The attempt by Prasit Jeawkok, a businessman implicated in a high-profile fraud case, to flee a Criminal Court during a hearing on Dec 22 puts the state security system and the officers involved in an unflattering light.
Police said Mr Prasit's escape bid wasn't spur-of-the-moment but had been planned.
On his way to a hearing on the ninth floor, the suspected fraudster asked to have a toilet break.
While he was inside the restroom, he managed to unlock his ankle lock and change his clothes to disguise himself.
He exited the restroom unnoticed and made his way to the building's lower floor.
Cash, as well as accommodation, was prepared in the event he managed to escape the court building, but his attempt was botched thanks to a defendant in another court case, who recognised him and alerted officials.
Security officers, rather than the corrections officers who had acted negligently from the beginning, caught him just in time.
As of yesterday, four people had been arrested for their role in Mr Prasit's escape bid.
Three were caught soon after the attempt was foiled, and all confessed that they were his accomplices. A woman, said to be Mr Prasit's girlfriend, was arrested on Monday on a related charge.
They have all been denied bail.
His brazen attempt epitomises a dire need for the court to revamp its security system, including security cameras and checks of the building for suspicious items, as in this case items were left in a restroom used for his disguise.
The escape attempt is an embarrassment to the Corrections Department, and raises the question of how the accused suspect dared to flee.
Without help from an insider, some say the escape plan would not have been attempted.
How did Mr Prasit get hold of a key to break his ankle irons which are said to be sophisticated, imported items? Or did someone help unlock them for him?
Suspicions are running high that someone at the Corrections Department must have helped.
The department has set up a panel to probe the matter, promising a speedy investigation within seven days, of the possibility that it's an inside job.
Any officers involved will face harsh punishment -- a fine and imprisonment.
Almost a week has passed, and there is no word of any progress, fuelling concerns the state agency may be looking to instead play a waiting game until public attention fades.
A key figure in a state volunteer campaign, Mr Prasit, who was known for his motto, "one needs not be rich, but he/she must be good", was said to have links to the army's information operations (IO) campaign.
His connections with high-level officials also cannot be underestimated.
Mr Prasit was arrested after hundreds of people complained that they were lured into a fraudulent scheme that involved investment in tour packages, a cooperative and luxury goods, among others, all with promises of high returns.
However, the business turned out to be a chit fund, and the accumulated loss has surpassed one billion baht.
Details about his attempted escape need to be made public.
The Corrections Department, as well as the Justice Ministry, owe the public an answer.
