A mental patient who served prison time for the 2005 stabbings of 4 girls in Bangkok has turned herself in to police after allegedly stabbing a 5 year old girl to death.

50 year old Ms. Jitrlada Tantiwanitchasuk gave herself up to police in Nakhon Pathom province otside Bangkok yesterday. The 5 year old victim was pronounced dead on arrival at Nakhon Chaisri Hospital (NOTE: reports differ on the ages of the suspect and the victim)

Salee Uanmin, the girl’s 49 year old grandmother, runs a food stall at a house which she rents from Jitrlada’s mother.

A heartbroken Salee told police she was filling an order for six boxes of food from Jitrlada. She had put steamed rice into the boxes when she saw her 5 year old granddaughter, Tiprada Homsuwan, had fallen from her bed, and noticed her chest was bleeding.

Little Tiprada was rushed to hospital, but was pronounced dead. Shortly afterward Jitrlada surrendered herself at the local police station. Her family came to the station and told officers that she had just left a mental institution a week ago. Jitlada reportedly appeared to be in a trance and did not respond while being interrogated.

Her family said that she had been treated for mental illness for 20 years and was previously imprisoned for eight years after stabbing four Saint Joseph Convent School students .

In 2005, Jitrlada stabbed the 4 schoolgirls at Saint Joseph’s Convent in Bangkok, and allegedly killed a four year old girl on March 29 the same year. She was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to eight years in prison. Upon release she was sent to Galaya Rajanagarindra Institute for mental treatment, and later discharged.

SOURCES: Chiang Rai Times | The Nation

A British man, working in Bangkok as an English tutor, jumped from a 13th floor residence, in an alleged suicide. A neighbour discovered the man’s body while dumping rubbish on Thursday morning outside the apartment building in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district.

Police report that they were told the 26 year old was depressed and worried because his income had evaporated during the Covid-19 crisis.

A security guard at the property told police that he’d “heard something hit the ground” on the Wednesday night but failed to investigate. A Thai friend of the deceased told police that she’d known the man for six months and had recently invited him to help her prepare items that people could use as protection against the virus.

“It would bring them both a little income,” she told police.

The two were working on the project earlier on Wednesday evening when the man left at around 8pm. She says he never complained about anything and she had no idea he might be suicidal.

The British Embassy has informed the man’s relatives in the UK.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).

SOURCE: The Nation

Yesterday, the Airports of Thailand (AoT) board gave tacit approval of a master plan for the third-phase development of Don Mueang International airport costing an estimated of 39 billion baht. The expansion arrangements includes, increase of the airport’s capacity to 40 million passengers a year (currently 30 million a year), a 3.4 kilometre automated people mover system (APM), new car park buildings and a junction terminal offering retail shop space.

Don Mueang was the location of the one and only Bangkok international airport until Suvarnabhumi was opened in 2006. Don Mueang then became the defacto hub for many domestic and international budget airlines.

The new junction terminal plans will cover 100,000 square metres and include commercial space to boost the airport’s non-aviation income by 40% to 50%.

The new APM system will support the airport’s capacity to handle increasing passenger and should also ease crowding and congestion at the airport, which has been effecting traffic jams on the adjacent Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.

The AoT board has also approved the outcome of bidding for duty-free counters at Don Mueang airport. Winning the bid King Power Development will be operating the duty-free pick-up counters for 10 years and three months, from October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2032. (Surprise, surprise!)

According to a source, the development plan will be submitted to the Transport Ministry and the National Economic and Social Development Council for review before it goes to the cabinet for approval. Changes to the project will be included in the environmental impact assessment report. The bidding for the third-phase development project is expected to take place within this year at the earliest.

On another current matter, the board has also proposed relief measures to help airlines cushion the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. The proposed measures include a 50% cut in landing fees and parking fees for domestic flights and international flights from and to countries heavily affected by the virus outbreak. However, the proposal will have to be approved by the cabinet before it takes effect. Read more HERE.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post