Drunken woman, legally dead, uses calling card to make 50 emergency calls in a day

Police in northern Thailand’s Loei province were notified that someone using a calling card had been calling 191 all day. The police went to inspect a location whre they found a drunk woman, identified as 51 year old “Mrs. Waruni.” She had no home address and was using her calling card to call 191, the emergency hotline of the Royal Thai Police. She was furious that officers had not come to help her as she asked.

After police calmed her down she began telling her story. She revealed that she has been declared dead 15 years ago, claiming she lived at a small house inside a village and had a child who graduated from University.

In 2005 Thai news published a story reporting that she had been stabbed 11 times and died in Chon Buri province, and her name was subsequently removed from the Civil Registry. She says she was shocked by to learn that she was supposedly dead.

Waruni has no ID card and no rights under the law. Without a fixed address she has been unable to get a new ID card, and after a while “just decided to let the issue pass.”

A neighbour revealed to Thai media that Waruni’s story is true: She’s considered dead,with no name in the Civil Registry. Relatives have tried reporting the issue, but they weren’t able to get her a new ID.After a while they too decided to let the issue go.

Although Waruni drinks every day, she says she still has a perfect memory. Though she is drunk most of the time the time, she is fairly certain that it wasn’t she who was stabbed 11 times all those years ago.

Local media report that the village chief has accepted the issue and will also be working with district officials to fix her ID issue.

SOURCE: Chiang Rai Times