British man claims he was tortured by Thai police | Thailand News Today
British man claims he was tortured by Thai police
A British man claims he was tortured by Thai police for seven days straight in Phuket, southern Thailand when his holiday abroad went gravely wrong. British authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged abuse.
He allegedly sustained broken ribs, bruised limbs, septic infections, swollen wrists, and lost four teeth in the ordeal.
The victim, 51-year-old Carl Gentry-Evans from Southampton in England, says he is now homeless as a result of losing everything including his ability to work.
He says it all started when local criminals drugged and robbed him in Patong.
Carl said he was delirious for 48 hours after his drink was spiked. When he came around, he noticed bizarre purchases on his credit cards realizedised the gang had drained his accounts of everything he was worth, amounting to £6,800 (276,770 baht).
The British holidaymaker made his way back to his accommodation, where the police were waiting to intercept him and take him away.
On his way to jail, four police officers beat him with metal poles and the head officer repeatedly punched him in the face.
Before Carl even reached the police station in Phuket, he had reportedly lost some teeth and sustained black eyes at the hands of the police. Police detained Carl under cocaine charges. A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said investigations into the alleged torture are ongoing.
Carl said he wants the Thai police to be held accountable.
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Two 10-year-old schoolchildren killed after reckless sedan crashes into school bus
Two students were killed, with 16 other students and the driver injured, when their school bus crashed into a passenger van, which was travelling in the opposite direction, in the Mueang district of Phichit province yesterday (Monday) evening.
Survivors said that, before the accident, a sedan tried to pass the school bus on the inside, forcing the van driver to steer his vehicle into the oncoming lane, just as black van was approaching from the opposite direction, resulting in a collision involving all three vehicles.
Emergency services had to use hand tools to free an 8-year-old boy, who was stuck in the wreckage of the school bus.
All the injured were rushed to the district hospital and two students were pronounced dead upon arrival.
The four-lane road is undergoing repairs, so two lanes were closed to traffic.
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Thailand’s second-hand car sales industry predicted to rise modestly
The Association of Used Car (AUC) predicts the second-hand car market in Thailand will increase by 15% this year despite the ongoing shortage of semiconductors needed for the production of new vehicles.
The worldwide shortage of semiconductors is exacerbated by a political game of cat and mouse between China and Taiwan.
AUC President stated that the chip shortage has impacted the sales of new car models and has forced automakers to delay the delivery of cars to their customers.
According to the president, many customers don’t want to wait for deliveries which can be delayed for 6-8 months, so they decide to buy used cars instead.
The Federation of Thai Industries’ Automotive Industry Club believes the chip shortage has continued to affect Thailand’s car industry, despite the global semiconductor situation improving towards the end of last year due to a decrease in demand for the products from the IT sector.
In 2022, used car sales in the domestic market increased by 15% year-on-year to reach 1 million units, up from 900,000 units in 2021. This increase was partly due to concerns over Covid-19 infections leading people to purchase cars to avoid using public transportation. The pandemic arrived in Thailand in early 2020.
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