A municipal council head in Chanthaburi was killed when a young jailbird under the influence of drugs collapsed at the wheel and ploughed into his motorbike.
Nong Bua sub-district municipality president Chot Chanasit, 69, was killed when Parichart Taewnern, 26, fleeing what she feared was a nearby drugs bust, lost control of her Chevrolet on Sai Pansil-Nern Pho Road in Muang district on July 9, mounted the footpath and hit him.
Parichart, who police say has a long history of drug taking and is only recently out of jail, said she fell asleep at the wheel. Later she owned up to having taken drugs and fainting. She said she had been partying since the night before.
Chot was sitting astride his stationary motorcycle talking to locals about recent flooding in the area when the woman's vehicle veered across the road and hit him, breaking his neck. Her car also laid waste to a vendor's stall.
He died instantly while Parichart, when she regained her composure, had the wherewithal to call friends and have them pick up a black makeup bag which police suspect contained drugs.
Her two friends took away the bag before police arrived, though locals saw the exchange. Police found a bag of drug-taking gear in her vehicle, but no drugs. Police say a urine test showed traces of methamphetamines in her system.
Chot's son, Chanchai Chanasit, said his father, a tireless worker for the sub-district, would do the rounds of the area every day to check on locals' welfare. When he first heard of the accident he assumed the motorist was exhausted and had simply fallen asleep.
When police told him that drugs were involved, he felt angry about the pointless loss of life. "She shows no responsibility towards society," he said. Police have charged Parichart with careless driving causing death, driving under the influence, and taking drugs.
Monthian Tripol, Village 6 head in Nong Bua, said Chot was a good man. "He was a solid type and helped develop the tambon. It is sad he had to die this way," he said.
He had seen Parichart driving past over the past two months, and knew she and a group of friends from out of town liked to take drugs nearby. He and a bunch of officials would drive them out, only for the gang to return after they left.
"All the village heads know where they take their drugs, but can do nothing as she is from outside the area," he grumbled.
He was among those at the scene who saw Parichart hand the black makeup bag to her friends. "Parichart is ill and needs treatment. At present, she is caught, serves time in jail, gets out and reoffends," he said.
The victim's wife, Wassana Chanasit, 64, said her husband left home at 8am to survey flooding damage. When she turned up at the scene Parichart gave her a wai of apology and repeated the lie that she fell asleep at the wheel.
She had heard Parichart was staying at a house about 400m from the scene. She left in a hurry when local officials turned up to inspect a power pole. Parichart and her druggie friends, thinking the officials had turned up to bust them, fled the house in a panic and in the ensuing melee she collapsed at the wheel. "I would like her family to come and say sorry to my husband's spirit. We have not heard from them," she said.
Reporters visited Parichart's family home in Laem Sing district, where they met her paternal grandmother, 85, and younger sister, aged 11.
Since being released from her most recent two-year jail spell last year, Parichart had visited them just once, they said, to pick up her belongings. Her family, who say they struggle to make ends meet, passed on condolences to Chot's kin. They said they would not pay Parichart's bail after she "abandoned" them last year.
Reporters also visited a solitary house in village 7, not far from the accident scene, where locals said she and her mates take drugs. It was closed up, with no signs of life. "It's normally like that except when they arrange to meet. When they have finished they leave again," one local said.
Daow complains about her husband's affair.
Cop with family marries his 'kik'
A Chiang Mai woman has complained after a nurse started seeing her husband, with the pair even registering their marriage on the sly.
"Daow", 39, complained to the deputy public health officer, Thong Phanthong, that the nurse, "Koy", 41, who works for a Tambon Health Promotion Hospital in Phrao district, has been seeing her policeman husband, "Ton", 29.
She wants an ethical probe into the nurse's conduct, arguing that as a public official she is supposed to set an example.
Daow said she and Ton have been together six years and have a two-year-old child. While her policeman husband is also supposed to be above such things, she is not seeking disciplinary action in his case, as he signed a document admitting being father to their daughter. This means he will have to share in the maintenance after their marriage ends, as end it must.
In a strange twist to the tale, carried widely by the Thai media last week, Koy also admitted being in a long-term relationship with a tomboy medical officer. She apparently knows about her relationship with Ton, a police corporal at Phrao station on temporary transfer elsewhere.
Daow, who took along evidence of her husband's infidelity, said she noticed changes in his behaviour last November, and on his own mother's advice, followed him to work. Talking to locals, she learned he had been seeing Koy, who works in the community with patients. She also inspected his phone where she found chats and videoclips between the pair.
Daow said she found out that Ton and Koy registered their marriage in February. This upset her, as he had promised he would get legally married to her too, but failed to do so.
Daow said she confronted her husband, who admitted the affair and agreed to a divorce. She threw him out of their home on May 26. She also contacted Koy, who admitted seeing Ton but said she understood he had already split up with Daow.
Daow said her husband had been in touch since the media publicity to apologise. He said he wanted to be a "close friend" to her, a good dad, and would stop seeing Koy. They registered their marriage for the sake of a business transaction they were in together, he said.
Daow said she and Ton had agreed to register their own marriage in October, but this drama came along first. Following the publicity, she was puzzled why Koy has yet to apologise.
The deputy public health officer, Mr Thong, said he will ask lawyers to investigate whether a breach of ethics is involved. Pol Col Thawatchai Pongwiwatchai, deputy head of Police Region 5, said Pol Col Ton has been urged to clear up matters with Daow, as police regard it as a family matter.
Opal complains with her lawyer about her philandering husband, Golf.
Teacher crosses the line
A Chiang Mai teacher has complained to education officials about her philandering husband, after he started seeing a senior student at his school.
"Opal" visited the Chiang Mai Secondary Education Service Area with her lawyer to take action against her husband, "Golf", a Thai language teacher at Sanpatong Wittayakom School in San Pa Tong district.
Golf, a hot young talent according to his colleagues, is having an affair with a student aged 18, and taking little care to disguise it, Opal said. Despite the affair, he still lives with Opal and they have a child aged four. Opal was accompanied by her lawyer, Watchraporn Wonginta.
Opal, who teaches at another school, said she had contacted the young woman's family. They dared her to take legal action if she had proof, and also threatened to counter-sue.
The school's director, Jiampadol Chaiyalak, said he had set up a panel to look into the claims, which was likely to work in liaison with a similar probe by the education office. He confirmed the student studied there.
Opal said she started noticing changes in Golf's behaviour in March. He kept trying to find excuses to leave her. She decided to check his phone, and found chats with the student in which she asks him to leave his wife, and an image in which he is kissing her cheek.
Golf, she said, had been slipping the student exam papers belonging to her and other teachers, to give her an advantage in tests. The student had posted to social media images of them together to let everyone know they were an item.
She confronted Golf in late March and they argued. She asked for a divorce and also asked him to pay maintenance for their child.
A colleague of Golf's said he was awarded outstanding teacher in Thai studies and was seen as a bright young talent. Golf had taught previously at a school in Mae Chaem district and later moved to San Pa Tong district. "I hope the claims are not true, as they could tarnish the school's reputation of 50 years," said the teacher, a former old girl. Reporters also spoke to the young woman's mother, who claimed she knew nothing about the drama.
Golf and the student
