preechathan

Nipit Arunvongse Na Ayudhya, managing director of Nava Nakorn - the operator of Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate.

How is your niece Praewa? Did her white Honda get flooded?????

Klong 1 is in close proximity to Future Park Rangsit.

At Future Park: have a very big mall with Robison and Central, 2 cinemas (one at Future Park and one at Major Rangsit)

Future Park is the transportation hub for North Bangkok (you can get vans and buses to many areas throughout the city) 20-30 baht to Victory Monument or Moh Chit

Traffic can be bad during rush hour. The area is decent to live at. At Klong one there are a few places to rent apartments and there are markets and street food on a road next to the klong. If you don't have a car, you might be spending a lot of time at Future Park because there is not much to do at Klong 1 (mostly restaurants and shops)

English level is rather low in Klong Luang.

About a five to ten minute taxi ride to Zeer Rangsit (electronics mall) - towards Bangkok

About a five to ten minute taxi ride to Bangkok University - towards Ayuthaya

About ten to fifteen minute ride to Science Park - towards Auythaya

From Craigslist:

Entry Level Business Vacancy - Opportunity to Progress (Central Bangkok)

Date: 2011-03-29, 10:22PM ICT

Reply to: [email protected] ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

International minded investment house is looking for a self-starter to join a new team and undertake basic marketing tasks initially working on a telesales project where you don't have to sell anything but you do have to open the door to business with potential new investors based in Australia and New Zealand. The position will suit somebody who has burning desire, solid strength of character and an indomitable winning mentality. Progression to management, a more varied role, or senior sales (six figure dollar earnings) is envisaged for able candidates.

Off-topic and inflammatory posts removed.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. This girl still faces charges, and the outcome hasn't been decided yet.

2. She is entitled to reasonable protection from slander and libel.

3. Many, many people here benefit from Thailand's "selective" enforcement of the laws, and all over Thailand kids drive to school. It's not exactly fair to focus this amount of rage against one young girl when this is widespread, and accepted by most Thais. In fact in most countries she would be legal age to drive.

Tone down the inflammatory posts. Libel or slander will result in posting bans or suspensions.

"In fact in most countries she would be legal age to drive."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_driving_age The sources are in hyperlink next to the age.

Be careful how you throw around the phrase, "in fact".

hold on

An underage driver involved in a tollway crash last month which killed nine van passengers has been released without bail, because she turned herself in to police and had not been arrested

and

The girl has been charged with causing deaths and injuries through carelessness and driving without a licence

how can you be charged with a crime without being arrested first????????

lol, "but still..."

The name is not uncommon in Thailand and as a few posters have mentioned on the board they have had girlfriends and friends with the same last name that were anything but rich or elite. With that said, this family appears well off (not super rich) and it is the Uncle who is with the police.

What is interesting is some poster's views who appear to want to condemn the girl because her family has money and has a respected last name. The sad truth is that the court & juvi dept. would have acted the same if this was a much poorer family given the same set of circumstances and the same responsibility taken by this family after the accident. Obviously a poor family could not provide the compensation this family has given and pledged but that is life anywhere you go. Money in fact buys a lot of people out of trouble. A simple speeding ticket in a western country could end up with jail time for somebody who can't afford the ticket while a rich person won't blink an eye at a few hundred dollars. The same is true for hiring the best attorneys and paying large fines to avoid jail.

Right or wrong the real issue here is that she is a minor and people's lack of understanding that minors are handled different here and in most countries. The idea is to help (rehabilitate) and not punish. If somebody has already learned from their mistake there is not much reason to incarcerate the person be it here or most countries. This was not an act where she intended to put people lives at risk. This was by all logic a 16-year old who never thought anything like this would happen to her. Her status may have given her access to a nice car but she is by no means the only unlicensed driver (or speeder) on the road and I see kids in BKK constantly driving motorcycles that clearly are underage and certainly not from well off families. As the police have mentioned previously this is a 400 baht fine ... they don't treat it too seriously. And the speeding was not a wanton act of disregard for other people's lives because as a 16-year old (and most adult speeders, you don't think these things happen to you).

