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| Nat |
But Nat insists his well-connected family will not pull any strings to secure lenient treatment for Orachorn "Praewa'' Thephasadin Na Ayudhya, who has told the media she drove carelessly, causing the accident. Nine people have died.
She is likely to face charges of reckless driving causing injury and death, and driving without a licence.
Praewa was identified as the driver of a Honda Civic which hit the back of a passenger van, sending it crashing into the barrier close to the Bang Khen exit of the tollway on Monday night.
The door of the van burst open, hurtling passengers from the elevated tollway 20m to the road below.
Nat, a Channel 5 actor and the first member of the family to talk publicly about the accident, said he sympathised with the plight of those who lost loved ones.
Early reports were quick to blame the driver of the passenger van, but attention quickly turned to Praewa after the release of a picture of a young woman identified as the Honda driver, standing by the wreckage of her car while calmly playing on her BlackBerry phone.
Critical reports said Praewa was updating the status of her phone while victims of the crash lay dying on the road below. She denies it, saying she was merely calling friends and the insurance company.
She claims she did not see the accident, as the force of the crash threw her beneath the driver's console. She was not wearing a seatbelt.
Praewa is the daughter of a retired army colonel, and shares the same father as Nat, though they were brought up in different families.
Laddawan Thephasadin Na Ayudhya, Praewa's mother, said on television on Thursday that her family was devastated by the losses and would not try to dodge responsibility.
The same day, the family wrote an open letter issuing a brief apology, and on Friday, Praewa herself apologised on television, and visited injured victims in hospital.
When the girl's hi-so connections became known, netizens embarked on a witch-hunt to find out more about the girl, who suffered only minor injuries in the fatal crash. Netizens started a Facebook page and webboard demanding justice on behalf of the victims' families. Within just a few days, it had attracted more than 250,000 supporters who "liked'' the page.
Police have called Praewa in for questioning on Wednesday.
Nat insists his family will not try to hide from the truth, or protect the girl if she has done wrong.
"Everyone feels sorry about what happened, including Praewa. If you are wondering why we are staying silent, it's because what happened is still unclear.
"However, if she has done wrong, she must learn a lesson, as she's an ordinary person just like anyone else,'' he said. "I can give my word that we won't try to interfere. We will let justice take its course.
"My father was a soldier. Although he has been retired for 10 years, he loves justice. When I was growing up, he instructed me about the need for discipline, honesty and justice,'' Nat said. -
2.
A DJ is unhappy after a woman she is taking to court for fraud offered an apology to reporters.
The Criminal Court in Nonthaburi last week decided to hear a case brought by DJ Ubonwan "Tookta'' Bunrort against interior designer Pathsamapudin "James'' Akarawongtrakun.
She and co-complainant Chadaporn "Da'' Ratanakorn, a former actress, have accused James - a "mannish woman'', to quote the media - of forging documents to purchase a Mercedez-Benz and a Ford motor vehicle in their names.
The court has called witnesses to give evidence on Feb 27.
Outside the court, James told reporters that she would like to apologise for the fuss, and offered to pay compensation for any losses, as long as she could afford it.
Unhappy to hear her apology, Ubonwan confronted James about her remarks. Television cameras filmed the pair as they argued.
"Want a broken lip?'' one reporter heard James utter defiantly.
Ubonwan's lawyer pulled his client away from James to calm her down.
Speaking later to reporters, Ubonwan said James had passed up plenty of opportunities to apologise in the past.
"She chose to do so now, only when being interviewed by reporters,'' she said angrily.
Crime Suppression Division police have charged James with fraud in a transnational case that some reports say involves damages of 100 million baht.
Early last month, the Criminal Court threw out a defamation case brought by James against DJ Ubonwan, after James failed to show at court.
James sued Ubonwan after she called her a thief, though the court overturned the case after James failed to present her witnesses.
The Civil Court has failed to see the joke after two television hosts noted for their humour accused a motor racer of shacking up with an actress and taking drugs.
The court in Ratchada on Monday awarded 100,000 baht in damages against Kan Pak (Itch To Speak) hosts Chettawut "Buay'' Watcharakun and Pornthip "Ae'' Wongkijanon, and Channel 7, in a complaint brought by Pai "One Point'' Lik, a motor racer and son of former veteran politician Ruangwit.
