When Supachai Kanlahasunthorn learned that the Criminal Court acquitted a defendant whom he believed killed his son two years ago in Bangkok's Din Daeng area for "lack of evidence", the man was devastated.
He jumped to his death right after emerging from the courtroom. His tragic death triggered an avalanche of criticism of the country's legal system, with many casting doubt about its functionality or lack thereof. It epitomises what Bangkok Post columnist Sanitsuda Ekachai described in her recent column as what might have been "a legal system without justice" and an urgent need for remedy.
Supachai's son, Thanit, was stabbed to death at the height of Songkran celebrations as he walked on a main road in Din Daeng district in 2016. After his untimely death, the family had little hope that the law would be on their side as the suspect was from a well-to-do family. The police's performance upset them and the court's verdict, based on insubstantial police reports, simply intensified their lack of confidence.
