Old geezer out for a spin
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| Chanchai Thaimuangthong |
An old man in Phetchabun denied being involved in a fatal hit-and-run when police tracked him down, despite compelling evidence including his blood-spattered car.
In a later confession before reporters, Chanchai Thaimuangthong, 74, denied he tried to disguise a crime, and confessed he had hit people on the road before.
Mr Chanchai was driving his Honda Civic in a local soi in Chon Daen district at 10.30pm on Nov 16 when he hit a man on a bicycle at such speed the victim’s body stuck to his windshield. His bicycle was found 500m away, reports said.
The victim, Sawat Chomjib, 68, a forgetful type, was heading home on his bicycle and may have lost his way, relatives said from his funeral. Among injuries suffered by the victim were a broken left ankle, broken right shoulder, and crumpled head.
In shocking scenes, CCTV images show Mr Chanchai calmly getting out of his vehicle and pushing the body off his shattered windshield before driving on. He did not seek help or report the accident. He left the body in front of a house, whose owner said he heard the Honda travelling at great speed before the collision occurred.
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| Chanchai's battered car |
Pulling off the cloth, they found the bonnet badly crumpled, windscreen smashed, and the left side of the vehicle damaged. Human hair belonging to the victim was found embedded in the windshield, and blood on the left hand side.
Stretching credibility, Mr Chanchai insisted he had been home that night and the vehicle was damaged in an accident a long time ago. He just hadn’t taken it in for repairs.
Police left him there but said they would return on Nov 19.
When reporters from Channel 8 turned up at his house, he confessed to the hit-and-run but insisted he didn’t mean to do it. “I was meaning to tell the police today but you turned up first,” he told them, sounding irritated.
TV presenters, while admitting the “doddery uncle” may have reacted in shock, were flabbergasted nonetheless. “Uncle! You have hit someone and taken a life. How can you just stand there and say such things? Were you asleep? Why didn’t you alert anyone?” one asked.
Recounting the events of that night, Mr Chanchai said he had just gone past a petrol station which was cloaked in darkness, and lowered his lights. “I hit the man on the bike almost straight away. I thought, damn, I’ve hit a motorcycle again,” Mr Chanchai told reporters.
“At first I thought the body was thrown into the air, but no. When I drove into the light I could see the body was stuck to the windshield, so I got out [and removed it],” he said.
“Why didn’t he have his tail light on?” he complained.
The victim’s sister told reporters Mr Chanchai had been involved in several fatal hit-and-run accidents before.
Asked why he initially denied hitting the cyclist, Mr Chanchai said he had heard that suspects in legal cases, even big ones, are supposed to deny first and confess later. Asked why he did not visit the funeral to beg the victim’s forgiveness, he said he had heard that Sawat’s relatives were still angry.
The victim’s family had demanded he pay 500,000 baht in compensation including funeral costs.
Mr Chanchai said if his compulsory vehicle insurance stretches that far, he’d pay. However, if it falls short he would rather go to jail, as he does not have that kind of money. No word was to hand on what charges he will face, or whether he will finally lose his driver’s licence.
‘Karma’ pays a visit
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| The house where the attack took place. |
A fiery mother in Maha Sarakham stabbed her ex-husband’s new girlfriend and fled with their young son after vowing on social media to get even with him.
Rojana (no surname given), 24, burst into her ex-husband’s home in Muang district on Nov 18 and stabbed his new girlfriend, Pattama (no surname given), 31, in the arm with a box cutter, severing an artery.
“She demanded to know what she was doing with her husband, and declared she was there to take him back,” news reports said.
Her husband, Surasak Riangchantha, was not present, though he said Rojana had warned him earlier on social media. “Prepare to pay for the things you have done to me,” she said cryptically.
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| Surasak |
After stabbing Pattama, Rojana grabbed her son and fled on a motorcycle driven by a man who accompanied her to the house.
Mr Surasak said his ex-wife’s behaviour was shocking as the couple had agreed previously that she pick up her son on Nov 19. She evidently did not want another woman looking after the boy, he said.
When he and Rojana split up a few months ago, ending their 11-year relationship, he kept the son with his side of the family.
Rojana’s family comes from Nong Bua Lamphu. A relieved Ms Yuanjai said Rojana’s relatives had called the day after the attack to say the little boy had turned up safely.
However, when reporters visited Rojana’s family home, relatives said they had not seen her, and she seldom visits.
Ms Yuanjai suspects Rojana really fled with the child to Chon Buri, where her parents had moved for work.
Rojana and Mr Surasak had also worked there together for a while. However, Mr Surasak said she was unhappy in Chon Buri and wanted to return to her home province. The pair ultimately parted ways.
Both Rojana and he had since found new partners but she appeared to be jealous of Pattama, and also wanted her son back.
Pattama, who was to undergo an operation to repair her severed artery, said she wanted police to pursue legal action against Rojana as far as it could go. Police were looking for her.
Keep those ice bags handy
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| Athit, or Tao, who cut off Satit's hand. |
Satit (no surname given), 37, lost his hand when his daughter’s boyfriend, who had been staying with them for two months, attacked him.
Athit, or Tao (no surname given), 18, came at him with a large knife when he was lying on a hammock playing with his phone.
He had just returned from working on the farm at his home in Lam Plai Mat district, said the victim’s mother, Pranee, 62.
“Tao, without saying a word, approached and stabbed him. My son held up hand to protect himself when it was cut off,” she said.
Satit calmly put the severed hand in a bag of ice and dropped it in front of his motorcycle before heading to a community hospital for help.
They referred him to a base hospital, where doctors, commending Satit for keeping his head (if not his hand) amid the drama, were able to stitch it back on again.
Tao and his girlfriend, “B”, Satit’s daughter, fled the house. Police later caught up with Tao in Kaeng Sanam Nang district of Nakhon Ratchasima, where he was arrested for causing serious bodily harm.
Tao, who performed a crime reconstruction for police, refused to apologise to Satit, saying he nagged him daily for failing to pull his weight.
Tao has no job and could not even bring himself to boil the rice or wash the dishes, Satit grumbled.
His mother Pranee backed him up, admitting she and her son would often air their frustrations with Tao and Athit’s daughter.
Tao insisted he washed his own plate, but didn’t clean the victim’s. “I was there for just two months but it felt like two years because he abused me every day. He also asked B and me for money,” he said.
Pairat Suksaeng, 61, a neighbour of Tao’s in his home province, said his parents broke up when he was young.
“He’s a quiet type, but hot tempered. He came at my son with a knife once, but he was able to get away in time,” he said.
The victim’s wife, Amnuay Teepchan, 40, said doctors were able to re-attach the limb.
She and Satit would often tell Tao to leave if he wasn’t prepared to do more to help, she said.
“A neighbour heard Tao tell B that he would leave for sure, but wanted to draw blood first,” Ms Amnuay said.
B, meanwhile, apologised for fleeing with Tao and failing to help her Dad.
“It all happened so fast, and Tao grabbed my hand, dragging me to his bike,” she said.
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