Deaths caused by reckless driving in Thailand again raise issue of 'double standards'

[buksida]

JUSTICE in Thailand in the eyes of many Thai people can seem to have a protean value. It seems this value can often be equated to the wealth and power of whom it serves. This is widely acknowledged in a country whose civilians accept corruption to be a part of everyday life. A learned helplessness hangs over most Thai citizens, to the point that social progress is held in less esteem than getting ahead on your own terms, even if that involves being corrupt. It’s well-known – the Bangkok Post gives some examples here – that with enough money one can mold his own kind of justice in Thailand. Without wealth, the justice system can often be a very unpleasant place to navigate if you should find yourself unfortunate enough to be caught up in it.

That said, over the last decade or so, certainly since Thais have been able to vent their frustrations via social media – with the added confidence of anonymity – groups and individuals have made their presence known decrying double standards and obese social-inequality in Thailand. The latest case to provoke the ire of many Thais was a car crash in Ayutthaya that resulted in the deaths of two young people both taking Master’s degrees at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University’s Faculty of Buddhism. The driver of the car, Jenphop Weeraporn, is reported to have driven his Mercedes into the back of the two students’ Ford Fiesta at 250kph, resulting in a fire that killed the two.

Many Thais have stated on social media that this will be another case in which a wealthy citizen gets away with what looks like a heinous mistake. This is in spite of reckless driving charges that police say will adhere to the laws of justice. There’s also a possibility of a charge for driving under the influence as anxiety/depression medicine was found in the car. He was not breathalyzed, or tested for other drugs, after reportedly refusing to undergo the breath test. The driver will be charged with obstruction of justice. He also refused a blood test at the hospital, it was reported.

Source: Asian Correspondent

[usual suspect]

Double standards seem to be the norm here, & IMO, despite promises of corruption crackdowns..as each year ticks by the wealthy are seen as a society above most laws of this land.
Coming back nearer the topic, SUVs, people-carriers, minivans that have Bangkok plates will be found double-parked EVERY weekend here in town..action taken against them in a bid to ease the congestion they cause..NONE!

Coming nearer still to the O/P...Regarding the case of the Hi-So Benz-driver/killer, (& just recently that girl who left the tollway & hit a minibus killing 9 folk while texting..who has not done ANY of her community service time in 3 years now)..
...These two alone just begs for the General to wave his rule 44 baton, lock both of them up with no influence from respective families, and use these 2 cases to send a clear message across the nation to all Hi-So's that the law of this land stands..no matter who your Papa is!
C'mon Gen..seize this oppotunity..

[HHTel]

The police commissioner has just been ordered to investigate the case of the heir to the Red Bull throne and why it's been delayed for so long. He killed a policeman in his Ferrari in 2012 and it still hasn't gone to court.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/156300

[europtimiste]

As long as this country will be run by the oligarchy supported by militars, unjustice and double standard will prevail.

[Felipesed1]

And you are still here, why?

[GLCQuantum]

The minute the poor stop accepting payouts from the wrongdoing rich, is the minute that things change.

Criminal: "Somchai... sorry mate but I killed your son in a car crash"

Victim: "You did WHAT!?"

Criminal: "Will 'arf a million baht cover it?"

Victim: "Throw in a bag of rice and you got yourself a deal".

[VincentD]

Do note that not so long ago there used to be a scam, quite prevalent around Victory Monument but also done elsewhere.
Someone wanting to make some money would 'acidentally fall' in front of the (slow-moving) car and say they were injured and want an on-the-spot settlement. This was more common when car insurance was not a common thing. I suspect, however, that some real injuries came of it and it sort of dwindled away. Not that it has died out though.
I almost got caught out once in a traffic jam, many years ago. A motorcyclist said I ran over his foot. Bit hard to do if you're going half an inch every five minutes.
He refused to take off his crash helmet (big red flag) so I told him to meet me up at the police station 300 meters up the road. He rode off.
I have since then invested in a 60% window tint so more difficult to see if the 'taang chart' is a viable target. Note that I do speak fluent Thai so that does throw them off.

Not condoning the behaviour of the rich prat, that was way over the top and the average man in the street would love to see a lesson or two meted out.

[hhfarang]

"BANGKOK — The dashcam video is jaw-dropping: On a virtually empty stretch of highway, a midsize car is seen traveling in the slow lane. Suddenly, a black Mercedes-Benz zooms into the frame and rear-ends the car at tremendous speed. Within a split second, a cloud of smoke and debris fills the video screen.



What happened next is now well known in Thailand and the focal point of growing outrage. The midsize car burst into flames and the couple inside, both graduate students in their 30s, died at the scene of the accident. The Mercedes driver, the son of a wealthy Thai businessman, survived with minor injuries and refused both alcohol and drug tests — and his wishes were respected. Police say he was driving at an estimated 240 kilometers (150 miles) per hour.


The Ford Fiesta burns after it was slammed into by a black Mercedes.Photo: AP

Since the video was widely shared on social media last week, the fatal March 15 crash has reignited a debate about the impunity of the rich and well-connected in Thailand who tend to get away with murder. A similar debate raged in the US with the case of the Texas teenager who used an “affluenza” defense in a deadly drunken-driving wreck.

