The Red Bull heir and inequality in Thailand

[webfact]

THE RED BULL HEIR AND INEQUALITY IN THAILAND
POSTED BY NEWLEY PURNELL

BANGKOK: -- Early on a Monday morning in September, 2012, Vorayuth Yoovidhya, an heir to Thailand’s Red Bull energy-drink fortune, allegedly sped down a Bangkok street in his silver Ferrari and crashed into a police officer on motorcycle patrol.

The police officer died at the scene; Vorayuth, who is known as one of Thailand’s most prominent young princelings and goes by the nickname Boss, did not stop. He drove his battered sports car home, police said, dragging the officer’s body some distance along the way.

When police detained the slight, baby-faced Vorayuth, he was photographed wearing a Christian Dior polo shirt, with a baseball cap pulled low to shield his downcast eyes, dollar signs along its brim. Vorayuth admitted to hitting the officer, but said the man had darted in front of his Ferrari.

He was released on bail and has been free for the past year, but still faces a ten-year sentence.

Vorayuth is a grandson of Chaleo Yoovidhya, the self-made co-founder of the world’s most popular energy-drink company. The Yoovidhyas are worth $7.8 billion, making them Thailand’s fourth-richest family, according to Forbes. (Chaleo died in March of 2012, six months before the hit-and-run.)

Vorayuth’s case made headlines in Thailand last year, with critics arguing that he embodied an all-too-common attitude among ultra-rich Thais who consider themselves exempt from the nation’s laws. [read more...]

Full story: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2013/09/the-red-bull-heir-and-inequality-in-thailand.html

-- THE NEW YORKER 2013-09-13

[smoochy]

I think the most shocking part of this is that he killed a cop. Normally, it's a huge thing to kill police, even accidentally but here it seems to be a non event. Amazing.

[CelticBhoy]

Had the hit-and-run taken place before the advent of the Web, it may well have been mentioned in newspapers and discussed around dinner tables. But now, with message boards and Facebook, among other outlets, their dissent is easier to quantify, and the narrative of a princeling, a silver Ferrari, and a dead policeman becomes all the more vivid.

Clever way to finish the article. More or less tells us what we all know - this kind of cr..p has been

going on forever. All the shouting from the rooftops ain't going to change a thing.

[worgeordie]

It just goes to show what a corrupt country this is,two systems

if you have enough money or influence you can get away with

murder, its not even an isolated case,and not the first Policeman

to die at the hands of the privileged ,that case too was unsolved

even though everyone knew who the perpetrator was.

Regards Worgeordie

[Tatsujin]

OK, so when's he gonna be charged, arrested and put in jail? Jumped bail, refused to attend hearings, the list goes on . . . this little p**** (expletive deleted) is complete scum and should be treated as such.

[jackr]

They are merely conforming with the actions of those at the top, but it's not just a rich thing... if the boot were on the other foot, you'd get the same result. It can't change as things stand until morality is given a chance in favour of greed and corruption. All one can do is keep ruminating over it until the Thais wake up.

[kalbo123]

Funny they already "forgot" to mention the suspision of drving under the influance of cocaine and alcohol.

Maybe a few years later he didn't drive at all.

[noitom]

I think the most shocking part of this is that he killed a cop. Normally, it's a huge thing to kill police, even accidentally but here it seems to be a non event. Amazing.

Depends on who is doing the killing here in Thailand.

[Spare]

Does it bother you if the victim family is happy, very happy with the out of court settlement?

[WitawatWatawit]

The article is just a summation and not really an analysis of the rich-poor application of the law in Thailand - although the info about the inequality index is interesting (if not exactly just another statistic, and a bit meaningless in the overall context). There are no quotes from noted personalities, no facts about previous cases (Moo Ham, Mr Happy Toilet, for example), no moral outrage etc. But nice to see the issue get a little bit of publicity overseas, although I suspect the issue won'[t register with most readers of The Noo Yawka. I often wonder whether foreign awareness of such issues is of any value. When your arrogance stretches to such an extent as it does in Thailand, then you're only likely to react when you're faced with great financial losses. Doesn't seem to be happening, does it?

