Corruption In Thailand
CORRUPTION
Son of Thai Politician Arrested on Drunk Driving, Fleeing Police, Smashing into Check Point Barricades.
Nokie Says
C: In Thailand, there is NO Mafia per say, because the Mafia in Thailand are Politicians...
C: It's very strange that this man refers to his 46 year old son as a "good kid". WOW, somewhat of a twisted view of a child!!
C: The son does not have a job, never has, and drives a 11.8 million baht vehicle. Okay, now the average working Thai person makes only 300 baht per day or 78,000 baht per year!! Must pay well being a Thai politician!!
C: 46 year old kid to police: "Do you know who am I ?, and It'll be interesting when find out where the money comes from to have a car like this and who my dad is"...
C: I searched all the major media outlets for Thailand and none of them dared to print a picture of the 46 year old good kid. Ummm, interesting...
C: He did not stop - did try to flee the check point - told the Police that they do not have the right to check on him etc. and still gets a suspended jail term and a ridiculous small fine! Butttt, if you click the 'Like' button on the wrong Facebook post, you will get a 15 year jail sentence...
C: What's really ironical is the fact that his father is the Deputy Minister of Public Health. And the Public Health Ministry is one of the key agencies that promote and raise awareness on the anti-drink driving campaign, especially during long weekends, including holidays like Songkran...
Panich Promphat, 46, was arrested on Thursday night by traffic police after he crashed his sports car into the steel barricades of a police checkpoint near Soi Ratchadaphisek 31 in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district.
A son of a deputy minister has been sentenced to two months in jail, suspended for two years, for charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and obstructing police duty.
Prayut Phetcharakhun, spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General, said on Friday that Panich Promphat received the suspended jail term after prosecutors verbally indicted him in court on two counts. He faced charges of drink-driving and failing to follow police instructions.
Mr Panich, 46, confessed to the charges, leading to a commuted sentence of half from the original four months. He was ordered to pay a fine of 4,000 baht, perform one year of community service, and have his driver's licence revoked for six months.
Mr Panich is the son of Deputy Minister of Public Health, Santi Promphat. The Public Health Ministry is one of the key agencies raising awareness on the anti-drink driving campaign, especially during long weekends, including Songkran.
Mr Santi's son failed to stop his BMW i8, valued at 11.8 million baht, when traffic police ordered him to take an alcohol test at a checkpoint on Ratchadaphisek Road in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, at 3.30am on Thursday, according to the police report.
When police used a traffic barrier to block the vehicle, the politician's son allegedly attempted to flee the checkpoint. After he refused to take an alcohol test, the officials used a non-contact breathalyser on him and the reading showed 183 milligrams of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of blood, well above the legal limit of 50mg.
At the time, Mr Panich accused the officers of lacking the authority to detain him. He also accused them of theft when he was taken to Pracha Chuen station.
At the station, Mr Panich appeared intoxicated. According to the report, the police "forced him to enter the detention room before the interrogation process began."
Before the sentence was announced by the North Bangkok District Court, the deputy minister said on Friday that he was unaware of his son's arrest as he was not in Bangkok.
"He is a good kid," Mr Santi said in an interview with Channel 3 news. "We have to respect law."
Mr Santi, 72, is a deputy leader of the Palang Pracharath Party and a former prominent figure in the Pheu Thai Party. He has his political base in Phetchabun province.
My Daddy Can Fix It
