It was expected that prosecutors would indict the suspects within their sixth period of 12-day detention.

Out of the five detained suspects in the case – Priyanuch Nonwangchai, 24, Kawita Rachada, 26, Apiwan Satayabundit, 28, Wasin Namprom, 22, and Jidarat Promkhun, 21 – Tanasak refrained from elaborating on who would be indicted and what charges they would face.

He said that Provincial Police Region 4 chief Pol Lt-General Jatupon Panraksa would conclude the case in a press conference on Thursday next week.

He said police were considering filing charges including pre-meditated murder, destroying and hiding body parts to conceal the cause of death, theft, and possessing of stolen items. Police had interviewed 35 witnesses and included all evidence, plus DNA tests results, into the 800-page case report.

Jatupon and Tanasak had a meeting with investigators on Tuesday to follow through on the case’s progress. Investigators had already received test results from DNA samples collected at the room where the dismemberment took place and from the rented car allegedly used to transport Warisara’s body parts.

Priyanuch became an Internet sensation after she was accused of the killing and dismemberment of Warisara, and fled to Myanmar along with Kawita and Apiwan.

Days later, the trio surrendered to Myanmar police, who transferred them to Thai police on June 3 to face charges related to the gruesome crime. Wasin was arrested earlier in Laos and Jidarat was nabbed in Bangkok.

Thai laws allows police investigators in a crime carrying a penalty of more than 10 years in prison to seek a court’s permission to grant up to seven successive periods of detention, each lasting 12 days. The total period a suspect is imprisoned must not exceed 84 days.

Deputy National Police Commissioner Pol General Suthep Dejraksa said yesterday that Pol Lt Colonel Santhana Prayoonrat, a former deputy superintendent attached to the Special Branch Police Division, had not provided the full name of the woman or new information to investigators.

“He says if she is identified by name, witnesses may not have the courage to speak to police,” Suthep said. “We have no need to invite Santhana to provide information again, unless he really has new information.”

Santhana was yesterday invited to explain his claim that an unidentified woman referred to as the “big sister of Chumporn” was involved in the shocking murders.

However, Suthep said Santhana did not provide any new information for the investigation into the killing of village head Worayuth Sunlung and seven members of his family in Krabi’s Ao Luk district.

To date, the investigation is more than 80 per cent complete, police have said, with evidence reportedly suggesting that Surifath Bannoppawongsakul, or “Bang Fath”, was behind the crime over a land dispute he had with Worayuth.

Eight suspects including Surifath are now in detention.

“Information given by Santhana cannot be proven based on forensic-science principles. We cannot use it in the investigation report,” Suthep said.

In a related development, Ao Luk district chief Chaiyawuth Bua-thong said an election would be held in Moo 1, Ban Khao Ngarm, Tambon Ban Klang, in his district to select the new village head to fill the post left vacant by Worayuth’s murder.

“The election will take place on August 8,” he said.

Loei’s Provincial Office of Attorney on Tuesday approved a lawsuit against Wiron Rujichaiwat, Lamplern Ruangrit, Mon Khunna, Pornthip Hongchai, Ranong Kongsaen, Bunraeng Srithong and Suphat Khunna – all from the local Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group – for violation of the Act, on the grounds that they led the protest against Khao Luang TAO’s meeting on May 16 and caused it to be cancelled.

As a result of the protest, 16 members of the TAO filed a complaint to the police claiming that the protesters had harassed them and forced the meeting to be abandoned.

According to Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group, the provincial attorney’s office asked the police on June 18 to charge the seven activists for having violated the Public Assembly Act and disrupted the officers’ work in an official place.

Loei Provincial Court has approved bail for all seven accused without requiring the provision of assets as a guarantee.

The court will summons all sides in the lawsuit on August 11.

The regulation, which relates to workers being treated at public hospitals, was published in the Royal Gazette and is backdated to January 2016.

The new regulation aims to be in line with the current economic situation.

The new law has maintained the previous ministerial regulation of payment steps for employers to cover workers’ medical expenses – starting from up to Bt50,000 – but has increased the maximum payment.

Thai Education Minister Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin formally handed over the SEAMEO presidency to his Indonesian counterpart, declaring that the group provides Southeast Asian countries the chance to strive for regional unity through education.

