A man who admitted paying a 13-year-old girl to drink alcohol at an ordination ceremony, leading to her collapsing into a coma, has surrendered to police.
Police said on Wednesday that Jetsada Phongphatthanaporn, 26, of Nakhon Ratchasima, turned himself in on Tuesday afternoon.
He admitted being the person seen in a video paying money to two 13-year-olds, a boy and a girl, at the ordination ceremony on Sunday.
Jetsada claimed that the girl and the boy had first offered to drink liquor in exchange for money. He said he had no intention of asking them to drink an entire bottle.
The girl collapsed unconscious after drinking the half-bottle of liquor. She was rushed to the intensive care unit of a local hospital.
A video taken by a local resident showed men forming a circle and cheering on the girl and the boy as they raised their bottles and gulped down the liquor.
The girl’s grandmother said on Wednesday that her granddaughter was now out of danger and had regained consciousness. She could sit up in a wheelchair and interact with people, but her voice was still hoarse.
