'Boss' hiding in Austria?

Vorayuth 'Boss' Yoovidhya has yet to face Thai justice.
Vorayuth 'Boss' Yoovidhya has yet to face Thai justice.

Red Bull scion Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, wanted for a hit-and-run case from 2012, is believed to be in Austria.

The claim was made by vice chairman of the House committee on police affairs, Sanya Nilsupan, after a meeting with the Royal Thai Police (RTP) that concentrated on Mr Vorayuth's whereabouts.

Mr Sanya said the search for Mr Vorayuth is still on, and that the police believe the fugitive is living in Austria.

As Interpol has issued a red notice for his arrest, the RTP's foreign affairs division has sent a letter to its Austrian counterpart to verify if he is living there and track him down.

The committee is not planning to question other members of the Yoovidhya family, it said, as they were not involved in the hit-and-run and aren't expected to cooperate.

Mr Vorayuth postponed his court appearances more than five times before fleeing abroad.

While he was overseas, a speeding charge against him was dropped after its one-year statute of limitations expired. A second charge -- failing to stop to help a crash victim -- expired on Sept 3, 2017.

Two charges remain active -- the first was for narcotics use after cocaine was found in his system following a drug test. That charge will expire on Sept 3 next year.

The second charge -- reckless driving causing death -- will expire in 2027.

The Office of the Attorney-General initially planned to drop the charge, but later decided to pursue it after a public uproar.

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Vocabulary

  • arrest: (of the police) to take someone to a police station because they are believed to have committed a crime - จับกุม
  • claim (noun): saying that something is true although it has not been proved and other people may not believe it - ข้ออ้าง ข้อกล่าวหา
  • committee: a group of people who are chosen, usually by a larger group, to make decisions or to deal with a particular subject - คณะกรรมการ
  • counterpart (noun): someone who has the same job or purpose as another person, but in a different country, time, situation or organisation - คนที่อยู่ในตำแหน่งเดียวกันของอีกประเทศ หรือ กลุ่มหนึ่ง
  • fugitive (noun): someone who has been accused of doing something illegal and is trying to avoid being caught by the police - ผู้หลบหนี
  • hit-and-run: (of a road accident) caused by a driver who does not stop to help - ที่ชนแล้วหนี
  • postpone: to delay; to decide that something will be done at a later time - เลื่อนออกไป
  • pursue: to try to achieve something - ดำเนินตาม, พยายามเพื่อให้ได้มาซึ่ง
  • statute of limitations: the legal limit on the period of time within which action can be taken on a crime or other legal question  - อายุความ
  • uproar: angry public criticism of something - ความเอะอะ, ความวุ่นวาย
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