“We found an upside-down green-plated Toyota Altis taxi in the middle of the southbound lane,” said Lt Suporn Muangkai of Thalang Police.

The driver, Piyapat Sae-Ong, 47, experienced chest pains from the crash and was taken to Thalang Hospital for treatment.

“He said he was on his way back from the airport after dropping off a passenger and was heading home (near Nai Harn Beach), when a Honda Jazz drove out from a nearby soi and cut him off,” said Lt Suporn.

“He swerved to the left to avoid hitting the other car, lost control of his own car and crashed into a pole, causing his taxi to flip. The Honda Jazz fled the scene,” he added.

Police have initially charged Piyapat for reckless driving and causing damage to government property.

However, they are investigating further to locate the owner of the Honda Jazz and question him.

Somkiat, now a noted economist and president of the Thailand Development Research Institute, said there might not be a problem with the purchase of bonds from a private company from a legal angle, but the public TV station might have made a symbolic gesture suggesting its “support” for the issuer.

The economist said under Article 11 of the Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act, it states clearly the seven primary income sources of the non-profit station, and they include investments.

Overseas, it’s common for public organisations to invest in the capital market, as the return from bank deposits is usually low. Yale University, for instance, has long held capital assets and earned over 10 per cent on its portfolio, he said.

Somkiat said there is another issue to consider; whether the station’s purchase of CPF’s debentures compromise its independence in news reporting.

However, Somkiat pointed that with the purchase of such the debentures, the station is the company’s debtor, not investor or shareholder. The station would receive regular income from the debentures’ interests as if it had deposited the money with a bank. As such, it’s unlikely that the station would lose any of its objectivity.

Nevertheless, it has ethical responsibilities to take into consideration, he said.

In the United States, stakes in funds promoting environmental protection or human rights could mean the investors sympathise with their policies and actions.

Based on the position of the station as a public broadcaster, as well as the company’s past performance and social responsibility, the station should review its purchase of the company’s debentures, he suggested.

Krisda Rueangareerat, a director of Thai PBS, defended the station’s investment decision, saying the annual budget from sin taxes amounting to Bt2 billion is not enough to run the station.

Thai PBS has acquired CPF’s debentures worth Bt200 million.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that he would not use his special powers under Article 44 of the interim constitution to meddle in the matter.

Involved agencies had agreed on Monday that normal legal procedures would be applied to this tax case, he said, adding that the Revenue Department would have to bring it to court.

He said the government followed the advice given by the Auditor General who suggested collecting tax from a sale of Shin Corp shares.

Admitting that the issue was complicated, Prayut said the Revenue Department would have to proceed collecting the tax by March 31.

Whether or not the department would be able to collect the taxes, the case should eventually be brought to the court where anyone accused of evading tax would be treated fairly, he added.

Since last year, the Auditor General has pressed the Finance Minister and head of the Revenue Department to collect taxes from Shinawatra’s family, estimated at between Bt12 billion and Bt16 billion, so far without success.

The tax in question involves a sale of Shin Corp shares to Temasek Holdings of Singapore in 2006.

“Whether it can be solved or not depends on justice,” he said, adding that the case should be concluded by the end of the month.

The government on Monday held an urgent meeting after the Revenue Department reported that there was not nay legal recourse to levy back taxes on the sale by the family of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to Temasek Holdings of Singapore.

Officials from the Office of the Attorney-General, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Office of the Council of State, the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission and the Anti-Money Laundering Office attended.

The Attorney-General and the Finance Ministry would mainly be responsible for the case, Prayut added. “Everything will follow the Attorney-General’s suggestions,” he said. “I can’t order everything and we don’t assault anyone.”

Two Buddhist monks and another neighbour narrowly escaped the shooting.

Following the 6am report of a deadly shooting, police rushed to a house in Tambon Tha Sawang and found the dead body of homeowner Sainoi Poungyeesoon, 44, while three wounded victims – Sainoi’s wife Lamthom, 37, son Anuparp, 20, and neighbour Parp Sukserm – had already been sent to hospital.

It was reported that Sainoi’s neighbour who lived in the opposite house, Decha Khongdee, 38, opened fire at them with an M16 rifle before fleeing on a motorcycle. Police collected 18 bullet casings from the scene while also retrieving the rifle along with a smoke bomb and some bullets from Decha’s bedroom.

Decha’s wife Thidarat pounghom said Decha, with whom she had an eight-month-old son, did not have a job and stayed at home with her parents. She said she had had no idea that he possessed a gun.

Chon Buri authorities are setting up the zone in Walking Street of the resort town. The official launch is scheduled for March 25.

Chon Buri police chief Pol Maj-General Somprasong Yentuam on Monday night called a meeting with representatives of 100 business operators in the Walking Street area.

During the meeting, he asked entertainment and business operators to cooperate by installing CCTV outside their properties so that they could be “the electronic eyes” that can help to gather evidence when crimes are committed.

He also asked business operators to ensure tourists were not attacked or taken advantage of for any reason, adding that the swindling of visitors such as padding bills was prohibited.

“Otherwise, it will destroy the image of Pattaya,” he said.

Somprasong said the idea of a “Happy Zone” was aimed at making the resort town “a great place of happiness for tourists”.

“The project will turn Walking Street into a place of happiness,” he said.

He added that he told business operators not to employ people under 20, to prohibit weapons from being brought into entertainment venues and, most importantly, prevent attacks on tourists.

After the meeting, he inspected the street and spoke to tourists reassuring them about their safety.

Last month, a report in the UK’s Mirror newspaper calling Pattaya “the sex capital of the world” and “sin city” upset authorities, especially Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

“You are Thai media. Will you believe [the UK media]? Police did arrest [prostitutes]. I will ask police to crack down [on the sex trade] and see who will get into trouble,” the premier said when reporters asked him how the government planned to tackle the sex trade.

There are now 281 such schools in the country. Every year, the number of applicants to these schools far exceeds the available seats. Sometimes, the ratio is around 10:1.

“The competition is always fierce,” Surasak Insrikrai, a senior official at the Office of Basic Education Commission, said yesterday.

Of these popular schools, 57 are located in Bangkok’s Educational Areas 1 and 2. These capitalbased schools will recruit 57,087 Mathayom 1 and Mathayom 4 students

Staterun secondary schools across Thailand will accept applications for Mathayom 1 students between March 27 and 30. Entrance exams will take place on April 8. The results will be part of the criteria used for admissions alongside the applicants’ Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet) scores.

Admission results will be announced on April 12 and successful candidates must report to schools on the same day.

Apart from applicants applying to schools through the exam system, local children also have a chance to get in through a lucky draw. The draw will take place on April 8 and successful candidates must report to the school on the same day.

For Mathayom 4 level, applicants must submit applications between March 27 and 30. Exams will take place on April 2. Admission results will be announced on April 12 and successful candidates must report to the schools on the same day.

The young man was among 16 suspects – 14 men and two women – who were handed over by Cha-am police to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) in Bangkok.

Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, who took part in the interrogation at the CSD office, said the suspects would be additionally charged with racketeering besides the previously filed charge of attempted murder.

The waiter did not file a complaint against Anusorn, but asked police to make a record of the incident. Anusorn reportedly told police there was no-ill intent on his part and he would be willing to compensate the waiter for his act.

Anusorn reportedly took exception to being called “Pa” by the waiter. In Thai, “Pa” is generally acknowledged as a rich man who loves to spend money on entertainments. It can also mean a “godfather-like figure”.

Anusorn declined to make any further comment, only saying he would inform the NRSA about the issue.