Thai man's last selfie near Nong Khai skywalk - friend told him not to

 

Image: Daily News

 

Sangkhom police in the area of the Skywalk scenic viewing platform in Nong Khai in Thailand's north east were called after a 56 year old Thai tourist plunged to his death.

 

Seksan Thimaphan, a financer of second hand automobiles from Saraburi, was taking a selfie.

 

Rescue services had to use a rope and basket to haul him up after a 30 meter plunge. His neck, arms and legs were all broken.

 

The accident happened at a place with a view of Laos at the temple of Wat Pha Tak Seua near the famous skywalk.

 

Winai Charoenphan, a friend, expressed his grief saying he looked up to Seksan as an elder brother who had taught him all about the business.

 

Six friends had left Saraburi bound for the north east to celebrate Chinese New Year and pay their respects at the temple.

 

Winai said that Seksan was determined to take plenty of pictures at the skywalk and managed that. 

 

But after they moved onto the temple he suggested more selfies at a dangerous area. Winai said rather you than me and warned his friend not to do it.

 

But he said nothing and went off alone to to take his selfie with Laos and the Mekhong River in the background.

 

It proved to be his last, falling in full view of his shocked friend.

 

Source: Daily News

 

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selfies, the curse of the modern world. When I was young and stupid (now old and stupid) we used to seek out adventures and experiences, not photo opportunities. Social media kills another one.  He isn't the first and he won't be the last. The irony is that these images will not be around in 50 years time, as paper photographs were.  They are as fleeting as life itself.

 

 

I've never taken even one selfie.

 

Now I know I never will in the future.

2 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

How many people die from a smartphone every year?

(traffic accidents, unfortunate events like this one, etc.)

I think it is much higher then you might think.

R.I.P Seksan Thimaphan.

I'm sure that's right, we see them driving, or riding, along all the time here, noses bent to the phone. 

Selfies are the lowest form of photography - totally crass. The only item on my bucket list is: to die never having taken a selfie!

2 minutes ago, Andy from Kent said:

I've never taken even one selfie.

 

I've taken a couple with old cameras that required film. They weren't really 'selfies' as such but rather shots taken of my feet accidentally when fiddling with the camera. Couldn't delete them and had to have them developed along with all the other shots that were either blurred, of headless family members or possessed friends with evil red eyes.

 

They still often bring a smile to my face.

????

  

10 minutes ago, bobandyson said:

I've taken a couple with old cameras that required film. They weren't really 'selfies' as such but rather shots taken of my feet accidentally when fiddling with the camera. Couldn't delete them and had to have them developed along with all the other shots that were either blurred, of headless family members or possessed friends with evil red eyes.

 

They still often bring a smile to my face.

????

  

and wasn't that they joy of using a camera like that, waiting to see what you had produced, sometimes a whole 36 print reel would be total rubbish.  Good times.  I still look at those photos now, and of my parents and grandparents.  Try doing that in 70 years with a smartphone. 

29 minutes ago, Andy from Kent said:

 

 

I've never taken even one selfie.

 

Now I know I never will in the future.

that mean your visa status doesnt hinge on a pic of yourself

in your house, outside your house, etc/ etc

33 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

I think it is much higher then you might think.

I don't really think about it! 

Babies, plates of food and selfies. The three reasons I closed my Facebook account.

7 minutes ago, scammed said:

that mean your visa status doesnt hinge on a pic of yourself

in your house, outside your house, etc/ etc

They are not selfies.

15 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

selfies, the curse of the modern world. When I was young and stupid (now old and stupid) we used to seek out adventures and experiences, not photo opportunities. Social media kills another one.  He isn't the first and he won't be the last. The irony is that these images will not be around in 50 years time, as paper photographs were.  They are as fleeting as life itself.

'selfies, the curse of the modern world.'  Agreed.

It seems to me it's important for people to have a photo of themselves standing in front of something.

They've not interested to the 'background' at all. It's pure vanity, to be able to say 'look at me at a particular place'. They need to show off to people that I've been there.

 

Nearly forty years ago I went on a holiday to China.

There was a boat trip along a river. There were a lot of spectacular mountains along the way. I took photos of them.

There was a group of Japanese tourists also on the boat. All they wanted was to have a photo of themselves on the boat, in front of the mountains - blocking them out basically.

I remember taking a photo of the Japanese tour guide, taking a photo of the tourists in front of the mountains, it seemed so silly to me.

 

1 minute ago, bluesofa said:

I remember taking a photo of the Japanese tour guide, taking a photo of the tourists in front of the mountains, it seemed so silly to me.

