Bangkok Post photo file
The man whose joke about a bomb grounded a
Thai Lion Air
flight this weekend apologised for his behaviour on Monday
even
as the airline and his employer vowed more legal action.
Thai
Lion Air CEO Aswin Yangkirativorn said
the budget
carrier's legal team was calculating how much was lost by
the
cancellation of flight SL8536 on Sunday and would sue
to recover every baht of
the loss from Pichit Boondaeng, 23.
Mr
Pichit, an employee with the State Railway of Thailand's
mechanical engineering
department, already faces criminal
charges.
He made headlines after he
"teased" a Thai Lion Air flight
attendant about a bomb possibly
hidden in his carry-on bag
as the flight was preparing to leave Don Mueang
airport for
Hat Yai on Sunday.
The attendant told the aircraft's captain, who immediately
The attendant told the aircraft's captain, who immediately
cancelled the flight
and ordered all passengers to disembark.
Mr Aswin said the bomb hoax cost the
airline hundreds of
thousands of baht when the flight was delayed for six hours,
affecting hundreds of passengers. Lion Air to add China flights
The incident damaged the airline's image and
forced a recheck
of all baggage. It also had to pay additional expenses for
other services, including aircraft-parking fees.
"It is understood that the passenger was
just teasing the flight
attendant, but the airline's first priority is
safety," he said.
"As for the extent of the compensation,
the legal team is
looking into it. This incident should be taken as a lesson
and an example case for other passengers."
'Sorry'
Mr
Pichit appeared at a news conference mat Don Muang
police station Monday, where
Acting Metropolitan Police
chief Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn said the same
thing.
The
police chief thanked Mr Pichit for accepting an invitation
to appear at the
news conference, which aimed to encourage
the public to be aware of the new Act
on Certain Offences
Against Air Navigation and to learn from Mr Pichit's
mistake so similar incidents don't re-occur.
At the
briefing, Mr Pichit gave a wai and apologised for his
mistake, saying he did it
out of a lack of discretion.
The
young jokester may have to do more than apologise to
his employer, however.
SRT governor Wutthichart Kalayanamitr said
Mr Pichit is
on leave until Tuesday and will face a disciplinary investigation
when he returns to work.
He
added Mr Pichit's behaviour had caused alarm for
crewmembers and passengers. He claimed it also had
"damaged the SRT's image". Pol Lt Gen Sanit said Mr Pichit
will be
the first person to be prosecuted under the new
air-navigation law.
He said Mr Pichit was released on 75,000
baht bail after being
charged with reporting false information causing alarm on
a parked aircraft. Pol Lt Gen Sanit said the air-navigation law
imposes relatively
high penalties.
The
charge against Mr Pichit carries a maximum five years
in jail and/or fine of
200,000 baht.
Even
harsher penalties would have been imposed had the flight
already been in the
air when when Mr Pichit uttered his joke.
In that case, he would have faced a
maximum 15 years in jail,
a fine of 200,000-500,000 baht or both, Pol Lt Gen
Sanit said.
The SRT employee said he was supposed to
attend a friend's
wedding ceremony in Hat Yai and that it was the first time
he
had travelled by plane.
He
made the bomb remark only to tease a female flight
attendant who he thought was
attractive.
"I didn't know this law existed,"
he said. "Due to my
impetuousness, I just mocked her because I saw she was
beautiful," Mr Pichit said.
"I want my case to be lesson learned so
this kind of case
will not happen again.
I apologise to everyone for causing a
problem. I repent and
admit my guilt."
News, General,Bangkok Post, 2 September 2015.
Treatening the airline about bombing is not a joke
but it is joke for me when Mr.Pichit said it is a joke.
Agree with the airline to make legal action with him.
Hope this case is the case for everyone not to do
anything without thinking carefully about the result
to others.
Sincerely Yours.
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