Tourist Attacked In Ao Nang By Mentally Ill Man

[simon43]

I'm in Phuket - my wife just called me from our hotel in Ao Nang. Apparently a foreign tourist was just attacked in the street near to our hotel. The attacker appeared to be a Thai man, and according to our neighbours, was known in the area and is though to be mentally ill.

The attack seemed to be random and the tourist was cut in the neck with a cutter knife.

He was taken to the clinic next to our hotel, but has been transferred to Krabi Hospital. He was 'walking wounded', so not life-threatening it seems.

Right now, the street is swarming with police who are trying to locate the attacker.

Simon

[taninthai]

Mm there ia thai man that is always around ao nang nopparat thara he is always wearing a wet suit and has longish hair looks a few marbles short I wonder if this is the culprit

[ScubaBuddha]

Last time I was at Ao Nang I was a bit surprised to see this random Thai guy walking around a few blocks from the beach with an M16 over his shoulder. Real or replica I'm not sure but some locals said he was well known as the village nut. Maybe the same guy.

.

[HeavyDrinker]

Well in a country with zero Mental Health care or legislation the locals tend to "take care" of the looneys.

He'd have been whisked off by some of the nearby vendors, plugged full of Lao Khao and will be hidden for a few days because he is Thai after all.....

[carmine]

So presumably when they catch the tourist he will be fined because if he wasn't here the mentally ill man wouldn't have attacked him.

Don't be surprised if this piss take is alarming close to the outcome

[sbk]

Highly unlikely carmine, and frankly, a rather trollish response to a very sad situation. Every village has a few crazies and as pointed out, the families tend to take care of them since to put them in a mental hospital is akin to a death sentence I would think.

Must've been terrifying for the poor tourist.

[klongmuang]

I know the mentally ill guy and it is really a very sad story for both, the victim as well as for the culprit. He is normally a nice guy, just leave him alone and don't stare at him. He is not a criminal, although he might have committed a criminal act. He is ill, handicapped and requires much care. But Thailand does not have health care facilities for mentally disabled people. It may exist in Bangkok, but certainly not in the provinces. He lives close where the attack has happened. I don't want to defend the attack, it is very sad. But this person requires almost 24 hours attention and for his family it's sometimes very difficult. I feel sorrow for this tragedy for both.

[harrry]

Highly unlikely carmine, and frankly, a rather trollish response to a very sad situation. Every village has a few crazies and as pointed out, the families tend to take care of them since to put them in a mental hospital is akin to a death sentence I would think.

Must've been terrifying for the poor tourist.

A very disapointing post stigmatizing people with mental illness sbk.

Thailand does have a fairly good mental health system and I can assure you that the treatment one of my inlaws received at a government mental health hospital was caring and competent and in no way akin to a death sentance. They do tend to rely on too much medication however care is free and available and is provided in a caring manner.

[grumpyoldman]

Strikes me as strange the location of the incident. I am in Krabi regularly and Simon's place is not exactly nearby the beach but sort of on the way into town. Not like it's a real busy walking location.

Really random incident I would say. I feel sorry for the tourist, surely a case of wrong place at the wrong time.

Mental health care issue in Thailand I'll leave to Harry and SBK to hash out as I have no idea, but it seems the medication wore off on this guy !

[chiang mai]

Too many comments about Thailand not having any mental health care, simply not true, here's some info:

http://www.suanprung.go.th/eng/suanprung.php

[sbk]

Highly unlikely carmine, and frankly, a rather trollish response to a very sad situation. Every village has a few crazies and as pointed out, the families tend to take care of them since to put them in a mental hospital is akin to a death sentence I would think.

Must've been terrifying for the poor tourist.

A very disapointing post stigmatizing people with mental illness sbk.

Thailand does have a fairly good mental health system and I can assure you that the treatment one of my inlaws received at a government mental health hospital was caring and competent and in no way akin to a death sentance. They do tend to rely on too much medication however care is free and available and is provided in a caring manner.

A very good mental health system where you live perhaps, but that has not been the experience of anyone I know, and frankly, I don't know anyone who would send their relatives off to live in a mental hospital. Please do not assume that because some people have access to good hospitals either mental or otherwise that this is true all over the country because I can assure you it is not. And stigmatiznig people with mental illness? Please, and i get accused of being overly PC, its a phrase, there are a few people in my village like this and I can assure you they are not stigmatized but they are called "ba' . Lets do try to discuss the issue rather than making judgements about what I may or may not have meant, thanks.

