Family feud over dinner turns fatal as man in northern Thailand kills father

In a tragic act of family violence, a 32 year old man fatally slashed his father after a dispute over eating rice in the family farm hut, in Ban Tat, Non Sung District, Udon Thani province in northeastern Thailand. At around 8.15pm yesterday, Non Sung Police Station officer, Sethawit Kunseth, rushed to the scene where they found the body of the 57 year old man with deep head wounds lying face down next to a blunt knife, a box of sticky rice and a jar of fermented fish sauce.

According to family members, the father reportedly used to sleep in a different place due to fear of his son, who had a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Despite this fear, the father would still care for his son, providing him daily with food and even fishing for him.

The son, following the fatal act, bathed and changed clothes, remaining at the scene until the police arrived. His interrogation conveyed his anger and frustration towards his father’s reprimanding remarks for eating in the space meant for farming work, reported KhaoSod.

Eyewitnesses reported that following a day of labouring in the rice fields, the family returned home to prepare dinner. The silence after the heated argument between father and son created suspicion. Upon checking, they discovered the body of the father. Relatives of the young man said he had taken two methamphetamine pills and three glasses of alcohol prior to the incident.

After conducting investigations and forensic checks, law enforcement agencies charged the young man with the offence and forwarded the case for legal action according to Thai law. The victim’s body was sent for postmortem to ascertain the cause of death. The incident invites a critical evaluation of the country’s ongoing battle with substance abuse, and its escalating impact on the societal fabric in Thailand.