Is Thai Colonel Saksit Phuklan being used as a patsy?  This story just gets weirder and weirder.

Yesterday, 10 days after a hit and run accident, Royal Thai Air Force Colonel Saksit Phuklan turned himself him with a wild story that the comatose Major (Doctor) Hathaiporn Imwittaya was responsible for her actions and fell off the hood of his car after an argument.

Today, both in the Bangkok Post and The Nation, it is being reported that Thai Air Force Colonel Saksit Phuklan may not be the driver.  Huh???

Now, the “confession” yesterday from Thai Colonel Saksit Phuklan had most wondering if he wasn’t on some sort of medication with the cock and bull story he made up which went contrary to a video posted (Closed Circuit TV) that clearly showed a hit and run.

But, now, the mom of the victim thinks he may not be the driver.  From the article in the Bangkok Post:

Retired physician Pannakorn Imwitthaya, the mother of victim Dr Hathaiporn, 35, who was seriously injured in the incident on June 11, insisted Wednesday that she had seen the driver who left her daughter in a coma.

She said the driver of the vehicle involved was “likely not” Col Saksit Phuklan, the chief suspect who turned himself in to police on Tuesday.

Now, I have no idea how the mother knows that the driver was “likely not” the Thai Colonel.  I have not read anything anywhere that says that the mom was at the scene when the accident occurred.  Most likely, she has been reading Thai online forums speculating on what actually happened.

Meanwhile, a retired general has denied that his son, implicated on internet forums as the possible driver, was behind the wheel.

Gen Ampol Tumthong yesterday denied that his son Lt Col Sirisak, a staff officer of Corps 2 under the 1st Army, drove the car which hit Dr Hathaiporn.

Ahhhhh – Denial.  Hang on – looking for deflection.

According to the retired general, his family was framed because he tried to trace the car that hit Dr Hathaiporn.

He realised that the car belonged to the Support Services Department under the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, so asked the department chief about the car. The department chief said that he would neither help nor protect his subordinate.

He said the person who took care of the car tried to frame his son through online posts to deter him from making further inquiries.

So, the Thai General is blaming the guy in the motor pool, who most likely knows who really checked out the vehicle.  And, why is a retired Thai General involved in this at all.

Lt Col Sirisak’s name has been mentioned in social media outlets.

His father said yesterday that he was a close friend of Dr Hathaiporn’s father. Both families were close and Dr Hathaiporn and his son had known each other since childhood.

Gen Ampol said he accompanied Dr Hathaiporn’s mother to file a complaint with police about the attack on Dr Hathaiporn.

So, now we have a retired Thai General who accompanied the victim’s mom to the police station to file the complaint, and because he is “seeking the truth”, his son is now being implicated.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Now to The Nation:

The article starts out saying that the Thai Police have doubts about the Thai Colonel’s confession.  He confessed that the victim of the hit and run was responsible for her own injuries.  I would hope that after the Thai Police watched the CCTV video, they would arrest someone.

“At first, he said he was just the car owner but later he said he was the driver too,” the head of Metropolitan Police Division 1 MajGeneral Wichai Sangprapai said yesterday.

He found Colonel Saksit Phuklan’s statement “unconvincing”, adding that it contradicted some evidence.

Really?  Contradicted “some evidence”.  His story is simply that – a story.  Total fabrication.

After seeing Saksit’s photo, the doctor’s mother said he was not driving the vehicle at the time it hit her daughter on June 4.

I still don’t see how the mom knows unless she was at the scene and no English newspaper has mentioned it.  And, the fact checkers must be asleep as the accident was on June 11th, 2011, not June 4th.

This next part I don’t understand:

“If his confession is made to protect the real culprit, the case will likely be dropped in the military court,” said Deputy Metropolitan Police chief MajGeneral Amnuay Nimmano.

I don’t know if this means that the cased will be “dropped” – meaning there is no longer a case, or – if it means that the case will now be handled in a military court.  Either way, it makes no sense that this goes from Civil/Criminal court to military.

I can understand if there is a cover-up and Colonel Saksit is the patsy, that there should be a Thai military investigation and that part, not the hit and run, should be handled by a Thai military court.

But, further reading in The Nation’s article continues to confuse:

Saksit is serving as the director of the Office of the Army Comptroller’s central division. If he is charged, he will be tried in the military court.

If he is charged with what?  The accident or the cover-up?  Or, being a patsy for some retired General’s son?  My head is now spinning.

Police were examining both the vehicles of Hathaiporn and Saksit. A simulation of the incident will also be created.

Unless they simulate what shows on the video, this is worthless.  But, this being Thailand, they will most likely listen to the Thai Colonel and try to simulate that while the Major still remains in a coma, defenseless.

This is also a new bit:

Saksit’s wife and daughter were present during the drama.

Did anyone think to separate the three and question them individually?  Certainly, a little forceful interrogation of the wife and daughter would provide the truth.

No reports of anyone from the Thai restaurant coming forth with eye witness testimony either.

Confusion reigns in Thailand.

On a side note, the 17-year old teenager, who caused the deaths of nine passengers in a van in Bangkok is actually going to be charged.  Yes, one of the elite Bangkokians in Thailand is actually facing charges for causing nine people to die.  From The Nation.

Are you ready?

The Juvenile and Family Court prosecutor will file charges of reckless driving causing deaths and injuries and using a mobile phone behind the wheel against a 17-year-old girl who was involved in a fatal expressway accident on December 27 last year.

The crash killed nine people and injured several others.

The suspect will meet the prosecutor and be brought to the Juvenile and Family Court Thursday at 10am. After that the families of the dead and injured will be notified so that if they wish they can file suits at the court for compensation.

• She is being charged with reckless driving causing deaths and injuries.
• She is being charged in Juvenile court.
• She is also being charged for using her cell phone while driving.

She should be tried as an adult.  No mention of driving without a license (legal driving age is 18 in Thailand).  No charges for manslaughter.  First mention of using her cell phone while driving.  Not sure where this came from.  There was a photo of her plastered all over the Internet using her Blackberry immediately after the accident instead of trying to help any of the victims.

It is almost six months since the accident and only now she has to go to court.  I am sure six months is some sort of magic number that lawyers know where most people forget details and cannot remember exactly what happened making it easier for her defense lawyers to get the court to find her innocent (or guilty of lesser charges).

The last line is too funny:

After that the families of the dead and injured will be notified so that if they wish they can file suits at the court for compensation.

“If they wish they can file suits” – of course they are going to sue.  This girl is from a very, very rich family.  And, the victims are not country bumpkins – they are mostly upper middle to upper class Thais (University Professor was one of the victims).  So, they are going to sue BIG TIME.  This girl (actually her daddy) will not get away with paying only 350,000 Thai baht per person like the 17-year girl’s family from Laos got when she got hit by a speeding car and cut in half.

It will be interesting to see if the young lady actually does any jail time.  So far, she has been free as a bird waiting for this court date today.  We shall see if there are further delays from the Thai court.

Tags: accident bangkok cell phone charges confession hit and run reckless driving teenager