And so it was last weekend, with the Metropolitan Police Bureau chief showing up to inspect the Fortune Town shopping mall in Din Daeng after a small fire.

His prescription for city police is for them to be “proactive and speedy in probing and closing cases, willing and able to perform duties immediately”.

This outlook has led to Sanit being spotted at most crime or disaster scenes in Bangkok, as well as in nearby provinces if there is a link to cases in the capital.

Nor does he shy away from talking to the media. News photos portray him trying to get on top of many investigations – be it a “talk of town” case on social media, like a senior official being censured for smacking a waiter who called him a “sugar daddy”, or a nasty murder, a traffic snarl or simply a student brawl.

One image still lingering in many people’s memories is of Sanit leading officers to pose for the camera in a heart-shaped arch pose, waving an “I love you” hand sign to urge students to love one another during a press conference last July. The conference followed the arrest of two technical college students on charges of killing a rival youth.

Sanit often attends at least four events in a single day and is generous in giving good quotes, leading journalists to give him the “dashing to every scene” nickname.

A graduate from the Police Cadet Academy Class 34, Sanit is said to be an interrogation expert who covers all the angles when seeking evidence, so it is no surprise that he is keen to take a hands-on approach at the scene of the crime. Named as acting city police chief in October 2015, Sanit proved himself and was officially appointed to the post 10 months later.

“I want to see people love policemen. Police investigations in cases must be thorough to ensure justice and so the bad guys don’t walk free,” he said.

But Sanit has also faced controversy. The Ombudsman’s Office recently ended its investigation of allegations that he earns Bt50,000 a month as an adviser to Thailand’s biggest producer of alcoholic drinks, Thai Beverage, after deciding there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.

Following an uncharacteristically long pause, Sanit told the office that there had been a mistake on his asset declaration after he was named as a new member of the National Legislative Assembly, adding he had asked someone else to handle the matter for him. Meanwhile, a letter from ThaiBev to the Ombudsman said the company had not hired Sanit as an adviser.

The Ombudsman’s Office sent a notice to Sanit, warning him to be more careful in the future, adding that he must set a good example for others or his ethics could be called into question.

WHILE the investigation into the fatal shooting of Lahu activist Chaiyapoom Pasae is still ongoing, government leaders already delivered their judgement yesterday – he was shot in self defence. But civic groups and rights defenders have called for a transparent investigation to ensure justice.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday he had ordered an investigation into the shooting of Chaiyapoom in Chiang Mai’s Chiang Dao district last Friday.

“But it shouldn’t be put in a way that he was killed for being an ethnic activist,” Prayut said told reporters.

“The government never thinks like that. We have to seek clarity from evidence. I ask you to not mix words around, they will only affect the case,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said he had received a report from Army chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart, which said officials had to protect themselves as the suspect had intended to throw a grenade that was found at the scene.

“What can they do? The officials also fear dying,” Prawit said, when told the suspect was a youth activist.

Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said the case would be handled in accordance with legal procedures, adding that officials involved in the operation had to give testimony justifying their actions and police would proceed with their investigation, he said.

“In this case, the suspects were accused of possessing narcotics, resisting officials’ work and attempting to kill officials, while an operational official was charged with the killing,” he said.

“If the relatives [of Chaiyapoom] have doubts over the investigation and the case, they can have lawyers raise inquiries during the investigation and court trial,” Winthai said. “The army is ready to make the case clear and give justice to all.”

The claim that soldiers killed the outspoken young ethnic activist in self-defence set alarm bells ringing, Human Rights Watch’s Asia director Brad Adams said.

“Instead of accepting at face value the account of the soldiers who shot Chaiyapoom, authorities need to thoroughly and impartially investigate this case and make their findings public,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Surapong Kongchantuk, Cross-Cultural Foundation chairman and a lawyer in the case, called on authorities to put the soldier who shot Chaiyapoom in the normal justice system and in police detention, rather than hold him in a military camp.

“We are concerned about military interference in the judicial process and threatening witnesses since authorities likely have prejudice over this case,” Surapong said.

Ethnic groups in the area had had conflicts with the military before, so there were concerns over the transparency of the case and safety of the witness, he said.

Human rights bodies weigh in

“The best solution for now is the Army offering an apology to the public over the case and allowing an independent investigation into the military operation,” he said.

