PHUKET: Police recovered the body of a 33-year-old man from Sakon Nakhon found in the Bang Yai Canal in Kathu yesterday (Jan 10). The man is believed to have taken his own life after becoming depressed after losing his girlfriend.
The body of Tossaphon Phankham, 33, originally from Sakon Nakhon province, is recovered from the Bang Yai Canal in Kathu yesterday (Jan 10). Photo: Kathu Police
Lt Col Kiattisak Saengmanee, Deputy Chief Investigator of the Kathu Police was called to the scene, near the main three-way intersection in Moo Baan Irrawaddy ‒ Ketho in Kathu, at about 12:50pm.
Police found a Sakon Nakhon-registered motorbike parked on the footpath near the intersection. About 100 metres away in the canal police found the body of Tossaphon Phankham, 33, originally from Sakon Nakhon province.
He was dressed only in boxer shorts. He had taken off his shoes, which were found nearby, Lt Col Kiattisak noted in his report.
Police found no traces indicating that Mr Tossaphon had been involved in any struggle or attack.
Mr Tossaphon had been working as a painter and lived with his employer, Supachai Pew-ngam, who works for Friend Car Group Co Ltd in Rassada, Lt Col Kiattisak noted in his report.
Mr Supachai lives in Moo 7, Kathu, he added.
Mr Tossaphon had worked with Mr Supachai “about six to seven years ago”. He had resigned and went home to Sakon Nakhon, but came back to work after he broke up with his girlfriend at the end of 2020, Lt Col Kiattisak reported.
At 11pm last Friday (Jan 7), Mr Tossaphon had called Mr Supachai, but Mr Supachai did not answer that call, Lt Col Kiattisak noted.
Then at 1:30am on Saturday (Jan 8), Mr Tossaphon called his father, Thiab Phankham, and told him to come pick him up because he wanted to go home, and told his father that he wanted to die, Lt Col Kiattisak added.
Mr Tossaphon was last seen riding his motorbike from his workplace at 1:33am.
“The assumptions from inspecting the scene, it is believed that the deceased committed suicide due to stress that he had broken up with his girlfriend, who lives in Sakon Nakhon, and his father had asked him to work with Mr Supachai in Phuket,” Lt Col Kiattisak said in his report.
“The deceased had complained to his father that someone had insulted him,” he added.
“Mr Supachai and the deceased’s father are not suspicious of the cause of death,” Lt Col Kiattisak reported.
Mr Tossaphon’s body is being kept at the morgue at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.
Mr Thiab will collect his son’s body tomorrow (Jan 12), Lt Col Kiattisak concluded.
Phuket authorities last week set up a 24-hour hotline to help people who have been impacted and are struggling due to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hotline ‒ Tel: 1300 ‒ provides advice and coordinated assistance from a range of government departments and support agencies to those that have been affected in various ways by the pandemic, be it emotionally, mentally, financially or otherwise.
If you or anyone you know is in need of emotional support and counselling, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their 24-hour hotline 02-713-6791 (English), 02-713-6793 (Thai) or Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).
Source: The Phuket News