Heartbreaking incident in Chai Nat as bystanders laugh and watch woman drown

The tragic drowning of a 32 year old woman in Chai Nat province sparked outrage after a distressing video emerged of bystanders laughing and refusing to help. The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 31, around 8.30pm in a 3-metre deep irrigation canal near Huay Ta See village, Wang Kai Thoe subdistrict, Hankha district.

The Chai Nat Ruamkatanyu Foundation volunteer divers spent over two hours searching the water before they discovered the body of the victim, Suratwadee. Suratwadee, a resident of Nern Kham subdistrict, Nern Kham district, Chai Nat province, was later handed over to her relatives for religious rites at Lahan Yai Charoen Si temple (Wat Huay Ta See).

The victim’s 52 year old mother, Surin broke her silence at 4pm yesterday. She expressed her despair over the video that showed her daughter drowning while onlookers stood by, laughing and making no attempt to save her. She questioned why the person filming the incident and the numerous bystanders did not intervene.

According to Surin, her daughter had been playing in the water after dark, around 8pm. She reportedly slipped from one side of the canal to another, clinging onto a Son tree before losing her grip and being swept away by the water.

Suratwadee was heard crying for help, but instead of assisting, onlookers suggested she was attempting suicide. The video contradicts this as Suratwadee can be heard calling for help. It’s also been noted that she had consumed alcohol before entering the water, reported Sanook.

Surin also stated that her daughter was a mental health patient. However, hearing her pleas for help in the video was agonising. She couldn’t comprehend why no one helped, stating that even if an animal was drowning, people would rescue it.

Bystander apathy

Regardless of her daughter’s mental health condition, she was once a good person and never troubled anyone. She only drank alcohol. What hurt her most was hearing someone say, “Let her drown. She’s seeking attention. Let her drown first, then call the rescue team.”

She expressed her immense pain at hearing her daughter’s cries for help and said her son was also deeply affected by the incident. She questioned the humanity of the person filming the video and the bystanders who were present.

From her perspective, they could have easily helped when her daughter was still close to the shore, or they could have called for help or even followed her home to get assistance.

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