In remarks broadcast on the station last year, they claimed that Mr Pai and close friend, actress Yardthip "Yard'' Rajpal, shacked up together and liked to take drugs. Mr Pai sought civil damages of 50 million baht.
The court found the pair breached Mr Pai's rights and awarded him 100,000 baht in damages and lawyers' fees.
It was the second victory for Mr Pai against the TV hosts. In August, the Criminal Court found them guilty of defamation for the remarks.
It sentenced them to three months in jail and fined them 30,000 baht. However, in recognition of their useful testimony, the court discounted the sentence by one third, and suspended it for one year.
The pair argued that they were merely reading from the script and did not mean anyone harm. They also gave Yardthip a chance to refute the claims. -
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| James, Tookta |
The Criminal Court in Nonthaburi last week decided to hear a case brought by DJ Ubonwan "Tookta'' Bunrort against interior designer Pathsamapudin "James'' Akarawongtrakun.
She and co-complainant Chadaporn "Da'' Ratanakorn, a former actress, have accused James - a "mannish woman'', to quote the media - of forging documents to purchase a Mercedez-Benz and a Ford motor vehicle in their names.
The court has called witnesses to give evidence on Feb 27.
Outside the court, James told reporters that she would like to apologise for the fuss, and offered to pay compensation for any losses, as long as she could afford it.
Unhappy to hear her apology, Ubonwan confronted James about her remarks. Television cameras filmed the pair as they argued.
"Want a broken lip?'' one reporter heard James utter defiantly.
Ubonwan's lawyer pulled his client away from James to calm her down.
Speaking later to reporters, Ubonwan said James had passed up plenty of opportunities to apologise in the past.
"She chose to do so now, only when being interviewed by reporters,'' she said angrily.
Crime Suppression Division police have charged James with fraud in a transnational case that some reports say involves damages of 100 million baht.
Early last month, the Criminal Court threw out a defamation case brought by James against DJ Ubonwan, after James failed to show at court.
James sued Ubonwan after she called her a thief, though the court overturned the case after James failed to present her witnesses.
The Civil Court has failed to see the joke after two television hosts noted for their humour accused a motor racer of shacking up with an actress and taking drugs.
The court in Ratchada on Monday awarded 100,000 baht in damages against Kan Pak (Itch To Speak) hosts Chettawut "Buay'' Watcharakun and Pornthip "Ae'' Wongkijanon, and Channel 7, in a complaint brought by Pai "One Point'' Lik, a motor racer and son of former veteran politician Ruangwit.
In remarks broadcast on the station last year, they claimed that Mr Pai and close friend, actress Yardthip "Yard'' Rajpal, shacked up together and liked to take drugs. Mr Pai sought civil damages of 50 million baht.
The court found the pair breached Mr Pai's rights and awarded him 100,000 baht in damages and lawyers' fees.
It was the second victory for Mr Pai against the TV hosts. In August, the Criminal Court found them guilty of defamation for the remarks.
It sentenced them to three months in jail and fined them 30,000 baht. However, in recognition of their useful testimony, the court discounted the sentence by one third, and suspended it for one year.
The pair argued that they were merely reading from the script and did not mean anyone harm. They also gave Yardthip a chance to refute the claims. -
3.
Actor Mario Maurer has some buns in the oven for his girlfriend, actress Sumontip "Koop Kip'' Leuangthai.
This year, superstar Mario (Friendship, Rahtree Reborn), known for his frugality, is eschewing expensive New Year's presents for Koop Kip in favour of bread, which he will make himself.
"I don't know why, I just want to make her bread.
"Often people assume that we have to buy expensive presents for each other at New Year, but I don't believe it's necessary. If we make something ourselves, it can be even sweeter to receive,'' he added hopefully.
Mario said he has tried making things in the past as presents for Kip Koop, not always with success. "I tried stitching something together once with a needle and thread. It didn't go anywhere.''
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| Mario, Koop Kip |
This year, superstar Mario (Friendship, Rahtree Reborn), known for his frugality, is eschewing expensive New Year's presents for Koop Kip in favour of bread, which he will make himself.
"I don't know why, I just want to make her bread.
"Often people assume that we have to buy expensive presents for each other at New Year, but I don't believe it's necessary. If we make something ourselves, it can be even sweeter to receive,'' he added hopefully.
Mario said he has tried making things in the past as presents for Kip Koop, not always with success. "I tried stitching something together once with a needle and thread. It didn't go anywhere.''
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