KHON KAEN: The body of a wife who died after acid was poured over her face and into her mouth, and was allegedly denied treatment at a private hospital, has returned home to Khon Kaen for funeral rites.
Chorlada Tarawan's coffin arrived at her family's home in Ban Saeng Arun of Waeng Yai district late on Monday night.
Relatives expressed their gratitude to all agencies that had assisted the family.
Chorlada, a 38-year-old employee at a shopping mall in Bangkok’s Bang Khae district, was allegedly attacked by her new husband Kamtan Singhanat, 50, at their rented room in Bangkok’s Bang Khunthian district on Nov 9.
He allegedly poured acid over her face and into her mouth in a jealous rage.
Her 12-year-old daughter, born to her previous husband, rushed her by taxi for treatment, directing the driver to Bangmod Hospital in Chom Thong district. The driver instead took them to Praram 2 Hospital, a private hospital in Bang Khunthian district, saying it was much closer and her condition was critical.
Staff at Praram 2 Hospital soon after called a taxi to take her and her daughter to Bangmod Hospital, where she had medical welfare coverage. The woman died on the way.
Praram 2 hospital is being investigated by health authorities over the incident.
Mr Kamtan, a taxi driver, fled after the attack and was caught at a friend’s house in Nakhon Sawan’s Banphot district on Sunday. He admitted attacking her in a fit of jealousy, according to police.
The suspect claimed Chorlada had become involved with two men, and this had fuelled his rage. He was taken for a crime re-enactment on Monday.
The death of the woman left her 12-year-old daughter alone in Bangkok.
The victim's mother, Thong-ard Tarawan, on Tuesday went to Waeng Yai district office to report her daughter's death and applied for the transfer of her granddaughter's house registration from Bangkok to Khon Kaen.
Panupong Panchompoo, 16, a nephew, said the funeral ceremony would be held on Wednesday. He thanked all those agencies that had assisted the family in this matter.
Preecha Tarawan, 72, an uncle of the victim, said the family felt gratitude towards both private and state agencies for providing assistance.
"She was the breadwinner of the family. She had been working in Bangkok for years to support the family. Now, we have lost her, her life taken from her by her new husband. Her daughter will be moved from Bangkok to our home province,’’ the uncle said.
On Sunday, activist lawyer Atchariya Rueangratanapong accompanied two of the dead woman's angry relatives to Praram 2 Hospital where they accused the hospital of failing to help her.
The management replied that the patient wanted treatment at Bang Mod Hospital. Staff of Praram 2 Hospital applied first aid and decided her condition was not critical.
Deputy governor Santi Laobunsa-ngiem led local officials to visit the family.
He said financial assistance had been approved, with 10,000 baht from the human securities and social development in Khon Kaen and another 110,000 baht from the Justice Ministry.
Local education authorities would facilitate the daughter's transfer to a school in Khon Kaen and the human security and social development office would handle education support procedures so that the girl, now in Prathom Suksa 6, would get monthly financial support.
A grieving Mrs Thong-ard, 59, said her family had their faith the police would ensure justice is done.
She questioned the way Praram 2 Hospital had treated her daughter. The family would let the team of activist lawyers handle the case as they had neither knowledge nor money to fight a legal battle.
She hoped the hospital would at the very least apologise to her family and her late daughter. Had the hospital treated her, Chorlada would have had a chance to survive, or at least keep breathing until the family arrived to say their final farewell, she said.
The girl said she would stay with her grandmother and would take care of the family in the absence of her mother. She had some acid burns from holding her mother while taking her to hospital.