New Army chief elusive on soldiers and politics

13 Sept 09:03 Key points summarised by AI

Army Commander-in-Chief Apirat Kongsompong declared in his first public statement that his troops would "always stay on the people's side."
Apirat did not rule out the possibility of a coup should the country be rocked by violent turmoil.
He remained elusive regarding the Army’s stance on the Palang Pracharat Party, widely seen as backing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for the post-election premiership.
The chief stated that soldiers do not engage in politics but must now be exceptionally cautious due to intense public scrutiny of their actions.

Suspected drug couriers killed in Phetchaburi; half a tonne of Ice seized

Yesterday 16:06 Key points summarised by AI

Two suspected drug couriers were killed in a shootout with narcotics officers in Phetchaburi province.
Authorities seized approximately half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine, also known as Ice, during the operation.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night after officers tracked a network suspected of transporting large quantities of drugs to southern Thailand.
The suspects, identified as Chattharin and Rungarun, both 27, opened fire when confronted by officers, who returned fire, resulting in their deaths.