The young lad and the sea

PATONG: A 15-year-old German boy tried to drown himself at Patong Beach after his parents forbade him to see again a ladyboy he had met on Soi Bangla. On the evening of September 12, the boy – whose name was not released because he is a minor – was ordered to stay in his room by his parents, who feared that his new third-gender friend might take advantage of him. As love-struck teenagers are wont to do, however, the golden-haired youth sneaked out of his room. But rather than seek out the object of his affection, he instead bought beer and a pair of handcuffs. Brew and manacles in hand, he proceeded to the beach, where he bound his ankles with the handcuffs, took a last swig of beer – and began wading awkwardly into the monsoon-season surf. While all sorts of unusual behavior takes place on Patong Beach after dark, the sight of the young German trying to end his life in this fashion was apparently enough to draw the attention of passers-by. Soon police were at the scene, yelling at the boy to remove himself from the sea. But he was apparently unwilling – or unable – to comply, forcing them to wade into the brine and fish him out. Back at Kathu Police Station, officers managed to remove the handcuffs from the boy’s ankles. He told them he had decided to kill himself because his feelings were hurt when his parents ordered him not to see his ladyboy friend. “We weren’t going to do anything – we were only friends,” he told them, adding that the ladyboy had always taken “good care” of him.