“We are very grateful that my son survived. He’s very lucky,” said Mr Songkran, who is managing director of Charn Issara Development PLC.
He stressed that there was no truth in rumours that his son started the fight at the Rachada Bar in the Phoonpol area of Phuket Town. (See earlier story here)
“I want to assure the media that Plawan would never start a fight – he never has. This was over a matter of a broken glass. I can’t believe people could do something like this.
“I think he was in the wrong place at wrong time. He had been to this bar half a dozen times before. He is a victim of the overall decline in society,” he added.
Mr Vorasit’s mother Sriwara said, “I’m sure that rumours that he started the fight are not true. Especially with people lower on the social scale, he was always nice and polite.”
But, she added, “I am not surprised it happened. It’s the kind of people who go [to the Rachada Bar].
“It’s not the kind of place he should have taken his guests to. Even if they wanted to experience a typical Thai bar, he should not have taken them there.
“It will be a lesson for him.”
As for the six men arrested for the attack. Mr Songkran said, “We will let the judicial system take its course.”
The Deputy Director of the Bangkok Hospital, Dr Badin La’ied, and surgeon Pongsak Wichitloochanapan detailed Mr Vorasit’s injuries and the implications.
“Four people came to the hospital with injuries,” Dr Badin said. “Two had been hit over the head and had bruises on their bodies. Both went home after treatment.
“Mr Vorasit’s chauffeur, Noppadon Preechawai, was hit in face with an axe. He had a cut on his head and one tooth was knocked out. He was well enough to leave the hospital today.”
By far the most seriously hurt was Mr Vorasit himself. He was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital and Dr Badin estimated he had lost between one and one and a half litres of blood.
The doctors detailed his injuries:
- Five wounds on his head from “something sharp". (On his Facebook page Mr Vorasit said the cuts on his head were caused by a bottle.)
- An axe wound to his right shoulder
- A much more serious axe wound to the left shoulder, with a deep cut resulting in two pieces of bone being separated from his shoulder blade.
- A stab wound to the left side of his stomach, going almost right through to his back. The knife nicked his large intestine but did not damage any vital organs.
- A cut on his left ankle, which damaged a nerve and two tendons.
Mr Vorasit underwent 12 hours of operations, Dr Badin said, and he is still in the Intensive Care Unit and in shock. “He is not in a condition yet to answer police questions.”
The doctors said that the leg wound would mean Mr Vorasit would be in plaster for at least six weeks, but the leg would probably recover completely.
The damage to the left shoulder, however, may leave him unable to raise his left arm.
“We can’t say when he will be ready to leave hospital,” Dr Badin said. “We want to observe his progress for seven days before we make any decisions.”
The six men who were arrested, just hours after the fight, for attacking Mr Vorasit have been locked up in the Phuket Provincial Prison to await trial for attempted murder, said the Deputy Superintendent of Phuket Town Police, Lt Col Jamroon Plyduang told The Phuket News after the press conference.
“They have made no application for bail but if they do we will oppose it strenuously,” he added.
He added that the police are now searching for more people involved in the attack, and Mr Vorasit’s chauffeur was to be interviewed today to see what information he could add to police understanding of the case.