Phuket

No jail time for driver who killed German in road accident

Published

3 years ago

October 14, 2016

No jail time for driver who killed German in road accident | The Thaiger

PHUKET: The driver of a car that killed a German man and severely injured his Thai partner in Kata last year will walk away without serving any jail time.

The dramatic court case over the death of Andreas Walter and the severe injury of his Thai partner Patcharin Lammai ended on October 6 at Phuket Provincial Court.

Jakarin Rodpradit, the driver of the vehicle that ran over Mr Walter after colliding with the couple while they were riding a motorcycle on the way to Kata from Chalong, was ordered by the court to pay a 7,500 baht fine and 1.8 million baht as compensation. He also received a two-year suspended jail sentence.

Mr Walter was 47 years old at the time of his death on December 3, 2015.

“I was conscious, but unable to move immediately after the accident. The driver didn’t stop; he kept trying to drive forward over the top of my boyfriend. I couldn’t do anything,” Ms Patcharin told the Phuket Gazette from her hospital bed several days after the incident.

Police took Mr Jakarin’s driving licence at the scene on December 3 and then allowed him to return to his vehicle and go on his way. They reportedly did not conduct a blood alcohol test.

However, Ms Patcharin alleged that Mr Jakarin told witnesses that he had in fact been drinking before the incident, but that he was not drunk.

In a subsequent interview with police on December 8, Mr Jakarin reportedly denied responsibility for the crash, telling police that Mr Walter was in fact the one driving recklessly and had cut him off.

About a week later, Ms Patcharin went to police with CCTV footage and eye witness statements in an effort to prove that Mr Jakarin was at fault. When faced with the new evidence, Mr Jakarin confessed and was charged with reckless driving causing death and injury without stopping and assisting the victims as well as property damage.

He was subsequently released on bail.

“I want this case to serve as an example to everyone that people cannot be killed on the roads by reckless driving without the perpetrator facing serious consequences,” Ms Patcharin said.

“If it was a normal crash, and the man had stopped, Andreas might still be alive. Maybe he just thought that I was some bar girl with a tourist, so he didn’t care.”

Relatives of Mr Walter in Germany hired a lawyer to fight the case for them, demanding 1.3 million baht in compensation for Mr Walter’s death. Ms Patcharin also demanded 800,000 baht compensation for her injuries.

Mr Jakarin requested a period of one month to consider the demands. A final settlement was then reached to compensate Mr Walter’s relatives in Germany with a 1.3 million baht payout and 500,000 baht for Ms Patcharin.

“Mr Walter’s relatives received the full amount that they had demanded, but I reduced my demands because I just wanted things to end peacefully,” Ms Patcharin told the Gazette in the court room the day the trial concluded.

However, Ms Patcharin’s relatives said they were astounded at the final verdict, having expected a jail sentence of several years to be handed down to Mr Jakarin.

“Really, no jail time at all? He killed someone, albeit unintentionally, and seriously injured another. I can’t believe he only had to pay 7,500 baht and wasn’t locked up. A two-year suspended sentence is nothing. I don’t understand why,” Ms Patcharin exclaimed after the court’s verdict was read out.

“At least some prison time might have been appropriate. However, I respect the court’s judgment,” she said.

The lawyer representing Mr Walter’s German family said they would not appeal.

“The family has been awarded the compensation that they demanded. His mother is old, and travelling to Thailand just to pursue the case is not an option,” said the lawyer, who requested anonymity.

Ms Patcharin added that she also would not appeal, and instead would try to exercise forgiveness.

“The money cannot bring my partner back. Even so, I do not get any of this. It is all for his relatives in Germany. However, I am Buddhist so forgiveness is important,” she said.

“I hope this is at least an example that people cannot just get away with something that was their fault,” she added.

Ms Patcharin recounted that as well as initially denying being at fault, Mr Jakarin and his family claimed that she was just a bar girl.

“They looked down on me and said I was just trying to get money out of a foreigner’s death,” she said. “I don’t understand why Thai people look down on other Thais like this. That is why I used my own money to hire a lawyer and fight the case.”

“At least it has ended peacefully. Even if Mr Jakarin doesn’t serve any jail time, it will be a life lesson for him. He had to spend his time and money for his defense. I only hope he will be more responsible in future,” she said.

Upon conclusion of the court proceedings, Mr Jakarin expressed regret, as well as gratitude, that the case had concluded peacefully.

“I apologize for the loss. Although I don’t have to serve jail time, it has cost me a lot. I won’t easily forget,” he said.

— Kongleaphy Keam

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Environment

Phuket’s water bosses claim there will be enough water

Published

2 days ago

August 24, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTO: Bang Neow Dam in Thalang, just a few muddy ponds

Well into the second half of the Phuket wet season and the three main dams are well below capacity, Bang Wad Dam just over 13% capacity and the Bang Neow Dam in Thalang district around 5%, mostly unusable muddy ponds. The newer Khlong Katha in Chalong is at a much higher level, about 30% of capacity.

But this time of the year the three dams need to be well on their way to full capacity if the island is to get through the high tourists season and dry season without a repeat of last year’s muddle where provincial obfuscation and confusion put the health of thousands of residents at risk by cutting off their water supply and water trucks became more populous than passenger vans.

The lack of water also co-incides with increased development and more tourists arriving each year.

Now the Director of the Phuket Provincial Irrigation Office, Somsawat Chaisinsod, is calling for province administrators and the Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority to begin water saving campaigns as the annual heavy rains in October may not arrive or be less frequent. The suggestion of water ‘restrictions’ was not mentioned in the meeting.

