Arthit “Top Howdy” Chakkhum has since apologised and explained that in a drunken state he had meant to teach a lesson to his “friend” who had borrowed money from him by setting fire to his parents’ house.

No one has posted bail for Arthit following his arrest on Wednesday afternoon with his friend Khomsan Phromsurin, 27, who shot the live video broadcast.

The two performed a re-enactment of the crime on the same evening, Kaen Dong police superintendent Pol Colonel Sampat Srichanteuk said. Khomsan’s relatives requested his release on bail on Thursday morning, he added.

The two men were facing charges of conspiring to commit arson while police were considering whether to file an additional charge related to a violation of the Computer Crime Act, he said.

The post, which showed Arthit making rude remarks about the debtor and pouring gasoline on the house before setting it on fire, has been widely shared on Thai social media, with criticism focusing on the wanton destruction of property and stupidity of live broadcasting an incriminating act.

In his latest post on Facebook, Arthit claimed his action had been motivated by drunkenness and anger but the victim’s father filed a police complaint anyway.

Nippon Paint Thailand subsidiary Nippon Paint Decorative Coatings (Thailand), the sponsor, recently announced the winners of the Thai segment of the competition.

Warisara Thakoonbutr won in the architecture category with a multipurpose carpark building she called “From Auto to Plug-in”.

Wipas Prasopchokchai won top honours in the interior-design category with “Urban Bridging”, a proposal for improving Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road.

They will join fellow Gold Award winners from 14 other Asian countries in the regional competition and be mentored on their final presentations by renowned architects and interior designers.

With the theme “You for Tomorrow”, this year’s awards encourage entrants to push design boundaries in concepts that are “relevant and meaningful” and “meet the needs of tomorrow” by being ecologically sustainable and helpful to the community.

Nippon Paint introduced the awards in 2008 to nurture the next generation of design talents through cross-learning opportunities and networking with industry veterans and peers in the region.

The annual competition has seen the participation of more than 4,500 students in 15 countries in the past nine years. This year is its 10th anniversary.

The two Lao brothers arrested trying to carry the money into Laos from Nong Khai agreed to pay a Bt40,000 fine and let Thailand keep Bt94 million, thus avoiding further prosecution, after the money was deemed to have been illegally acquired.

If the Customs Department agrees to the arrangement proposed by its Nong Khai office, Suebanh Tiasili, 30, and Khumborn Tiasyly, 24, would walk away with Bt4 million, Nong Khai Customs chief Nimit Saeng-ampai said on Wednesday evening.

For now, the Bt98 million is sitting in a bank.

The brothers maintain that they’d collected the cash for their currency-exchange business in Laos. But they allegedly failed to declare to their own government the exchange of a substantial amount of US dollars for baht, as required by law.

Nimit cited a Customs regulation that anyone transporting undeclared cash valued between Bt450,000 and Bt2 million across the border is liable to a Bt20,000 fine, while larger amounts draw a Bt40,000 fine.

The regulation stipulates how much of the money is to be returned to the offender and how much is to be confiscated.

Nimit alleged that the brothers had travelled in and out of Thailand at least five times in November and four times in December, transporting cash each time.

They allegedly confessed to exchanging US$800,000 on a previous trip and $2.8 million this time.

Nimit said his office would henceforth be stricter about checking personal vehicles leaving the country for drugs and unusual amounts of cash. He also plans to seek the cooperation of banks in notifying the office about substantial currency exchanges.

The Royal Gazette website published the reshuffle list of 194 officers including:

Pol General Wirachai Songmetta, an adviser to the Royal Thai Police, became deputy police commissioner-general.

Pol General Suchart Thirasawat, an adviser to the Royal Thai Police, became the police inspector-general.

Pol Lt-General Natthatorn Proahsunthorn, Immigration Bureau commissioner, became assistant police commissioner-general.

Pol Lt-General Charnthep Sesawej, Provincial Police Bureau commissioner, became Metropolitan Police commissioner.

Pol Lt-General Sutthipong Wongpin, Provincial Police Bureau 7 commissioner, became Immigration Police Bureau commissioner.

Pol Lt-General Suwat Chaengyodsuk, Special Branch Police Bureau commissioner, became Provincial Police Bureau commissioner.

Pol Lt-General Damrongsak Kittiprapat, Police’s Office of Information and Communication Technology commissioner, became Provincial Police Bureau 3 commissioner.

Pol Lt-General Kittipong Ngaomook, Office of Police Forensic Science commissioner, became Provincial Police Bureau 7 commissioner.�

Pol Lt-General Sorasak Yenprem, Police’s Office of Budget and Finance commissioner, became Provincial Police Bureau 8 commissioner.

Pol Lt-General Ronnasilp Phusara, an officer attached to the Royal Thai Police, became Provincial Police Bureau 9 commissioner.

