Farang Found Dead

[sriracha john]

Westerner man found hung on power pole

A man with westerner look was found hanging from a spike of a power pole in the heart of Bangkok Monday morning police said.

Pol Lt Kaweepong Saengruang of Lumpini police station said the man?s body was found hanging with a rope around his neck and a plastic bag over his head at 6:30 am.

He said doctors believed the man who was about 180 centimetres tall and had white skin and brown hair.

He was found hanging from a pole on Duang Pithak Road along the Sukhumvit-Rama 4 expressway.

Police found Bt230 in cash on the man and found three bottles of drinking water, a roll of Sellotape and a 7-Eleven shopping bag.

Kaweepong said police suspected that the man bought the items from a 7-Eleven shop and waited there for a while before hanging himself.

His body was sent to the Police Forensic Medicine Institute for an autopsy.

- The Nation

Edited February 20, 2006 by sriracha john

[Pattayaman]

He said doctors believed the man who was about 180 centimetres tall and had white skin and brown hair.

Police BELIEVE ............................ not sure then

[limbos]

I also tend to loiter around poles with a bag full of 7-11 stuff and for whatever reason I decide every day over and over to postpone my suicide.

Must be because I haven't figured out how to tape my hands behind my back, put a bag over my head and climb the pole.

[Maejo Man]

A terrible and miserable way to end one's life. I can never imagine what drives a man to these desperate measures. Someone must have loved him somewhere.......

[Maigo6]

A terrible and miserable way to end one's life. I can never imagine what drives a man to these desperate measures. Someone must have loved him somewhere.......

Problem is in Thailand, many Farangs come here and have severed all ties with their home countries in the belief that their few Million Baht will last forever, or they can survive by Teaching English if it runs out.

Many have massive debts back home and maybe their families have disowned them, I have seen so many desperate people in Thailand over the years, I am surprised Farang Suicide is not more common.

Thailand is no place to be when broke and lonely.

[britmaveric]

Doubt it was suicide.....

[Pattaya_Fox]

Bought three bottles of drinking water and then hung himself?.......very strange

[mogoso]

I also tend to loiter around poles with a bag full of 7-11 stuff and for whatever reason I decide every day over and over to postpone my suicide.

Must be because I haven't figured out how to tape my hands behind my back, put a bag over my head and climb the pole.

Where did the article say his hands were bound behind his back? But hanging and putting a bag over his head is a bit of overkill. doesn't sound like the taking of ones own life.

[TBWG]

My money is on suicide, think Maigo6 summed it up very succinctly...

[quote

Thailand is no place to be when broke and lonely.

TBWG

[Maigo6]

Doubt it was suicide.....

So you reckon someone killed him, took him to a park, put a rope round his neck, bag on head and hoisted him up a pole, without anybody noticing ?

Desperate men do desperate things, and there are many desperate Farangs in Thailand.

[britmaveric]

Doubt it was suicide.....

So you reckon someone killed him, took him to a park, put a rope round his neck, bag on head and hoisted him up a pole, without anybody noticing ?

Desperate men do desperate things, and there are many desperate Farangs in Thailand.

Yes - Not our business comes to mind.

[opothai]

I also tend to loiter around poles with a bag full of 7-11 stuff and for whatever reason I decide every day over and over to postpone my suicide.

Must be because I haven't figured out how to tape my hands behind my back, put a bag over my head and climb the pole.

a tad nasty but funny all the same

[sriracha john]

Foreign man found dead

A foreign man was found hanging from an electric pole in a suspected suicide in Klong Toei district at about 6am yesterday, police said.

Police rushed to the scene near the Sukhumvit-Rama IV expressway to find a body of an unidentified man. He was 1.8 metres tall, of fair-complexion with brown hair, wearing a black T-shirt, brown pants and black dress shoes, Lieutenant Kavipong Saengreung of Lumpini police station said.

The man’s head was covered with a plastic bag tied with masking tape. He was found hanging by nylon rope from 25-metre-tall electric pole.

“We suspect suicide, partly because Westerners usually kill themselves like this,” said Lumpini superintendent, Colonel Suphisarn Pakdinarunart.

The policeman presumed that the man might be German because the plastic bag belonged to a German brand ‘Manner’. However, evidence including his fingerprints and photos would be sent to the country to establish who he was.

The man was thought to have been dead for at least two hours, the officer said. A cigarette burn was found on his right palm, and he had Bt230 cash in his pocket. Three water bottles, one roll of masking tape and a plastic bag were found about two metres away. Police suspect the man may have bought these items in preparation to commit suicide.

The man’s body was sent for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, police said. – The Nation

[cclub75]

“We suspect suicide, partly because Westerners usually kill themselves like this,” said Lumpini superintendent, Colonel Suphisarn Pakdinarunart.

This is the scary part : we are talking here about a "colonel". Ouah. I'm almost speechless.

How a "colonel" can say such stupid things ?