Since its establishment in 1965, SEAMEO, counting all 10 Southeast Asian nations as members, has been the central platform for educational cooperation in the region. The council presidency is assumed by their education ministers on a rotating two-year basis.

“Indonesia is the biggest country in the region and it’s like the ‘big brother’ for us all,” Teerakiat said. “We look forward to working closely with Indonesia in the future to improve our education system.”

He noted that Southeast Asia is diverse in terms of culture, language and religion, but said unity is achievable through education and by taking a strong stand on the principle of “unity in diversity”.

“The aim of SEAMEO and our main challenge is to tackle the disparity and inequality issue in education and ensure that we provide quality education for all, as per the goal of sustainable development,” Teerakiat said.

Indonesian Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy vowed that SEAMEO efforts on sustainable development via education would continue with the aim of ensuring better livelihoods for everyone.

“We have a plan to secure quality education for all people and to promote lifelong education,” he said. “Indonesia pledges to provide full support to the SEAMEO mission to create a better future for everyone in the region via education.”

The Office of the Permanent Secretary for the PM’s Office announced on its Facebook wall that the prayer rite will be held at 5pm.

During the rite, the participants will also pray for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

His Majesty the King, whose birthday is on Friday, has had a prayer booklet printed for participants. Copies can also be downloaded at http://www.prd.go.th.

The prayer rite will be broadcast live on NBT and Radio Thailand.

“We believe that we will be able to legalise the status of 2 million migrant workers during the period,” Labour Minister Sirichai Dithakul said.

Labour Ministry permanent secretary ML Puntrik Smiti said Saraburi, Chon Buri and Kamphaeng Phet respectively were the top three provinces with the highest number of migrant workers registering yesterday.

“Myanmar people are the biggest group of migrants registered. Coming next are Cambodians and Lao nationals,” he said.

Employers can register illegal workers from the three countries until August 7 at the temporary centres.

The centres are meant to minimise the impact of the Royal Decree on Managing the Work of Aliens 2017 – which carries Bt400,000 to Bt800,000 fines for employing illegal foreign workers.

Since it came into effect on June 23, employers have laid off illegally hired migrant workers, resulting in thousands heading back to their home countries and causing labour shortages in various sectors.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha then invoked his special powers as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief under Article 44 of the interim charter to suspend four key articles relating to the harsher penalties until the end of the year to allow further review. At the same time, the Labour Ministry has taken the initiative to register illegal workers.

In the border province of Sa Kaew, several employers took Cambodian migrant workers to register at the Department of Skill Development’s Sa Kaew branch office in Wattana Nakhon district.

The centres will process employers’ requests to hire migrant workers and verify papers to issue a document equivalent to a temporary passport. Workers will present the document to Immigration Police when they apply for a border pass or passport and come back into the Kingdom legally with a proper visa and health records.

Sa Kaew Employment Office head Wasan Palas said workers returning with a border pass could work in Thailand for three months while those holding a passport could work for up to two years.

Extortion hotline

Construction contractor Thonglor Thongkhao, 48, said he had two Cambodian and one Lao worker who did not have papers, or whose papers had expired, so he took them to register at the Sa Kaew centre to prevent future problems.

He said he paid workers, both Thai and foreigners, between Bt400 and Bt500 a day, adding that he hired migrants because he could not find Thai workers. Construction material shop owner Hattakarn Thawornying, 33, said she hired 10 Cambodian workers who used border passes to apply for work permits, which must be renewed every three months, because the cost of passports secured through an agent was as high as Bt20,000 per person.

The Labour Ministry says employers facing extortion regarding the use of illegal workers during the grace period could call 1694 for help from the government.

THE PEOPLE’S Network for Sustainable Development has demanded a better law on environmental quality after identifying several perceived flaws in a crucial environment bill.

The network made the demand regarding the Environmental Quality Promotion Bill via a statement issued yesterday.

“Section 50 of the bill has narrowed the scope of things requiring public hearings when compared with the Constitution. This section is apparently unconstitutional,” the statement said.

Section 58 of the charter stipulates that any undertaking that may severely affect natural resources, environmental quality, health, sanitation, quality of life or other essential interests of the people or community or environment requires the state to arrange a public hearing of relevant stakeholders, people and communities.

