Praewa's community service: conflicting claims

Orachorn "Praewa" Thephasadin na Ayudhya says she performed her required community service at a hospital, but the Probation Department insists she did not follow regulations.

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PD says Praewa 'did not abide' with parole service regulations

King-oua Laohong

The Probation Department (PD) insists Orachorn "Praewa" Thephasadin na Ayudhya's request to perform community service at a state-run hospital did not abide by department regulations.

Col Narat Sawetanant, the PD's director-general, said Monday Orachorn failed to consult officials and follow the department's regulations.

He said Orachorn submitted a document to officials saying she wanted to work voluntarily at Phramongkutklao Hospital as part of her community service. The hospital, meanwhile, is defending its role in the saga, and insists she performed community service there as she claims.

Orachorn is accused of breaching a 2014 court order requiring she perform 48 hours of community service a year for four years, a condition she had to meet to avoid jail time.

Orachorn, now 22, rammed her car into the rear of a passenger van carrying students and staff of Thammasart University's Rangsit campus on the Don Muang Tollway on Dec 27, 2010, killing nine and injuring four others.

This iconic photo taken by a passer-by moments after the fatal Tollway crash on Dec 27, 2011, shows then-16-year-old Orachorn tending to her mobile phone. The photo has been reproduced thousands of times on social media.

She was 16-years-old at the time, too young to hold a driver's licence.

Orachorn was charged with driving without a licence, reckless driving causing death and injury, property damage and using a mobile phone while driving.

She was sentenced to two years in prison, later suspended. She was ordered to perform 48 hours of community service a year for four years as a condition of her release.

Orachorn claimed she had performed the community service required at Phramongkutklao Hospital.

However, Col Narat said Orachorn was required to reach an agreement with PD officials as to where she would be sent to perform community service, adding the department has a network of offices and organisations where people on probation can perform community service.

The network works in line with the PD's requirements, he said, adding each community service session needs to be certified by the network and later submitted to the court for consideration.

Meanwhile, Col Peerapol Pokpong, deputy chief of Phramongkutklao Hospital, insisted Monday that Orachorn had performed community service at the hospital.

He said the hospital had photos of Orachorn clipping the nails of a patient.

The hospital's deputy chief said Orachorn contacted the hospital, offering to perform 138 hours of community service between Jan 11 and Feb 12.

A panel, chaired by him, was set up to look into Orachorn's work at the hospital, he said, insisting a team of officials had supervised her sessions and had kept a record of her work.

Col Peerapol claimed Chanchanok Jeamcharoen, a PD official from the Nonthaburi branch, met him and observed Orachorn's work at the hospital and did not raise the issue of PD regulations.

The hospital issued Orachorn a certificate when she completed her service, as required by the court, Col Peerapol said, adding she had worked at the hospital from 9am to 3pm between the dates she gave.

Col Peerapol admitted the hospital did not thoroughly study the details of the probation process, saying the PD officials should have told Orachorn that she must work within the PD network. He has dismissed criticism the hospital wanted to help Orachorn by allowing her to work at the hospital, saying the hospital only wanted to ease the PD's work.

"Our hospital is a leading governmental medical centre. We carry the name of Phramongkutklao [from King Rama VI]. We will not say she performed the service at hospital if she did not. That would ruin our reputation," he said.

Update:

In a harsh editorial today, the Bangkok Post had no sympathy for Orachorn's side of the story. 

"There was some hope that performing a bare minimum of 48 hours a year of community service would provide Orachorn with humility and grace. In this case, hope failed. Orachorn, now 22, has been breaching those kind conditions as she failed to reach an agreement with the authorities on where she would carry out the social service and simply went ahead at the place she chose."

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