Bangkok: The family of a rider who was killed by an angry half-Indian man who chased and hit him, hugged each other and cried while receiving the body and pouring water on the corpse. The court granted bail to the suspect for 600,000 baht, put on an EM bracelet and prohibited him from leaving the country.
According to Thai News Agency, CCTV footage reveals the origin of the incident where Mr. Seri, a hot-headed Indian-American man, crashed his car into Mr. Rittisak, a rider, and Mr. Rittisak followed him on his motorcycle, hoping for compensation. This made Mr. Seri angry and he assaulted Mr. Rittisak before crashing into him, crushing Mr. Rittisak's body against an electric pole and killing him instantly. Meanwhile, Mr. Seri tried to drive away and was cornered at Nana Intersection. In addition to the CCTV footage, there is also a clip from a good citizen who clearly recorded the incident because it happened on Sukhumvit Road near Asoke Intersection, which is very crowded.
Throughout the night, the police tried to interrogate the suspect, but the suspect continued to deny it, claiming that he had no intention of killing the deceased, it was an accident. When the police escorted him out of the interrogation room, the suspect did not say a single word. However, even though the suspect denied it, the police confirmed the clear evidence and charged him with 'intentional murder and driving without regard to the safety of others.'
While the father and relatives of the suspect, totaling 7 people, traveled to visit the suspect at Lumpini Police Station, he refused to give any interviews to the media, especially the father of Mr. Seri, the suspect, raised his hands in a bow and begged not to interfere with the family before all of them escaped the media into the interrogation room.
The suspect was then taken from the police station to a vehicle to be sent to the court for detention. The suspect did not say anything, had an indifferent expression, and sat still.
Ms. Saijai, the wife of the deceased, who came to Lumpini Police Station to receive documents from the investigator to be used in receiving her husband's body from the Chulalongkorn Hospital's forensic department, admitted that she is still grieving and wants the suspect to be punished and take responsibility for this loss because her 4 children lost their father, who was the pillar of the family.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Witwat Chinkam, Commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5, revealed that the suspect denied all charges and refused to give any statements to the investigator, claiming that he would only give his statement in court. As for today's detention, the investigator objected to bail because the case carries a high penalty. As for the examination of the suspect's behavior, it was found that he had a rather bad temper and was violent, and had been indifferent to the incident. Even though the examination of his mental illness treatment history, drug use, and alcohol content in his body did not find any indications that would lead to such behavior.
The latest is that the Bangkok South Criminal Court has considered and ordered the temporary release of the suspect, along with the wearing of an EM bracelet, and to sign a bail contract. If the contract is breached, a fine of 600,000 baht will be imposed. The court has set conditions for temporary release prohibiting the suspect from traveling outside the country, unless permitted by the court.
In the afternoon, his wife, daughter, and fellow riders traveled to receive Mr. Rit's body at the Chulalongkorn Hospital's Forensic Medicine Institute to take it back to Wat Khlong Toei Nai for religious rites. As soon as the second daughter and relatives saw Mr. Rit's body, they all cried and hugged each other because they still could not come to terms with what had happened. Meanwhile, the wife lit one incense stick to call her husband's spirit to travel to Wat Khlong Toei Nai.
At 2:00 p.m., Mr. Rit's body arrived at Wat Klong Toei Nai. His wife tried to adjust his sleeping position because his body was disfigured from being hit. She also tried to untie his hands, which were tightly clenched into fists. While untying his hands, the wife said to him, 'Don't be angry with him anymore. Sleep well.'
The news team spoke with Nong Pat and Nong Punch, the deceased's second and eldest daughters, who tearfully revealed that they were concerned about the case because they wanted their father to receive the most justice possible. This was a very serious incident and as their children, they could not accept it.
Today, when I saw my father's body, I told him, 'Please forgive me. For everything I've done wrong or badly to you. I want to apologize to you and promise to take care of my younger siblings, older sister, and mother. Please don't worry about me. Sleep well.'
As for the clip of the incident, I watched it and felt unacceptable. I didn't think he would be so cruel and do such a violent thing to my father. I felt very sorry and wanted to ask him, 'Don't you feel sorry for my father? He has children and a family to take care of. He is the pillar of the family. Doesn't he think about it? If I lose my father, how will I feel?'
When asked if she would be happy if the other party came to ask for forgiveness from her father's body today, Nong Punch said, "I would be happy. But even if they come to ask for forgiveness from the body, I won't forgive them or pardon them. Most importantly, my father is my whole world."
Then at 2:30 PM, the wife traveled to invite her husband's spirit to the scene of the incident on Sukhumvit Road between Sukhumvit Soi 8 and Soi 10. She invited one monk to perform the ceremony and brought her husband's favorite shoes and clothes to be a medium to call his spirit back to perform merit-making at the temple that night, where the first night of the Abhidhamma chanting ceremony was held.
Mr. Adirek, a representative of the rider friends, said that he had to come to demand justice because he saw that the perpetrator was a wealthy person and was afraid that he would not receive justice. He confirmed that the deceased was not an impatient person. He finished work at midnight and went home to work to earn money to take care of his family because he was the breadwinner. Therefore, he did not want his younger sibling to die in vain and wanted the police to prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law.
Mr. Khomsan, the father of the suspect, along with his wife and lawyer, traveled to apologize to the body of Mr. Rit and immediately apologized to the father and wife of the deceased before coming out to open up that his son did not intend to do it. After the court granted him bail, he has not seen him yet, but believes that he wants to apologize to the family of the deceased. He has talked to the family of the deceased about compensation and will be the host of the funeral prayers for 3 nights before returning immediately.
For the funeral rites of Mr. Ritthisak or Rit, the chanting will last for 3 nights and the cremation ceremony will be held on January 25th at 5:00 p.m. While Mr. Ratchapol Sirisakor posted on Facebook that he is happy to be a lawyer for the family of the rider who was hit by a car.