A group of Chulalongkorn University students call on the university to take action against Pemmika Veerachatraksit, a Chulalongkorn student who claims to be a close friend of ‘tutorial king’ Prakitpao Thomthitchong. They said Pemmika had destroyed the uni

Private school operator Dr Prakitpao Thomthitchong had taken excessive ephedrine, which was believed to have made him to behave erratically a few days before he was admitted to Srithanya mental hospital, authorities said yesterday.

Apichai Mongkol, deputy chief of the Mental Health Department, said Prakitpao had a significant level of ephedrine in his body, most of which should dissipate in two days.

He said Prakitpao's ailment did not directly come from ephedrine but was from its reaction to other substances in his brain, resulting in him suffering from paranoia and psychosis. Prakitpao's faculties should improve to about 80 per cent of normal in about a month.

Apichai said doctors would make their conclusions on his condition for the court tomorrow.

Chulalongkorn University had sent a letter to Prakitpao's close friend, fourth-year student Pemmika Veerachatraksit, demanding she meet with university executives at 1pm today, said Faculty of Psychology's Deputy Dean for Student Affairs Praphaiphun Phoomvuthisarn.

The move followed a call by 10 students yesterday that the university issue warnings about inappropriate behaviour by students and take similar action to Thammasat University and Suan Dusit Rajabhat University over improper dress.

Faculty of Psychology Dean Dr Sompoch Iamsupasit said the faculty wanted to get information from Pemmika first. "We don't want to get the institute involved in a student's personal affairs. We must separate it or it would be unjust for the student and the institute," he

said.

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police, meanwhile, are investigating the high level of ephedrine in Prakitpao as requested by his family, said CSD chief Police Maj-Gen Vorasak Nopsitthiporn.

Detectives will try to find out how he came to ingest the psychotropic substance and report to the Metropolitan Police Command (MPC).

He said Prakitpao would be interviewed when his condition was considered more stable.

Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) secretary-general Kitti Limchaikij said ephedrine could be bought easily in Thailand as it was an ingredient of a ma huang sue Chinese herbal drug sold in Chinatown.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) secretary-general Siriwat Thiptaradol said a random check last year on 50 food supplements found no traces of ephedrine and the FDA was currently checking 21 other products. Results should be available in seven to 10 days.

The adverse consequences of prolonged usage of ephedrine - widely used for weight loss, as an energy booster, and to enhance athletic performance - included insomnia, nervousness, paranoia, psychosis and seizures, heart attacks and death.

The ONCB has reported ya ba drug makers mix the substance with caffeine to enhance the drug's effect. But when the cost of ya ba soars, some dealers used ephedrine to produce a mock ya ba, Kitti said.