Monk Flees Temple After Fatal Hit-and-Run in Buriram

On October 28, 2026, a sedan struck and killed 22-year-old Rujira Sidassama as she gathered rice she had spread to dry by the roadside in front of Wat Non Charoen, Ban Yang subdistrict, Mueang Buriram district, Buriram province. She died instantly. The driver fled, parking the car at Wat Si Sawang in Ban Kok Sad, Ei San subdistrict, about 10 kilometres away. The driver was identified as Phra Itthirit, also known as Phra Dao, 55, a monk resident at Wat Si Sawang, who then disappeared. Pol. Lt. Col. Chaiya Sarasom, deputy investigation chief at Mueang Buriram Police Station, revealed that because the suspect fled, officers could not conduct an alcohol breath test. If arrested later, a blood test might show zero alcohol due to the time elapsed, preventing a drunk-driving charge. However, if any residual alcohol is detected, police could estimate the level at the time of the crash and add a drunk-driving charge. Since the monk fled the investigation, police can seek an arrest warrant directly without a summons. Relatives held a funeral wake at the victim's home in Ban Sai subdistrict, Prasat Chai district, Buriram. Her mother, Sudarat, 39, said she cannot come to terms with the tragedy. Her daughter had recently moved in with her boyfriend, graduated in agriculture, and passed the exam for a position at the Surin Provincial Fisheries Office, but this tragedy struck before she could start work. The mother vowed to pursue the case to the end because she cannot accept that a monk would hit someone and refuse to stop and help.