Phuket man overrun with debt found hanged

PHUKET: Police are treating the death of a 60-year-old man found hanged at a housing estate in northern Phuket this morning as a suicide.

Aphisit Nomrit, 13, found the body of his father, Mr Sommai, inside a wastewater-treatment room at the Karn Keha public housing estate in Thalang at about 9:30am. Mr Sommai lived and worked as a security guard at the housing estate.

“He was hanged by his pa khao ma [traditional Thai male sarong],” said Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police. “We believe that he died about one hour before his body was found.”

“Aphisit said that his father had disappeared from their home at about 7am. He went looking for him, and finally found him in the room, where his father usually sits with his friends.”

Mr Sommai was very stressed about the money he owed in an informal loan pool called ‘share’ in Thai, Aphisit told police.

Apparently Mr Sommai had spent the money entrusted to him by the ‘investors’ in the pool, though Lt Kraisorn declined to reveal how much money was missing.

“We found a letter in Mr Sommai’s pants pocket that said that he was very sorry for his family, and that he was very stressed and did not want to live anymore,” Lt Kraisorn explained.

“We found no signs that Mr Sommai was attacked and his family confirmed that the handwriting was his, so we have closed the case.”

— Thawit Bilabdullar