A taxi driver who struck an Al Jazeera correspondent yesterday says he was not responsible for the man’s death.
Driver Supat Pakakong blamed 34-year-old journalist Lik Abdulkolic Mooktaree for crossing the street in a prohibited area on Phloen Chit Road when Supat struck him with his taxi, knocking him into the path of an oncoming bus which killed the Thai-Muslim man.
Mooktaree had recently been assigned to cover political developments in the Thai capital.
Metee attempted to cross the road under BTS Phloen Chit, where barriers are slung to prevent pedestrians from crossing.
Photo: Google Street View
Supat, 43, told the police he was heading to Phloen Chit intersection from the Nana area at 80 kph and did not see Mooktaree as he emerged from behind a pillar beneath the BTS platform.
Supat said he was in a direction-reversed, contraflow lane and assumed the journalist was not familiar with the area and looked the opposite way.
The driver said he’ll fight his case in court as he believed the deceased should have crossed the road through the BTS platform, Thairath reported.