At a meeting attended by Phuket’s Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana, Mr. Somsawat claimed that the island’s annual rainfall, for the first seven months of 2019, has only been 10% less than average.

But the dams are a LOT more than 10% lower in capacity. In the case of the Bang Neow Dam in Srisoontorn, it’s virtually empty.

A representative from the PWA said that the Authority is currently buying 45,000 cubic metres of water per day from undisclosed “private sources” to top up the island’s potable water needs.

“The PWA is in the process of securing water supply from a new supplier to improve the water supply and reduce the volume of water drawn from the dams.”

Meanwhile Prapan Kanprasang, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in Phuket, told The Phuket News he “believes Phuket has enough water to the island through the next dry season, after the annual rains cease early November”.

“We have enough water to use.”

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Crime

Norwegian out on bail following death of British man at Centara Grand Resort in Phuket

Published

2 days ago

August 24, 2019

Tanutam Thawan

Norwegian out on bail following death of British man at Centara Grand Resort in Phuket | The Thaiger

SCREENSHOT: bbc.com

The bbc.com are reporting that a British man died at the Centara Grand Hotel in Phuket in a fight after telling another guest to “keep the noise down” as his wife and son tried to sleep, according to the man’s family.

The details in the BBC report conflict with earlier local reports out of Phuket.

The BBC report says that 34 year old Amitpal Singh Bajaj from the UK complained about noise from the next room at the five-star Centara Grand Hotel on Karon beachfront in Phuket.

The man’s family claims that another man forced his way into their room via the balcony early on Wednesday, August 21. The family claims that the man strangled Mr Bajaj.

In a statement Amitpal’s 34 year old wife Bandhna Kaur Bajaj described to police how the attacker “barged” into their room naked and attacked her husband.

“My husband sacrificed his life to save my son’s life and mine. He will always be our hero.”

“My husband tried to block the man and move me and my son away. As the man was kicking, punching and just, beating him up, my husband told me to please leave and save our son,” according to the BBC report.

The rendering of the report from the BBC is quite different from Phuket’s local news reports.

In Phuket reports it stated that a fight started at 4am, when the British man Amitpal Singh Bajaj confronted Norwegian Roger Bullman over the amount of noise coming from his room.

“Mr Bullman was drunk, and security had already visited his room twice to ask him to keep the noise down. When Mr Bajaj confronted him, he stabbed Mr Bullman in the shoulder with a steak knife.

Mr Bullman, trained in martial arts, then got the British man in a choke hold and maintained his grip on him. He says he did not mean to kill him, and did not think he had.”

The BBC report says that Mrs Bajaj grabbed the couple’s 2 year old son and fled the hotel room to look for help. She says she ran down a staircase and hid under a tree with her son in her arms while calling the reception from her mobile to tell them what had happened.

“I asked the reception to please make sure someone attends to my husband… “please give him some medical help, I’m very scared, I’ve escaped”, according to the BBC report.

“I could still hear the attacker screaming. I didn’t want to be attacked.”

Mr Amitpal was taken to Patong Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that a Norwegian citizen has been arrested in Thailand and is being provided consular assistance.

According to Phuket News, Karon police said that “Mr Bullman had been released on bail posted at the court, but was unable to confirm how much bail was posted at. Reports in the Norwegian media said that bail was posted at about 200,000 baht.”

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Phuket

Huawei technology working with the ‘smart city’ project in Phuket

Published

2 days ago

August 24, 2019

The Thaiger & The Nation

Huawei technology working with the ‘smart city’ project in Phuket | The Thaiger

Huawei Technologies impressed participants at this week’s ASEAN Smart Cities Network Conference & Exhibition in Bangkok with its white paper on smart city development in Phuket.

The paper aims to drive Thailand 4.0 initiatives to pave the way for major digital and infrastructure development in Phuket, one of Thailand’s pilot smart cities, and to provide insights and guidance on an integrated framework needed for a successful and sustainable urban transformation.

Inspired by Thailand 4.0 economic development program launched in 2016, the paper focuses on a practical ideas that helps empower Phuket communities for digital future.

Huawei conducted an assessment and case studies on the services and utilities required for a fully-developed smart city. The resulting white provides comprehensive insights into action plans to transform Phuket into a smart city by 2020.

The services include smart energy and utilities, smart mobility, smart environment, smart living and smart economy while the enablers are smart governance, smart infrastructure and smart people.

In his opening address, Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa)’s president Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanpatcharin noted that thanks to the support from the National Smart City Committee and organizations from both public and private sectors, the smart city developments have already begun in 6 prioritized cities: Phuket, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and 3 EEC provinces.

“As one of our pilot cities, Phuket needs a clear development plan and a sustainable management model in order to fully transform into a smart city in 2020, this white paper will surely help facilitate smart city project for Phuket and other smart city candidates as well.”

Chanchai Tanatkatrakul, Principal, Roland Berger Thailand added: “We looked at global best practices and analysed local issues and requirements to develop this Smart City Framework for Phuket. Talking to various stakeholders helped us tailor our recommendations that can address the needs of Phuket and its people very well:”

Deng Feng, Managing Director of Huawei Thailand agreed, saying: “At Huawei, we promote industry development at all levels. As Thailand embarks on the journey to become one of the first countries in the region to develop a smart city scheme, we will provide practical recommendations and solutions to ensure a smooth and complete city development for Phuket and the rest of Thailand.”

SOURCE: The Nation

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