where the money doesn't go

For the second time this week, the Northeast has seen a fatal collision between a truck and a pickup ferrying students to school.

June 21- A 10-wheeled truck slammed into a pickup packed with students [on Tuesday], killing six children and injuring at least 19 other people.

June 22- A 13-year-old boy was killed and 21 other children injured in a crash in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district.

Instead of spending 4 *billion* baht to buy a British football team with the vague hope of "promoting Thai football," perhaps the elected government could use a small portion of that money on basic public policy issues like procuring a few school buses for the kids.

Boy succumbs to his injuries

A 12-year-old boy, the victim of a horrible car accident in which one person died and 20 others were injured, died yesterday after fighting for his life for two days.

Theerapong Traisoongnoen had been operated on twice but died at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital yesterday at 5.30am.

His father, Jare, was inconsolable. "Please let father and son be together again in our next lives," he said, weeping.

The hospital was forced to provide a coffin for Theerapong, because Jare had no money to pay for one.

As he earns just Bt150 a month, Jare hopes his relatives and neighbours will help with his eldest son's funeral.

Jare said he had been worried about the pickup service that ferried his son to school each day and had been pondering alternatives at the time of the accident.

"Had I made the decision sooner, my son might have survived," said Jare.

Survivors said the pickup's driver, Duangrat Paeseng, had been talking on her mobile phone when the accident happened.

Witnesses said Duangrat had not noticed an oncoming truck blaring its horn at the pickup just moments before the accident.

"We have not yet questioned the survivors ... They are frightened and grieving," said Lieutenant Charnchai Urataka of Nong Sarai Police Station.

Four other students remain in critical condition.

Responding to questions of why the accident occurred in the first place, Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang said: " . . . I've already asked the Basic Education Commission to review regulations [concerning how students get to school]."

The Nation

Nakhon Ratchasima