Thailand life and culture

In Thailand, the wealthy and well connected don’t need you

An ugly truth hides behind Thailand’s beautiful beaches, friendly smiles, and delicious food.

A long tail boat in the Andaman Sea. Author’s own image.

Thailand’s legal system seems to favour the wealthy and well-connected.

Take the privileged and spoilt Red Bull heir as the first example.

Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya consumes cocaine and alcohol and drives his Ferrari over a policeman at 177 km/h (110 mph). The officer dies, but Boss escapes punishment and continues to live a jet-set life of luxury.

Less well known internationally, but equally egregious stories abound:

• In 2010, an unlicensed 16-year-old daughter of a wealthy family crashed her sedan into a van on a Bangkok highway, killing nine people.
• In 2014, fearing for his safety, a police detective escaped to Australia, Influential persons in the human trafficking trade were not pleased with the direction his investigation was taking.
• In 2016, the entitled son of a car importer rammed his Mercedes into the back of another vehicle at 240 km/h (150 mph), killing two university students.