Murder of Thai girl: SRT admits to nepotism, corruption in hiring of Wanchai

[ClutchClark]

Message to General Prayuth:

Please reform SRT. Re form it please.

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

I too travel by trains frequently. I see SRT staff who are often drunk while on duty. The majority of SRT staffers are really great people doing a really fine job. I still ride the rails whenever it's convenient and will continue to do so.

The OP was about nepotism within SRT and that is not an easy problem to see. This horrific incident has again brought nepotism into plain view.

I agree with many of your sentiments, however with this past years' fiascoes; the derailment on the newly refurbished Chiang Mai route after a long closure for repairs with the top boss on board etc. etc.

SRT is an absolute shambles. They cannot even get their act together enough to replace windshield wipers on some trains. I can't post a link here to another forum. Google for it.

Also the YouTube video of a uniformed SRT employee smoking a thin glass pipe and exhaling clouds of white smoke.

Now we have the OP with confirmation that the alleged murderer, (yes he is still innocent until found guilty in court), obtained his job with SRT through nepotism and forgery.

I point you to Bangkok's famous "Stone Henge". It will remain for thousands of years as a landmark to the mismanagement of Thailand's State Railway.

Thailand deserves to have the region's safest, best, most affordable, and most advanced domestic passenger railway. It is currently a mess.

I'll still ride them when ever I can, however I doubt it will be anywhere south of Hat Yai as those trains often get sprayed with AK47 fire from separatist insurgents. Google for it.

I do agree with your sentiments. I love SRT. The problem I have is I do see issues with the rail service. So do all SRT employees.

Hopefully it will be re-formed.

All SRT employees have my deepest sympathies, as this must be a very difficult time for them. RIP to the poor dead raped girl, and the other reported victims, at least two, who survived their raping but were too embarrassed to report it.

Thank you. Yours is the first post that did not reference my family.

I don't disagree with anything you have said. The SRT is not perfect--far from it.

Thats the thing about these old rail lines that are left over from another century and becoming obsolete throughout the world. The costs of getting them to meet todays standards is impractical so they are kept cobbled together with baling wire and luck.

Its a government run system--it lacks financing. Its far from perfect.

But it serves a valuable function in Thai society.

Again, thanks, yours is the first post that was reasonable and respectful and I truly appreciate it.

[metisdead]

A post containing off topic deflection tactics has been removed, let's not derail this topic by discussing mini-van/bus accidents.

[kimamey]

Message to General Prayuth:

Please reform SRT. Re form it please.

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

Just because a girl is raped and murdered on a train doesn't mean the railway is responsible. If the killer was someone who should never have been employed in the first place but was able to do so because of one person acting incorrectly then there are questions over why one person was able facilitate this. If it's a one off then checks need to be tightened.

If, as appears to the case here that the company is riddled with this sort of corruption and nepotism then reform, sackings and criminal actions are needed.

Just because you've been OK doesn't make it a good company. I've never been killed or injured on Thai roads but they certainly aren't safe.

This company doesn't have an enviable safety record either.

[Chicog]

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

Of course the guy is the cause... but nepotism and bad background checks are part of the problem too.

Get rid of the governor of the SRT as a show of force then reform top down.

IIRC this was the guy that said he'd resign if there was ever another derailment while he was in charge, and rode the Chiang Mai train to prove it - which promptly derailed.

He then decided it was someone else's fault and fired them.

Start with sacking that useless tub of lard.

[96tehtarp]

IIRC this was the guy that said he'd resign if there was ever another derailment while he was in charge, and rode the Chiang Mai train to prove it - which promptly derailed.

He then decided it was someone else's fault and fired them.

I believe the employee that derailed that train threw a lever before the last car left the the line in the station and that derailed most of the train with the VIP's on board.

I don't think the employee was fired, but rather transferred to another post. That's most often the Thai way of dealing with things like this.

These are not happy days for anyone at SRT. They have my sympathies. Hopefully the SRT will get back on track. It won't happen without first dealing with endemic nepotism and corruption and that is what the junta is promising it will do. Thailand is waiting.

