Thai Woman Dies While in Police Custody in Japan

[Georgealbert]

 

File picture for reference only.

 

A 46-year-old Thai woman has died while in police custody at Namegata Police Station in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The incident occurred on the morning of 12 January, according to local Japanese authorities.

 

The woman, arrested on 9 January for allegedly violating Japan’s Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, had shown signs of declining health while in detention. On 10 January, she stopped eating and was taken to a hospital in Tsuchiura City, where she received intravenous (IV) treatment before being returned to police custody.

 

On 11 January, the woman failed to respond to officers at around 15:35 prompting a call to emergency services. However, by the time paramedics arrived, her condition had improved, and she was not transported to a hospital.

 

The next morning, at approximately 05:15, a detention officer noticed that the woman was breathing shallowly and called for an ambulance. She was unconscious during transport and was pronounced dead at a hospital at 07:05.

 

Following the incident, the Namegata Police Station issued a short statement, asserting, “There were no problems with our response.”

 

The cause of death has not yet been disclosed, and an investigation is ongoing. The circumstances surrounding the woman’s health issues, including her refusal to eat, remain unclear.

 

-- 2025-01-15

 

 

[Artisi]

The responses to this story will be interesting. 

[JoePai]

2 hours ago, Artisi said:

The responses to this story will be interesting. 

You were the first   🤣

[SOTIRIOS]

...Refused To Eat...

...Could She Have Ingested Something...

...That She Didn't Want Eliminated While In Custody... (?)

[hotchilli]

Seems like the police did everything by the book.. 

[zepplin]

7 hours ago, Artisi said:

The responses to this story will be interesting. 

I wonder how many die in Thai police cells ever year…?

[thesetat]

15 minutes ago, zepplin said:

I wonder how many die in Thai police cells ever year…?

keep wondering... no one will ever tell the real truth for that

[Briggsy]

Was she suffering from a condition that made her unable to eat and this was conveniently characterised as "refusing to eat"? By doing this, it shifts the responsibility from the prison authorities to the detainee.

 

Typically it takes around 1-2 months to starve oneself to death providing some fluids are ingested. This woman apparently starved herself to death in 48 hours. Miraculous.

[VictorInBKK]

10 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

her condition had improved, and she was not transported to a hospital.

I wonder who made that assumption. A Thai in a prefecture not very well known for being in contact with foreigners is a good recipe for miscommunication. Being a non-Japanese detainee I can see why nobody cared much about that lady's demisee either.