Thai doctor offered bribe to drop lawsuit in Swiss scandal
The Thai doctor who was a victim in the Swiss scandal case in Phuket revealed that an unidentified person offered her and her family a bribe in exchange for withdrawing the lawsuit against the Swiss man.
The female doctor, 26 year old Tarndao Chandam, took to social media and accused the 45 year old Swiss man, Urs Fehr, of physically assaulting her by kicking her in the back. The incident took place outside Fehr’s luxury villa on the beach near Yamu Cape in the Thalang district of Phuket on February 24.
Fehr denied the allegation, claiming the kick was an accident. Subsequently, he then released a video of the incident to the public in an attempt to prove his innocence. Regrettably, the video served to strengthen the public’s belief that Fehr did indeed brutally assault the victim. The majority of netizens overwhelmingly agreed that Fehr deliberately kicked the Thai doctor.
The case is still under process and no official charges have been issued against any parties. It has garnered significant attention from Thai people and had a significant impact on a foreign community in Phuket on the back of Fehr’s assault.
Several illegal foreigners in the province have been arrested and several businesses owned by foreigners were raided, including the elephant sanctuary of Fehr.
Tarndao recently held a meeting with Thanakrit Jit-aree, the assistant minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, to pursue justice. During the meeting, she shared her concerns with Thanakrit and various Thai news agencies, highlighting certain suspicious actions by certain officers and expressing doubts about the transparency of the justice processes.
Money offer
Tarndao explained that the police asked her to sign an urgent document at the Phuket Provincial Court Prosecutor’s Office. The Thai authorities reportedly told Tarndao that they would charge Fehr under Section 391 of the Criminal Law instead of Section 295, which would result in a lighter penalty.
Under Section 295, the perpetrator will face imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both for physically assaulting another person which causes harm to the victim’s body and mind.
However, under Section 391, the perpetrator will face imprisonment of up to one month, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both for using force to harm another person without causing physical or mental harm.
Tarndao disagreed with this decision and complained to the Prime Minister’s Office. She reiterated her determination to proceed with legal action against Fehr for breaching Section 295, rather than Section 391.
According to a report by Phuket Times today, April 10, Tarndao and her family were contacted by an unidentified person regarding the case. Phuket Times stated that this person offered a large sum of money to Tarndao and her father in exchange for dropping the lawsuits against Fehr.
Tarndao’s father insisted that he and his daughter would never accept money from anyone and stated that they would visit the Office of The Attorney General to pursue the case to the fullest extent.