[Valentine]

The bane of Thailand, the words are in the headline "nepotism, corruption". If allowed to continue then this country will continue to have a poor future.

[VocalNeal]

Message to General Prayuth:

Please reform SRT. Re form it please.

reform it ? Needs to be given to the private sector for new investment. The whole structure and stock is 50 years out of date

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

All they would do is sell off all the assets ie. property then close down the whole thing because it was unprofitable.

[96tehtarp]

Message to General Prayuth:

Please reform SRT. Re form it please.

reform it ? Needs to be given to the private sector for new investment. The whole structure and stock is 50 years out of date

Privatization is one type of reform. Sometimes it works and some times it doesn't. Keep in mind that if the private concessionaire operates with an equal basis of nepotism and corruption in vetting its employees it would likely not prevent this type tragedy from being repeated.

SRT has also recently been called upon by the Thai government to provide free service to Thai nationals as a way to help alleviate the hardship of the financial crises, flooding etc. That's hardly a role for the private sector.

I recall privatization of passenger railway service in the UK led to a worsening safety record.

[WhizBang]

ClutchClark post # 3

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

One presumes of course that you would let your daughter(s) ( if you have any ) travel without any thought at all concerning their safety based upon your somewhat naive comments.

The supplier of the service has a duty to its clients i.e passengers personal safety.

They (S.R.T) failed to carry out their obligations with tragic results

How dare you bring my family into this argument.

But he does have a point. Since you are supporting SRT so much, WOULD you want YOUR daughter to travel on an overnight train?

[TPI]

Message to General Prayuth:

Please reform SRT. Re form it please.

reform it ? Needs to be given to the private sector for new investment. The whole structure and stock is 50 years out of date

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thailand, whatever you do, don't, I say again, don't give the SRT to the private sector! Service and maintenance go down the tubes in the interest of profits! So-called non profitable lines are closed, old rolling stock is allowed to get older, all in the name of profit oh! And seats on the board for the pollies who guided the laws through Parliment!

Every Western country where public utilities have been privitised has seen the same disaster played out, the fact that public utilities lose money is somehow paraded out as a bad thing? Parliment loses money every day and there is no clammour to privities it? The Armed forces cost a fortune but....? It's only where the greedy can sink their claws for an extra buck do we see those untrusty swine (pollies) selling out OUR property!!

[TPI]

They arrested the woman who sold him the meth pills, now they should charge her as an accessory to rape and murder.

And both of their parents too; if it had not been for them this would not have happened

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Because they bore her?? How about the grandparents as well?

[Emster23]

When they caught this animal, I figured nepotism had to figure in there somewhere. Doesn't take a genius, as nepotism if rife throughout all Thailand employment. If fellow workers had reported him, he'd go cry to daddy and reporter would be sacked. It's the way things are here.

[WorriedNoodle]

Nepotism, corruption in hiring for a state run enterprise eh? That must have taken a while to figure out?

[mrtoad]

Message to General Prayuth:

Please reform SRT. Re form it please.

reform it ? Needs to be given to the private sector for new investment. The whole structure and stock is 50 years out of date

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

That dear boy, is the worst option. Privitisation of the rails in The UK and other countries in Europe has been a shambles, with the state still heavily subsidizing, whilst the companies make fat profits, and provide worse and worse services. SRT, needs a clearout of the dinosaurs, and some tough HR policies which will clear out the dross. Of course there will need to be investment in the rails and rolling stock as well. It's a shambles, and they have through poor HR practice cost the life of this young girl.

[klauskunkel]

Message to General Prayuth:

Please reform SRT. Re form it please.

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

Just because a girl is raped and murdered on a train doesn't mean the railway is responsible. If the killer was someone who should never have been employed in the first place but was able to do so because of one person acting incorrectly then there are questions over why one person was able facilitate this. If it's a one off then checks need to be tightened.

If, as appears to the case here that the company is riddled with this sort of corruption and nepotism then reform, sackings and criminal actions are needed.

Just because you've been OK doesn't make it a good company. I've never been killed or injured on Thai roads but they certainly aren't safe.

This company doesn't have an enviable safety record either.

