BREAKING: Tangmo’s cause of death revealed, 5 boat buddies face charges

BREAKING:
Police are considering whether to charge all five of Tangmo’s boat companions with negligence leading to death and making false statements, the Bangkok Post reported.

After the actress fell into the river and drowned, one of the men on the speedboat phoned some influential friends to seek advice, according to phone conversation records obtained by the Provincial Police Region 1.

In one of his calls, the man admitted that the unlicensed skipper had lurched the boat forward in the water, causing Tangmo to instinctively grab another person beside her, who reacted from fear of being dragged into the water, resulting in the actress toppling overboard, where the boat propeller cut her right leg and she drowned.

It is not yet known the exact circumstances on the boat that led up to it lurching forward, causing Tangmo to topple overboard. However, a video filmed that night on her manager’s phone before the accident shows Tangmo sipping wine and playing with her hair presumably near the back of the boat, while a man can be heard off camera shouting, “You bring your friend here! You bring her friend here!” Fishermen in the area reported seeing the boat speeding and turning sharply in the water.

Furthermore, the widely circulated photograph showing Tangmo hugging her manager at the back of the boat that was taken supposedly at 9:56pm on the night of the incident, has been proven to be taken much earlier before the lights of Rama VIII Bridge automatically turned off at 9 o’clock. This would also explain why the water was so dark at the time Tangmo toppled over. It is not clear why the photo’s data was changed to reflect a later time.

Meanwhile, two of the men have reportedly sought to evade repercussions, with one man admitting to hospital and another man becoming a monk.

As the truth of Tangmo’s tragic death is exposed, confessions of the witnesses are expected to come soon, along with formal charges of negligence leading to death and making false statements.

EARLIER UPDATE:

After significant disbelief and doubts regarding witness claims — aired both online and among investigators — police have re-interrogated the five witnesses who were on the boat on the night of the incident. This time they reportedly used a lie detector.

Police have asked the witnesses to reenact what happened on the boat the night Tangmo died. The reenactments are taking place one by one on the same boat over the course of five nights, as police look for inconsistencies. One of the two women, “Sand”, went first, followed by another two men and Tangmo’s manager, “Gatick”. One of the three men, “Robert”, reportedly has not yet participated, as he has been sick.

The autopsy report released on Wednesday concludes that Tangmo drowned in the river. But forensics experts were unable to confirm key details in witness claims, including whether Tangmo was peeing when she fell in or was pushed, what caused the wound in her leg and whether the wound occurred before or after she drowned.

Meanwhile, police are meeting in Nonthaburi province north of Bangkok near the scene of the incident to discuss the information gathered from the investigation thus far. They have also interviewed fishermen in the area, who reportedly saw the boat speeding and turning sharply in the water. Police say they will continue meeting on Thursday. No announcement has been made yet regarding the results of their ongoing investigation.

• Read: Autopsy report shows TV actress Tangmo died from drowning
• Read: TANGMO: Top Thai crime investigator debunks witness claims, calls for truth
• Read: Tangmo’s friend reenacts incident for police to show how the actress fell in the Chao Phraya River

Original article…

What really happened to Thailand’s Nida Patcharaveerapong, known lovingly by her fans as “Tangmo” (pronounced Daeng-moo) or “Watermelon,” who died last Thursday night after reportedly “falling” from a speedboat into the Chao Phraya River?

The Thai TV actress had starred in countless dramas and advertisements in her nearly 20 year career, living in the limelight since childhood. In 2007, a car accident marred her face and she underwent extensive plastic surgery to restore it.

Her troubled love life was the subject of constant social media debate, especially her marriage, divorce and subsequent attempted suicide. But despite her imperfections, her faith in God carried her through life’s storms.