The point here is not in anyway to condone or excuse her actions but simply to point out that she is not some violent criminal (at least as we know) and as a minor she is being treated according to the law. There is no reason to lock her up at this point as she has a healthy family to care and be responsible for her and this is a MAJOR determination in deciding if a minor will be held before trial (along with their likely hood to be a danger to themselves or others and mental health issues they may have). The law is clear here as it is in most western countries that there would be little reason to hold her without bail (no bail for minors -- either freed or not) before trial.

Again the point here is that NOTHING has been done that would indicate her family connections had anything to do with her being released. If you want to criticize the laws regarding minors I have no problem with that but pretending there has been shown any favoritism or that Thailand is somehow out of step with the rest of the world is biased and goes against reality.

You jump to way too many conclusions based off of speculation. If you are directly involved in this case then disclose it to us so that we can then value your posts. From what I have observed from day one of this incident, you have been quick to point out other poster's speculation and inconsistancies, yet turn a blind eye to your own.

Going back many years I can remember when the first Indian immigrants arrived in England.

At first the very few that lived mostly in the big cities including London were mainly Indian restaurant owners and workers and was considered somewhat of a novelty and the native white population tolerated them and treated these people with respect.

Then during the 1970s the British government relaxed it`s policies on Immigration and suddenly brown people from all over South Asia and many from Uganda began immigrating to England in droves.

Then everything changed, the unions called for strikes fearing the loss of jobs to Asians and there was frequent and violent attacks on Asians including actual riots in many parts of the country.

My point is that I don`t believe the permitting of too many people of a different race and culture into a country is a good thing. It has been proven that multiculturalism doesn't work and will lead to conflicts.

During my time here in Thailand I am seeing more and more farangs even in the most remote areas and as I see the situation, this can only cause problems for the farangs already living here, the same as what happened in the United Kingdom 40 years ago.

I would look more closely at the history of immigrations into Thailand specifically the Chinese, Burmese, Khymer, Lao, and Vietnamese to determine the tolerance levels and attitude of the locals regarding immigration.

Thaksin is not one of the old guard of wealthy Bangkok families who have ruled Thailand since the country became a democracy in 1932. He was born in rural Thailand near Chiang Mai of Chinese descent. His father was a politician and later a businessman and the family was one of the richest and most influential in Chiang Mai. Thaksin was a member of the 10th class of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School and was then admitted to the Thai Police Cadet Academy. Upon graduation in 1973, he joined the Royal Thai Police Department. He received a master's degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University in the United States in 1975, and three years later was awarded a doctorate in Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University in Texas.

He resigned from the police department in 1987 after several failed business attempts while he was still in the service and began to build his business empire at first by leasing computers to the government then later gaining a license to establish a mobile phone network (AIS) which grew rapidly to list on the Thai stock exchange and which eventually became the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand.

He moved into politics in 1994 and was appointed foreign minister in the same year. After serving as a minister in several governments he founded the Thai Rak Thai party in 1998 and when the prime minister dissolved parliament in 2000 Thaksin was elected as Prime Minister. At the time some academics called it the most open and corruption free election in Thai history.

He began to bring in policies that would for the first time give real benefits to Thailand's rural poor. He started a scheme where farmers could borrow modest sums of money at low interest to use to expand their businesses; he provided the first universal health care, where for 30 baht anyone could attend a public hospital and receive treatment from a doctor. At this time, Thailand was in the grip of a meth amphetamine epidemic which was creating social havoc. Thousands of people were taking the cheap pills manufactured and smuggled into Thailand daily from Burma, (some say by senior military figures). Old and young alike were taking the drug to help them work longer hours and earn more money, not realising the dangers of addiction and psychosis that the drug produced.

Thaksin acted quickly and firmly to rid Thailand of the scourge that was sweeping through the country. He gave orders that every citizen must attend a meeting held at their local village and give the names of anyone they knew who was taking or selling the drug. He also gave the police unprecedented powers to arrest and charge anyone who they considered to be involved with Methamphetamine. It is widely reported that the police gave two warnings to suspects and the third time they were simply disposed of by hit squads operating under the guidance and protection of the police. This however had a dramatic effect on the problem and within six months the drug had all but disappeared from the streets. It is estimated that around 2500 people disappeared or died during this time. The majority of Thai people however supported this strong action and it won him new supporters. Thaksin began to move to cement his position at the top of the political system. He promoted many of his former colleagues and friends over better-qualified and more senior officers. Thaksin often interfered in the annual promotions of the military, which the corps saw as its purview.

