Posted on 11/15/2003 8:27:26 PM PST by nickcarraway
THAILAND'S most famous forensic pathologist is almost single-handedly changing the habits of Royal Thai Police officers - by embarrassing them.
Dr Porntip Rojanasunan, 49, gathered the DNA evidence that led to last week's conviction for murder of gynaecologist Wisut Boonkasemsanti - two years after the police had released him for lack of evidence.
More important though is her work in the 1999 'suicide' case of prominent legislator Hangthong Thammawattana.
Her sensational unravelling of the fact that the MP was, in fact, murdered has exposed a likely cover-up which includes former judges and public prosecutors.
She has been warned by an anonymous caller to quit the case or end up like the victim - shot in the head.
Dr Porntip, who dresses like a punk rocker, is deputy director general of the Ministry of Justice's Central Institute of Forensic Science, which probes independently of the police.
Married for 20 years and the mother of a teenage girl, she revels in her maverick image and churns out bestselling paperbacks about her cases.
She blames politicians and businessmen for their influence.
'They (the police) have the capability for this sort of scientific investigation but...they are not independent enough,' she told The Sunday Times.
'If a senior officer has a theory, the others will go along with it. Nobody is brave enough to challenge the top officers.'
Not surprisingly, many senior officers see her as being out to destroy their credibility. The distaste is mutual, but she is not about to back down in her fight for the truth. -- Nirmal Ghosh
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