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.
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.
- In 2019, investigators located the remains of activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen in an oil drum beneath a reservoir in a national park.
Where the accused faced court time, charges were either dismissed or resulted in minimal sentences or fines.
Outcry and Apathy
Thais will take to social media to express their outrage, but comments give way to apathy over time and the belief Karma will win out in the end.
In the months after the 16-year-old crashed into the rear of a passenger van, the hashtag #PraewaNineBodies was trending on social media.
For years after the Red Bull atrocity, comments on pantip.com, a popular online forum, continued:
- “Jail is only for the poor. The rich never get punished,”
- “He will receive a suspended sentence and never do any jail time,”
- “This is the only country in the world where you can kill cops and get away with it.”
- “It’s so frustrating because there’s nothing we can do. We know this case will go away. We’ve seen it before.”
By 2022, the story had disappeared into the background. It will probably surface briefly in 2027 when the statute of limitations expires and Boss gains complete immunity.
Growing public movements and political participation offer hope for change
The good news is there are many honest, hard-working officials in government, the police, and the civil service who wish for change and are gaining support.
In the 2023 elections, the Move Forward party, campaigning for change, won the most seats nationwide. A court ruling eventually disqualified the party from forming a government.
The results, however, give citizens hope they may not have to wait for Karma.