Under the slogans "Four Years of Repair – Four years of Reconstruction" and "Building Opportunities", Thaksin and the TRT won landslide victories in the February 2005 elections, sweeping 374 out of 500 seats in Parliament. The election had the highest voter turnout in Thai history. But his second term was soon beset by protests, with claims that he presided over a "parliamentary dictatorship."

He also used his position to create huge wealth for himself and his family by expanding his satellite communication and media businesses which also fed the Thai hunger for salacious gossip about celebrities and politicians. This made him some powerful enemies in political and elite social circles. He also used his media machine to associate himself with the monarch, sometimes pictures of the king with himself superimposed next to him were posted onto huge billboards along the freeways. He also placed pressure on the government's public servants to be more service oriented, to do their jobs and not demand extra payments, to work a full day and to respond to the public's demands for value for money. This once again made him unpopular with those who had been getting an easy ride with the former governments' laissez faire attitude towards the poor.

It is clear that in his quest to remain at the top, he went too far and upset the Bangkok elite. Whether it was jealousy or fear by the powerful establishment it will never be known, however when he refused to pay income tax on the sale of his media empire to a Singapore company, it was reason enough to commence a series of events which would eventually lead to his downfall.

What a crock of sh1t, and a terribly uninformed article from a crappy Toronto-based tabloid. Hope it gets hit by a libel case.

The "crappy" I can agree to, but where exactly is the libel that you discern?

Having re-read it, I can see that, despite printing Thaksin's blatant lies, there's not sooo much that's factually incorrect on the part of the tabloid. Other than...

- The 61-year-old former leader has kept a low profile since being ousted in a military coup Sept. 19, 2006 (This one really got my goat and, because it was in the first paragraph, probably influenced my opinion of the rest of the article.)

- But his popularity remains high in the countryside because of policies that included micro-lending programs, erasing farmers' debts and a form of universal health care. (Erasing farmers' debts? What???)

- Thaksin, who won two elections (Did he really?)

So he got his start by leasing computers to the government? I would like to know more about that. Never have I seen any more info about that. Also, how did he get the license for AIS? How did that process work?

I am surprised that there hasn't been a lot of news and info from the survivors of the crash. I was able to meet with one of them on the 30th at Vihawadi Hospital. I was able to listen to his account, but I am yet to read any accounts from the other survivors. It seems the news is only interested in the 16 year old's account. Did any one come across any info from the survivors?

What was his account? Does he remember anything about what was happening before the crash?

I am very experienced with this van route, the drivers, and the vans that they use. I wrote the survivor's account in a previous blog. I also was familiar with the driver of the van who died. This is his account: The survivor sat closest to the door in the seat that can be folded up (allows others to move to the back of the van). He was last to enter. The driver smiled at him when he entered. She then began a conversation with the people in the front. Everything seemed normal. No tension from the driver.... The van he took was one of the last. Vans usually stop at around 9-10pm from Thammasat depending on the day of the week. The collision was first felt from behind. I asked if the van driver was swerving or driving fast. He said that everything seemed normal. No swerving....After the collision occurred, he is a little foggy in his recollection. He believes that he fell out right after the collision from behind before the van hit the wall (If that is true, then it can be assumed that the van door shot open from the collision from the back). Since there were no seat belts that were available for use or he didn't choose to use (I have never seen any seat belts available for use except the front seat), he fell out before or during the 360 spin. He remember lying on the ground in pain yelling for help and water. He clearly remembers seeing the 16 year old outside of her car and with her phone. At the time, he wasn't aware that she was the one who was involved in the accident. She didn't come to help any of the injured.

The accident occurred approximately 150-200 meters from an exit (Kasetsart Exit).

