Bangkok Porsche, motorbike crashes that killed two renew calls for Thai police reform
- The involvement of a police officer and the son of an ex-police official in two fatal accidents has reignited debate on power structures in Thailand
- High-ranking officers often declare million-dollar assets, hold political influence, or sit on boards of large firms, giving them institutionalised power, analysts say
Two fatal crashes involving Thai policemen and their family members driving high speed in luxury vehicles in Bangkok have enraged the Thai public and fired up debate on the nature of accountability and power in the kingdom.
On March 12, a 40-year-old Pakistani national died on a bridge after his motorbike was hit by a Porsche which suddenly changed lanes.
The car was driven by Pornmet Songmetta, the son of former Deputy National Police Chief Wirachai Songmetta, who is one of the kingdom’s richest men. His fortune was estimated by Forbes in 2021 to be worth around US$940 million.
Pornmet is expected to face charges after his blood-alcohol level exceeded the legal limit, police said, adding that the dead man’s family had already accepted a compensation payment from the driver.
“We want to assure the public that justice will be served based on facts and evidence regardless who the offender is,” said Police Major General Manop Sukhonthapat, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 8.
The case came just two weeks after a young doctor, Waraluck Supawatjariyakul, died days before her 34th birthday when she was hit by a high performance motorcycle driven by an off-duty policeman as she used a pedestrian crossing in front of her hospital.
