Rayong Reports High Suicide Rate

[Jai Dee]

Rayong reports high suicide rate

Rayong’s suicide rate is the highest among provinces in the eastern seaboard and the third highest nationwide.

Wiwat Wiriyakijja (วิวัฒน์ วิริยะกิจจา), chief of the Rayong Public Health Office, said a lot of people in Rayong are suffering from stress caused by rising costs of living, their jobs and other problems and many might think about taking their own lives.

Dr. Wiwat said statistics revealed that Rayong ranked first in the eastern region in terms of the number of deaths due to suicide, and countrywide, was in third place.

He said his agency has already trained 30 health officials and nurses on ways to take care of people suffering from stress.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 May 2006

[sriracha john]

Light-hearted, yet probably still lame, jokish attempt to soften this sad news mode:

From along the Eastern Seaboard, they're saying that Rayong province has more suicides than Chonburi Province???? (which contains Pattaya, also known as the Condo Swan Dive Capital of SE Asia).

Switching to very serious mode:

It's quite disheartening to be reminded of the effects of Thailand's current turmoil...

People are suffering... and this reflects that reality.

My heart hopes this Nation and it's people can pull itself up soon...

I, as always, will maintain my confidence they can...

Edited May 24, 2006 by sriracha john

[Scott]

I think they have got things a bit confused. Usually, stress doesn't result in suicide, depression does.

I have lived in a lot of places and most people don't get their knickers in that big of a knot over politics. I think the situation may be a little more complex than officials think.

[sriracha john]

yes... it's a deeply complex issue... and I'm certain the officials are including the fall-out effects of the politic upheavals... the unemployment, the bursting debts people have, etc., rather than just the political arena disagreements themselves.

Those effects have tremendous impact on people's lives and their abilities to cope.

That ever-increasing stress in a pre-disposed depressed person is too much for too many.

[Joey Boy]

Your maybe looking @ this from the wrong angle, in BKK it usually takes that woman forensic doctor to determine that someone with their hands tied behind their back and 2 bullet holes to the back of their head was infact murdered and didnt kill themself.

I wouldnt have thought she'll make it down to Rayong province very often

[ColPyat]

Your maybe looking @ this from the wrong angle, in BKK it usually takes that woman forensic doctor to determine that someone with their hands tied behind their back and 2 bullet holes to the back of their head was infact murdered and didnt kill themself.

I wouldnt have thought she'll make it down to Rayong province very often

I always wonder how, year after year, the same old case (in variations) is brought up as a sort of proof to the contrary whenever anyone in Thailand is found having committed suicide.

People do commit genuine suicide in Thailand, and not a few do that. Both Thais and farang.

Of course, there will always be the odd case in which a murder is disguised as a suicide, or that a murder is mistaken as a suicide. And that even happens the other way around.

I remember a case in my neighborhood where a man was found hanging from a tree with his wrists tied, his feet on the ground, tied to bottom of the tree. At first police thought it was a murder, only when the forensic team arrived, and has carefully disentangled the rope from the ankles and wrists that they reconstructed the method how the man has tied the ropes himself in order to make sure that he will die.

But i guess reason will not overcome juicy speculation. It is always more mysterious to speculate on murder conspiracies than accepting the bland fact that people are so depressed at times that they can't find a way out and simply do commit suicide.

My personal guess for the high suicide rate in Thailand under Thais is a combination of factors. Some are directly stress related, where politics, unemployment and such do play a role. But i believe a lot is cultural, specifically face culture related. Thais have huge difficulties to open their true inner feelings to anyone, and when depressed have therefore no outlet to speak with anyone about their emotional problems.

I also believe that most of the suicides under farang, as we can see so often in Pattaya, are genuine suicides as well. Have a look at the many of the farang who make the holiday resort of Pattaya their home. They do often fall for the illusion of Thailand, and Pattaya in particular, being the 'Land of Smile' and paradise on earth. But after reality has set in, especially when some of the nastier aspects of reality intruded their personal life, they are not able to cope with adapting to a completely foreign society, that has it's own severe social difficulties.

