CHIANG MAI – Police have detained a foreign tourist for unlocking an airplane door, disrupting 13 flights at Chiang Mai Airport. The results of the test revealed no drugs and no evidence of mental disorder.
On February 8, officials from Chiang Mai Province’s Phupingkhachanivet Police Station discussed the findings of an inquiry into a foreign visitor who caused a disturbance at Chiang Mai International Airport on February 7 at 9:00 p.m.
Mr. Wong, a 40-year-old Chinese-Canadian computer engineer, opened the emergency door of Thai Airways aircraft TG121 from Chiang Mai to Suvarnabhumi at the moment the jet was about to take off, making the evacuation slide unfold. The airplane was unable to fly and became stuck in the middle of the runway, disrupting other jets. There were 13 flights involved, with a total of 2,296 passengers affected at Chiang Mai Airport.
According to the investigation, Wong arrived in Bangkok on February 3 and then went to Chiang Mai. and was set to travel back from Chiang Mai to Suvarnabhumi on the night of February 7.
Wong claimed he was afraid of the underground movement from Vietnam, which would destroy the plane. Therefore, he wanted to escape from the plane. Officials found some medicine with him, but the physical examination results that came out on the evening of February 8 did not find any drugs. The police have not found any evidence of his mental illness yet.
Pol. Lt. Col. Nattawut Noison, deputy superintendent of the Phuping Police Station, said that law enforcement filed two serious charges:
(1) act in whatever manner, maintaining the aircraft in a way that may endanger individuals. (2) A person on board the aircraft during flight violates or fails to follow the directions of the aircraft commander or crew by opening the aircraft’s emergency door without an appropriate reason.
According to Pol. Lt. Col. Nattawut, officials continue to detain Wong, and new charges under the Aircraft Act may be filed.
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