Pattaya suspect refuses to exit car, livestreams police encounter
Viral videos or live streams of encounters with the police have become a common occurrence in the United States and a few other countries, but on Friday a transgender person in Pattaya refused to exit her car after being stopped by police and live-streamed the whole event. The woman was a suspect after reports of a drug dealer in a car whose description matched her car and was carrying an e-cigarette, illegal in Thailand.
33 year old Eakksachai Temsomboon was stopped by police in South Pattaya after an anonymous concerned citizen called the police hotline to report a drug dealer driving a red car in the area. Police stopped her car at a checkpoint and requested a routine inspection. Later saying she feared police would plant drugs in her car or attack her, Eakksachai refused to exit the vehicle and instead started a live-stream of the event as the incident unfolded.
Her social media followers watched live as she refused to open her car door, even after police spotted an e-cigarette and attempted to arrest her. Vaping and e-cigarettes are banned in Thailand with strict laws and punishments on the books for those who are caught with them, up to and including prison sentences. It’s debatable how often those laws are enforced, but in this case, it gave police probable cause to insist on a vehicle inspection.
But Eakksachai was steadfast, refusing to open the door for so long that police eventually just towed the car with her inside to the Pattaya police station. There they were able to contact her mother who spent 40 minutes but eventually convinced Eakksachai to exit the car.
A urine test was reported to have found illegal drugs in her system. She now faces multiple possible charges from the incident. She will likely be charged with possession of vaping equipment and drug charges if the urine test was confirmed. She may also be charged with failure to obey an officer of the law, and will definitely be charged for the cost of the tow truck.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
