His wife Phattharawadee, 52, and a maid were injured and admitted to Saraburi Hospital with bruising and joint pains. The accident happened as Thaejing was returning to his housing estate after visiting his son who was ordained as a novice at Wat Kaeng Khanoon.

Police identified the driver of the second vehicle as Non Pongsawang, 33, and said he appeared drunk. Testing at the accident scene proved positive but blood-test confirmation will take between two and three days.

Police said Non was related to the late well-known Saraburi Pakistani immigrant Baikhan Pongsawang.

Thaejing told Nation Channel yesterday the accident had made him want to campaign even harder against drinking and driving. He will push for tougher drink-driving legislation because such accidents could happen to anyone at any time.

Provincial Police Region 1 Commander Lt-General Ek Angsananont visited Thaejing in hospital yesterday. He promised the incident would be thoroughly investigated. Thaejing, his wife and their employee were discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon.

In related news, Probation Department director-general Wanchai Rujanawong reported 4,077 people were arrested for drunk driving during the seven-day Songkran holiday and sentenced to probation. During last year's 10-day holiday the figure was 4,841.

Most arrests were in Bangkok with 397 followed by Buri Ram with 357, Surin with 266, Nakhon Ratchasima with 199 and Sakon Nakhon with 192.

Wanchai called on legislators to stiffen penalties for driving while drunk because the present punishment was not a deterrent.

He had recommended that the average sentence of three months' jail be increased four-fold and fines doubled to Bt20,000. The stiffer penalties would allow for an average probation term of six months, he said.