Pol Lt-General Sakhon Thongmunee, Provincial Police Bureau 9 commissioner, became Tourist Police Bureau commissioner.

Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal, Patrol and Special Operation Division commander, became Tourist Police Bureau deputy commissioner.

Cross Culture Foundation chairman Surapong Kongchantuk said yesterday that he has received a distress call from camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border, saying that the people there are facing greater difficulties as aid from the United Nations and other international agencies has been totally suspended for nearly three months.

Surapong said that 6,185 Shan, Lahu, Akha, Wa and other ethnic-minority refugees originally from Shan state were affected by the aid cut, meaning they were trapped inside six refugee camps without external support. Five of those camps are situated in Myanmar, while the other is in Chiang Mai’s Wiang Haeng district.

Women and children in peril

He said none of these people were registered for refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and 70 per cent of them were women and children. “Warfare in Shan state, which started in 1996, displaced more than 300,000 people. They had to flee the danger of war and many people were tortured, raped and killed. These people have had to take refuge in the crowded camps and they have relied heavily on aid and other support from the UN and international agencies during these 18 years,” he said. “As the ethnic minority armed groups started to sign an armistice with the Myanmar government in 2011, the UNHCR took the view that the conflict in Shan State has been resolved, so they decided to scale down their support for these refugee camps. They totally stopped providing aid to these camps in October 1.”

However, Surapong said the armistice was not truly respected and many areas of Shan state were still a war zone. As a result, the refugees still could not go home and they continue to live a hard life inside the refugee camps without support from the outside world.

“I would like to ask for the international community to resume humanitarian aid for these refugees,” he said. “I also ask the Myanmar government to withdraw its army and stop the war, so these refugees can return home.”

Provincial Police Region 7 headquarters will handle the new probe, taking over the case from local police in Kanchanaburi amid suggestions that the province’s top police chief, Pol Maj-General Sutti Puangpikul, might have taken sides with a teacher who is involved in the dispute.

“Headquarters has set up a fact-finding committee to determine whether there are grounds to believe the allegation against Sutti,” deputy police spokesman Pol Colonel Krisana Pattanacharoen said yesterday.

He added that officials at headquarters would also consider whether to transfer the accused officer out of the area pending the investigation.

Sutti has been in trouble after being seen as openly supportive of teacher Preecha Kraikruan’s claim on the winning lottery tickets, despite the fact that retired policeman Charoon Wimul collected the prize with the tickets early last month.

Charoon claims that he legitimately bought the winning tickets himself, while Preecha says he bought the lottery tickets from a vendor he was familiar with, and she has backed up his claim. According to Preecha, he lost the tickets after purchasing them and he suspects that Charoon found them.

Believing that the local police had taken sides with Preecha, Charoon submitted a petition for help to Chakthip on Tuesday.

Krisana said Provincial Police Region 7 deputy chief Pol Maj-General Krissana Sapdej has been assigned to head the new inquiry to determine the real winner.

“The national police chief has emphasised that the probe must be based on evidence to ensure justice for all sides,” Krisana said.

A source said police from the Crime Suppression Division, the Central Investigation Bureau and the Technology Crime Suppression Division had already been to Kanchanaburi and covertly gathered evidence to facilitate the investigation.

Krisana added that police would try to conclude the inquiry quickly because the case affected public confidence as lottery buyers might feel there was a risk of losing their winnings even if they buy winning tickets.

This year, there have been several complaints from people who claimed their winning lottery tickets had been stolen. Krisana said forensic means, such as DNA tests, could be used to investigate who really owned winning tickets.

“But to play it safe, lottery buyers should write their names on the back of tickets they have bought and take a picture with them as evidence too,” he said.

Agencies will have to declare how they will use the hemp and present production as well as distribution plans to seek permission. Also, they will have to report their harvest schedules and transport of crops to provincial governors.

Known as Cannabis sativa, hemp contains Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a psychoactive substance. The varieties allowed for cultivation must have THC levels of no more than 1 per cent of weight when dried.

The government has been planning to legalise the production of hemp for years. In late 2016, the Cabinet approved a plan to let government agencies seek permission to grow, sell and possess hemp.

A ministerial regulation to enforce the plan was then promulgated in the Royal Gazette on January 6 this year. The plan will become effective at the start of 2018.

At present, the Public Health Ministry has already approved hemp farms in Chiang Mai’s Mae Wang, Mae Rim, Samoeng and Mae Chaem districts; Chiang Rai’s Thoeng, Wiang Pa Pao and Mae Sai districts; Nan’s Na Mun, Santisuk and Song Kwai districts; Tak’s Phop Phra district; Phetchabun’s Muang, Lom Kao and Khao Kho districts; and Mae Hong Son’s Muang district.

A committee on hemp farming also convened a meeting yesterday to prepare for cultivation. The committee includes representatives from various agencies such as the National Police Office, the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and the Public Health Ministry.

