Government prosecutors initiated the court battle, charging former senator Pratin Santiprapop for punching his colleague Adul Wanchaithanawong in the face while the two were debating drug suppression laws.

In his defence, Pratin said he threw the first punch as a pre-emptive strike because he believed that Adul was about to hit him. Under the court-sanctioned mediation, Pratin and Adul agreed to drop the case, saying they no longer wanted to pursue the judicial review.

Election commission :Secretary-general applications open

The Election Commission yesterday opened applications for secretary-general from October 16 to 30.

Former EC secretary-general Ekkachai Warunprapha resigned in August, but a decision on a replacement was deferred until the appointment of the new commission.

Suvarnabhumi airport :Thira orders security upgrade

Transport Minister Admiral Thira Haocharoen ordered officials at the new airport yesterday to ban people from parking cars near runways and elevated roads because of concerns about terrorist attacks.

After inspecting Suvarnabhumi, Thira told Airports of Thailand (AOT) officials the crisis in the South was still a concern and violence could reach the airport. Along with the parking ban, security officials will man every entrance and exit with sniffer dogs and X-ray equipment.

A source said Thira was worried the runways were vulnerable to attack by groups armed with an RPG (rocket propelled grenade).

Thira said the AOT had 2,200 security officials - enough to ensure security.