Thailand is a country used to corruption. But an ongoing corruption case filed late last year has been so revealing that it defies even the most watered-down expectations of justice.
In late 2019, the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission filed a case against the leaders of the State Railway Union of Thailand (SRUT) over a train derailment case that asks if workers have the right to safe working conditions?
Back in 2009, the state’s answer was no.
When a train derailed near Hua Hin, eight people died and more than fifty were injured. Yuthana Thapcharoen, then-head of the State Railways of Thailand (SRT), refused to publicly state that the accident had been caused by malfunctioning equipment.
Police Lieutenant-Colonel Udom Chainoom suggested that the heavy rain that day had played a part. Eventually, the SRT blamed the train driver, with the official report on the accident stating that he had fallen asleep.
