Man beaten unconscious, thrown into Bangkok park pond

A man has been arrested and charged with murder after his friend was beaten and thrown into a pond at Benjasiri Park on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, in an incident caught partly on CCTV.

Thonglor Police Station received a report at around 10.30pm on August 21 that a man had fallen into the pond. Rescue workers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation and a police dive team were called in to search the water.

The body of an unidentified man was recovered from the pond. He was found without a shirt, wearing black jean shorts, with no shoes or identification, leaving his name and nationality unknown.

Witnesses initially told officers that two or three men had been arguing near the edge of the pond before one was thrown in. A review of CCTV footage later showed a single attacker beating the victim, including kicks to the face, before throwing him into the water. The victim did not appear to resist and sank without further movement.

Police arrested the suspect, Taweesak Phanngam, known as “Tom”, at 10.13am the following morning. He was taken to the South Bangkok Criminal Court, where investigating officers requested he be held without bail. No relatives came forward to request bail on his behalf.

Asked by reporters why he threw his friend into the water, Taweesak initially declined to answer. When asked if the two had argued, he confirmed it, adding that the victim had not lost consciousness but was still in a state of frenzy that he could not control. He said he threw the victim into the pond in an attempt to calm him down.

He said he did not know what had caused the outburst, adding only that the victim was prone to similar episodes.

Taweesak later told reporters the argument was not about money. He said he was unhappy that the victim had allegedly been behaving indecently towards tourists in the park and no longer wanted him staying in the area, though he gave no further detail.

Thonglor Police Station said investigations into the case are ongoing.