The Mercedes driver, Janepob Verraporn, 37, now tops a list of “Bangkok’s deadly rich kids,” as one Thai newspaper calls the children of privilege who have killed with their fancy cars. TV talk shows, social media forums and editorials have chimed in on a debate that asks whether justice will be served this time or — if history is any guide — if Janepob will walk away from the crime without serving time.

Police have rushed to defend themselves against criticism for initially mishandling the case and acting to shield Janepob, whose father owns a luxury car import company.

“The law is the law — whether you are rich or poor, you have to pay for what you’ve done,” national police spokesman Songpol Wattanachai said Monday, asking skeptics to have faith in the police. “Justice will be served. Just because he is rich doesn’t mean he won’t go to jail. I’m asking people not to think that way.”

Police who initially handled the case in Ayutthaya province, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Bangkok, were quickly sidelined after failing to test Janepob for alcohol and drug use — and then defending the blunder. Speaking on TV, a police commander said the suspect had the right to refuse breath and blood tests, adding that both police and rescue workers did not smell any alcohol on Janepob’s breath.

Amid public uproar, police filed a charge last week against Janepob for driving while unfit or intoxicated, which carries a prison sentence of three to 10 years, said Ayutthaya’s deputy police chief, Col. Surin Thappanbupha. Under Thai law, he said, a refusal to be tested is tantamount to driving under the influence.


The driver of the Mercedes was the son of a wealthy Thai businessman.Photo: AP

Janepob faces another charge of reckless driving causing death and property damage, which carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Janepob was spared provisional detention after posting 200,000 baht ($5,700) bail and is currently at one of Bangkok’s private hospitals.

The Nation newspaper said in an editorial on Sunday that the case had hit a nerve in Thailand because of “the sense that there is one set of rules for the rich and influential and another for everyone else.”

“Stop me if you’ve heard this one before,” the editorial begins. “An expensive car crashes. One or more people die. A person with a recognizable name … emerges from the wreckage and flees the scene. No breath test is administered. Compensation is offered and the family tries to wriggle their way out of any legal consequences. The police fail dismally at their job.”

One of Thailand’s most famous untouchables is an heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune. In 2012, Vorayuth Yoovidhya, a grandson of Red Bull founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, slammed his Ferrari into a policeman and dragged the officer’s dead body along a Bangkok street before driving away. Vorayuth, who was then 27, has yet to be charged. In that case, police initially attempted to cover up his involvement by arresting a bogus suspect.

In 2010, Orachorn Devahastin Na Ayudhya was 16 and driving without a license when she crashed her sedan into a van on a Bangkok highway, killing nine people. Orachon, the daughter of a former military officer, was given a two-year suspended sentence.


The couple in the Ford Fiesta, both graduate students in their 30s, died.Photo: AP

In a country that values deference and patronage, and where police are infamously corrupt, there have been many other similar cases. But Janepob’s carried the added shock value of visuals. The video of the crash was taken by a nearby car’s dashboard camera, and quickly went viral. A few days later, another video was uploaded and widely shared showing Janepob’s Mercedes smashing through an Easy Pass toll gate about an hour before the crash.

Bangkok resident Nant Thananan, 35, was among many who expressed their exasperation on Facebook.

“It’s so frustrating because there’s nothing we can do. We know this case will go away. We’ve seen it before,” said Nant, who owns a popular Bangkok food truck. “We keep asking ourselves, when are the police going to be ashamed enough to do the right thing?” "

http://nypost.com/2016/03/23/high-speed ... -thailand/

[europtimiste]

How did privileges ended in some countries ? Think at French Revolution and even better the Russian Revolution 1917.

[Felipesed1]

If you are insinuating that the Thai Royal family should go, then I look forward to your speedy deportation!
Imprisoning you would be a waste of rice!

[buksida]

and not for discussion on this forum.

[caller]

How did privileges ended in some countries ? Think at French Revolution and even better the Russian Revolution 1917.

I think you make a very good point. No-ones talking about the monarchy here, just the newly stinking rich who have no moral compass, humility, common civility or intelligence, who quite clearly abuse a system of deference based on wealth and perceived position. At some stage, some people will say enough is enough and I don't think we're too far away. Certainly, in the latest incident, the moron driving the merc went on facebook, to say, what more do you want, do you wish I had died - he wouldn't have liked the answers he got.

[usual suspect]

Well put caller...today's power of social-media, & camera footage DO seem to be giving the Thais the will to make their thoughts known, & when enough of them create a big enough stink the powers that be DO seem to sit up & take note..
..the tide just may be turning..?

[hhinner]

How did privileges ended in some countries ? Think at French Revolution and even better the Russian Revolution 1917.

Really? The Russian revolution ended privilege?

[hhinner]

How did privileges ended in some countries ? Think at French Revolution and even better the Russian Revolution 1917.

I think you make a very good point. No-ones talking about the monarchy here, just the newly stinking rich who have no moral compass, humility, common civility or intelligence, who quite clearly abuse a system of deference based on wealth and perceived position. At some stage, some people will say enough is enough and I don't think we're too far away. Certainly, in the latest incident, the moron driving the merc went on facebook, to say, what more do you want, do you wish I had died - he wouldn't have liked the answers he got.

What would you do if you were stinking rich and a cop suggested the problem could go away for 2 million baht? Not saying this is what happened. The amount might have been more or less.