Japanese Dies Mysteriously In Sukhumvit Mansion

[george]

A JAPANESE DOCTOR HAS DIED A MYSTERIOUS DEATH IN SUKHUMVIT MANSION

BANGKOK: -- A Japanese doctor has died mysteriously in his Sukhumvit mansion, while police are struggling to find the cause of death.

Police Lieutenant Gaveepong SangRuang (กวีพงศ์ แสงเรือง), the duty officer at the Lumpini precinct, received reports of the death of a Japanese man, who died on the twenty-first floor of SaranJai (สราญใจ) Mansion, in Sukhumvit Soi 6. Following investigations, police found Mr. Yoshihiro Matsumoto (โยชิฮิโร่ มัตสิโมโต) dead in his room, which was filled with scientific equipment, including carbon monoxide and oxygen tanks.

Police learned that Mr. Yoshihiro was a doctorate degree science student, who travelled to Thailand to conduct an occupation, which is yet unknown. The Japanese consulate has been notified of the incident. The cause of death remains to be learned, and an autopsy is expected to take place soon at Chulalongkorn Hospital.

--thaisnews.com 2005-09-16

[Khutan]

Interesting in Khunying Porntip gets involved in this case.

[sriracha john]

how bizarre is that?

conducting scientific experiments in a 21st floor condo??

involving "tanks" of carbon monoxide???

<deleted>???

[sriracha john]

Interesting in Khunying Porntip gets involved in this case.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

she's not back from New Orleans, is she?

this case is really strange... even by Thailand standards... which can certainly create some very bizarre happenings...

[WhiteShiva]

how bizarre is that?

conducting scientific experiments in a 21st floor condo??

involving "tanks" of carbon monoxide???

&lt;deleted&gt;???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would not be the least surprised if the writer got it wrong, and it turns out it was CO2 (carbondioxide) which is a lot more common, and less dangerous than CO.

Can't actually think of any practical applications of CO. Unless you wanted to commit suicide, of course.......

[newworks]

how bizarre is that?

conducting scientific experiments in a 21st floor condo??

involving "tanks" of carbon monoxide???

&lt;deleted&gt;???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would not be the least surprised if the writer got it wrong, and it turns out it was CO2 (carbondioxide) which is a lot more common, and less dangerous than CO.

Can't actually think of any practical applications of CO. Unless you wanted to commit suicide, of course.......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

a japanese man (age?), with medical qualifications, in possession of all that stuff and also lots of money, i am sure, living that close to nana plaza, etc, dies mysteriously.... i am sure that the truth will be stranger than any fiction we can come up with.

[penzman]

I saw a pic on the newspaper today and the cannisters looked like the ones used for fountain soft drink machines.

[The Skipper]

Nitrous Oxide perhaps??

[plachon]

how bizarre is that?

conducting scientific experiments in a 21st floor condo??

involving "tanks" of carbon monoxide???

&lt;deleted&gt;???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would not be the least surprised if the writer got it wrong, and it turns out it was CO2 (carbondioxide) which is a lot more common, and less dangerous than CO.

Can't actually think of any practical applications of CO. Unless you wanted to commit suicide, of course.......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

a japanese man (age?), with medical qualifications, in possession of all that stuff and also lots of money, i am sure, living that close to nana plaza, etc, dies mysteriously.... i am sure that the truth will be stranger than any fiction we can come up with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Who said anything about "medical qualifications"? The guy's a doctoral candidate, that means a PhD student in what subject we haven't a clue, possibly at Nakhon Nowhere University, with probably as much medical knowledge as the average English teacher in Thailand has of English. The headline was a typical piece of sloppy reporting that doesn't correlate with the "facts" as presented. Could have been studying the mating habits of Bangkok cockroaches under different concentrations of CO (CO2?) or oxygen in his homemade lab for all we know.

What's the betting we never hear another whisper out of this story, if this man's research is an embarassment to a/ Thailand or b/ Japan?

[Johpa]

Interesting in Khunying Porntip gets involved in this case.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Allright, I'll bite. I have been waiting a day now for someone to explain Porntip's connection to this case

[bendejo]

> travelled to Thailand to conduct an occupation

Oh no, are the Japanese out invading again?

I wish they´d stop that!

[Khutan]

Interesting in Khunying Porntip gets involved in this case.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Allright, I'll bite. I have been waiting a day now for someone to explain Porntip's connection to this case

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Khunying Porntip is the famous Forensic Pathologist. She is regularly involved in high profile murders etc.

[Scott]

A lot of missing pieces here--like how old is this guy? What branch of science was he getting a PhD in? Mostly I am intrigued as to where you can buy canisters of CO. I have never heard of it being sold like that. I don't think it has much commercial use--unless this is another case of "suicide".

[sriracha john]

A lot of missing pieces here--like how old is this guy?  What branch of science was he getting a PhD in?  Mostly I am intrigued as to where you can buy canisters of CO.  I have never heard of it being sold like that.  I don't think it has much commercial use--unless this is another case of "suicide".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Either of the below are possiblities:

http://sel.ics.es.osaka-u.ac.jp/people/index.html.en

Osaka University, Department of Computer Sciences, Software Engineering Lab

http://www.fccc.edu/research/pid/matsumoto

Japanese PhD doing cancer research in Philadelphia, USA. IF it is the same person, it seems even more bizarre... He has one of the highest level research laboratories in the World.... what's he doing experiments in a condo in Thailand???