I mean : it's pure cynism or plain stupidity. I can't imagine a middle explaination...

It reminds me the "suicides" with more than one bullets... Happen some times too. And of course, farang who jump (with also a bag on their head, I guess this is what we can call "western efficiency") through the window. A classic too.

[Luke06]

“We suspect suicide, partly because Westerners usually kill themselves like this,” said Lumpini superintendent, Colonel Suphisarn Pakdinarunart.

Wow, you learn something new everyday! Bless the police for their informative comments.

[penzman]

Isn't the plastic bag over the head method more commonly used in Asia for suicide and murders?

Of all the suicides I've personally known of back in North America, all were by firearms, medication, drowning, hanging but never by asphyxiation with a plastic bag...

Unless it's now become normal (after all theses suspicious plastic bag deaths in Thailand) for policemen's here to think that it's the western way to do it.

Edited February 21, 2006 by penzman

[LaoPo]

Foreign man found dead

A foreign man was found hanging from an electric pole in a suspected suicide in Klong Toei district at about 6am yesterday, police said.

Police rushed to the scene near the Sukhumvit-Rama IV expressway to find a body of an unidentified man. He was 1.8 metres tall, of fair-complexion with brown hair, wearing a black T-shirt, brown pants and black dress shoes, Lieutenant Kavipong Saengreung of Lumpini police station said.

The man’s head was covered with a plastic bag tied with masking tape. He was found hanging by nylon rope from 25-metre-tall electric pole.

“We suspect suicide, partly because Westerners usually kill themselves like this,” said Lumpini superintendent, Colonel Suphisarn Pakdinarunart.

The policeman presumed that the man might be German because the plastic bag belonged to a German brand ‘Manner’. However, evidence including his fingerprints and photos would be sent to the country to establish who he was.

The man was thought to have been dead for at least two hours, the officer said. A cigarette burn was found on his right palm, and he had Bt230 cash in his pocket. Three water bottles, one roll of masking tape and a plastic bag were found about two metres away. Police suspect the man may have bought these items in preparation to commit suicide.

The man’s body was sent for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, police said. – The Nation

Strange story...

1. If it was suicide, did he first put the plastic bag around his head and taped it...and than climbed up the 25 meter (!)* pole or did he do that high up ?

2. And than burned his hand with a cigarette or did he do that before climbing up to stay awake?

Quite a (strange) job to commit suicide I would think

* 25 meters is VERY high!...that's a 6-8 storey appartmentbuilding....

LaoPo

Edited February 21, 2006 by LaoPo

[ratcatcher]

OK. Here's where the imagination cuts in. Could this have been a "gangland slaying"?

Was he involved with the wrong people who turned on him and murdered him by asphyxiating him, (after burning his hand with a cigarette to make him talk). Then left him hanging in a public place for exhibition?

Looks awfully suspicious to me. Maybe some amateur sleuths can speculate. This could be a tough case for Col.Plod and the boys in tight brown.

Edited February 21, 2006 by ratcatcher

[dan10400]

* 25 meters is VERY high!...that's a 6-8 storey appartmentbuilding....

there is a pic in one of the thai newspapers (front page of course). the "pole"

may be 25 meters high, but the body is only hanging about one meter off

the ground. the pole is more like a tower-type construction, not typical

street light pole.

so he didn't have to climb up too far with a bag over his head.....

[Noel]

* 25 meters is VERY high!...that's a 6-8 storey appartmentbuilding....

there is a pic in one of the thai newspapers (front page of course). the "pole"

may be 25 meters high, but the body is only hanging about one meter off

the ground. the pole is more like a tower-type construction, not typical

street light pole.

so he didn't have to climb up too far with a bag over his head.....

That's a relief to know, as otherwise he might have fallen and hurt himself...

[N&M]

I think it was a tight rope walker, the plastic bag is to go on the shoes to stop moisture from sweat dripping onto the line being walked. The bottles of water were beacuse its a thirsty job.

Somehow he got all messed up, fell and the bag wrapped around his head, he had the tape in his hand ready to tie around his ankles and when falling his hands went haywire and wrapped it around his throat by accident with the rope.

Just a very very unfortunate accident.

The 230 baht was donations, he was a busker.

[Misplaced]

“We suspect suicide, partly because Westerners usually kill themselves like this,” said Lumpini superintendent, Colonel Suphisarn Pakdinarunart.

This is the scary part : we are talking here about a "colonel". Ouah. I'm almost speechless.

How a "colonel" can say such stupid things ?

I mean : it's pure cynism or plain stupidity. I can't imagine a middle explaination...

May be that wasn't exactly the word he used, it could have been lost in translation?

[baabaabobo]

Isn't the plastic bag over the head method more commonly used in Asia for suicide and murders?

Of all the suicides I've personally known of back in North America, all were by firearms, medication, drowning, hanging but never by asphyxiation with a plastic bag...

Unless it's now become normal (after all theses suspicious plastic bag deaths in Thailand) for policemen's here to think that it's the western way to do it.