The only thing that bothers me with that statement is the "lying on the ground in pain yelling for help and water".

If you've *just* fallen out of a car going at 100kmh (i'm not sure what speed they were going), would you be yelling for water?

I am sorry that it bothers you. But that is what he was asking for. And if you look at the photos of the injured from the accident, you can see a water bottle next to him while he is lying on the ground.

I am surprised that there hasn't been a lot of news and info from the survivors of the crash. I was able to meet with one of them on the 30th at Vihawadi Hospital. I was able to listen to his account, but I am yet to read any accounts from the other survivors. It seems the news is only interested in the 16 year old's account. Did any one come across any info from the survivors?

What was his account? Does he remember anything about what was happening before the crash?

I am very experienced with this van route, the drivers, and the vans that they use. I wrote the survivor's account in a previous blog. I also was familiar with the driver of the van who died. This is his account: The survivor sat closest to the door in the seat that can be folded up (allows others to move to the back of the van). He was last to enter. The driver smiled at him when he entered. She then began a conversation with the people in the front. Everything seemed normal. No tension from the driver.... The van he took was one of the last. Vans usually stop at around 9-10pm from Thammasat depending on the day of the week. The collision was first felt from behind. I asked if the van driver was swerving or driving fast. He said that everything seemed normal. No swerving....After the collision occurred, he is a little foggy in his recollection. He believes that he fell out right after the collision from behind before the van hit the wall (If that is true, then it can be assumed that the van door shot open from the collision from the back). Since there were no seat belts that were available for use or he didn't choose to use (I have never seen any seat belts available for use except the front seat), he fell out before or during the 360 spin. He remember lying on the ground in pain yelling for help and water. He clearly remembers seeing the 16 year old outside of her car and with her phone. At the time, he wasn't aware that she was the one who was involved in the accident. She didn't come to help any of the injured.

The accident occurred approximately 150-200 meters from an exit (Kasetsart Exit).

I am surprised that there hasn't been a lot of news and info from the survivors of the crash. I was able to meet with one of them on the 30th at Vihawadi Hospital. I was able to listen to his account, but I am yet to read any accounts from the other survivors. It seems the news is only interested in the 16 year old's account. Did any one come across any info from the survivors?

Why this case is getting so much attention:

1. The van is part of a major van route between Moh Chit and Rangsit and taken by thousands of people per week.

2. The photo of the 16 year old on her cell phone and her not helping the injured who were calling for help and water.

3. The victims were part of a growing educated class that is establishing itself in Thailand

4. Persons associated with Thammasat University, NSDTA, and AIT were injured or killed as a result of the accident.

5. It brings to attention the excess speeding that occurs on the tollway.

6. Safety of the vans (no use of seat belts).

7. Privilidged class possibly not getting penalized for their illegal actions.

8. Censorship of the media when an elite is involved.

9. Use of social networking sites where pictures and information can spread. Also a place where people can unite behind a cause.

10. Many people are jealous of what they perceived to be a girl who has led a rich and privileged upbringing and they are unhappy with their own life.

I am sorry, but that doesn't make the list.

Why this case is getting so much attention:

1. The van is part of a major van route between Moh Chit and Rangsit and taken by thousands of people per week.

2. The photo of the 16 year old on her cell phone and her not helping the injured who were calling for help and water.

3. The victims were part of a growing educated class that is establishing itself in Thailand

4. Persons associated with Thammasat University, NSDTA, and AIT were injured or killed as a result of the accident.

5. It brings to attention the excess speeding that occurs on the tollway.

6. Safety of the vans (no use of seat belts).

7. Privilidged class possibly not getting penalized for their illegal actions.

8. Censorship of the media when an elite is involved.

9. Use of social networking sites where pictures and information can spread. Also a place where people can unite behind a cause.

Bit of a feeding frenzy here.

Would it be possible to wait for the investigation reports?

There is a strong likelihood that the van driver was responsible for the fatal error.

Yes, I know an unlicensed driver should not be behind the wheel, but that's how it is in Thailand.

The mother is doing what any mother would do, defending her child.

There are plenty of events like this that occur on a weekly basis. The difference is that the drivers often flee or lack the means of compensation.

