Border patrol officer kills family of 3 in Songkhla car accident
Friend demands transparency after suspect allegedly evade alcohol test at incident scene
A border patrol police officer crashed his car into a motorcycle and killed a family of three in the southern province of Songkhla, leaving the couple’s eldest son orphaned.
The tragic incident came to light after a Thai man, Chaiwat Meesanthan, sought justice for his late friend via a post on his Facebook account yesterday, June 22. In part of his post, he wrote…
“#PleaseHelpUsFollowUpOnThisCase This is the saddest and most infuriating thing ever. An accident that took the lives of my friend and his family members was caused by a government official, a border patrol police officer who was drunk. He crashed and killed the family.
What made the case worse was that this government official refused an alcohol test at the scene. He was later tested at a hospital but has since been released.”
ThaiRath reported that the fatal accident mentioned by Chaiwat occurred on Route 42 in Thepha district of Songkhla province at 6.15pm on Friday, June 20. A saloon car collided with a motorcycle carrying a family of three, killing all of them.
The victims were identified as a male teacher, Fadludin Manhem, his wife, Yuwareeya Manhem, and their two year old son. The couple had an older son, who was not with them on the day of the accident as he was living in Satun province.
The driver of the car was a Border Patrol Police officer, identified only as Em. He claimed that he had been travelling from Na Thawi district in Songkhla and heading towards Yala province when the motorcycle allegedly cut in front of him. He stated he could not brake in time and struck them.
Officers from Huay Ping Police Station, who are handling the case, told the media that they accompanied the suspect to the hospital for a blood alcohol test. However, the test results have not yet been received.
Two legal charges have so far been filed against the officer:
- Section 201 of the Criminal Code: Reckless driving causing death, punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.
- Section 43(4) and 157 of the Land Transport Act: Driving recklessly and causing damage to another person’s property. The penalty is a fine between 400 and 1,000 baht.
Police stated that further charges for drink-driving will be filed if the hospital test confirms alcohol was in the driver’s system.
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