Pattaya police prevent Japanese suicide

CHONBURI: -- Police in Thailand's popular eastern tourist resort of Pattaya yesterday successfully persuaded a Japanese tourist from committing suicide by throwing himself off his hotel balcony.

Officers from the Pattaya police force were called to the Dusit Thani Hotel yesterday afternoon by staff concerned that Mr. Nakami Ken, 33, was about to jump off his eighth floor balcony.

After rescue officers had prepared an airbag to catch the tourist should he fall, police officers entered his room and pleaded with him to change his mind.

At first Mr. Ken refused to speak, continuing to walk on the edge of the balcony.

Officers then called in a Japanese friend to help speak with the would-be suicide, and after two hours of pleading, the tourist finally stepped back into the room.

Apologising profusely for the trouble he had created, Mr. Ken said that he had acted without thinking.

Questioning revealed that Mr. Ken had recently divorced his Japanese wife, and had subsequently travelled to Thailand for a holiday.

In Pattaya he had met a young Thai woman with whom he had rented a room in the hotel for a week, but the woman had suddenly disappeared without telling him.

His attempted suicide was attributed to stress.

--TNA 2004-09-17

Happy ending for a change. Good.

At least Pattaya's finest didn't shoot the law breaker off the ledge?

Glad he didn't join the many "flyers and floaters" that Pattaya is famous for....

~WISteve

From the eigth floor there is no guarantee of oblivion, anyway.Probably just have smashed nimself up pretty badly and spent months in hospital.

'Dusit Thani' or 'Dusit Resort'? Rather up-market anyway.

Usual choice is a condo - 15th floor.

And he was 'walking on the edge of his balcony' for over two hours. Do they mean the parapet? And two hours? He wanted to be talked out f it.

I understand that the Japanese have a high suicide rate, anyway. Pressure-cooker society, I believe.

-- snip --

'Dusit Thani' or 'Dusit Resort'? Rather up-market anyway.

Makes one wonder about "TNA" if they can not even get that right.

In Pattaya he had met a young Thai woman with whom he had rented a room in the hotel for a week, but the woman had suddenly disappeared without telling him.

That's a first.

At last though, something positive to say about Pattaya Police.