The Anna Reese cop-kill: Impunity of elites reigns over justice in Thailand
Anna Reese speaks to police after last month’s fatal accident. Image via Bangkok Post.
By Alexandra Demetrianova-By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Jul 10, 2015
It wasn’t an extraordinary story to begin with. A deadly car crash in a country where 26, 000 people die on the roads every year, it comes as no surprise that yet another person died due to speeding and road racing. Also in the context of Thailand, there hadn’t been a major celebrity involved. Anna Reese, the Thai-English actress who rammed her speeding Mercedes into a parked car, where a policeman was resting, is a “B-list” celebrity in Thailand’s show business and celebrity culture. Not even a police officer killed in an accident or assault is an unusual news in Thailand. What really made the headlines was what came after, which doesn’t come a surprise in Thailand. On the contrary, it underlines the inequality and special treatment some get in the Kingdom, and how money and power decide justice.