It's very common among westerners who are neurotic - this just in

Frenchman found dead in Karon guesthouse

KARON: A Frenchman was found dead in a guesthouse in Karon on Sunday, the victim of an apparent suicide.

Pol Maj Chana Suttimard, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette that he received a call from a maid at the Lucky Guesthouse at 11 am after she found the body of Bernard Roger Servel, 61, in one of the rooms.

“The maid told me she knocked on the door and received no answer from inside. She therefore decided to unlock the door. Inside, she found Mr Servel on the bed with a plastic bag covering his head and face.

“Mr Servel’s girlfriend told me that he was rather neurotic and that he had a habit of pulling a plastic bag over his head whenever he was depressed, in a bid for attention,” Maj Chana said.

Police believe that on this occasion, however, he intended to kill himself. Their belief stems from the fact that Mr Servel was taking medication and had recently received 60 sleeping pills from Mission Hospital Phuket. Yet when a search was made of the room, there was no sign of the pills. Police assume that he swallowed them.

The body was sent to Vachira Phuket Hospital to await collection by relatives.

From The Phuket Gazette 21-02-06

[sbk]

About ten years ago a young German man staying at the bungalow resort next door ate his breakfast, walked out the door and hanged himself from a tree in the forest. And it was most definitely a suicide.

Why eat breakfast? No one knows what is going on in the mind of a suicide but the person himself. Logic dictates not killing oneself hence it would be very nearly impossible to find logical explanations for the water etc.

And I have read of suicides hanging themselves with plastic bags over their heads because they want to ensure they die, it is not that uncommon.

Also could be some weird autoerotic asphyxia thing going on, that is not too uncommon either. Didn't some British MP die that way a few years back?

[bkkmadness]

And Micheal Hutchence but that cause of death is generally in private residences and not the street.

I think the plastic bag was over the head to ensure the suicide worked as SBK said, the cigarette burn a bit of self mutilation, and the water, well why not buy some, maybe he was not sure when he was going to do it and got some supplies him. Who knows what was going on in the guys head?

It'd certainly be a more unusual murder than suicide given the facts we have.

And on the other case:

Police believe that on this occasion, however, he intended to kill himself. Their belief stems from the fact that Mr Servel was taking medication and had recently received 60 sleeping pills from Mission Hospital Phuket. Yet when a search was made of the room, there was no sign of the pills. Police assume that he swallowed them.

The body was sent to Vachira Phuket Hospital to await collection by relatives.

No autopsy first then to confirm cause of death?

[haha]

About ten years ago a young German man staying at the bungalow resort next door ate his breakfast, walked out the door and hanged himself from a tree in the forest. And it was most definitely a suicide.

Why eat breakfast? No one knows what is going on in the mind of a suicide but the person himself. Logic dictates not killing oneself hence it would be very nearly impossible to find logical explanations for the water etc.

And I have read of suicides hanging themselves with plastic bags over their heads because they want to ensure they die, it is not that uncommon.

Also could be some weird autoerotic asphyxia thing going on, that is not too uncommon either. Didn't some British MP die that way a few years back?

in the 12 years that I have been coming here to thailand, I have talked to literally thousands of different people. and during some of the discussions, I see, in my mind, "suicide" imprinted on the foreheads of many people.

there are a lot of disturbed people out there - both farang and thai.

broken hearts is one of the biggest contributors to suicides.

..and rookies seemed to be the most inclined to take the plunge.

[___]

It's just a great shame that this guys family couldn't even be informed about his unfortunate death before some people here started getting carried away with themselves. As usual a few people on this forum have absoloutly no respect for others feelings.

[the gent]

As I understand it plastic bags are generally used in conjunction with pills and alcohol.The latter may assist in suppressing the self preservation reflex whilst the asphyxia induced by the bag takes its course. Hanging oneself in the way this man did is certainly odd but then the logic of self destruction has its own rules, I suppose.

The 3 bottles of water is bizarre. Only a full autopsy and investigation into his affairs examined by a Coroner could determine a proper verdict on the man's death. How likely is this in Thailand?

Ruling out foul play at this stage, as suggested by the good Colonel, would be premature but not unusual.

[astral]

Only a full autopsy and investigation into his affairs examined by a Coroner could determine a proper verdict on the man's death.

You have got to be joking................

This is Thailand.

If there is an autopsy it will say he is dead.......

As for investigation?? They have already decided he commited suicide,

what is there to investigate.

It is a sad state of affairs and too many "suicides" go past without any real check.

[the gent]

Only a full autopsy and investigation into his affairs examined by a Coroner could determine a proper verdict on the man's death.

You have got to be joking................

This is Thailand.

If there is an autopsy it will say he is dead.......

As for investigation?? They have already decided he commited suicide,

what is there to investigate.

It is a sad state of affairs and too many "suicides" go past without any real check.

Precisely my point seemingly lost on you........