This week: Joe Ferrari sentenced, tourist fee delayed, Phuket remasked, cannabis decriminalised
Joe Ferrari gets life
Six policemen, including the former chief of Nakhon Sawan police station nicknamed Joe Ferrari, have been sentenced to life imprisonment for torturing a drug suspect to death.
The policemen detained 24-year-old drug suspect Jeerapong Thanapat, at Nakhon Sawan station.
The suspect's head was covered with plastic bags during questioning which killed him.
A video clip of the questioning was leaked, even though surveillance cameras at the scene were removed afterwards.
The sentences were commuted from the death penalty because the six confessed to some acts, attempted to resuscitate the suspect and gave financial assistance to the victim's family.
Joe Ferrari - real name Thitisan Utthanaphon - made further headlines when reporters found 13 luxury cars worth more than 100 million baht at his 60-million-baht Bangkok mansion.
Tourism fee postponed
The 300-baht tourism fee faces a delayed start, and the cancellation of Thailand Pass is expected from July 1.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry said the fee needs further study, such as if the fee should be less than 300 baht for land entry because the average length of stay for these visitors is only 1 or 2 nights.
The ministry also plans to propose the termination of Thailand Pass registration for international visitors from July 1, removing the requirement for inbound foreign tourists to show proof of travel insurance.
Governor orders Phuket to remask
Mandatory wearing of face masks in public areas was back on Phuket, just two days after the restriction was removed.
Governor Narong Woonciew on Friday signed an order rescinding a previous one which allowed people to take off face masks while in open public spaces, provided they maintain social distancing of at least 2 metres.
No reason was offered for the change, which took immediate effect.
Phuket, one of the Covid-19 blue tourism zones, became the first province to officially allow people to take off face masks until the decision was reversed.
Boom time for Thai cannabis
Cannabis was removed from the Category 5 narcotics list on Thursday, allowing people to grow an unlimited number of plants at home.
But stoners beware, the delisting does not mean people can use it for recreation, and products with THC content over 0.2% are still considered narcotics.
Homegrown cannabis is allowed only for health and medical purposes, and people have to register the cultivation first via the Food and Drug Administration.
More than 150,000 people registered on the first day of the legalisation.
