Licences revoked after tour bus crash
THE LAND Transport Department yesterday cancelled bus driver Somporn Bualuang’s driving licence and suspended his boss’s tour bus licence following the deadly accident in Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district on Sunday that killed 14 people.
Somporn faces the charge of reckless driving causing others’ deaths and injuries after he crashed the bus into another car, hit a power pole and fell off the moutainous road, resulting in the deaths of 13 Malaysian tourists and one Thai tour guide, and leaving 12 people, including himself, injured.
Land Transport Department chief Sanith Phromwong yesterday revealed that besides revoking Somporn’s driving licence because he drove carelessly and caused tragic several deaths, the department had also ordered the Chiang Mai Provincial Land Transport Office to immediately revoke the business licence of the tour bus operator.
“The company failed to regulate its bus driver from exceeding the speed limit,” Sanith said, adding the department would also follow through if the wounded and the deceased persons’ families had received aid.
Sanith also affirmed that for the upcoming New Year, the department would strictly inspect bus drivers and bus conditions to ensure safety. Urging bus operators to keep a close eye on their drivers, he warned that they might be held responsible and their licence cancelled if any road accident happened because of the driver’s carelessness or the condition of the bus.
Earlier on Tuesday, the bodies of the 13 Malaysian victims were flown back to their home country by a C130 plane, which departed a little before midnight.