The first suspect, Sompan Meemuangnork, was apprehended at Phuket Bus Terminal 2.

“We got a report from one of our sources about a big drug delivery from Bangkok to Phuket,” said Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen.

“Our source informed us that Sompan would be the one making the delivery. We tracked his movements and learned that he would arrive in Phuket by bus, so our team waited for him at the terminal,” he added.

At about 9:30am, officers saw Sompan getting off the bus with a box. They approached him, searched his belongings and found the stash.

He was charged with possession of a category 1 drug with intent to sell, then taken to Patong Police Station for further questioning.

“Sompan admitted that the drugs belonged to him and that he intended to sell them to teenagers in Patong. He also provided information about another dealer from the network, which led to the arrest of Uraiporn Boonsawang,” said Maj Gen Teeraphol.

Uraiporn was found in possession of a .38 gun.

Sompan did not provide the name of his contact in Bangkok, but Phuket police are coordinating with officials there to take further action.

The migrants, 112 men and 92 women, reportedly travelled openly on public transportation because they wanted to be apprehended and repatriated by authorities so they did not have pay travel expenses.

The investigation team revealed the development in the case of Chamlong Phummalai, a 41-year-old driver for the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Educational Personnel, who allegedly shot to death C4-ranked official Wassana Burakon, from the same agency, last Tuesday.

Police are now hunting Chamlong after applying for an arrest warrant.

Investigations showed that Chamlong had deposited Bt1 million to his account in March 23, then two days later transferred the same amount to the account of a female teacher in Ang Thong.

Police said this teacher had been in a relationship with Chamlong for around four years and they registered their marriage certification on the sday of killing.

A source in the investigation team said police were trying to establish where Chamlong got the money and why he transferred it before allegedly killing Wassana.

The car was seriously damaged in the accident but its driver escaped unhurt.

Engineers from Hat Yai Provincial Electricity Authority were working all-out to repair a damaged transformer on the post to restore power to the homes.

Police said they were investigating the accident and would question the driver further.

The fire reportedly broke out on the night of April 1, ravaging the community under the Klong Chuadlakkhao Bridge on Bang Na-Trat Road.

Chalong Khamdee, one of the affected residents, said her family had lost everything in the fire, adding that she hoped authorities would help find new homes for people in the community.

From April 1 onwards, all buses coming to and leaving Phang Nga will transit through the new terminal located in Muang district, which is to be officially launched in June.

The new bus terminal began operations on Saturday with a few hiccups as passengers and service operators were not yet familiar with the new facility.

Staff from the Provincial Land Transport Office of Phang Nga and police yesterday jointly coordinated services for passengers.

The Phang Nga bus terminal covers an area of nine rai (1.4 hectares) with a passenger waiting area and a car park for private vehicles and buses. The budget to buy the land and cover construction costs was Bt100 million.

Operations are scheduled to be transferred to the Phang Nga Provincial Administrative Organisation.

US President Trump has signed two executive orders directing his administration to review the country’s trade deficits and clamp down on countries that abuse trade rules. He said the new executive orders signed on Friday (yesterday Thailand time) would start a new chapter for American workers and businesses.

“I’m signing two executive orders that send this message loud and clear. And that set the stage for a great revival of American manufacturing,” Trump said at his office in the White House.

In Washington DC, the US leader largely blamed “unscrupulous foreign powers” for his country’s trade imbalance. He said those countries were aided by US special interests that have helped push through bad trade deals.

He promised to crack down on “foreign importers that cheat”, saying that the new executive orders would lead to a historic reversal of the nation’s trade deficit.

“They’re cheaters! From now on, those who break the rules will face the consequences and they’ll be very severe consequences,” Trump was quoted as saying by USA Today. One of the two executive orders requires a report on the reasons for the trade imbalance within 90 days. That report will focus on 16 countries with which the US had a significant trade deficit in goods last year – China, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Ireland, Vietnam, Italy, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Thailand, France, Switzerland, Taiwan, Indonesia and Canada – according to the newspaper. The US Commerce Department and the US trade representative will be required to conduct a 90-day review of the causes of the massive US trade deficits. The study will be on the effects of abuses such as dumping of products below cost, unfair subsidies, “misaligned” currencies and “non-reciprocal” trade practices by other countries.

“We’re going to investigate all trade abuses, and, based on those findings, we will take necessary and lawful action to end those many abuses,” Trump said. “Thousands of factories have been stolen from our country, but these voiceless Americans now have a voice in the White House. Under my administration, the theft of American prosperity will end. We’re going to defend our industry and create a level playing field for the American worker, finally,” the US president said.

Trade volume between Thailand and the US was worth was an average US$37 billion (Bt1.29 trillion) annually over the past four years. Thai exports to the US in 2015 and 2016 were valued at $23.6 billion and $24.3 billion respectively, according to the Customs Department.

Over the past four years, Thailand has had a trade surplus with the US – $8 billion in 2013, $9 billion in 2014, $9.8 billion in 2015, and $12.2 billion in 2016. The surplus with the US last year represented 68 per cent of Thailand’s total trade surplus of $17.9 billion.

He said the government and the NLA did not want a confrontation between opponents and supporters of the idea, so section 10/1 NOC was scrapped from the Petroleum Bill.

The government will decide later whether or not to create the NOC, but at the moment there is a serious debate with sides arguing for and against the idea, he said.

A feasibility study would have to be carried out first since many have questioned the lack of detail on the need to create the NOC. And if the government agreed to set up the NOC, then it could propose the new bill for the NLA to deliberate on, Suchachai added.

Meanwhile, NLA whip Jetn Sirathanont said that the government has one year in which to conduct a study and there must be a public hearing, since that is required by the new draft of the constitution.