I'm inclined to think it's the first one, as he's younger and the second one is an established PhD, instead of a PhD candidate.

Of course, it could certainly be neither, I suppose... as I've found several matches with the name and title, but these two seemed to match the situation most.

A lack of details or followup make it difficult, if not impossible, to assess.

Outside of the OP, I've found no matching news source... although it DID appear briefly on the same day in The Nation online... however it was apparently pulled and disappeared before I could copy anything from it after reading it... (more bizarre twists)..

[sriracha john]

I saw a pic on the newspaper today and the cannisters looked like  the ones used for fountain soft drink machines.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did the paper show any pics of the man? My two links above both show photos of them. Do you recall which paper you saw it in and perhaps we can check their online editions.

[muldoon]

It was professor plum in the library with the candlestick !

[sriracha john]

I'll just add that I recall the Nation article did differ in that it reported the gas as CO2,

BUT then said that when the police entered the room, they were almost overcome by a very strong and powerful odor... which CO2 doesn't have. It does have a very faint, sweet odor, but certainly not overwhelming.

CO, which is also odorless, but it IS often mixed with other very odorous gases as a safety feature AND

CO is the most common cause of poisoning deaths in many countries.

[newworks]

It was professor plum in the library with the candlestick !

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

and the plot thickens.... when i get down there next week from here i am gonna ask around with my japanese friends down there and see if they know anything.... let you know if i hear anything juicy!

[DJ Moore]

DOCTOR HAS DIED A MYSTERIOUS DEATH IN SUKHUMVIT MANSION [/b]

BANGKOK: -- A Japanese doctor has died mysteriously in his Sukhumvit mansion, while police are struggling to find the cause of death.

===========================================

Maybe when all is said and done the poor chap died of a heart attack.............. DJM

[penzman]

I saw a pic on the newspaper today and the cannisters looked like  the ones used for fountain soft drink machines.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did the paper show any pics of the man? My two links above both show photos of them. Do you recall which paper you saw it in and perhaps we can check their online editions.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Can't say I know the name but it's a Thai newspaper that always has gruesome pics on the front page.

[meelousee]

Carbon dioxide gas is formed from the combination of two elements: carbon and oxygen. It is produced from the combustion of coal or hydrocarbons, the fermentation of liquids and the breathing of humans and animals.

It is found in small proportions in the atmosphere and is assimilated by plants which in turn produce oxygen. Carbon dioxide is a small but important constituent of air. Its typical concentration is about 0.036% or 360 ppm. Exhaled air contains as much as 4% carbon dioxide.

Physical Properties of CO2

CO2 gas has a slightly irritating odor, is colorless and heavier than air.

It cannot sustain life.

It freezes at -78.5 °C to form carbon dioxide snow.

Liquid density : 1032 kg/m3 · Liquid/gas equivalent: 845 vol/vol

Depending on temperature and pressure, CO2 is a gas that exists in a gaseous, liquid or solid state.

Colorless

Inert, non flammable

Odorless unless in confined spaceswith stainless steel or polyurathane coatings

Taste is neutral.

Non toxic in open atmosphere

Bacteriostatic

Chemical Properties of CO2

In an aqueous solution it forms carbonic acid, which is too unstable to be easily isolated.

Latent heat of vaporization : 571.08 kJ/kg

Vapor pressure : 58.5 bar

It will not burn or support combustion. "From my ASME manual"

Not only does it smell in certain environments (smells of acid) it has hundreds of legitimate engineering and food production applications.

CO2 varied uses, winemaking, soft drinks, specialized stress testing of metals & cement. Also used in TIG and MIG specialized welding procedures where temperature and pressure are critical.

[sriracha john]

I saw a pic on the newspaper today and the cannisters looked like  the ones used for fountain soft drink machines.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did the paper show any pics of the man? My two links above both show photos of them. Do you recall which paper you saw it in and perhaps we can check their online editions.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Can't say I know the name but it's a Thai newspaper that always has gruesome pics on the front page.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, Penz... that narrows it down to about 10....

[penzman]

I ll try and find the copy at my friend's hardware store, he keeps them in a box for a while

[sriracha john]

I ll try and find the copy at my friend's hardware store, he keeps them in a box for a while

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the effort, Penz... A fresh check of other news sources turns up nothing... quite perplexing?

[plachon]

I ll try and find the copy at my friend's hardware store, he keeps them in a box for a while

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the effort, Penz... A fresh check of other news sources turns up nothing... quite perplexing?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Like I guessed earlier.......whatever he was up to was too embarrassing for both countries to air and it's all been one huge misunderstanding you know. In fact you never read anything about this story in the first place and he wasn't a PhD candidate, nor Japanese, nor living in Bangkok. GOT THAT?!

[sriracha john]

in a low, trance-like monotone: "Yes, I understand now. Nothing happened. Nothing at all...."

[penzman]

I ll try and find the copy at my friend's hardware store, he keeps them in a box for a while

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the effort, Penz... A fresh check of other news sources turns up nothing... quite perplexing?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My Thai friend says he only buys the Matichon newspaper. The box old newspapers has unfortunately been recycled by now.

[Nordlys]

I subscribe both paid and free weekly papers distributed among Japanese community in Thailand and none of them mentions of this incident.... That is not to say it didn't happen though. Maybe I should wait to see tomorrow's copy.

[meom]

Can't actually think of any practical applications of CO.  Unless you wanted to commit suicide, of course.......

CO in combination with hydrogen is widely used in the steel industry as a reducing gas to convert iron ore into metallic iron.