Cabbie penalised for trying to cut through PM's motorcade

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A taxi driver was given a one-month suspended jail term and fined Bt5,000 yesterday for driving recklessly in his effort to block the motorcade of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Pongpicharn Thanathirapong, 49, pleaded guilty to the charges of reckless driving and blocking traffic lanes with his taxi during his arraignment at the Dusit District Court. He was accused of blocking the premier's motorcade on Thursday afternoon on Phitsanulok Road in front of Government House.

Public prosecutors said Pongpicharn drove in the wrong direction on the opposite lane to cut through the PM's motorcade. His move allegedly caused damages to vehicles of Thai Post and Channel 7 reporters, who were tailing the motorcade.

The court ruled that the taxi driver had violated the 1979 Land Traffic Act on several counts and hence deserved to be punished severely. He was initially sentenced to two months in jail and a Bt10,000 fine, but the court chose to commute his penalties by half and suspended his jail term on grounds that he had no previous criminal record.

The cabbie has been put on probation for a year and needs to report to police three times a month. He also needs to do 20 hours of social service, while his licence for driving a taxi has been suspended for six months.

Pongpicharn said he tried to disrupt the prime minister's motorcade to bring to her attention the fact that he had not received compensation in relation to the 2010 red-shirt protests.

After the verdict was read, police arrested the man and charged him with trespassing into a government office and attempted arson, because in an earlier incident he had driven his taxi into the Parliament compound and threatened to set his car on fire if his demands for compensation were not met.

-- The Nation 2012-10-27

The worm has turned!

Uncompensated Red shirt taxi driver threatens to burn? Shock! Horror!

Excellent. Good for him. Now we just need another few million to protest

Kewl

The real news in this story is that the PM's motorcade was near Government House, a rare event in the last year and more.

I wait in suspense for further revelations - did the PM actually attend parliament?

The cab-driver is obviously misguided and ill-informed. Has nobody told him that only red shirts are entitled to compensation arising from the 2010 red shirt riots?

Edited October 27, 201213 yr by OzMick

Chatting to a few cabbies lately, there is no doubt many are very disillusioned against Yingluck. They all complain of rising fuel costs, costs of living, cost of rice doubling in last two years and so on. They will not vote for the Dems under any circumstances but they certainly are swing voters away from Yinglucks government and the taxi's are a vociferous group with a lot of influence. All that they need is another party who can appeal to them and it may work wonders. Good on this guy for bringing his plight to the attention of the media, and having the balls to do so. Very unThai

Khun Pongpicharn, must be one of those extremely rare and almost extinct PAD taxi drivers in Bangkok, he should be awarded a medal for bravery for working in those hostile environments.

every time I read news about this government my minds eye/imagination goes to a scene of 200 people in red shirts inside the largest bank vault called Thailand filling their pockets from the shelves as fast as they can before anyone realises what they are doing, a while later all the rice farmers and the poor people arrive only to find that the people they gave the key have robbed them blind and left them with nothing, all orchestrated by we know who.................shame that nobody has the strength in thailand to rise to the task and tell the people what is really going on............I know of one person who could have done this but he is too ill - and a wonderful man he was

That is what is going on here and unfortunately the people that see it are powerless to do anything, it's a product of a country were people can be bought for 500baht and other stuff without realising they are being shafted

The most amazing aspect (I think) is the dastardly deed was done on Thursday afternoon and hardly 24 hours later the vile perpetrator had already been sentenced.

The courts seem to speed up a wee bit

Seven posts in support of a nutter driving into a motorcade.

Says it all I suppose............

The real news in this story is that the PM's motorcade was near Government House, a rare event in the last year and more.

I wait in suspense for further revelations - did the PM actually attend parliament?

The cab-driver is obviously misguided and ill-informed. Has nobody told him that only red shirts are entitled to compensation arising from the 2010 red shirt riots?

maybe they just passed thru Bangkok....

This article needs to identify whether he was seeking compensation for involvement in the riots, or from the damage the riots caused. Investigative reporting, guys.

Seven posts in support of a nutter driving into a motorcade.

Says it all I suppose............

Charged, found guilty and sentenced in a single day.

But, but, but ... what about Abhisit ? At least two attacks in 2009

April 7th, 2009, Pattaya

"Anti-government demonstrators in Thailand have smashed the window of a car carrying the country's Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva."

http://news.bbc.co.u...fic/7987722.stm

April 12th, 2009, Bangkok

"Thailand's prime minister narrowly escaped a savage attack and rioting erupted in Bangkok as protesters commandeered public buses and swarmed triumphantly over military vehicles in unchecked defiance after the government declared a state of emergency."

http://www.foxnews.c...,514676,00.html

Wait,wait, wait....you get THAT for ...this...and when you kill 9 people by speeding in a car, you are not evem allowed to drive ...you get....Something is wrong here! Very wrong!