Banzai!

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Rescue services had to use a rope and basket to haul him up

 

If he died, it should be "his body" not "him".  Poor and confusing writing.

12 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Babies, plates of food and selfies. The three reasons I closed my Facebook account.

Those were the very reasons I never opened one in the first place.

Staying more on topic , you don't see folk with those selfie sticks any more. A blessing indeed.

1 hour ago, Shuya said:

Darwin award nominee

Unlikely,  at 50+ he's probably already had kids.

Darwin award is reserved for those that never reproduced.

26 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

'selfies, the curse of the modern world.'  Agreed.

It seems to me it's important for people to have a photo of themselves standing in front of something.

They've not interested to the 'background' at all. It's pure vanity, to be able to say 'look at me at a particular place'. They need to show off to people that I've been there.

 

Nearly forty years ago I went on a holiday to China.

There was a boat trip along a river. There were a lot of spectacular mountains along the way. I took photos of them.

There was a group of Japanese tourists also on the boat. All they wanted was to have a photo of themselves on the boat, in front of the mountains - blocking them out basically.

I remember taking a photo of the Japanese tour guide, taking a photo of the tourists in front of the mountains, it seemed so silly to me.

 

IMhO the Japanese were  right and you were wrong.

There's 1M professional photos of the mountains, the only reason for you to add to the photo's, is if you're (or someone else important to you) in them.

I wonder what position or movement he had to take the selfie.  I see that there are security fences ????

What has the Skywalk got to do with his death?.  He was not on the Skywalk when he fell he was at the temple in an area that was dangerous when he fell.  The title if the OP should be changed.

2 hours ago, Moonlover said:

They are not selfies.

in my case they were, i used the phone and took pics of myself,

which i guess is the definition of a selfie

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

'selfies, the curse of the modern world.'  Agreed.

It seems to me it's important for people to have a photo of themselves standing in front of something.

They've not interested to the 'background' at all. It's pure vanity, to be able to say 'look at me at a particular place'. They need to show off to people that I've been there.

 

Nearly forty years ago I went on a holiday to China.

There was a boat trip along a river. There were a lot of spectacular mountains along the way. I took photos of them.

There was a group of Japanese tourists also on the boat. All they wanted was to have a photo of themselves on the boat, in front of the mountains - blocking them out basically.

I remember taking a photo of the Japanese tour guide, taking a photo of the tourists in front of the mountains, it seemed so silly to me.

 

i see every day i go to a big 7/11 woman taking selfies of them self

3 minutes ago, scammed said:

in my case they were, i used the phone and took pics of myself,

which i guess is the definition of a selfie

 

The definition of a "selfie" used to be called excess vanity.

I never understood these people with all their selfies. Do they love themselves so much? I suffer already when I see my face sometimes in a mirror... 

Just now, Oldie said:

I never understood these people with all their selfies. Do they love themselves so much? I suffer already when I see my face sometimes in a mirror... 

notably its almost exclusively women taking selfies,

and they do objectively look better than men

2 minutes ago, scammed said:

notably its almost exclusively women taking selfies,

and they do objectively look better than men

I never understood the motivation. 

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

What has the Skywalk got to do with his death?.  He was not on the Skywalk when he fell he was at the temple in an area that was dangerous when he fell.  The title if the OP should be changed.

Been there. I think I know the exact spot from which he fell. There are no fences.

5 minutes ago, bunnydrops said:

Been there. I think I know the exact spot from which he fell. There are no fences.

Exactly, and its not the skywalk which has railings to keep people from going over and flooring to keep them from falling through.  A tourist attraction which should be the place used for photos in safety.  Stupis is as stupid does.  Death comes for us all eventually but why hasten it by taking chances unless your a stuntman, a double or an acrobat.

2 hours ago, Tarteso said:

I wonder what position or movement he had to take the selfie.  I see that there are security fences ????

Yes, that's true, the Skywalk itself is quite safe. However where the photographer is standing, the one who took this picture, there is a shear drop down the cliff-face and there is no barrier at all!

 

If you look up Wat Pha Tak Sua Temple on Google maps, there's a photo of the unprotected cliff edge.

 

I wonder whether one will be installed there now.

 

1 hour ago, scammed said:

i see every day i go to a big 7/11 woman taking selfies of them self

Nope, they only use it as a mirror for most of the time. 

I took a selfie once, didn't know at the time that there was this really good looking Ladyboy behind me....damn, should have looked over my shoulder at the time ????