National Human Rights Commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit said the commission had taken Chaiyapoom’s case into consideration and would set up a panel to investigate the matter. The agency would request information from all concerned parties including police, the military, civic groups and activists, she said.

Amnesty International is calling on the government to immediately order an “independent, impartial and effective” investigation into the killing of the young Lahu activist.

The circumstances of the shooting are now subject to question.

Chaiyapoom was shot dead last Friday while travelling in Chiang Dao district. He was reportedly in a car driven by classmate Phongsanai Saengtala when troops stopped the car at a checkpoint to search for narcotics.

Police said officials found 2,800 methamphetamine pills in the car’s air filter. While Phongsanai was arrested, Chaiyapoom allegedly got out of the car and ran away. Troops chased him and shot him dead as he was about to throw the grenade, police said.

But friends, colleagues and activists who knew Chaiyapoom said they did not believe the official story as the Lahu activist had dedicated himself for years to fighting against narcotics and for ethnic rights.

Chief of Na Wai police Chonlathep Maithai, who handled the case, said earlier that neither Chaiyapoom nor Phongsanai had a record of drug involvement. Phongsanai, who is now in custody, told police he did not know where the pills came from, while no other person who was at the crime scene has given information on the incident.

“At 10.10am, she went in peace,” said a tearful Dr Nantarika Chansue, chief surgeon of the team that removed 915 coins from the turtle. The discovery of so many coins in her stomach led to her being called “Ormsin”, or ‘Piggy bank’ in Thai.

“She is my friend, teacher and patient. Thank you for being my friend,” she said in a press briefing to announce Ormsin’s death. The turtle had died from a complication from the operations, she said.

The doctor’s Facebook page, which gave updates on Ormsin’s condition from the start of her medical care, was flooded with condolence notes from animal lovers who expressed moral support to Nantarika and the team. One user, Poy Poy, wrote: “Ormsin will not longer be in pain. Thanks to the team that provided care and love for her.”

Another, Jewwy Journey, said that the loss of the turtle would not be wasted, as many people who previously had no idea about the issue – the risks of throwing coins or other objects into turtle ponds or water containing wildlife – would now be aware.

Many users said: “Ormsin, please rest in peace.”

The critically injured turtle was given to the doctor for care by a Navy sea animal hospital in Sattahip. A team of vets decided to perform an emergency operation after a CT scan detected a mass of coins inside her body earlier this month. The team knew her chances of survival were slim, considering the numbers of coins and her condition.

The operation removed about five kilograms of coins from Ormsin’s stomach, and the turtle initially appeared to be recovering well.

However, her condition took a sudden turn over the weekend due to intestine strangulation – she had more empty space in her torso after the operation and her body had to adjust.

The second operation was unsuccessful, as she had developed blood poisoning from serious intestinal problems. One of the causes of death was the high level of nickel in her bloodstream – 200 times more than normal – because the coins lain in her stomach for a long time.

Ormsin’s plight became a big news item, with daily updates both locally and internationally. Her case was reported by CNN, Time, as well as wire agencies. The |turtle lived for two decades in a small pond in a public park in Chon Buri province. Visitors tossed coins into her pond for “good luck” and the hope it might bring them long life.

Yesterday, as the Ormsin saga reached its sad end, Dr Nantarika repeated her call for people to stop tossing coins into ponds or animal shelters, so that other animals do not suffer a similar fate.

The 1.4-million rai (224,000 hectares) national park – Thailand’s second largest – is known to have been extensively encroached upon and turned into popular resorts, many of them by influential figures.

The matter has been raised in recent years at the World Heritage Committee’s meetings as one of its “most depressing” issues, and one that has posed threats to the area’s world heritage status.

The government has been trying to address the issue by strictly enforcing forest laws against encroachers.

Complaints have been filed against more than 450 encroachers since 2011, the highest number ever in one area.

These include the high-profile case involving former deputy national police chief Pol General Jumpol Manmai, who was brought to Nakhon Ratchasima’s provincial court early this month to hear its verdict on the charge against him of forest encroachment in the park.

Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn, who heads up the taskforce, said Phaya Sua had joined hands with the government’s influential-figures suppression unit in launching the current operation.

