Itthiphol (last name withheld) was apprehended by police after he allegedly assaulted an aide to Pheu Thai MP Chuchai Mungcharoenphon at a coffee shop located in the Government House compound in Bangkok’s Dusit district.
Itthiphol attempted to drive his brand-new Porsche sports car into the compound but was stopped by security guards because he had no Government House permit, police said. He then claimed he was a staffer for Somkid Cheukong, Pheu Thai political deputy secretary to the prime minister, which prompted officials to let him in.
Witnesses said Itthiphol arrived at the coffee shop and shouted “There you are!” before hitting the victim on the back of the head as he sat with a friend.
The incident occurred just as the motorcade of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was passing by.
Police separated the attacker and his unnamed victim and escorted them to Dusit police station for questioning.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the two were in dispute over an unpaid debt.
According to a news source, Itthiphol is wealthy and comes from a well-known family.
Quizzed by reporters, Somkid denied that Itthiphol was one of his staffers. He added that he had met the alleged attacker just once when Itthiphol was an aide to Wiang Worachet, an adviser to the culture minister under a previous government.
Somkid speculated that Itthiphol could have used his old ID to deceive officials into thinking that he still worked at Government House. He urged security officers to check visitors’ IDs more carefully.
Credit: http://nationthailand.com
