Man held for deadly acid attack on wife
Police arrested a 50-year-old man late on Sunday on suspicion of killing his new wife by pouring acid over her face and into her mouth.
She died after allegedly being denied treatment at a private hospital in Bangkok.
Kamtan Singhanat was arrested at a friend’s house in Nakhon Sawan province on Sunday night and taken to Tha Kham police station in Bangkok.
Police were to stage a crime re-enactment later yesterday.
Mr Kamtam had only recently married the 38-year-old victim, Chorlada Tarawan. He is accused of pouring acid into her mouth and on her face on Saturday in a fit of jealousy.
The woman’s 12-year-old daughter rushed her by taxi for treatment, directing the driver to Bangmod Hospital in Chom Thong district. The driver instead took them to Praram 2 Hospital, a private hospital in Bang Khun Thien district, saying it was much closer and her condition was clearly dire.
Staff at Praram 2 Hospital later called a taxi to take the victim and her daughter to Bangmod Hospital. Chorlada reportedly died on the way.
Activist lawyer Atchariya Rueangratanapong accompanied two of the dead woman’s angry relatives to Praram 2 Hospital on Sunday, where they accused the hospital of failing to help her.
He said Praram 2 Hospital failed to have a doctor diagnose whether the case was critical or not, leading it to the move to have Chorlada transferred to another hospital.
“I think the diagnosis should have been made by a doctor, not a nurse. We want this case thoroughly investigated,” he said.
The hospital management reportedly said the patient wanted treatment at Bang Mod Hospital, where she had medical welfare coverage.
Staff at Praram 2 Hospital applied first aid and decided her condition was not critical. A nurse gave the daughter 40 baht to pay for a taxi.
Dr Nattavuth Prasersiripong, secretary-general of the Department of Health Service Support is launching an investigation to find out why Praram 2 Hospital failed to treat the woman properly.
“We will look into when and how the hospital provided treatment for the woman. Regarding the hospital’s claim it deferred to the woman’s request to go to another hospital, we must look into whether the hospital provided appropriate transportation,” Dr Nattavuth told reporters.