Section 50 of the bill, meanwhile, does not use the word “undertaking”, instead stipulating “projects and operations”, which the network stated would reduce the scope of what projects would require environmental and health impact assessments.

Moreover, the network complained that the bill failed to clearly specify how state power would be used. “Organic laws should be introduced to make things clearer. If authorities fail to exercise their authority [to protect the environment], it will then be possible to petition the courts,” the network added.

According to the network, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry prepared the bill without listening comprehensively to |the opinions of stakeholders.

“The ministry drafted the bill without consulting other parties. It then submitted the bill for public review via its website for just a short period of time. This is not in line with international standards,” the network added.

The network demanded that Clause 4 of the bill’s Section 4 must be removed because it allegedly created a possibility for projects to proceed with the selection of firms to implement projects prior to receiving the results of environmental impact assessments (EIA).

“Such a possibility will endanger the Precautionary Principle of the EIA,” it added, referring to an international standard applied about due caution in the implementation of such projects.

Meanwhile, local residents in Chaiyaphum’s Bamnet Narong district yesterday cried foul over a public hearing on a power plant project by Asean Potash Chaiyaphum Co Ltd.

Opponents of the project were denied entry to the venue of the public hearing yesterday morning.

Only supporters of the project were allowed to join the public hearing, which then concluded very quickly. Lertsak Khamkongsak, a coordinator of the Cultural Ecology Group, said that his group would petition the National Environment Board over the “illegitimate” public hearing.

The public hearing was held regarding the firm’s plan to operate a biomass power plant, which will rely on palm kernel shells.

The Bamnet Narong Conservation Group had no objection to a biomass power plant but expressed worry that the firm could switch back to a coal-fired power plant project without prior notice.

The firm gave up on a coal-fired plant only after its EIA was rejected three times.

A member of the group said several residents were sceptical about the firm’s biomass power plant plan because the firm had apparently favoured coal for so long.

“We are afraid that it cites biomass now just to fool us for a while,” he said. “It may turn back to coal after its EIA sails through.

Deputy National Police Commissioner General Chalermkiat Sriworakhan said it is believed that Alexandre Cazes, a 26-year-old Canadian with an IQ of 142, and his network might have owned at least Bt10 billion through shady deals.

His Thai wife, Sunisa Cazes, is now facing charges of money laundering. The couple’s assets include several luxury homes and luxury cars.

The couple was arrested on July 5 at the request of the United States, where the AlphaBay founder was wanted on 16 charges.

Several countries, including Canada and Lithuania, joined forces in the crackdown on AlphaBay. Many believe it is the biggest online black market for illegal drugs.

Narcotics Suppression Bureau’s chief Pol Lt General Sommai Kongwisaisuk said Cazes’ death would not affect the ongoing investigation.

Born on October, 1991, Casez was a computer whiz. He first came to Thailand in 2010. AlphaBay was established in 2014, which at present has more than 200,000 members.

Thai Education Minister Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin is attending the 49th SEAMEO Council Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday and Tuesday.

In an address to regional education ministers, he highlighted the good relations and cooperation between the member countries with the aim of improving education in the region as a whole.

Teerakiat also met with Brunei Education Minister Pehin Dato Suyoi Haji Osman after the council conference on Monday evening.

He revealed that Thailand and Brunei have developed a programme of bilateral cooperation, with both sides interested in learning from each other to improve education in their countries.

He said this was a vivid example of the strong partnership among SEAMEO member countries.

“The Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, admires Brunei’s education policy so much, and the Brunei government is also keen to work with Thailand. Therefore, Thai delegates to the SAEMEO meeting had a special bilateral meeting with their Brunei counterparts to discuss future cooperation,” he said.

“We can learn a lot from Brunei, as this small country has one of the best education systems in the region.”

He explained that strong point of education in Brunei was that the system allows several pathways for students to develop after they graduate from primary school. These are based on their study outcomes, personal interests and skills.

For instance, an academically talented student can choose to study further at university, while students with other skills can pursue vocational education.

“Another interesting thing that we can learn from Brunei is that they have only a few key performance indicators to measure educational success – such as the employment rate of graduates and the satisfaction of employers,” Teerakiat said.

“They are also interested to learn about the sufficiency economy philosophy of education, as we are the leader in this field.

“This cooperation will see mutual experience sharing, which will benefit both countries in improving our education systems.”