8 year old girl rescued after spending 2 days in Chon Buri cemetery (video)
A Thai cemetery caretaker rescued an eight year old girl who spent two days in a graveyard in Chon Buri province after she was allegedly abused by her mother, prompting her to run away from home.
The 55 year old cemetery caretaker, Samai Kalaphan, sought help from the Tri Khunnatham Rescue Foundation after discovering the girl. Samai explained that he saw the girl playing alone in the eerie graveyard.
Samai said he thought the girl came with her family and initially ignored her. However, the girl was still there in the evening and no one was around. He spoke with her and learned that she had been abused by her mother. She fled the house and was afraid to return for fear of being beaten again.
The rescue foundation arrived on the scene to talk to the girl. The rescuers believe the girl is a Burmese national but it has not yet been confirmed as she did not have any personal documents on her.
According to the rescuers, the girl had mosquito bites all over her body and bruises allegedly from her mother’s abuse. She slept in a grave and had a bag of fertiliser for a pillow. She did not carry anything with her except her pink comfort doll.
The girl told the rescuers that she lived with her mother, who allegedly beat and scolded her. She ran away from the house but did not know where to go and stayed in the cemetery. She did not eat for two days and only drank water from a pond in the area.
Samai allowed the girl to stay with him and his family until the rescue team could contact her mother and find a home for her. Samai said he was worried that others might harm the girl, so he would look after her and provide her with food and drink until the matter was resolved.
The rescue foundation is now coordinating with the relevant authorities to identify the girl’s parents.
