"Money Can’t Buy Everything", or so goes a song recorded by Brave Combo many years ago. But it's clearly not completely true - at least not in our Land of Smiles.
Don't believe me? Just ask the police.
How many more times must we ask the same questions: “Why do rich kids always get away with it when they are involved in fatal road accidents?”, “Why is it the poor and the less privileged are always damned for their actions?” and “Why can’t the police just do the right thing and apply a single standard for rich kids and poor kids for similar offences?”
The current uproar on social media over the police handling of a horrendous, fatal car accident in Ayutthaya province on Sunday March 13 involving a luxury Mercedes-Benz and a Ford Fiesta sedan was predictable. It's an expression of the pent-up feelings against the shameful double-standards of the police - in this case the Phra-in Racha police in Ayutthaya - and also against the seemingly "above the law" status of the rich, the hi-so, the elite.
Two post-graduate students in the ill-fated Ford Fiesta were burned alive after their car was rammed from behind by the speeding Mercedes and burst into flames. The Mercedes driver was later identified as Janepob Veeraporn, the wealthy 37-year-old son of a luxury car importer. He was injured in the accident, but nothing life-threatening.
Just take a look about how the Phra-in Racha police handled this case, which is really straightforward and not complicated at all.
The accident occurred on Sunday, it was caught on graphic video by the dash-cam of at least one other car and shown on TV and social media. But was not until four days later, on March 13, did police question the suspect. He had not been tested to see if he was under the influence of alcohol or other drugs while driving; police had not checked the CCTV cameras in the area of the crash to confirm how fast he was travelling before the accident.
The superintendent of Phra-in Racha police, Pol Col Pongpat told Nation TV that he did not question the suspect because he was injured and had to be taken to the nearest hospital in Ayutthaya province. The suspect reportedly disallowed staff at the hospital to test his blood for alcohol or other drugs.
Pressed with more questions, Pol Col Pongpat admitted the Mercedes driver was only slightly injured and that he let him check out of the hospital. He was then admitted to Samitivej hospital in Bangkok, supposedly in intensive care. It turned out he had injured his knee.
The incident went viral in the social media with weighty criticism of the way police handled the case, prompting Pol Gen Pongpat Pongcharoen, a deputy national police chief, to step in. He ordered the case be transferred from Phra-in Racha district police to the provincial police, and removed Pol Col Pongpat from the case.
How will the case will end? If you look at past cases of serious road accidents involving rich children, the prospect is not encouraging.
Take for instance the case of Vorayuth Yoovidhya, a 28-year-old heir to the fabulously rich Krating Daeng energy drink empire. He rammed his luxury Ferrari into a motorcycle ridden by Wichien Klomprasert, a traffic policeman attached to Thonglor police station, on Sukhumvit road in the early hours of the morning in September 2012. The officer’s body was dragged about 100 metres along the road under the car, and he was killed - leaving a wife and children.
But a Thonglor police officer, for reasons you can imagine, tried to shield the suspect by bringing a driver from the young tycoon’s house to the police station, and claiming he was the actual driver of the Ferrari involved in the accident. Fortunately, this ploy did not work and the police officer was fired.
The metropolitan police chief at the time, Pol Lt-Gen Kamronwit Thoopklam, insisted fiercely that the culprit must be brought to justice and the dead policeman must receive justice, otherwise he would "resign from the service". He wasn't, and he didn't.
In Sept 2013, a warrant was issued for Vorayuth's arrest after he failed to appear in court to answer charges of speeding, reckless driving causing death and failing to stop following an accident.
His lawyer said his client was in Singapore receiving medical treatment for a bout of influenza he contracted while on a business trip, and could not be in Thailand for the scheduled court hearing.
The speeding charge lapsed automatically after 12 months, but the reckless driving causing death charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Chuvit Kamolvisit wrote on his Facebook page that he learned Vorayuth had been in Singapore to watch a Formula One car race. He doubted the rich young man would ever answer any charge at all.
Imagine a person from a poor background, without hi-so contacts, killing someone in a road accident like that and being charged with reckless driving. He would most probably already be well into serving a prison term, or at the least a suspended jail sentence.