Singaporean motorist lashes out at Thai police officer over fine
A Singaporean man attacked a Thai police officer after he was fined for riding a motorcycle without a license and a helmet in Phuket.
The incident occurred when traffic officers from the Cherng Talay Police Station stopped the Singaporean man, 37 year old Lim Jia Jie, at the Cherng Talay Intersection checkpoint on March 13. Lim was riding a motorcycle without a helmet and failed to present his license to the officers.
As per local traffic laws, Lim was required to pay a fine for his violations. The amount of the fine was not revealed. According to the law, Lim should face a fine of up to 2,000 baht for failing to wear a helmet and up to 1,000 baht for riding without a licence.
Lim flung the money at Police Corporal Siriphet Katemun, who was issuing the fine. Following this, the police requested Lim to leave the police station, further fuelling his anger. In a fit of rage, Lim proceeded to strike Siriphet on the head before other officers intervened to restrain him.
Fortunately, Siriphet suffered only a minor injury. Lim faced additional charges for his violent actions including:
- Section 138 of the Criminal Law: attacking or obstructing an officer who is on duty. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
- Section 136 of the Criminal Law: insulting an officer who is on duty. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
A similar assault against a Thai police officer was reported in August last year when a Chinese man tried to hit a Thai tourist police officer with a skateboard.
Following an airline’s refusal to allow him to board, the Chinese man attempted an attack. The airline captain barred him from the flight due to his potentially disruptive behaviour, which posed a risk to other passengers. Despite being denied entry, he persisted in attempting to board, prompting intervention from the tourist police.
