High-speed Mercedes crash ignites uproar in Thailand
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 March, 2016, 9:54pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 24 March, 2016, 9:54pm
Associated Press
The dash cam video is jaw-dropping. On a virtually empty stretch of highway, a midsize car is seen travelling in the slow lane. Suddenly, a black Mercedes-Benz zooms into the frame and rear-ends the car at tremendous speed. Within a split second, a cloud of smoke and debris fill the screen.
What happened next is now well known in Thailand and the focal point of growing outrage.
The midsize car burst into flames and the couple inside, both graduate students in their 30s, died at the scene of the accident. The Mercedes driver, the son of a wealthy Thai businessman, survived with minor injuries and refused both alcohol and drug tests – and his wishes were respected. Police say he was driving at an estimated 240km/h.
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Since the video was widely shared on social media last week, the fatal March 15 crash has reignited a debate about the impunity of the rich and well connected in Thailand.
The Mercedes driver, Janepob Verraporn, 37, now tops a list of “Bangkok’s deadly rich kids”, as one Thai newspaper calls the children of privilege who have killed with their fancy cars.
Police have rushed to defend themselves against criticism for initially mishandling the case and acting to shield Janepob, whose father is said to own a luxury car import company.
A Ford Fiesta burns after it was slammed into by a black Mercedes killing it's two occupants. Photo: AP
“The law is the law – whether you are rich or poor you have to pay for what you’ve done,” national police spokesman Songpol Wattanachai said on Monday, asking sceptics to have faith in the police. “Justice will be served. Just because he is rich doesn’t mean he won’t go to jail. I’m asking people not to think that way.”
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Police who initially handled the case in Ayutthaya province, about 50km north of Bangkok, were quickly sidelined after failing to test Janepob for alcohol and drug use – and then defending the blunder. Speaking on television, a police commander said the suspect had the right to refuse both breath and blood tests.
The commander added that both police and rescue workers did not smell any alcohol on Janepob’s breath.
Amid public uproar, police filed a charge last week against Janepob for driving while unfit or intoxicated, which carries a prison sentence of three to 10 years, said Ayutthaya’s deputy police chief.
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Under Thai law, he said, a refusal to be tested is tantamount to driving under the influence.
Janepob faces another charge of reckless driving causing death and property damage, which carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Janepob was spared provisional detention after posting 200,000 baht (HK$44,116) bail and is currently at one of Bangkok’s private hospitals.
In a country that values deference and patronage, and where police are infamously corrupt, there have been many other similar cases. But Janepob’s carried the added shock value of visuals.
The crash video was taken by a nearby car’s dashboard camera.