SRT (State Railway of Thailand) is not a company, it is a government entity run by government officials, the top dog is called "governor", not CEO. It is corrupt. Just like the BiB (Boys in Brown), another government entity run by government officials. The hiring is corrupt, the placement within is corrupt, the governing officials are corrupt. And they protect each other and their corruption. They do not care that they have a mandate to ensure the safety of their passengers, they care about not losing face publicly. Part of SRT is the Railway Police, and there should have been at least 2 officers on board, where were they?

Now, who is responsible for setting policy and ensuring that policy is carried out, who has a mandate from the public to ensure passengers' safety, hmmm?

[monty1412]

There is no good that can come of all of this whole sad and tragic incident but perhaps there are some outcomes which might in only a very small and minor way give some relief to the girls family and friends

1) Trial and punish the accused under Thai law with full pubic disclosure

2) Identify and seek out the employees at SRT who falsified records such that this person could be employed, again full pubic disclosure, loss of employment and requirement to publicly apologise to the girls family for their actions. Life time ban on any employment in any government or state run enterprise

3) Full supervised re-examination of all hirings that employees identified in 2) have been involved in over last three years

4) Supplier of meth pills to accused to be identified and charged , ( I see from later posts that this has happened) some degree of leniency in sentence to be applied if this person gives up down stream suppliers and results in successful prosecutions

5) Overhaul of all state run transport systems such that minors and females are provided adequate protection/isolation on all long hauls

6) New laws enacted within government and state enterprise sectors such that anyone who is complicit in the employment of a person who otherwise would not be hired because of drug/ alcohol or criminal background will be liable for a sentence 50% of what the said person's crime is , if that crime is performed during activities and normal duties of said employment inclusive of any crimes arising from or during travel to and from normal place of employment.

3 month amnesty to be established such that anyone who has knowingly engaged in such employment practices can come forward and identify the relevant persons.

Again none of this will bring back the young lass but hopefully it could help prevent this shocking event from being repeated again

Like allot of the posters here I would of been skeptical under old regimes that any real action would happen however with the military at the helm I think their is a chance that full examination and accountability could be implemented

This guy and the drug dealing vermin behind him have sorely tested my anti capital punishment beliefs

[IAMSOBAD]

If all those cops in the photo did their jobs then crime would be way down.

They are great in photo-ops and terrible at prevention-ops.

Have a nice day...

[quidnunc]

ClutchClark post # 3

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

One presumes of course that you would let your daughter(s) ( if you have any ) travel without any thought at all concerning their safety based upon your somewhat naive comments.

The supplier of the service has a duty to its clients i.e passengers personal safety.

They (S.R.T) failed to carry out their obligations with tragic results

How dare you bring my family into this argument.

But he does have a point. Since you are supporting SRT so much, WOULD you want YOUR daughter to travel on an overnight train?

He may have a point but it's a bad one. The question really should be how safe is it to travel on Thai railways vs. other modes of transportation. It's terrible the way this young girl died but it's also terrible for a young girl to die in a car or bus crash. Or be raped and murdered at a bus station. Without facts all we have in this thread is a Rorschach test..

[belg]

test em all right now and if high, fired on the spot, too difficult, right ?

or they might have a relative that is doing the drug test...

send in the army boys

[monkeycountry]

SRT admits to nepotism, corruption in hiring of Wanchai

By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Someone pulled the strings at the State Railway of Thailand, an institution with a long history of controversy and corruption, to get a job for the man police say raped and murdered a teen passenger on Sunday.

Despite having a criminal record, Wanchai Saengkao, 22, used his connections to a relative who works for SRT to land a job cleaning trains, where he routinely got drunk and high.

"The problem with employees who were hired through connections is that they think they're more privileged than others, SRT Gov. Prapat Chongsanguan said. They are not afraid to break the rules such as drinking on duty when the punishment is expulsion."

That relative even went so far as to conceal Wanchais criminal records, which included two drug-related prosecutions, according to Prapat.

As is the norm in the accountability-averse halls of power, the identity of that relative is being kept secret.

