Lumpini police captain sacked after giving alcohol to Korean man who died in the cells

A top level police investigation has revealed that a Lumpini police captain has been dismissed from the force after he gave a South Korean businessman alcohol at the police station. 

Kon Il Hwang, 28, a broker, had been arrested on a charge of indecency on February 2nd and put in the cells at the downtown Bangkok police station. 

After a police caption took pity on him and plied him with alcohol the South Korean died. 

Drugs were also found in the man’s system at autopsy – relatives and the embassy still want to know if that was a contributory factor in his death and where he got the drugs from. 

Deputy metropolitan commissioner Pol Maj-Gen Chaiyaporn Panichatra met yesterday with Lumpini station chief Pol Col Kamphon Ratanaprateep and other officers. 

Maj-Gen Chaiyaporn told Sanook that it had been a suspicious death in custody. After his arrest the suspect was stressed, unable to sleep and showing signs that he might try to commit suicide. 

He had asked for an interpreter and a volunteer was supplied who said that Hwang did not want to eat but he wanted some alcohol to drink. 

A police captain allowed him to leave the cells and have some drinks in an interview room. 

Though his intentions were good, said Chaiyaporn, it was a serious breach of police rules. 

The Korean returned to the cells at 4 am and could not sleep. In the morning he was found to be unconscious and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

At autopsy he was found to have had a heart attack though relatives said he had no history of heart disease. 

In addition methamphetamine was found in both his stomach and blood indicating that he had ingested the drug orally. 

Relatives wanted to know where he had obtained the drug and whether it was a contributory factor in his death. 

Maj-Gen Chaiyaporn said that the police captain in the case had been dismissed from the force. The police will continue to work with the relatives and the South Korean embassy to resolve outstanding matters. 

The name of the police captain was not revealed. 

Sanook

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