The photographs of a young female police corporal who had just completed facial reconstruction surgery following a savage beating by her boss reminded the public of a controversial case that shocked the country last year.
The images, which went viral on social media shortly after they were released on Wednesday, showed 22-year-old Corporal "A", who had to undergo the extensive procedures after her nose and sinus cavity were shattered when she was assaulted with a metal rod by Pol Cpl Kornsasi Buayaem, her employer.
The 43-year-old officer has been slapped with 17 criminal charges, which include physical assault and human trafficking. Lest the public forgets, Pol Cpl Kornsasi, also known as "Jay Nuch", was once an assistant to senator Thani Onlahiad, with whom she is accused of having intimate relations with.
After her arrest in late August, Pol Cpl Kornsasi reportedly told assistant national police chief, Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, that she managed to secure her current position with the help of a phu yai -- "a senior figure" -- back in 2017.
After the news became public, the Senate's ethics committee launched an investigation into whether Mr Thani or other influential figures had helped Pol Cpl Kornsasi get a job with the Royal Thai Police and secured her transfer to the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 office, which oversees the restive Southern provinces, without her having ever stepped foot in the South. Isoc has reportedly confirmed Pol Cpl Kornsasi was on the Isoc payroll but never went to work in the South.
It also remains a mystery how Pol Cpl Kornsasi managed to secure a job for her maid in the army, and how she managed to bring her from the barracks to work at her private home instead.
While the perpetrator has been arrested and the victim has recovered, the Senate has yet to announce what it plans to do with the results of the probe.
It must be noted that their Senate ethics committee's investigation concluded in December, and the results of the probe have been forwarded to the Senate's president. By law, the Senate has to reveal the committee's findings, so senators can decide what action to take next.
Yet three months have already passed and still there is nothing but silence from the Senate.
It needs to be noted, too, that a Lower House committee on corruption led by Pol Gen Sereepisuth Temeeyaves also conducted a similar probe into a number of senators -- which include Mr Thani, as well as Adm Sitthawat Wongsuwon and Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwon, both brothers of Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon.
However, the committee led by the maverick Pol Gen Sereepisuth has also chosen not to say a word about the results of its investigation.
Pol Cpl Kornsasi's abuse of her maid is not just another assault case; it is a glaring display of abuse of power and nepotism. It also shows the alarming absence of checks and balances within our parliament.
Months have passed and a lot of resources have been spent by both committees in the Upper and Lower Houses, so they cannot be allowed to simply hide the outcome from taxpayers.