Wait,wait, wait....you get THAT for ...this...and when you kill 9 people by speeding in a car, you are not evem allowed to drive ...you get....Something is wrong here! Very wrong!

Have you read Animal Farm?

Seven posts in support of a nutter driving into a motorcade.

Says it all I suppose............

He was taught well by his former idols who reneged on him.

Excellent. Good for him. Now we just need another few million to protest

I take it that you don't agree with democracy.

Excellent. Good for him. Now we just need another few million to protest

I take it that you don't agree with democracy.

Protesting is NOT democratic now?

Wait,wait, wait....you get THAT for ...this...and when you kill 9 people by speeding in a car, you are not evem allowed to drive ...you get....Something is wrong here! Very wrong!

Well there is a difference if you kill some unimportant peasants or if you get close to the ruler family.

See Animal Farm

Excellent. Good for him. Now we just need another few million to protest

I take it that you don't agree with democracy.

Protesting is NOT democratic now?

Of course it is, but I wonder if he will pay for the damage on the cars that he clubbed on the way through.

Wait,wait, wait....you get THAT for ...this...and when you kill 9 people by speeding in a car, you are not evem allowed to drive ...you get....Something is wrong here! Very wrong!

Well there is a difference if you kill some unimportant peasants or if you get close to the ruler family.

See Animal Farm

Didn't I just say that?

Excellent. Good for him. Now we just need another few million to protest

I take it that you don't agree with democracy.

Protesting is NOT democratic now?

Of course only the right demonstrations are democratic. Just look at countries were "the reds" won.

Like the German Democratic Republic or Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Spontaneous demonstrations against Counterrevolutionarys are complete OK and democratic. Demonstrations against their loved leader are of course undemocratic.

Of course it is, but I wonder if he will pay for the damage on the cars that he clubbed on the way through.

Surely the government should pay for damage caused during political protests.

Chatting to a few cabbies lately, there is no doubt many are very disillusioned against Yingluck. They all complain of rising fuel costs, costs of living, cost of rice doubling in last two years and so on. They will not vote for the Dems under any circumstances but they certainly are swing voters away from Yinglucks government and the taxi's are a vociferous group with a lot of influence. All that they need is another party who can appeal to them and it may work wonders. Good on this guy for bringing his plight to the attention of the media, and having the balls to do so. Very unThai

Great poll!

Personally I'd prefer to believe Dusit or ABAC which indicate the government is widely supported and firming.

Seven posts in support of a nutter driving into a motorcade.

Says it all I suppose............

Rather than many posts defending a nutter in Dubai for ramming into the country and nigh on destroying it (that of course is a work in progress)

sent from my ..................#

Excellent. Good for him. Now we just need another few million to protest

I take it that you don't agree with democracy.

Protesting is NOT democratic now?

Of course only the right demonstrations are democratic. Just look at countries were "the reds" won.

Like the German Democratic Republic or Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Spontaneous demonstrations against Counterrevolutionarys are complete OK and democratic. Demonstrations against their loved leader are of course undemocratic.

The right to "lawful" protest is a fundamental aspect in democracies. Looks like this guy really got pinged for a bunch of traffic and nuisance offences. It's not like they have locked him up and thrown the key away. I would like to have seen what penalty would have been meted out in DRK. A sharp in the back of head I would expect.

I certainly hope we are not comparing this country to some of those. This forum would not be allowed for a start.

Seven posts in support of a nutter driving into a motorcade.

Says it all I suppose............

Ahahaha as opposed to the thousands of posts made supporting men just like this one when they were rioting in the city, killing soldiers and innocent civilians alike, and burning down buildings. But when the peasant gets out of line and expects to be paid for the blood he shed to make a Dubai billionaire even richer he is thrown to the dogs.

Glad to know that someone like this might be picking me up in his taxi in a few months time.

Excellent. Good for him. Now we just need another few million to protest

I take it that you don't agree with democracy.

200 baht democracy? No

• I can't help but contrast this protest with that of the Red Shirts who stopped Abhisit's car in Pattaya just before the wrecked ASEAN forum. These guys actually smashed windows and did a lot more damage than this guy. Abhisit must have near sh*t himself. The sort of thing which would have resulted in a bloodbath if it happened in US or Russia if it happened. As far as I remember, the PMs security guys got disciplined but I can't actually remember seeing any of the perpetrators in court.