That's how it is in Thailand? Maybe a little feeding frenzy might bring about some change then, and the rich and influential will be held responsible for their actions.

"There is a strong likelihood that the van driver was responsible for the fatal error." Is there really? In who's mind besides yours and her mother's? It has been suggested that the girl is actually only 15, so how young can you be to drive a car involved in a 9 person fatality, and still not be at fault? 13? 11? 9? 3?

This van is from a continuous shuttle service between Thammasat Rangsit campus and Tar Pra Cha Campus on the river. It's operated by one company who have some sort of contract to run the shuttle service between the two campuses many times every day, most vans are full, the passengers are all teachers / students.

I've used this service many times and it's professionaly operated. I cannot comment on the driver in this case but i do know, from my own experience using the service, that the drivers employed by the contractor are professional, careful, and courteous, they don't drive at recklesss speeds and they don't weave in and out of the traffic. They are much more professional than your average roht doo drivers. And the performance of the shuttle operator is monitored closely.

To correct you on one part: The van is loaded outside of NSTDA (Science Park) inside of Thammasat Campus Rangsit. If the van is not fully loaded, the van drives out and looks for more passengers. It droves slowly by the AIT entrance and will then make a next stop at Bangkok University campus. After that, it then proceeds to the tollway. The first stop after the tollway is near Central Lad Praw. The final stop is at Moh Chit BTS/MRT terminal. As for the driver of the van. I have driven with her five separate times and have nothing but good to say about her driving and her personality. I have always felt safe while driving with her.

According to one of the four passengers who survived: He was sitting in the second row of the van in the seat closest to the door (if you are familiar with the Thammasat vans, it is the seat that can be folded up so that the other passengers can move to their seats in the back). He said that the van driver was driving normal (not swerving and driving straight and even smiled to him when he entered the van). When the accident occured, he initially felt a crash into the back of the van. Then he remembers spinning and says that he thinks he fell out before the van crashed into the wall. He was lying on the tollway in pain and yelling for help and water. He remembers looking over and he saw a girl outside of a white car and using her cellphone (at the time, he didn't know that she was the girl that caused the accident) . She was on her phone while he was on the ground yelling in pain for water and help. She did not provide any assistance to the injured. He finally got help when rescue help came.

What you can't see from the camera is that the accident occurred approximately 100-150 meters from the Kasetsart exit.

I have taken that van route over 50 times in my life. The van leaves Thammasat, NSTDA, AIT (with an occasional pickup at Bangkok University, if not full) and then heads to the tollway. The first stop is at Central Lad Prow and then to Moh Chit BTS, MRT terminal. I have driven in the same van as the female van driver over five times. She was actually one of the few van drivers that I actually liked. She was very nice and always had a smile for me. I often ride in the front seat when I ride in the vans. Most of the time, I am in the opinion that a lot of van drivers drive too fast, especially given the weight of the vans when fully loaded. However, this female driver was not aggressive with her driving when I have driven with her and was not prone to drive at very high speeds.

I am also friendly with one of the injured. A student from the Maldives who is studying at AIT. He is in one of the photos lying down on the road on the tollway with a bottled water next to him. Not sure why he is not getting talk in the media. I am very sympathetic to this accident because it could have been me or any of my friends.

I find it strange that the Bangkok Post first reported that the 16 year old girl was "seriously injured" and now how they have removed the article from the front page and most read section of their website. This, even though there are over 100,000 people commenting on this incident at a facebook webpage specifically made for this accident.

I have also heard that the 16 year old's uncle is a big land owner in Novanakorn, Pathumthani.

I am concerned that there is a lack of seat belts in the vans for 14 passengers and also how there are not any seat belts in the back seats of taxis. Also, there isn't any need for an overloaded van to be driving at high speeds. I believe a governor should be placed on the vans to prevent speeding (driving 110 -130 past Don Muang airport seems to be the norm).

I feel sorry for the families and hope that this accident will jump start a shift in the driving behavior of van drivers and civilians on the thai motorways. There is already a group of Thammasat students that have united behind this cause. Interesting to see how this plays out.