2 women in mistaken identity case

The policemen's supervisor said yesterday his team would be willing to apologise and pay for damages.

Natchanan Suksansomcharoen, 30, and Pitchayada Thamrongpornsawat, 29, yesterday went to the Bang Na police station to give details about the incident, which took place while they were sitting in a car waiting for a friend in front of Central Bang Na, and a team of 10 police officers from Chon Buri searched and damaged the car, before slapping them.

After a twohourlong meeting with the police, Natchanan told reporters that they were waiting for a friend travelling from Suvarnabhumi Airport when police officers surrounded the car, held guns at them, smashed a car window and slapped their faces.

"A doctor at Thai Nakarin Hospital diagnosed that the slapping had caused inflammation. While my friend did not get slapped that hard, my face was swollen. After that, the team's leader tried to have his subordinate apologise, but the guy he brought to us was not the one who slapped us. We will be pressing charges, but if the police are sincere, I am willing to talk, but would have to consult my relatives first," she said.

Bang Na police chief Colonel Khomsak Sumangkaset said the investigator would invite the victims for another interview and a reenactment before the accused officer is summoned to face accusations.

He said the police team had received a tipoff that some drug dealers, in a car of the same model and colour as that of the women, was heading to the area to make a deliv¬ery. Later the team retrieved a onekilogram bag of Ice inside a telephone booth in front of the mall.

The victims realise that it was a case of mistaken identity but they still want the police to take responsibility for their action, he said, assuring that the investigation would be unbiased.

Upon hearing that the police team would speak to them, Natchanan told a reporter over the phone that she was still afraid and not yet ready to nego¬tiate, and would therefore let the legal procedure run its course first.

Chon Buri deputy superintendent Pol LtCol Suthat Pumpanmuang, who led the sting operation, showed up at the Bang Na police station to say that his squad was hoping to capture an Ice dealer, who was part of an already imprisoned gang of drug dealers. The tipoff said the dealer had placed the drugs inside a telephone booth near a blue sedan car, that had a man and woman in it, he said. The team then found the victims' car, which matched the description, so they surrounded it in order to make an arrest. However, the people inside the car, which had tinted windows, did not open the doors so they had to smash the glass because they feared the suspects might have guns, he said.

"I've cracked more than 100 cases in the past and have never made a mistake, but this time we were tricked. About my subordinate's alleged face slapping, I was told he accidentally swung his hand and hit them. I'm ready to have my subordinates stand in line for the victims to identify and have the officer apologise and pay for damages. We do not intend to bully anyone. As for our seizing mobile phones and car keys, we needed those to investigate," he said.

Meanwhile, Chon Buri deputy chief Colonel Theerapol Chindaluang said the police team was only carry¬ing out an operation according to the tipoff. He said the team was good at cracking drugdealing rings and had even declined to take a Bt400,000 bribe from a dealer once. He said the officers were sorry about what had happened and that the police would be more careful in the future. He called for the public to be sympathetic because in eight out of ten cases, the suspects had guns. He added that a disciplinary committee would be created to ensure justice for both sides.