Mentally Ill Man Drowns in Rubber Plantation Pond in Nakhon Si Thammarat

Picture courtesy of CH7

A 33-year-old man with a history of mental illness drowned after suffering a suspected cramp while swimming in a pond located in a rubber plantation in Sichon district.

Police Lieutenant Tosaporn Thongkaew, deputy investigator at Chawang Police Station, received the distress call and rushed to the scene in Sai Ra Subdistrict alongside forensic officers, a doctor from Chawang Crown Prince Hospital and rescue workers from the Siam Ruamjai Pu-In Foundation.

At the scene, officials discovered the lifeless body of a man floating face-down in the pond. He was later identified as Mr Kirati, aged 33. A preliminary examination revealed no visible wounds or signs of physical assault. The body was recovered and transported for further examination.

According to Ms Phimsucha, 67, a relative of the deceased, Mr Kirati had long suffered from a psychiatric condition. However, he had never shown violent or aggressive tendencies, only displaying erratic behaviour such as talking to himself while wandering the village, often at night. He was also known to frequently sneak out of the house and had a habit of swimming in local canals and ponds.

On the day of the incident, local rubber tappers spotted Mr Kirati entering the pond. Despite efforts to persuade him to come out, he refused and even asked for kratom tea, which the villagers did not have. Sometime later, he was found drowned in the same pond.

Authorities believe Mr Kirati may have stayed in the water too long, suffered a muscle cramp and drowned without anyone noticing. His family did not suspect foul play and have accepted the death as accidental. After the post-mortem examination, the body was released to the family for religious funeral rites.

  Adapted by Asean Now from CH7 2025-05-23.