And yes chiang mai, suan prung is how near to Krabi??? Lets be practical here shall we?

[chiang mai]

Highly unlikely carmine, and frankly, a rather trollish response to a very sad situation. Every village has a few crazies and as pointed out, the families tend to take care of them since to put them in a mental hospital is akin to a death sentence I would think.

Must've been terrifying for the poor tourist.

A very disapointing post stigmatizing people with mental illness sbk.

Thailand does have a fairly good mental health system and I can assure you that the treatment one of my inlaws received at a government mental health hospital was caring and competent and in no way akin to a death sentance. They do tend to rely on too much medication however care is free and available and is provided in a caring manner.

And yes chiang mai, suan prung is how near to Krabi??? Lets be practical here shall we?

If you would but read a little:

"the hospital was moved to Chiang Mai Province and became one of the 21 Psychiatric Hospitals operated by Thailand’s Department of Mental Health. Today, Suanprung Hospital serves its community with nearly 60,000 outpatient visits annually and caring for up to 700 Psychiatric inpatients daily".

My prior post in response to posters suggesting that Thailand has no mental health facilities!

[harrry]

Highly unlikely carmine, and frankly, a rather trollish response to a very sad situation. Every village has a few crazies and as pointed out, the families tend to take care of them since to put them in a mental hospital is akin to a death sentence I would think.

Must've been terrifying for the poor tourist.

A very disapointing post stigmatizing people with mental illness sbk.

Thailand does have a fairly good mental health system and I can assure you that the treatment one of my inlaws received at a government mental health hospital was caring and competent and in no way akin to a death sentance. They do tend to rely on too much medication however care is free and available and is provided in a caring manner.

A very good mental health system where you live perhaps, but that has not been the experience of anyone I know, and frankly, I don't know anyone who would send their relatives off to live in a mental hospital. Please do not assume that because some people have access to good hospitals either mental or otherwise that this is true all over the country because I can assure you it is not. And stigmatiznig people with mental illness? Please, and i get accused of being overly PC, its a phrase, there are a few people in my village like this and I can assure you they are not stigmatized but they are called "ba' . Lets do try to discuss the issue rather than making judgements about what I may or may not have meant, thanks.

And yes chiang mai, suan prung is how near to Krabi??? Lets be practical here shall we?

From theiir website

Suanprung Psychiatric Hospital

Suanprung Psychiatric Hospital is the third oldest Psychiatric hospital in Thailand. The hospital was first established on December 17, 1938 in the nearby Lampang province. In 1947, the hospital was moved to Chiang Mai Province and became one of the 21 Psychiatric Hospitals operated by Thailand’s Department of Mental Health. Today, Suanprung Hospital serves its community with nearly 60,000 outpatient visits annually and caring for up to 700 Psychiatric inpatients daily.

end quote.

I believe there is one in Surathani which should be near enough to help your neighbours.

Not sure the nearest to Krabi.

People are generally not wharehoused into Psychiatric hospitals they go there to receive diagnosis and to stabilise their medication which they can then receive free from the local hospital together with help from their outreach staff. They go to the main hospital if there is a problem which needs more handling.

Most people with Psychiatric illnesses f;unction quite well in the community with medication. I agree the medication also has problems but their life without it would have more. Often their biggest problem is the ignorence of those about them.

[grumpyoldman]

O.K...................yea.............

Anyway, back to the OP- Simon, did they locate the attacker and is it the scraggly haired guy in the wetsuit (actually I think it's more of a rashguard) who is hanging about in Napparat?

Also, how about the victim? Some stitches and good to go, or less hopefully?

[klongmuang]

I doubt, whether his family has the wealth to send him to Chiang Mai. Most likely not even to Surat Thani. There is the Suan Saranrom Psychiatric Hospital in Surat Tani and they did set up a temporary clinic in Krabi after the Tsunami to help mentally affected people. But in the meantime they closed it again. Anyway, so far his family took care of him and he was obviously in stable conditions. I don't know what has made him furious all the sudden. Remember, it always requires two ! I don't think he was carrying a knife with him, but most likely grabbed it from the nearby fruit and vegetable stall.

[grumpyoldman]

Well, I don't know how this is going to go over with the mods as it seems we will now have two threads going on the incident.

My mistake reading into the OP that it was near his hotel, MacDonalds is a way down the street toward the beach where, yes, quite a few people walking about.

Glad they grabbed the nutter.

[Galong]

They got the guy with the knife and blood on his hands... case closed. The article is in the Gazette.

[Boo]

news report is here

please carry on the topic there.