“Traditionally, the government has no obligation to follow the NLA’s observation, but this time it carries more weight, like a social contract,” he said, referring to the fact that the NOC was annexed to the bill. He also noted that it was not certain whether the NOC bill could submitted to the current NLA, which might be dissolved before the study is complete.

The NLA passed the amendment to the Petroleum Act on Thursday. The new bill incorporates two more methods for oil and gas auction –production-sharing contract and service contract. So far there is only a concession contract. Some NLA members argued that should the production-sharing contract be used, the government may need to create the NOC.

The People’s Network for Thai Energy Reform has also campaigned for the creation of a national oil company. But independent academic Praipol Koomsup said yesterday that there is no need to create the NOC, as the government could assign PTT Exploration and Production to manage a production-sharing contract.

He warned that should the government set up the NOC to monopolise energy exploitation, as suggested by the People’s Network, it could end up like Venezuela’s government experiencing under-capacity of oil production due to lack of technology and inadequate capital.

Oil and gas exploration needs both technology and capital, he said. Alternatively, the Department of Mineral Fuels could take responsibility as it already supervises oil and gas concessions.

The existing concessions for both the Erawan and Bongkot fields, which account for a combined 70 per cent of the country’s oil and natural gas reserves, are due to expire in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Veerasak Pungrassamee, head of the Mineral Fuels Department, said the department would carry out a study to determine the best method to be used for the next auction of petroleum exploitations.

The clicking sounds still linger at The Momentum as well as on the whole youthful, energetic crew despite their separation from a product they created and caressed with passion.

The Momentum, an alternative news website that offers readers a package of news, podcasts, subtitled video clips, as well as other funky artworks and photos, has been a phenomenal success, hitting more than 9 million page views within six months of its birth. Its success shook up the generally languishing news industry.

Now the whole crew, led by ex-managing editor Nakarin Wanakijpaibul, has bid farewell to Momentum and its owner – Day Poets – following differences of opinion on ideas and creativity. The online platform will continue with its operations, while the exiting crew is planning a new project along the lines of The Momentum.

“It’s actually heartbreaking. I wouldn’t have left something that I moulded with my own hands,” Nakarin said a few days after his announcement last week. “But for the difference in the attitude of Day Poets’ executive board.”

The Momentum was prematurely launched last October around the time Hong Kong student activist Joshua Wong was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Six infographics, with questions and answers about Wong’s significance to Thai diplomatic policies with China, were first published on its Facebook page, as its website was not ready then.

That was how The Momentum shaped its stories: solution-seeking news that seized on the moment, according to Nakarin, who made a success of The Momentum despite being involved with news for the first time. Before that, he had seven years’ experience editing books and magazines.

“I went through research on several news online platforms, noting down everything from their posting frequency, their content management, and other factors,” he said.“ Eventually, I concluded that news fall in any of five categories: the engaging, the big shot, the drama, the humorous, and the inspirational.

“The inspiring segment seemed to suit us the most. We also searched for angles in complex news stories so that people should be able to relate to them in their everyday life.”

For instance, its series on the Dhammakaya Temple operation, while not going overboard in criticising the temple or the police, explored Dhammakaya’s potential threats to Buddhism, the use of Article 44 by the government for the operation, and its relationship with politics.

Another instance of its insightful approach was its treatment of the Oscars gaffe in announcing the Best Picture. The Momentum went beyond playing up the blunder and explored the voting process and also whether the eventual winner “Moonlight” was deserving of the honour.

For The Momentum, being reader-focused was the very pillar of its operation, with energies devoted to providing readers what they would like to know.

Nevertheless, The Momentum never forgets a fundamental principle of journalism, which is being a middle platform for every one.

Nakarin said it was hard to define neutrality and that’s not what The Momentum had tried to achieve. Instead, the website gave equal weight to all sides as much as it could. “Take a look at our coverage on the amended Computer Crime Bill. Separate seminars by Parliament and netizens were all covered by us,” said Nakarin.

With a crew of about 20, including Nakarin himself, it was clear that the team had to focus on quality more than quantity.

If it were a person, The Momentum would be a person in the 30s with calm and critical thinking, Nakarin said.

“We were not of the masses,” he said. “Despite our initial expectations, it turned out that our loyal readers were opinion leaders. This consequently attracted big-shot customers who wanted to touch base with readers of quality.”

Big companies, including AIS, Uniqlo, Air-Asia, Chang, and PTT, for instance, were among top-list customers forging partnerships with the website through tailor-made articles and projects, despite the advertising rate being kept on par with Thailand’s leading mainstream news websites.

To keep The Momentum going, Nakarin said a key thing was to find out what news readers still lacked. There is an abundance of news on online platforms, but it was important to be unique to attract readers, he added.

“Podcasts, subtitled video clips, highlights at the beginning of each article, and time alerts on how long readers will go through an article, we had them all fresh at The Momentum,” Nakarin said. “These are all to deal with the era of disruption. It’s to jump on this online stream. It is now.”

Moving on from The Momentum, the whole crew is now taking its energy and enthusiasm to the Standard, a new platform set to be launched in June. They would work with Wongthanong Chainarongsingha, co-founder of “A Day”, an alternative magazine. Wongthanong also left Day Poets due to disagreement over stock sales.

While not revealing much about the Standard, Nakarin said that all the qualities that made The Momentum unique could also be expected at Standard, with the same reader-focused approach.

“We wish to stand up for people while also standing beside them,” Nakarin remarked. “The Momentum, to us, is like a soft launch. The Standard will be our grand opening. With more professional manpower this time, we expect to bring more wows.”