The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) yesterday sacked Prapat Chongsanguan from his post as State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor after calls for his resignation mounted in the wake of the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl on a train.
Prapat: Launched inquiry before axing
NCPO chief Prayuth Chan-ocha signed the 89th order relieving Mr Prapat from the SRT governor post, taking effect immediately.
The dismissal was for the sake of “appropriateness”, according to the order issued about 7pm yesterday.
Shortly after learning about the order, Mr Prapat said he was ready to comply, adding he will drop by his office and remove his personal belongings this weekend.
A SRT staff member allegedly attacked the girl, nicknamed Nong Kaem, on a night train from Surat Thani to Bangkok early on Sunday. Her body was found near rail tracks in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Pran Buri district a day later.
The case stoked a public outcry and calls for Mr Prapat to resign in a show of responsibility. The governor had refused to quit, saying he had to stay on to solve the problem and restore public confidence in the SRT.
Permanent secretary for transport Soithip Traisutthi, meanwhile, said the NCPO has told the Transport Ministry that Gen Prayuth has appointed a former Thailand Post president, Omsin Chivapreuk, as chairman of the SRT board.
Ms Soithip said the appointment will give the board full legal authority to call a meeting to look into the rape-murder case and determine who will be held responsible. The board meeting is expected next week, she said.
Ms Soithip said she had discussed the matter with Mr Omsin and asked the SRT board to find ways to tackle the problems plaguing the SRT. “The SRT board must solve the problems urgently. Passenger safety is of utmost importance and efforts must be made to restore public confidence in the SRT,” Ms Soithip said.
An SRT source said Wanchai Saengkhao, the alleged murderer, was a relative of a C-6 level SRT official, who allegedly used his connections to arrange for Mr Wanchai to be recruited as an SRT worker. He was hired by the SRT to make beds in sleeper carriages.
The source said the SRT executives had summoned Mr Wanchai’s relative for questioning and he admitted he was related to Mr Wanchai.
The SRT is investigating claims that Mr Wanchai previously raped two female co-workers early this year. Police are looking for the alleged victims.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the rape and murder case has deepened. A source in the SRT said the agency is also investigating if Mr Wanchai’s relative had any knowledge of Mr Wanchai’s alleged criminal record. The relative could face severe disciplinary action if the SRT finds he had such knowledge and still arranged for Mr Wanchai to work at the SRT, the source said.
Early in the morning before he was dismissed, Mr Prapat called a meeting with agencies to investigate the rape-murder case. Mr Prapat appointed his deputy Pakorn Tangjatesakao to head the inquiry.
Mr Prapat stressed the need to tighten regulations relating to SRT personnel recruitment. As for urgent measures, he said he had approved a proposal to review the qualifications and histories of the other 90 temporary workers in sleeper carriages.
He said the history of any potential SRT employee looking after customer services must be cross-checked with the Royal Thai Police Office before they can be recruited.
He also issued a ban on alcohol sales and drinking on train platforms and on trains, effective yesterday, adding a carriage set aside for women will be arranged for each train.
Thanongsak Pongprasert, the SRT director for train services, said all SRT staff will be tested for drugs and security will be stepped up on all sleeper carriages.
Kanala, the elder sister of Nong Kaem, yesterday said she was concerned the hype surrounding the rape and murder of her sister would soon die down and be forgotten like other rape-murder cases. Her sister’s murderer could escape the death penalty, she said.
Pran Buri district police yesterday took Mr Wanchai to the Hua Hin Provincial Court and secured its permission to detain him for 12 days. He was then taken to Prachuap Khiri Khan Central Prison where he is being detained.
Police have brought charges of murder, rape, theft and drug-taking against him. No relatives or lawyers turned up to request bail for him yesterday.
Police say Mr Wanchai told them he took two speed pills when the train left the depot in Nakhon Si Thammarat and one more while the train was on its way. He spotted the girl while he and three colleagues were drinking beer in another car. He allegedly said he turned off the light in the car where the girl was sleeping when the train was in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Thap Sakae district and went to the girl’s bunk where he raped her, opening the window to drown out noises.
He searched the girl’s backpack for her iPhone and iPad but she regained consciousness, so he allegedly attacked her again before throwing her body out of the window.