[Siripon]

A particularly common feature of suicide in Thailand is suicide after murder, either the spurned boyfriend or husband has failed to reconcile with his beloved so he kills her and then himself to avoid the consequences, or he has overwhelming debts and decides it's best if the whole family is spared the burden, so he wipes the whole lot out, leaving himself last.

[Joey Boy]

Your maybe looking @ this from the wrong angle, in BKK it usually takes that woman forensic doctor to determine that someone with their hands tied behind their back and 2 bullet holes to the back of their head was infact murdered and didnt kill themself.

I wouldnt have thought she'll make it down to Rayong province very often

I always wonder how, year after year, the same old case (in variations) is brought up as a sort of proof to the contrary whenever anyone in Thailand is found having committed suicide.

People do commit genuine suicide in Thailand, and not a few do that. Both Thais and farang.

Of course, there will always be the odd case in which a murder is disguised as a suicide, or that a murder is mistaken as a suicide. And that even happens the other way around.

I remember a case in my neighborhood where a man was found hanging from a tree with his wrists tied, his feet on the ground, tied to bottom of the tree. At first police thought it was a murder, only when the forensic team arrived, and has carefully disentangled the rope from the ankles and wrists that they reconstructed the method how the man has tied the ropes himself in order to make sure that he will die.

But i guess reason will not overcome juicy speculation. It is always more mysterious to speculate on murder conspiracies than accepting the bland fact that people are so depressed at times that they can't find a way out and simply do commit suicide.

My personal guess for the high suicide rate in Thailand under Thais is a combination of factors. Some are directly stress related, where politics, unemployment and such do play a role. But i believe a lot is cultural, specifically face culture related. Thais have huge difficulties to open their true inner feelings to anyone, and when depressed have therefore no outlet to speak with anyone about their emotional problems.

I also believe that most of the suicides under farang, as we can see so often in Pattaya, are genuine suicides as well. Have a look at the many of the farang who make the holiday resort of Pattaya their home. They do often fall for the illusion of Thailand, and Pattaya in particular, being the 'Land of Smile' and paradise on earth. But after reality has set in, especially when some of the nastier aspects of reality intruded their personal life, they are not able to cope with adapting to a completely foreign society, that has it's own severe social difficulties.

Nobody was sayin that people dont commit suicide here. I was giving a suggestion as to why Rayong (not pattaya) might have a seemingly high suicide rate compared to other parts of the country.

Considering jobs/oppotunitys are in abundance in the area compared to other parts of Thailand, it doesnt quite fit in with your reasoning..

[ColPyat]

Considering jobs/oppotunitys are in abundance in the area compared to other parts of Thailand, it doesnt quite fit in with your reasoning..

Jobs may be available, but the stress is considerable. Living quarters of the laborers and factory workers are often horrific, labor protection laws are mostly only enforced in the larger foreign companies (if at all), very often people end up working up to 20 hours a day including over time to make more than a base salary of maybe just 6000 Baht a month.

Here is an interesting article about another area in Thailand that does fit though well to the topic, and my reasoning.

http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/bangkok/vie....asp?idnews=627

[Scott]

Sorry, but I think they are mixing apples and oranges with the suicide issue. Of course people commit suicide in Thailand, however, the reasons behind suicide are usually because of depression (not always). In the case of Asian countries, loss of face is a significant contributing factor.

Poor labor conditions and the multitude of other problems have plagued Thailand for a long time. In fact the situation has probably been far worse in the past than it is today.

I think a more careful analysis of the rise in suicides needs to be done by the experts in the field.

As for some of the farang "suicides", they are really only a very small percentage of the overall suicide rate in the country and are probably statistically insignificant. It would help if the different gov't agencies--especially the police, would let more expert people determine if a death was suicide or not. Credibility becomes a big problem with the police.