Family to sue rioters for death of patient on way to hospital
Play
Daughter holds rioting mobs responsible for father's death after his ambulance was blocked twice; warrants sought to arrest 33
THE family of a man who died after protesters blocked his ambulance while on the way to a Phuket hospital will pursue legal action against the protesters.
Police, meanwhile, sought a court order for warrants to arrest 33 protesters for alleged involvement in rioting last weekend when Thalang Police Station was damaged and many vehicles burnt.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of Thalang Police Station last Saturday night and early Sunday morning in anger at what they claimed was excessive use of power by police that resulted in the death of two young men.
Some of the protesters blocked roads in Thalang district, which caused some passengers to miss their flights at Phuket Airport and some flights to be delayed.
Nattaya Sri-in, the daughter of Chian Srichu, 73, said her father suffered from chest pain and breathing difficulties in his home in nearby Krabi province on the night of October 11 and doctors at a Krabi hospital recommended that he be transferred to Bangkok Phuket Hospital. She said the ambulance carrying her father to Phuket was blocked twice at separate locations, delaying the trip.
Her father’s condition worsened in the meanwhile, forcing her to have him admitted to Thalang Hospital instead, where he was pronounced dead.
Speaking at her father’s funeral in Krabi, she said: “I am very sorry that my father died. I blame the protesters partly for my father’s death. My husband has already notified Thalang police that we want to take legal action against the protesters. After the funeral, I will file official complaints against them.”
Phuket police commander Pol Lt-General Pachara Boonyasit sought a court order yesterday for warrants to arrest 33 protesters who allegedly damaged Thalang Police Station, set fire to vehicles at the station and assaulted police at the scene of the protest. Their names were not revealed.
The protest was sparked by the death of two young men on a motorbike who allegedly refused a police stop and tried to escape. The police went after them, which led to a fatal accident.
The 13-hour stand-off ended at about 3am on Sunday at the intervention of the Army, which sent an officer to act as a mediator between the police, the Phuket governor and the protesters.
Meanwhile, deputy police chief Pol General Chalermkiat Sriworakan travelled to Phuket to visit police injured during the riots and offered them consolation money.
He said warrants would be sought for protesters based on evidence compiled by a police team that was set up to investigate the incident, as well as the law.
Referring to the relationship between local residents and police, Chalermkiat said that they will have to learn to live together and find ways to strengthen relations.
