I don’t understand how the Thai Police operate in Thailand.

The Thai Police are handling a highly visible hit and run case in a very unusual way.  Why?

After waiting about two weeks, the daughter of the Colonel who surrendered and said he was the driver in the hit-and-run accident that put Major (Doctor) Hathaiporn Imwitthaya into a coma, finally sauntered in to the Thai Police station for a 3-hour interrogation on Monday, 4 July 2011.  Nothing has been reported since.

Today, in The Nation, ‘Parking rage; doctor recovering, it is being reported that Colonel Saksit Phuklan failed to show up yesterday to go through a re-enactment of the accident.

Saksit yesterday did not show up as scheduled to a police reenactment of the incident after contacting police to ask for a postponement.

Who the heck is in charge here?  The Thai Police order you to come in, and you fail to show?

The Thai Police love re-enactments.  The alleged guilty party demonstrates in front of the Thai Police and news cameras exactly how he or she committed the crime.   Kind of implicates you 100% prior to your trial.   But, this is Thailand.

But, I guess this goes to how much the Thais love a good soap opera and seeing the re-enactments is akin to Thai lakorn.

On top of that, the daughter’s friend, who was also supposedly in the car when the hit-and-run accident took place, notified the Thai Police that she was not available for questioning.

His daughter’s friend, who was also present at the incident, postponed giving a statement to police too.

The Colonel’s daughter postponed her interrogation by about two weeks and now we have more postponements.  Amazing Thailand.

Metropolitan Police Division 1 commander MajGeneral Wichai Sangprapai said the results of forensic tests relating to the case would come out next week.

Last week they said that forensics results would be out in 2-3 days – especially the analysis of video and photos.  So far, nothing.

“Investigators have already contacted doctors treating Hathaiporn to see when she will be ready to testify,” Wichai added.

This may take six months or longer as the Doctor will require speech therapy.  Who knows how much she will remember.

On a positive note, Doctor Hathaiporn Imwitthaya is making steady progress and is expected to recover but it will takes months, if not years, of speech therapy and physical rehabilitation.  Are the Thai Police going to wait until she is completely recovered before doing anything?

Police are yet to press charges against anyone in the case. Doubts remain as to whether Saksit made the confession in an attempt to protect the real culprit.

Since everybody and their brother “know” that the Colonel is covering for someone else, are the Thai Police hot on the trail of the real culprit?

Tags: accident cover-up doctor hit and run hospital saksit thai police