First, here’s a recap of the facts, as we currently know them…

• There were six people in the boat, inlcuding three women: Tangmo, her manager, “Gatick”, and another woman, “Sand”; and three men, including a man named “Job”, the boat owner, “Por”, and the skipper, “Robert.” They had taken a boat ride from Thon Buri Bridge toward Nonthaburi province, stopping for dinner along the way
• Tangmo reportedly “fell” into the river at around 10:40pm, as the boat was approaching the Pibul Songkhram 1 Pier
• Her “friends” claim she fell in because the toilet was broken and went to the stern of the vessel to relieve herself
• She was wearing a one-piece bodysuit, similar to a swimsuit, under her other clothes
• At about 1:10 pm on Saturday, a search team found her body floating near the Rama VII Bridge about 1 kilometre from where she reportedly fell, in Nonthaburi province, a suburb of Bangkok
• Other reports say her body was found about 300 metres from the pier the boat was approaching when she “fell” off
• Her brother spotted the body and confirmed it to be his sister
• She was found with a deep wound in her thigh
• An early autopsy report revealed sand in her lungs
• Forensic experts have dismissed the claim that she went to the back of the boat to urinate because she was wearing a one-piece outfit called a body suit
• The boat had an expired license and helmsman didn’t have a captain’s license
• The owner and helmsman of the speedboat have been charged with negligence and operating an unlicensed vessel
• The passengers weren’t wearing lifejackets because they claim they didn’t know where they were stored

But for Thai readers, this story is full of more holes than a poorly maintained fishing net. As police continue the investigation — with a lie detector — her family and fans eagerly await the truth, for a bright light to dispel the murky shadows of the Thai entertainment industry and for justice to be served.

How did Tangmo die — really?

Let’s dig into tale’s dirty details…

Who were her five “friends” on the boat? Why didn’t they frantically call for help after the incident? Why did they disappear for nearly 24 hours after the incident?

If Tangmo was really trying to pee when she fell off the back of the boat, then why was she wearing a body suit? How is it possible?

If Tangmo really fell in when trying to pee, then why is there a gash wound on her leg?

If she fell off the back of a moving boat, she likely hit the water without hitting the propeller. (Unless she clung to the hull of the boat near the motor when she fell, or the boat turned around and ran over her).

If there were five witnesses, how could they not see where she fell in the water or find her and and immediately provide assistance?

If she was a good swimmer from a young age, as her mother says, why could she not swim to the boat or swim to shore?

If Tangmo’s “friends” had really searched for an hour, as the say, after she “fell” from the boat, then why was her body found the next day not far from the place where she “fell” in the river?

Why did they walk calmly on the dock after the incident, as CCTV shows, and then disappear for nearly a whole day, before suddenly showing up together at the police station?

Tangmo’s manager removed the phone from the boat after the incident and then brought it with her to the police station the following day?

Why, why, why?

These are just a few of the questions about the shady circumstances surrounding the unfortunate and untimely death of Thai actress Tangmo, who drowned in the Chao Phraya River last Thursday, after she reportedly ‘fell’ from the stern of a speedboat when trying to relieve herself, so the story goes…

And then there’s her mother, Panida Sirayutthayothin, who says she doesn’t believe the story — that her daughter had joined a group of “friends” for dinner, then, because of a broken toilet, had fallen from the stern of the moving boat while trying to publicly pee, whilst wearing a body suit, and drowned in the river.

The mother speculates it was a photoshoot because her daughter had dressed up, but that she might have become an unwelcome guest on the boat, and that she may have been ostracised or thrown overboard. She wants to know if Tangmo was paid to be on the boat as part of her work, and if so, who had paid her.

Who can deny a mother’s intuition?

Was this another paid gig scenario arranged by her manager? Did someone try to take advantage of her on the boat? Was there a conflict among her and any other passengers? Did something go terribly wrong and they tried to cover it up? Who was the other woman?

In the latest development, the investigating police are going re-interrogate the five people who were on the boat with Tangmo, but this time they will use a lie detector. One person on the boat was also found to have their “coat torn”. Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy to help clarify the cause of her death and the wound on her leg, as well as the drug test results of the other passengers.

“The sun is set to rise again”, the 37 year old Christian actress wrote in her final post on Instagram. Now we can only hope that the bright light of truth will shine on her story and justice will be served.

You can visit her Instagram page HERE.

PHOTO: Thai TV actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong sits on a speedboat presumably before stopping for dinner along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. Credit: Unknown

SOURCE: Nation Thailand | Bangkok Post