Not wanted, dead or alive

NO MAN’S LAND: A Thai man working at a casino in the Cambodian border town of Poipet died there after Cambodian officials refused to let his wife, Khun Wanna, take him back to Thailand to seek emergency medical treatment. The victim, 23-year-old Samruay Sukpanao, started working at the Princess Casino as a decorator 15 days before his untimely demise on July 31. While on duty at about 2 am, K. Samruay developed chest pains, followed by convulsions and loss of consciousness. Desperate for help, K. Wanna took him to the Cambodian checkpoint and asked to cross into Thailand. But officials said they would need clearance from the Cambodian-Thai Border Coordination Office, located next to the casino. When they reached the Coordination office, however, the official refused to help – because his supervisor was not present. K. Wanna finally found a doctor in Poipet, who pronounced K. Samruay dead. The young wife sadly took her dead husband’s body to a temple in Poipet, planning to remain there until the checkpoint reopened at 7:30 am. But the monks refused to let her wait in temple grounds. When K. Wanna and a friend made their way back to the border checkpoint at 5 am, Cambodian officials finally allowed them to drag the body through, but without their vehicle. So they had finally left Cambodia. Now all they had to do was get back into Thailand. But the Thai side of the border, which is manned by the Army overnight, was not due to open until 7:30. So K. Wanna, crying beside the body, had to wait in the middle of the bridge in “no man’s land”. The immigration checkpoint officer on the Thai side said they had received a fax about K. Samruay, but were unable to do anything about it until 7:30 because they didn’t have the key.