A megaphone separation
A Chinese man fighting a bitter custody battle with his Thai wife is mulling defamation action against critics who portray him as a mafia figure, after the two sides clashed at their son's school last month.
Chao Jiang, 32, a fruit exporter based in Chiang Mai, is battling his hi-so Thai wife, Pitchanan "Keng" Lukkaew, for shared custody rights over their son, Jacob, aged four, in a lively divorce battle which has captured media headlines in the northern city.
Mr Chao and his wife married in southwestern China before moving to Chiang Mai where they bought a house in San Sai and set up business together. Ms Pitchanan left home with the child on Oct 5 following an argument with Mr Chao and refused his appeals to see the child.
Mr Chao's lawyer, Suthinai Surin, on Dec 25 went before the media to explain the incident at the school which has resulted in Ms Pitchanan laying a complaint with Hang Dong police.
He said Mr Chao had turned up on Dec 12 simply to see the boy, not to snatch him, and his client bridled at accusations that he was a mafia type. He was considering legal redress as the claims were damaging. His client believes he was being persecuted because he is a foreigner.
After leaving home Ms Pitchanan filed court papers seeking a divorce, seeking sole custody and support payments of 100,000 baht a month. Mr Suthinai said his client had reluctantly agreed to a split, and noted Ms Pitchanan had yet to abide by the court's interim order in early November awarding shared custody. His client had been looking for the child since.
Ms Pitchanan told the media that Mr Chao and his relatives had harassed her daily as they hunted down the child. They had toured the city in a pickup festooned with images of Jacob, and staked out her elder sister's home, shouting their demands through a megaphone.
"He has sent people around to bother me constantly, put up my picture in public places, hired a truck to go around making broadcasts, and criticised me as they go from place to place," she said. "He had also sent his relatives to abuse me. I had to take my son into hiding as we were afraid for our safety," she added.
She claimed Mr Chao had hired Chinese mafia in Chiang Mai to help. She had complained to police, but they were reluctant to intervene.
Mr Chao, who speaks little Thai but enlisted the help of a translator, went to the media in mid-October after his estranged wife left home with the child and took him out of school.
In late October, the Chinese businessman had tracked Ms Pitchanan down to her elder sister's place in Mae Rim, and together with his father set up a tent outside the front gate for several days.
Mr Chao broadcast his demands to see the boy through a small megaphone, prompting his wife to call the police. Police, however, were unable to help as Mr Chao had not entered the property. They persuaded her to bring the boy out and she and Mr Chao spoke briefly. "She said any further discussions should await the court's decision," Mr Chao said.
Mr Chao, who said Ms Pitchanan subsequently spirited the child away elsewhere, later took his message to the road. He admits visiting her parents' home, her younger brother, and her shop.
In November he also offered a 200,000 baht reward for sightings of his wife, and claimed she had "abducted" the boy. He said he was gathering evidence for the court and asked why she was so willing to flout its order. He asked a printery to produce posters of the child, which he attached to a pickup. Mr Chao, his father and the translator toured the city "in a procession", as his estranged wife put it, appealing for sightings.
Media reports showed Mr Chao and his father talking to locals and pointing them to notice boards he set up at tourist haunts. He also had screen-printed T-shirts made with images of the boy. The publicity carried the message: "Son, where are you? Dad misses you very much." Media images showed Mr Chao and his father sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of the boards, looking rejected.
After Ms Pitchanan filed for divorce, the court in early November called a conciliation meeting and awarded both sides temporary shared custody. However, Mr Chao said his estranged wife has not made the child available on his alloted days of the week. Her younger brother claimed the child was available for visits, but Mr Chao failed to turn up.
In another dramatic instalment, media reports on Dec 12 said Mr Chao turned up at the boy's school with his interpreter, his father, and uniformed police from Hang Dong station, who came along as "witnesses". They came bearing the court papers awarding shared custody. The school contacted the mother, who turned up in time, she said, to see Mr Chao trying to take Jacob, whom she said did not want to go with his dad.
She put up a struggle with her husband's side while staff spirited the child away inside the school. Mr Chao managed to snatch away her car keys and made off in the vehicle she travelled in. Ms Pitchanan, who said Mr Chao's father harmed her, laid a complaint with police. The saga continues.
