Thai teen’s fall from grace: Bangkok boy’s suicide attempt after family exposes theft
A Thai teen made a suicide attempt last night by leaping off a pedestrian overpass in the Thon Buri district of Bangkok after being confronted by his family for repeated theft.
Bukkalo Police Station officers responded to the incident near Soi Somdet Phra Chao Taksin 40. They discovered the victim, Rung, on the road beneath the overpass with two broken legs, visibly distressed. The officers promptly transported the Thai teen to Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital for urgent treatment.
A family member named Nok informed the police that money had consistently gone missing in the household. The situation came to a head when a family member caught the Thai teen in the act of stealing money. Upon inspecting Rung’s phone, they discovered he had transferred over 250,000 baht in total to an unknown individual.
Despite the family’s efforts to coax the full story from Rung, he remained uncooperative. As they pressed him to open up, he abruptly fled the house and headed to the overpass. Although some family members pursued him, they were unable to intervene in time.
Nok mentioned that she was unaware of the recipient of Rung’s money transfers. With no history of drug use or other criminal activities, the family speculated that he might be in debt from online gambling.
Authorities are currently awaiting Rung’s recovery before questioning him about the motives behind his thefts. They have also interviewed Rung’s family to gather additional information about the case.
The Ministry of Public Health reported that the age of people who take their own lives is getting younger. People aged between 15 and 19 were the most likely to attempt suicide. The main reason for their decision was depression.
Apart from depression, bullying at school, sexual assault and stress from being cheated were other motives, according to news reports.
A 15 year old boy decided to end his life in January after falling victim to an investment scam. A 18 year old girl in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat took her own life in October after a scam gang swindled her money for her dream mobile phone. A 14 year old girl committed suicide last month after years of suffering from sexual assaults.
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). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.