[noitom]

Surprisingly poor article for The New Yorker. Starts off raises a legitimate question about elite privileged class breaking serious laws with impunity. Then ends up with some GINI mumbo jumbo and forgets all about the magnitude of the case it described in detail, the hit and run killing of a police officer and intentionally dragging him to his certain death while attached to the car.

The article completely omits the efforts of the perpetrator, family staff, the local police commander, to collude to obstruct justice and have a Red Bull family staff member "take the fall." The latter crime is a great illustration of Thai police corruption, especially as it relates to the Thai elite, privileged class and The New Yorker blatantly omits it. The New Yorker article appears to be a complicit effort to assist in the effort to "rationalize" this crime.

[moe666]

Its just about money that's all the poor farmer cannot afford to fly off to Singapore and not come back or go to Hong Kong and not come back. Its just about money no big deal, some have some do not.

Edited September 13, 2013 by moe666

[jaltsc]

' “Any ordinary suspect would have been indicted long ago”a well-known attorney told the Bangkok Post.'

This happens on all levels in Thai society. In small villages, those related to heads of the village also get away with crimes for which "lowly' villagers would be prosecuted. In Pai, it took 5 years to indict, prosecute, try and convict a policeman for the murder of a Canadian, because on that level a policeman had a higher status than his victim. As one goes up the social scale, one is able to kill a policeman and get away with it because his social status and power are higher than that that of the policeman. This is the structure of Thai society. Those with more power get away with more offenses which are not tolerated at the lower levels. That is why everyone wants to become more powerful. Not for the benefit of the nation, but for the benefit of themselves.

Edited September 13, 2013 by jaltsc

[Spare]

Its just about money that's all the poor farmer cannot afford to fly off to Singapore and not come back or go to Hong Kong and not come back. Its just about money no big deal, some have some do not.

Really? I thought with Thai AirAsia, everyone can fly!!!

[scorecard]

Does it bother you if the victim family is happy, very happy with the out of court settlement?

So the law of the land, the relevant punishments, applicable (in theory) to all citizens should be all forgotten, just pay up and all forgotten?

And what about those who break laws (e.g. break a traffic law, and someone gets killed) and they have no money?

This approach makes a total mockery of the whole purpose of the law.

Punishment appropriate to the case should be there, as apunishment, and as a deterrent to other to not break the said law.

Compensation is a different, but important, matter, and should also be in the picture.

But compensation simple overriding the law is not acceptable, ever.

[edwinchester]

Does it bother you if the victim family is happy, very happy with the out of court settlement?

You obviously are a very good friend of the dead policemans family to make a statement such as that.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[WitawatWatawit]

Surprisingly poor article for The New Yorker. Starts off raises a legitimate question about elite privileged class breaking serious laws with impunity. Then ends up with some GINI mumbo jumbo and forgets all about the magnitude of the case it described in detail, the hit and run killing of a police officer and intentionally dragging him to his certain death while attached to the car.

The article completely omits the efforts of the perpetrator, family staff, the local police commander, to collude to obstruct justice and have a Red Bull family staff member "take the fall." The latter crime is a great illustration of Thai police corruption, especially as it relates to the Thai elite, privileged class and The New Yorker blatantly omits it. The New Yorker article appears to be a complicit effort to assist in the effort to "rationalize" this crime.

I don't think the New Yorker would have any specific interest in this crime or issue. The story is just hit-and-run journalism (sorry about that), or a kind of parachute journalism. It was an attempt to touch on a subject, but only just to fill a hole. Then move onto "more important" issues. Edited September 13, 2013 by WitawatWatawit

[Mampara]

THAILAND! the world is watching you.

[LuckyLew]

Does it bother you if the victim family is happy, very happy with the out of court settlement?

sure they paid of the family and the family is happy

but how can you be happy that a person who killed a cop, drives recklesssly, drives under the influence ca run free ... who says he will not do it again?

