Bangkok Police have charged a Porsche driver who crashed into a motorcycle, killing two women, one of them also losing her unborn baby and being rushed to hospital, only to die soon after.

The accident also damaged a roadside motorcycle-repair shop.

The original report from The Thaiger HERE.

Police announced that Somkiat Pakdeenok had been charged with reckless driving causing death and injury. He was tested for alcohol consumption and the results could lead to further charges.

Police spoke to reporters after outrage mounted on social media over the weekend amid reports that the driver in the crash in Nong Khaem district had been removed from the scene while victims lay dead and injured.

One of the women died instantly at the scene. The other lost limbs as well as her unborn baby and succumbed to her injuries soon after being taken to hospital.

While claims were persisting that no one had yet come forward with offers of help or restitution for the family of the women killed, another report indicated the driver’s wife contacted police to offer each the families of the women killed 50,000 baht for funeral expenses, (about the cost of an iPhone). The wife insisted her husband was not drunk.

The driver is reported to have crawled from the wreckage with broken legs, possibly intoxicated, and been placed in a Toyota Fortuner, which sped away before emergency responders arrived.

Acquaintances of the dead women spread the story online with a hashtag referring to cases of wealthy people going unpunished for their crimes.

Wongsatorn Karnsasomsap, owner of the repair shop that was damaged in the incident, says that the Porsche driver had not yet contacted him about paying for an estimated 300,000 baht in damages. He and his friends could have been crushed too had they remained sitting inside the shop as usual, he said.

One friend, Somkid Maneetham, said he heard the sound of brakes just as he was about to leave on his motorcycle.

“I gunned the engine to get out of the way and then heard a bang and went back to help the victims,” he said.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the Porsche driver may have been “showing off” when the accident occurred.

SOURCE: The Nation

The Phuket Water Authority (PWA) has announced that water supply in some areas of Cherng Talay will be shut off from March 19 – 31 at ‘some times’ during the day.

Water will be shut off while work is being carried out on moving main water pipes. Areas to be affected include parts of Cherng Talay.

“Residents in these areas should save water to use during the period of the shutoffs.  Water might have some discolouration after the repairs. We will complete the works as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

For more information, please call the PWA at 076 319 173, 082 790 1634

King Power Duty Free’s monopoly of duty free concessions at some of Thailand’s busiest airports may be coming to an end.

The Thai PM has warned against the “monopolisation” of the country’s airport duty free sector ordering a review of the auctioning process that could threaten the multi-billion-dollar empire of current concession holder King Power.

Thailand expects to welcome over 40 million foreign visitors this year, mostly through its airports which rake in an estimated US$1.9 billion a year in duty free sales.