepledging scheme are estimated to be as much as Bt500 billion, but Yingluck’s lawyers have disputed the amount.

The accused man Passakorn Sangkhee, 27, was released on bail after serving five years behind bars, he said.

Among the evidence that suggested Passakorn’s innocence, a newly discovered eyewitness has provided testimony to the Department of Special Investigation investigators, leading to the arrest of a murder suspect and a search for his accomplice who remains at large.

Passakorn’s case was the first in Thailand that was sent back for a retrial and served as a reminder for police to investigate thoroughly before concluding cases for the public prosecutors’ indictment to ensure fairness, Dusadee said.

Although Passakorn received Bt300 compensation for each day he was in jail, that could not compare to the life opportunities he had missed and his and his family’s suffering, Dusadee said.

Besides Passakorn’s case, there are at least four cases currently in the process of applying for retrials, while two others are pending retrial verdicts.

There were another 100 complaints from people claiming to be innocent, he added.

“I’m not worried about inter-organisational conflicts over the retrials as each agency is doing it job and when a problem is found, we have to fix it together and deliver justice even with a little delay,” he said.

It appeared he would face the same fate in the lottery as any other young Thai man – if he draws a black card, he is spared conscription, but if it is red, he faces mandatory military service.

However, the high-profile story took another twist on Monday afternoon as he was about to enter the draw, when his mother said she had a hospital medical certificate that recommended that her son should not be conscripted because he is overweight.

When the issue came to a head, he refused to take off his shirt in public, saying privacy was his basic right, and instead went into a private room to be measured by an officer. When he came out from the examination, he said he was overweight, which qualified him for an exemption in mandatory military service.

“I’m here today according to the law. I’m not opposing the law as it was not issued by the National Council for Peace and Order. However my presence has seemed to attract special attention as I have been followed by Army officers all the time,” he said.

The exemption due to his weight means that he is permanently spared participating in the military.

Sirawit told reporters that he felt relieved but not happy because being overweight could affect his health. He added that he would work to lose the weight.

“Ja New”, or Sergeant New, made headlines in December 2015 when he led a group of students activists to board a train to Hua Hin, threatening to launch an inspection into alleged corruption in the construction of the Rajabhakti Kings Park project.

His group was stopped by authorities at Ban Pong Railway Station.

Sirawit had been on a list of university students who have asked for postponements for years, but he offered to enter the draw on Monday.

In the morning, Sirawit attempted to speak to reporters but was told by military officials that he could not do so in the conscription tent. After a brief dispute, Sirawit left the tent and told the media the story.

“It [Article 44] won’t hurt our image. No one cares much about the Article because they have monitored our exercising of it and realised that the government has used it constructively to move the country forward,” Don said.

He said the international community had a good understanding of the new Constitution and the road map to a general election after the government explained the whole process.

If any diplomatic groups or international organisation still had queries on the new charter , the Foreign Ministry was ready to hold an explanatory session, he said.

The Foreign Ministry will later distribute an English version of the Constitution to foreign diplomats to give them a better understanding of the charter content, Don added.

The airport is an important hub of the region as it has just opened new passengers buildings, resulting in more domestic and international traffic, Nathathorn said. In addition, it houses many budget airlines.

Large crowds of people are expected during the water-splashing festival that falls on Thursday. However people have already started travelling back to their hometowns or leaving Bangkok to celebrate the long holiday.

The commander was speaking after joining Don Muang Airport executives in launching a campaign to show readiness of airport units and police for Songkran.

“Our inspection shows that all airport units and police are ready to serve people as well as provide safety for them,” he said.

More immigration police and IT officials have been deployed at the airport to ensure the immigration system functions at full strength around the clock.

Officials have been ordered to be stricter in screening people coming in and out to prevent anybody exploiting the crowds and holidays to instigate chaos.