[mca]

I've been wondering what the head honchos at red bull think about this and the damage it could possibly cause their business. Its ok ( as in not really) in Thailand for the puu yai as ever showing the morals of a snake and they most probably don't give a shit but red bull must be seething. On an international scale red bull is nearly if not a household name.

[DocN]

Does it bother you if the victim family is happy, very happy with the out of court settlement?

So...in your opinion, the law of the land should be second place after if someone is feeling happy?!

Interesting take!

But to answer your question: I couldn't care less!

[teatree]

Does it bother you if the victim family is happy, very happy with the out of court settlement?

I'm sure they were made an offer they couldn't refuse.

This is the attitude that is at the root of the problem - if you have the money you can just buy your way out of trouble.

[culicine]

THAILAND! the world is watching you.

I wish you were right, but I don't think so. My mum hardly heard anything in the news in Australia about the great flood, where over a million people were displaced. I doubt most international news would cover this story - they SHOULD do, as such crimes affect tourists too. And I doubt many families of tourists would be with a payout in lieu of the crim walking free....that scenario certainly would hit the international press.

[smutcakes]

Other than the lack of action in bringing justice in this case, the biggest stink is the media's and all their correspondents who think they are oracles on all matters in Thailand, have had a collective bout of amnesia and seem to have forgotten about this- where are the opinion pieces? The difficult questions being asked in the interviews etc

[fakename]

There is just too much news in the world, for a big story about Red Bull and its problems. At any one time, there are rebellions in a dozen different countries, where hundreds, if not thousands are dying, and most people in the world could care less about Thailand.

[tingtong]

Some is just more equal than others.

Happens to an extent to every country.

But Thailand is prominently in the leading group of this kind of corruption.

Money and family ties = different justice.

[smoochy]

Sadly, this sort of inequality doesn't just happen in Thailand.

Check Indonesia for example:

13 year old son of a "rock star" killed 6 and injured 9 driving a Mitsubishi Lancer......disgusting.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/jakarta/rock-stars-son-named-suspect-in-deadly-car-crash/

But it's not his fault:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/rock-star-dad-blames-govt-highway-operator-in-crash/

So, he's off to Singapore (seem familiar?):

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/rock-stars-son-may-travel-to-singapore/

Deja vu all over again!!!

[Wavefloater]

Is this little creep still hiding in Singapore? I believe his lawyer said that he would return promptly to Thailand to face the indictment after his "sniffles" cleared up. I'm sure nobody actually believed the lawyer or the family, but shouldn't there be some announcement by Thai authorities to let their citizens (who pay their wages via their taxes) know what's going on? I wish Thais would start making their government and police accountable.

I certainly don't intend to be critical in any way of the policeman's family, but I've wondered how wise it was to accept the 3 million baht in return for relieving the Red Bull family of any further legal demands (assuming that was the situation). I would think that the earning potential of a Thai police officer in Bangkok would be quite high -- perhaps a few million over a relatively short amount of time. I think it's also a bit dishonorable for the family to not seek true justice. But of course, I'm looking at this from a Western perspective, and the cop's family is likely wise enough to know that taking a "bird in the hand" is wiser than hoping against miniscule odds that any real justice would come from this.

Like others, I wish the international media would expose this situation for the stinky pile of crap it really is.

[DLock]

THAILAND! the world is watching you.

No it's not.

[Wavefloater]

Sadly, this sort of inequality doesn't just happen in Thailand.

Check Indonesia for example:

13 year old son of a "rock star" killed 6 and injured 9 driving a Mitsubishi Lancer......disgusting.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/jakarta/rock-stars-son-named-suspect-in-deadly-car-crash/

But it's not his fault:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/rock-star-dad-blames-govt-highway-operator-in-crash/

So, he's off to Singapore (seem familiar?):

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/rock-stars-son-may-travel-to-singapore/

Deja vu all over again!!!

See Thailand, that's how a real HUB is created. Singapore appears to have cornered the market on hosting rich criminal children who are fleeing from the possibility of any punishment. Singapore -- The Hub of Unjust Asylum

Doesn't Thailand have any extradition treaty with Singapore?

Edited September 13, 2013 by Wavefloater