Out for a little spin
A young man with a history of drug-taking took off in the family pickup after an argument with his father, leading police on a 20km chase across town until they shot out one of his tyres.
Narongpol Pongsang is being held by police.
Parents of Narongpol Pongsang, 24, called police to their home in Bang Phli of Samut Prakan early on Christmas Day after the young man, who had been arguing with his dad about his drugs habit, took off in the Isuzu MU X following a commotion. His dad, Somchai (assumed name) had earlier asked him for the keys but his son refused to hand them over.
"We did not want him at home with the vehicle as he has taken it out before only to go wild and smash up other vehicles. We are left with the damages bill," his father told the media.
Police managed to stop his vehicle in front of Chularat Hospital in Thepharak Road. Video footage showed half a dozen police surrounding the vehicle, which was stuck in traffic, shouting at Mr Narongpol to get out. The young man refused and drove away. Police in pursuit shot his left rear tyre just metres down the road.
Witness Weerapong Singsena, 44, said locals were alarmed to see officers surround the vehicle and hear the shot ring out. "We thought it must have something to do with drugs but suspected he could be a crazed man with a weapon," he said.
Footage taken from a police motorcyclist's helmet shows the tyre peeling away from the wheel hub as the car sped down the road. Police finally caught him at the mouth of soi Lat Krabang 34/2 when he was forced to stop for a light. The car had hit at least one other vehicle and bore a long scrape mark down one side.
Searching the back seat, police found a bag of cannabis, which Mr Narongpol claimed belonged to his father. "He likes to add it to chicken soup," the young man claimed unconvincingly as police held him in an arm lock.
Police say he admitted taking crystal methamphetamine several days before, and a urine test showed traces of the drug in his system.
Speaking at the station, where the young man was charged with taking the drugs, having cannabis in his possession, and dangerous driving, his father Somchai said his son was in a bad mood as he needed a fix. He had been hooked on drugs for several years. His parents had put him through rehab, including one two-week course which set them back 213,000 baht, to no avail, as he kept relapsing.
His son was hoping to find work as a policeman but had failed this year's police exams thanks to his heavy drug use, his father said. Normally he was a good lad but when he took drugs he would lose control.
The young man's mother, who called police when she saw the argument between Mr Narongpol and his dad getting out of hand, said she would not seek bail for her son as she wanted to teach him a lesson. "He was very sorry and kept offering me a wai of apology when I saw him just now. But no parents should end up with this," she said.
Mr Narongpol said he took off in the vehicle because he felt put out with his father for abusing him. Video footage showed father and son arguing at the station, carrying on as they had started off the day.
Taxi driver takes liberties
Pathum Thani police are looking for a man who asked a petrol station attendant for sex, scaring her. Attendant Nalinya, 20, complained to Muang district police after the driver, identified by his first name of Ran, turned up at the station in Bang Dua sub-district on Thursday to fill up his vehicle.
Ran is grinning in his orange taxi.
At 3.30am, he returned and approached her at the counter. He passed over a note scrawled on a receipt, adding "this is a secret, na". That done, he walked into the toilets where he spent the next 20-30 minutes. "I opened the note and was shocked," she said. "I felt scared and didn't know what to do."
The note asked her if she'd join him in the toilets for four minutes for sex. "If this is not 'okay', I am sorry," the note added. Mr Ran left without further incident but at 6pm came back again. By this time Nalinya, who had alerted her boss but realised she lacked evidence to lodge a complaint for harassment, was waiting with her boyfriend. When Mr Ran saw them together, he drove off.
However, at midnight the next day he was back again. "I raced out and took a picture of him and his plate number," said Nalinya. "He did not look disheartened, and I realised he did not come to offer an apology," she said. In fact Mr Ran, who is pictured behind the wheel, offered her a big smile. Nalinya complained to police, and a FB site, "You want to be famous? Let me arrange it", posted an account of the incident by way of a warning.
Amarin TV tracked down his elder brother, Wirat, who said he has a six-year contract with a taxi co-op to ply services from the Toyota Altis. His younger brother, he said, was a fun-loving character who had recently turned up from Saraburi, where he is a builder. He had asked to drive the taxi about for four days but Mr Wirat has been unable to contact him since.
"I want him to come back and see the police. The incident has caused family tension, and could make my own own life difficult if passengers recognise the vehicle. My brother's wife knows what happened and will make contact for sure," he said.