ONCB secretary-general Sirinya Sittichai yesterday said hemp could be used for manufacturing various products such as clothes and bags.

“At this point, we will first focus on the use of hemp fibre,” Sirinya said. “In the future, we will consider using its other benefits.”

He added that hemp could, for example, be useful for the production of food, medicine and cosmetics.

Sirinya said if the controlled farms delivered intended benefits over the next three years, authorities would consider allowing people to grow hemp privately.

At present, hemp is considered an illicit drug under Thai law. Any private person found producing, importing, exporting, selling or having the plant with intent to sell faces drug possession charges.

AS THE Army investigation into the death of military student Phakhapong “Meay” Tanyakan concludes its report today, officials have said the probe was based on firm evidence and witness statements, adding that the cadet’s family have the right to sue the Army over its findings.

Air Chief Marshal Chawarat Marungruang, deputy chief of staff and chairman of the investigation committee, said yesterday the investigation into the cause of death of the first-year cadet at Nakhon Nayok’s Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School was “90 per cent complete”.

The final report would be presented to the Army Supreme Commander today, Chawarat said.

Asked about concerns that the military investigation could conflict with the results of an autopsy conducted by the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS), he said he did not know about those results, as the CIFS had sent them directly to Phakhapong’s family. The family had not informed the committee about them, he added.

However, Chawarat said the Army’s investigation was based on concrete evidence that could stand up in court, but he added that it was the relatives’ right to sue the Army over the investigation.

Last Friday, the cadet’s family revealed the first part of the CIFS autopsy, which found that Phakhapong’s body had many bruises and his fourth rib had been broken, which was believed to be the result of a physical attack.

According to an earlier report, the committee has interrogated 41 witnesses including cadets, teachers and officers at the academy and reviewed Phakhapong’s records from the school’s medical centre. The results were said to show that Phakhapong had health problems and died from heart failure.

Chawarat denied the report, saying the investigation was still not finished, and he did not know how that finding had been released.

“We will have to submit the final report of the investigation to the Supreme Commander first, and then it will be his decision whether to disclose the investigation results to the public,” Chawarat said. “We cannot reveal any findings from the investigation to the public right now.”

The family of the dead cadet could not be reached for comment about the Army committee’s investigation or its findings.

Meanwhile, a source inside the CIFS said that its forensic team would report on its progress only to Phakhapong’s family and investigative officers. It was unknown when the second part of the autopsy, focussing on the cadet’s internal organs, would conclude.

In related news, prominent human rights activist Ticha Na Nakhon has started an online petition on Change.org to campaign for Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan’s resignation over his inappropriate comments about Phakhapong’s death.

The petition claims that Prawit hurt the feelings of the dead cadet’s family without considering the facts, especially given that the CIFS autopsy reportedly confirmed that a physical attack had occurred.

As of press time, the petition had gathered more than 4,000 signatures.

The court ordered Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, which runs Bangkok Hospital, to reopen the programme and assign nurses to provide services to the members. The hospital was also ordered to pay compensation to three of the seven plaintiffs as well as their lawyers’ fees.

The case was filed in February after the hospital abruptly cancelled the programme, which had opened for membership in 2001.

The health package promised to provide comprehensive medical treatment for members who would be required to pay only Bt100 per treatment.

However, people applying to join the programme had to be invited by hospital executives and pass a health examination.

At the time, members could choose how to pay the membership entry fee, either with money or a 200-baht gold bar, which was then valued at Bt1 million.

The programme closed for new membership in 2008.

In January this year, members were notified by the hospital that the package had to be closed because it was considered an insurance-related scheme. The hospital offered to refund entry fees to members, some of whom accepted while others took the case to court.

One of the plaintiffs, Juthathip Sanitphan, said she and other plaintiffs were happy with the ruling and wanted |the case to be a standard for other hospitals.

She said she had been member of the package deal since 2002, as the hospital had promised excellent treatment and services.

When it cancelled the programme, she said she had been badly affected because present-day medical fees are so expensive.

Meanwhile, 102 other members affected by the closure reportedly have also sued the hospital.

The story came to light when Facebook user “Nutch Prasopsin” posted details of an argument, withholding the real names of people involved and referring to them only as A, B, C, D, E and F.

She wrote that A had sold a cat to B, who gave it to C, who operates a Facebook page seeking new homes for cats. However, A learned about B’s action and asked for the cat to be returned to him. It was not clear whether A offered to buy the animal back.

The story continued as friends of A, identified as D, E and F, allegedly telephoned and threatened C if the cat was not returned to A. The three allegedly then wrote libellous statements against C on Facebook.

As a result, C filed a defamation suit against D, E and F with police. All parties concerned were invited to meet police while the cat, as evidence, was brought to a shelter in Samut Prakan.

A photo of the cat with a sign saying “Don’t move the evidence” went viral on Facebook. The cat is said to be “the most cuddly evidence ever”.