On Tuesday, it started enforcing Article 22 of the National Parks Act, which gives forestry officials authority to remove properties found encroaching upon the park areas with 30 days’ notice, initially moving against a kamnan in Na Dee district’s Tambon Thung Pho.

He alone has encroached on nearly 950 rai of the park, and turned the area into a cassava plantation with apparent land allotments.

Some vacation residences have also been built on the site, Chaiwat said.

“The fact in this area is that poor farmers would be encouraged to clear the forests, before they are turned into resort developments by rich or influential figures,” he added.

Despite the state’s suppression efforts, new encroachment cases are still discovered in the area as it is heavily promoted as “one of the seventh-best ozone zones in the world”, although there is no confirmation as how this description has come to be.

“We both recognise the need to strengthen Asean centrality in the emerging regional architecture,” Duterte told a joint press conference after the meeting at Government House.

The Philippines, which is the current chair of Asean, is seeking solutions for maintaining peace and stability in the contentious South China Sea.

The country, together with many other Asean members including Vietnam and Malaysia, have had territorial disputes with China for decades.

Under its chairmanship, the Philippines hopes to have a framework for a so-called code of conduct to control the behaviour of the various countries in the region.

In the meeting, the two leaders said that effective implementation of the 2002 “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in South China Sea” (DOC) was strongly needed.

While the non-binding DOC is to be fully implemented, the Asean is also working to have another legal instrument as a code of conduct to regulate the South China Sea.

A framework of the code of conduct is expected to be completed this year, Duterte and Prayut said.

Duterte said the Philippines would commit to working with Thailand – a non-claimant in the South China Sea conflict – as well as with claimant nations in enhancing maritime cooperation and preserving peace and stability over the sea.

Ties between Thailand and the Philippines, which celebrate their 68th anniversary this year, are being strengthened via the official visit of Duterte this week.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of three bilateral agreements on science and technology, tourism, and dairy-buffalo production.

The one-on-one and panel discussions of the two leaders and accompanying officials involved many facets of cooperation, including intelligence exchanges, military, security, trade, investment, energy, agriculture and education matters.

Ongoing tensions over the South China Sea were also brought to the table.

Cooperation on information exchanges was also levered up, given growing concerns on security challenges in the region.

During their talks, Prayut and Duterte agreed to enhance such exchanges in all bilateral, Asean and Interpol frameworks in order to cope with threats such as terrorism and extremism.

Armed forces exchanges between the two countries are also expected to reach another milestone next month, when the Terms of Reference of the Joint Committee on Military Cooperation should be concluded for all Asean member countries.

On the economic front, apart from reactivating joint meetings of the two nations’ business councils, the countries are also looking forward to opportunities in Thailand’s special economic zones and the Eastern Economic Corridor, as well as in the Philippines Economic Zone.

Meanwhile, the extension of Thai white-rice procurement by the Philippines is a good sign of further government-to-government sales, and the countries have this year also held their first joint meeting on agriculture, which took place in January, with the next meeting on fisheries and aquatic resources due to be held next month.

Duterte’s official visit to Thailand was originally planned to be held earlier this year, but was postponed due to the unexpected passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej last October. The Philippine president visited the Kingdom in November to pay homage to the late King.

During the current visit, Duterte extended congratulations and best wishes to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who assumed the throne in December.

He is also set to meet the Filipino community and Thai business sectors on Wednesday before returning to the Philippines, ending his introductory official visit to the western part of the region, which also took him to Myanmar on Sunday and Monday.

The two young Thai girls were accused of being pickpockets after posing for a picture with a British woman who visited Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai provincial governor Pawin Chamniprasert and Ben Robert Svasti, Britain’s Honorary Consul in Chiang Mai, delivered letters of apology from The Sun, the Daily Mail (Australian edition), The Telegraph, and Daily Express to the Hmong girls’ family.

The papers’ reports were published last October, and affected both the Hmong family and the tourism image of Chiang Mai.

After an investigation, it turned out that the tourist in the article had not lost her watch. The four tabloids then edited the article to note that the allegation was groundless.

Phujaras Jirapakorn, the father of the girls, said he was glad that justice was done for his daughters. He felt relieved after the foreign media outlets had apologised, he said.

He had yet to think about seeking compensation but would discuss that with concerned agencies.