If the police wanted to restore public trust in them after multiple failures in the handling of Nida "Tangmo" Patcharaveerapong's case, the results of their two-month-long probe will not bring them any closer to that.
On Tuesday, Provincial Police Region 1 presented the results of their investigation during a press conference, concluding that the actress' death on the night of Feb 24 was "caused by drowning due to the reckless actions of the five individuals on the boat with her".
Now, police investigators are to submit their report, with more than 2,000 pages, along with evidence, to public prosecutors, placing numerous charges against Tanupat Lerttaweewit, Phaiboon Trikanjananun, Wisapat Manomairat, Nitas Kiratisoothisathorn, and Idsarin Juthasuksawat.
Meanwhile, another person, Peam Thamtheerasri, despite not being on the boat during the incident, is accused of "concealing evidence in a criminal case and directing others to make false statements".
It was reported that Mr Peam advised the passengers to delay giving their statements to the police after the tragedy.
Public prosecutors will decide next month if they will indict the six.
During the press conference, police said the boat's propeller was to blame for a large wound found on the inner right thigh of the actress, citing an autopsy report.
They concluded that after Tangmo slipped from the boat, suction generated by the propeller pulled her towards the blades.
They also presented a photo of a wound with stiches on the leg of an unidentified woman, saying it was caused by the blades of a boat propellor and it was similar to the cut on Tangmo's thigh.
Police did not mention who the picture was of, merely saying the incident took place abroad.
Such a conclusion only raised more questions, rather than quelling public curiosity and doubts. Some netizens, including those who were close to Tangmo, cried foul, even though the actress' mother accepted it.
A few online sites, including Drama Addict, known for its investigative content, challenged the police's account, particularly the photo they used in the press conference.
Drama Addict said the photo in question was irrelevant as it had appeared in The Sun, a British tabloid, in late 2019 and, according to accompanying reports, a 21-year-old woman suffered the wound while attending a dance party. The photo had nothing to do with a boat propeller as cited by Thai police.
Police yesterday held a briefing to explain that they could not use a real photograph of the victim's body and that the tabloid photo was used merely to help the public understand the victim's wound.
Yet, distrust in the police has only intensified.
Officers responsible for the case were already in hot water for what was seen as shoddy work right from the beginning.
They still owe the public an explanation, for instance, for why they allowed Mr Tanupat and the four suspects to delay giving statements after the fatal incident.
The Tangmo tragedy is confirmation that the police never learn as the force, the first channel in the justice system, manages to shrug off calls for reform, while the government, which vows to bring about change for the better, is too weak-willed to make it happen.
