Today, June 14, the drug case against Kim Roger Eriksson Sirawan began at 10 o´clock in the Criminal Court Bangkok.
Mr. Eriksson Sirawan, a 30 year-old Swedish citizen living in Thailand, was last year in July arrested in the case. The Public Prosecutor is trying to prove that the Swede had manufactured 53 grams of methamphetamine, so called ´Ice´, and set up a laboratory facility in order to produce methamphetamine or ´Ice´ in his home in Rayong. If the court finds Mr. Eriksson Sirawan guilty as charged, death penalty or life time is a possible outcome.
His defense lawyer Chakrit Parameedireklap is trying to prove that Mr.Eriksson Siriwan was tricked by the police who used an illegal entrapment.
Mr. Eriksson Sirawan entered the courtroom dressed in beige prison clothes, his feet chained and with handcuffs and was seated on the front row. Despite his eleven month in the notorious Klong Phrem prison in Bangkok, Mr. Eriksson Sirawan appeared to be in a good shape, calm and relaxed.
His father, mother, sister and a couple of friends welcomed him and Mr. Eriksson Sirawan was visibly affected by the meeting. A few seconds later his wife Awatsada embraced him and placed their 14 month-old daughter Taeya in his lap, Mr. Eriksson Sirawan smiled through his tears when hugging and kissing his daughter.
Kim´s father, Janne Eriksson was seated at second row in the courtroom, just behind his son and the translator. The father was listening intensively during the questioning of the police witnesses.
“I think that the first part of the case went pretty good,” Kims father says.
“Even the police officer in charge of the operation told the court that an undercover agent was in use which makes the case an entrapment. The defense can prove that this agent is a Swedish citizen, a chemist. I am sure that this will help Kim to avoid death penalty or life time,” he added.
Also the defense lawyer, Chakit Parameedirektlap, was quite pleased by the start of the case.
“I think we had a good start. We got the information and the answers we were looking for when questioning the police involved in the case,” Mr. Parameedireklap says.
According to his father, Mr. Eriksson Sirawan is not too marked by the 11 month in prison.
“He has good friends giving him money and food but of course Kim has a hard time spending his time in useful ways in the Klong Phrem prison,” his father says.
