Village Chief Faces Suspension After Drunk Driving Kills Two

Police responded at 8:10 p.m. on August 10 to a vehicle collision on the Pa Phut-Saen Tao Bridge in Kamphaeng Phet province's Kanu Wor Lak subdistrict. Officers found a silver Mitsubishi Titan pickup truck with registration number GB 5832 severely damaged on the front and sides. The driver, 45-year-old Supat from Pang Ma Ka subdistrict, was at the scene appearing intoxicated and incoherent.

On the other side of the bridge, a gray Nissan Navara pickup with registration BP 8830 from Phichit province had also been hit by Supat's truck near a convenience store. The collision then continued as Supat's vehicle crossed the bridge and struck a Honda Wave 110i motorcycle driven by a 14-year-old girl from Khong Phai subdistrict, who died at the scene with her left arm severed. A 19-year-old male passenger on the motorcycle was taken to hospital but later died. A second male victim also perished, bringing the death toll to two.

Closed-circuit footage revealed that Supat had left a village chief celebration dinner at 8:06 p.m. and was driving back across the bridge when he encountered the two teenagers on their motorcycle at a convenience store junction. The youths were preparing to board a vehicle for a study trip to Suphan Buri province. Supat's truck veered back, hit the motorcycle, and accelerated up the bridge, crashing into the teenagers before losing control and striking an electrical pole. The truck nearly hit a noodle shop but fortunately no customers were standing outside at the time.

Footage shows officers initially did not realize Supat had hit the motorcyclists on the bridge until a following vehicle informed them. Social media has erupted with criticism questioning whether local politicians attempted to suppress the incident. The provincial governor has ordered an immediate severe disciplinary investigation and demanded Supat's resignation from his position as village chief.