NIGHTCLUB ROAD RAGE, COMEDIAN’S ‘LOVE CHILD’, MAY’S WEB ATTACK
Actress back in hot water
Former Thai-English actress Anna Reece is anxiously awaiting the result of a police probe into a highly publicised episode last week in which she struck a vehicle after losing her temper at a city nightspot.
It was her second scrape involving a vehicle after she killed a policeman in a traffic accident two years ago, prompting warnings by the man’s widow to take more care.
Anna was charged with reckless driving causing death after her MercedesBenz hit a parked police car in the Prawet area in June 2015, killing the policeman asleep inside it. Lt Noppadol Wongbandit, an inspector with Suphan Buri police, left behind a wife and two young children.
The court sentenced Anna to a year in jail, suspended for two years. The suspension order spares her jail time but forbids her from reoffending.
Police are still weighing whether her conduct in the latest incident breaches the suspension order. They say while her most recent offending involves alcohol, her fatal collision two years ago did not.
In the latest incident, Anna and a group of friends turned up at a nightspot in the Huai Khwang area last Sunday. Several hours later, she started screaming and throwing objects around, staff say. As they called police, Anna tried to flee in her Mercedes, but struck a customer’s Mitsubishi in the car park.
Huai Khwang police took her in for questioning but failed to make progress. A blood alcohol test found she was almost three times over the limit, with a blood alcohol level of 141mg per 100ml of blood.
News footage shows Anna carrying on her tirade at the station, shouting at reporters and officers, who put her in a holding cell to cool off. Later that morning, Bangkok police chief Sanit Mahathavorn paid a visit.
Anna told Pol Lt Gen Sanit she took to drink after succumbing to stress. Married to a southern businessman, she helps run his affairs but also looks after her special needs brother. On the night of the incident, university friends celebrating the opening of term had invited her out.
Police charged her initially with being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle. She appeared before a city court to acknowledge the charge. Later, after taking Anna for a drugs test, police released her on 20,000 baht bail.
The victim’s widow from the 2015 accident, Chanthana Wongbandit, says she has yet to come to terms with her husband’s death.
“He was the family breadwinner. I have to work hard to raise our children. However, Anna has kept in touch and took responsibility in the legal case,” she said, referring to Anna’s offer to compensate the family for the loss.
“I don’t want her to drink. She should take note of her condition before she gets in a car because she could cause danger to others.”
Speaking outside the station, Anna said she was going home for some rest, and hoped to have better news for reporters next time they meet.
A Chernyim ‘happy to pay’
Comedian “A Chernyim” says he is willing to pay for 15 years of backdated upkeep if a netizen’s claims that he fathered a child are true.
A Chernyim, also known as Ekkarin Areerak, made the unusual offer last week after a netizen left a post on social media claiming A had entered a relationship with her 16 years ago and left her with a child to bring up alone.
A Chernyim, a father of two children of similar age, said the post emerged when he went before the media recently to clarify his decision to adopt a new showbusiness name of “A Minor” to mark the release of an album.
The poster emerged to say the girl he had allegedly fathered, now 15, was poised to enter university. He had never acknowledged her as his own nor sent money to support them, she said. She left her comment at the social media site of a TV presenter.
A Chernyim won’t say if it might be true that he fathered the child, but says he and his wife are prepared to help if it is. “I was working in a cafe 15 years ago and met many people. My wife was at home looking after the kids, so I did not go out with her much. However, I don’t want to comment on whether the claim might have substance. Let her come forward if she has proof,” he said.
In response to the anonymous post, the comedian’s wife, Rongnapa “Maem” Areerak, expanded on their offer to pay for 15 years of upkeep for mother and child alike.
She said the teen, if a DNA link can be proven, would stand to gain a share of his wealth, including property and cars. As a mother, she was also happy to take on the duty of helping rear the youngster. She urged the poster to get in touch.
A Chernyim said while his family was willing to take responsibility if the claims had substance, he also wanted the anonymous poster to understand her post had harmed his reputation. He has given the netizen one week to come forward or he will take legal action.
“The exception is if she left the post as a joke or in a moment of excitement, in which case an apology will be needed,” he said. At the time of writing, the post’s author had yet to make contact.
Actress in a ‘state of shock’
Actress Pitchanart “May” Sakakorn says she is in a state of shock after discovering a member of her boyfriend’s fan club has been busy attacking her on the internet.
Police have tracked down the admin behind the Instagram site, teamjaychanathip, which cheers her football star boyfriend, Chanathip “Messi Jay” Songkrasin.
They say their inquiries reveal the author is also responsible for social media sites attacking May, which the actress cited in an earlier defamation complaint. Police have issued a summons calling him in for questioning.
May said while she had never met the admin, she was shocked to discover he had been so duplicitous. She trusted him and let him into her confidence, sending him details of Jay’s games and telling him where they could meet.
“The teamjaychanathip site was one of the first to cheer us as a couple when we started going out. Initial public reaction was on the e st strongo g s side,de, a andd I was keen to win overo our fans,” she said.
May and Jay ha ave long struggled to win fa an club acceptance of the eir union.
The couple in late e April laid police compla aints of defamation again nst two football sites on FaceF book which they says impinged on their privacy following a romantic trip the couple took to Phuket. The diminutive Jay, younger and shorter than May, is a member of the national football team and also plays on loan to the Japanese football club, Consadole Sapporo.
May said the admin behind the fan club page would send her messages about social media sites attacking her, including one which, it turns out, he had created himself. He would pretend to show sympathy and urge her to block the sites.
After discovering who it was, police showed May his registration details. May says she was surprised to discover the admin behind the site cheering her boyfriend was in fact a man. “He goes beyond merely liking Jay, but sounds obsessed,” she said.
“He gave a false name and address. When my manager contacted him, offering him a free May and Jay calendar, he turned it down, claiming he would rather it went to someone else.
“We have been suspicious for ages now. Jay wond dered why the admin chee ered him but was never will ling to turn up at any of his s games.
“I feel l wary of the internet now. I can’t be sure if th he people I talk to are ge enuine or fake. This wa as someone who passed d himself off as being on our side.” The e admin has yet to respond to the summ mons. Police say an a arrest warrant is in the offing if he fa ails to show.