Ferrari fire can't dim Liptapanlops' love for their boy

Poonpirom, a former energy minister, said one important reason that helped him to survive the deadly accident was his sense of consciousness.

On the day, Luang was going to celebrate the day of love with six or seven friends in Pattaya. Sparks erupted from the Ferrari he was driving and the Bt17 million car was burnt to ashes.

"Luang told me he was lucky that day. He seemed to have a superstitious feeling. He looked at the rear mirror all the time. He said he had never driven a car with an engine at the rear so he did that constantly. The moment he saw sparks from the engine, he pulled over to the roadside and told his friend to leave the car. Then he tried to use the fire extinguisher on the car.

He told his mother he was fully conscious as the drama unfolded. Friends also helped but when the flames became larger, they called police, she said.

Poonpirom said the fact that an actress was at the scene made people think her son is a playboy. But he is not.

She said Luang ordered her a bouquet of white roses for Valentine's. He usually gives her flowers on special days and says, "Luang loves you, Mother." In exchange, she gave him a small plant with heart-shaped leaves for him to grow in Singapore where he works.

Before driving the car, he waied and recited the "Grandma's Charm" just as usual.The magic charm was passed on from her mother to her and to her children.

"The charm is not complicated. We call it the charm of consciousness. Consciousness will help us through a critical time," she said.

"Luang should be praised as a conscious person rather than a playboy. I am very proud of him," she said.

Poonpirom and her husband, Suwat, are very proud of both their children.

Suwat once said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva persuaded his daughter, Proudputh, to stand for politics.

"Think about this, she is a young foreign-educated lady. She will be a graduate from Oxford just like Prime Minister Abhisit. If she runs as the Democrat's candidate in Bangkok, I'm sure she'll win the vote," he talked happily about his daughter.

But for the son, Suwat said, he is working for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Singapore, receiving Bt200,000 which is higher than a Thai minister's salary. So he is not sure if Pasu will be interested in being a politician in Thailand.