The brutal slaying by a policeman, working extra as a restaurant patron, of two young British tourists near River Kwai 9 September was an eerie reminder of a similar attack in July this year by a freelancing police on a Swedish businessman and his Thai colleague in Bangkok.
But while the River Kwai culprit gave up after a month on the run following world wide publicity of the shooting, the July officer is working as usual.
That despite being positively identified in a witness confrontation and letters and phone calls from the Nordic Liaison office to the highest police commanders working with the case, begging for information and cooperation. Contact attempts that have remained unanswered.
Early October Sweden’s Ambassador in Bangkok escalated the case with a formal ´note´ to the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok.
“The flow of events in Kanchanaburi reminds me too well what happened to me and Mallika,” says Jonas Wikingskiöld, a 36-year marketing and sales professional living in Stockholm.
”With the big difference that we live to tell the story,” continues Jonas. “This is that Mallika was severely beaten up and I threatened at gunpoint with the words ‘now you die!’.”
In the ´note´ Sweden asks for the Ministry’s help to get in touch with the relevant police agency.
”I contacted the Ministry again on Thursday the 14th and they asked us for some patience. Their bureaucracy has to work its way, they said. I will also encourage our liaison officer to continue pursue the case at his contacts in the Thai police,” says Sweden’s Ambassador to Thailand, Jonas Hafström.
Jonas Wikingskiöld has filed a report with Interpol’s office in Stockholm in addition to statements given to police in Bangkok. Interpol has later told the liaison office Swedish police can not start a preliminary investigation because that job is supposed to be performed by the Thai police.
The drama begins 14 July when Jonas and 33-year old businesswoman Mallika Pathumchantharat, who runs a trading company he has applied for a job at, return to her car at Sukhumvit Soi 22 after a dinner at Admirals Pub and Restaurant on nearby Soi 18 when they decide to have a drink at a small bar on Soi 22 before leaving.
The drink check was much higher than expected. But they succeed to have it changed to the correct amount. Then a furious Thai man comes out of the dark inside the bar and put his hands around Mallika´s neck and try to strangle her.
“He shouted ´I’ll kill you! ´,” says Mallika.
A chocked Jonas jumps up and pull the man, with Mallika squeezed in between him and the Thai man, out of the bar on to the street helped by a waitress who opens the door.
Four other Thai men from the bar join and follow the tree outside.
They try but never succeed to beat up Jonas who fends off the attacks.
Meanwhile the first man beats Mallika to the ground.
She is now so dizzy by the strangling grip that her legs have gone numb and hang lifeless.
The beating of her continues while she lay down.
Then does one of the four other attackers pull a gun.
“I run into a nearby restaurant and scream for help. An armed Thai follow me out,” tells Jonas.
Outside waits the first man, he who is later identified as a police, with a pulled handgun aimed at Jonas´ stomach. He who volunteered to help Jonas puts down his weapon and back off.
The first man stares at Jonas and aims his gun at the Swede’s face.
“He says in English ´Now you die´,” says Jonas. “I was convinced he was going to fire the weapon. His look was crazy but determined as he was on drugs.”
By this time many spectators have gathered outside.
The first man looks around and stuffs his weapon under the waistline.
He and the four other men then force Jonas, and Mallika who is bleeding profusely with her cheek split and five teeth beaten so they hang loose in the severed mouth, in to the restaurant again.
One of the four men has pulled a gun and shows it off demonstratively.
The first man talks about money, make threats and boasts.
Jonas says the man refuses him and Mallika to leave for hospital although she prays.
“He had no feelings,” says Mallika from the hospital bed. “He demanded to see my id card and I obliged. I said you get as much as on the inflated check as longs as we can leave for hospital.”
And the opportunity comes when Jonas asks that he and Mallika can walk to an ATM and cash money for him and the man agrees. Instead Jonas drives Mallika to Bangkok General Hospital.
She has surgery for five hours. Her wounds are severe. Two steel plates are hooked up inside the cheek to keep the cheekbone together, wires are fastened in her cheek and her severed teeth are corrected.
She has lost sensitivity in half her lip because a nerve has been damaged.
She will also lose several teeth and can only consume liquid food for the next month.
Physically Jonas is not that hurt. He has some bruises and a little pain here and there.
Mentally he is worse off and very, very shaken.
While Mallika is sedated Thursday the 15th, after the surgery, Jonas travels to the bar where the turmoil began, together with police from Thonglo station who owns the case because the bar is in their district, and two officers from the tourist police.
At the bar its employees deny any beating or threat with weapons.
It was just a discussion about the check.
The staff claims they have never ever seen the man that started the brawl.
He was just another guest.
Then a uniformed police officer show up, not part of the force that came with Jonas.
“Who is he? I recognize him,” says Jonas to the other police officers.
They ask. He replies he owns the bar. Jonas does by that time recognize the newly arrived police officer as the man who threatened to shoot him dead the evening before.
The man is later identified by police and tourist police as a low rank policeman at Thonglo station.
On Friday does Mallika give her statement to the police, from her hospital bed, and her story does not differ from that one hour earlier given to Scandasia by Jonas.
He later gives a formal testimony to that tune to the police.
Mallika does later identify the accused policeman in a confrontation at Thonglo station.
At the bar waitresses give a completely different recollection of events.
They say Mallika pulled the bell a couple of times, protested against the check, had it corrected but then refused to pay at all.
Finally Mallika threw the money in the face of a waitress, followed by Jonas who hastily pulled Mallika out of the bar and they ran down the street.
Maybe Mallika fell there, says a waitress to Scandasia.
No physical bout, no man waving a gun, no strangling and no beating exist in their version.
Three months later very little has happened in the legal proceedings.
Jonas Wikingskiöld , who has worked in Asia, was in Bangkok to negotiate a position as import manager at Mallika´s company PWS Trade Ltd.
Is that still in your mind?
”Of course I wonder what may happen to me if I get that job. But my decision will not be affected by these events. I was threatened to life, Mallika severly beaten. I will witness against those who attacked us. But dare any of the other witnesses tell the truth?”
