BANGKOK, OCT 10 – A 63-year-old high-profile Thai pop singer knelt on the road and bowed to apologize after a car crash left one woman dead and another injured, police said today.
The incident that befell Manasawin Nantasen is different from several incidents that have happened before in Southeast Asia, where the rich and powerful sometimes escape punishment.
He faces a charge of dangerous driving, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted. Police said they expect him to cooperate with the investigation.
Known as Tik Shiro, he rose to fame in the 1980s and his years-long music career, fedora hat and moonwalk-inspired dance moves earned him the nickname ‘Thailand’s Michael Jackson.’
During the incident, he had driven his Hyundai across a bridge in Bangkok and then hit a motorcycle, killing a 28-year-old woman identified as Tianporn, and injuring the victim’s brother, Chakkraphat, 21, police said.
“All my life, I never thought of doing such an incident,” he said. “It shouldn’t have happened,” he added.
Local media reports said the celebrity would pay 100,000 baht (US$3,000) for Tianporn’s funeral expenses and cover Chakkraphat’s medical costs. – AFP