Wanchai reportedly submitted a forged, version of his criminal record scrubbed of any blemishes to the organization himself while a background check was supposed to be conducted by SRT staff. [read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2014/07/10/srt-admits-nepotism-corruption-hiring-wanchai

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-07-10

The main problem here is that the mentioned relative is a somebody, otherwise his name would already have been published. The fact that he is a somebody also means then even now that his crimes have been revealed, and that those crimes indirectly led to rape and murder, the relative will neither be prosecuted nor fired.

[monkeycountry]

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

Sure some of the anger should be directed at SRT. If there had been a proper checking of this scums credentials and if corruption had not been allowed then this whole tragic incident, in all likelyhood would not have happened.

Absolutely, there was an intentional action on someones part to sneak their relative through the system and had that relative not acted in that manner then this horrible tragedy would not have occurred. The SRT had hiring requirements in place. The relative subverted those policies--not the SRT. There was no conspiracy at the SRT.

If you want to stop nepotism and cronyism then punish those who commit the act directly.

Thats how you get results.

Its going to be a big undertaking. I am told its how the whole of Thai society functions.

Agree, but punishing top management as well as the subordinates, for what their subordinates do, will force top management to change their often very lax attitude towards cronyism and nepotism.

[Halion]

Message to General Prayuth:

Please reform SRT. Re form it please.

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

Would tend to agree and owing to the heinous and brutal nature of this crime one can only hope that the full weight of the judicial system will be brought to bear on this degenerate scumbag,however SRT does indeed have acknowledge that this crime was perpetrated on their service by one of their employes who had gained employment through nefarious channels and there also appears to be little or no supervisory role with regard to staff operations. SRT need to clean up their act in order to avoid other such incidents.

[Carl64]

I just love the fact that under the new regime that the truth comes out quickly.

[BillyBobThai]

It is not just the railroad has hiring practices like this. I am having surgery next week and I met with the anesthesiologist the other week.

This girl was cute as a button, but she only looked about maybe 20. I hope it was not her hi-so papa who got her the job.

[epicstuff]

They arrested the woman who sold him the meth pills, now they should charge her as an accessory to rape and murder.

steady on now!!!

[PBob]

Junta has just announced the dismissal of SRT chief.

[nomad127]

They should look at Thai Airways and AOT next, because it's not about what you know, but who you know.

[xenophon]

I remember that, back in the 80's, dinosaurs like me applauded the Thai railway system as really setting this country apart as an easy to negotiate travel destination.

Having had some filthy (literally) experiences in the early 2000's, I don't go near SRT anymore

[ClutchClark]

ClutchClark post # 3

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

One presumes of course that you would let your daughter(s) ( if you have any ) travel without any thought at all concerning their safety based upon your somewhat naive comments.

The supplier of the service has a duty to its clients i.e passengers personal safety.

They (S.R.T) failed to carry out their obligations with tragic results

Siamplolee,

So you are the first person to complain about the parents allowing their 13-year old daughter to travel on the train without an adult.

It seems very early to be critical of the family.

[Doc46]

I travel by rail frequently and aside from this horrible crime, I don't see any issue with the rail service.

Its an inexpensive means of transport serving many locations throughout the country.

It is popular amongst Thai and farang alike. It offers an economical means of transport.

This was a horrible incident. The entire country is rightfully in shock; however, the outlet for that anger should be directed at the assailant and not the SRT.

It was the SRT's policies and lax management that resulted in the hiring of this hideous individual, which ultimately led to a youngster's untimely end.

While I may agree with you that the responsibility for one's actions lies with one's self, the SRT is an organisation that did not enforce not drinking alcohol during work hours, allowed questionable people to get hired through 'contacts', allowed a long history of corruption, all of which contributed significantly to the death of an innocent young girl.

Tell me one thing. If an airline lost an airplane full of passengers because the pilot was drunk, who should be held responsible, the said airline or the pilot ?

I would say ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The pilot,,,,,,,,,,,Do you really think that an airline and the railway is going to test every pilot and every railway worker for alcohol and drugs before they start their shift , not possible. If you think the airline or the railways is at fault you are an,,, idiot,,,every person is responsible for his/her actions you can't blame the company.