Mother recounts dream after three of her children drown in pond tragedy

[webfact]

Mother recounts dream after three of her children drown in pond tragedy

 

Picture: Sanook

 

MAHA SARAKHAM: -- A mother who lost three of her children in a drowning tragedy yesterday said she had had a dream about one drowning the night before.

 

The three children - Karn, 9, Beam, 7 and Praewa, 2 - all drowned while their mother Bunga, 34, was collecting lotus heads in a large pond between Phon Thong and Nong Bon sub-districts of Maha Sarakham in Thailand's north east, reported Sanook.

 

The youngest of the two children were given CPR in vain after being seen floating in the pond by a neighbor while divers had to retrieve the eldest who was submerged in the water.

 

The mother said that she had taken three of her five children with her while she collected lotus to sell in the market. They were supposed to be playing on dry land but she said that they got distracted by a boy who was with them who said he had caught a large fish.

 

Bunga said that the previous night she had had a dream that her youngest Praewa was drowning but she had managed to save her. On the bank was a man who was laughing and mocking her. She asked who he was but he didn't reply.

 

It was just a dream, he said, and she thought nothing of it when she set out on the regular outing to the pond the next morning.

 

At the Kosum Pisai hospital a large number of relatives and villagers had gathered on hearing the news. When the father of the children, Rewat, arrived he broke down and fainted and had to be treated by hospital staff.

 

Sanook reported that they was a shocking scene at the hospital as the parents grieved for their lost daughters shouting for them to please come home.

 

But it was too late.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-05-04

[colinneil]

Thais and their dreams.

If the mother had a dream about this tragedy, why did she not take better care of her children?

[djayz]

That's a bit harsh Colinneil. Nobody's perfect and we all make mistakes. The last thing she needs right now is to be critized. 

What a tradegy for a family to lose one child, but to lose three must be absolutely devastating. 

RIP little ones. 

Edited May 4, 2017 by djayz

[cornishcarlos]

2 minutes ago, djayz said:

That's a bit harsh Colinneil. Nobody's perfect and we all make mistakes. The last thing she needs right now is to be critized. 

What a tradegy for a family to lose one child, but to lose three must be absolutely devastating. 

RIP little ones. 

Harsh maybe but fair comment...

Dream or no dream, leaving 3 kids unattended, the youngest just 2 yrs old, is plain irresponsible...

[NCC1701A]

RIP little ones. Horribly sad.

[robblok]

3 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

Harsh maybe but fair comment...

Dream or no dream, leaving 3 kids unattended, the youngest just 2 yrs old, is plain irresponsible...

Yes your right its irresponsible.. I just think that this was caused by poverty. Maybe she had nobody to take care of her kids while she was selling those lotus flowers (and when she harvested them). 

 

Just like there are Thais who take their kids on motorcycles.. its far from perfect.. and people in the back of pick-ups.. its often all about money. Many would take better care if they had the money to do so. 

[darksidedog]

That's tragic. I don't know the circumstances in which the kids entered the water so I'm not going to pass judgment on the mother, who is undoubtedly as heart broken as was the father.

If swimming were taught as part of the national education system, so many of these tragedies could be avoided.

RIP little ones.

[hansnl]

2 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

Harsh maybe but fair comment...

Dream or no dream, leaving 3 kids unattended, the youngest just 2 yrs old, is plain irresponsible...

More irresponsible is the fact that most Thai children cannot swim.

[billd766]

6 minutes ago, hansnl said:

More irresponsible is the fact that most Thai children cannot swim.

 

Can you tell me where they can actually learn where to swim?

 

I live in rural Khampaeng Phet and the nearest swimming pool is 15km away. There is a reservoir about 5km and another 20km away. In KPP there is only 1 school that I know of with a swimming pool.

 

I agree that all children SHOULD learn how to swim but who would be qualified and where can they learn. Ideally they should be taught at the school under supervision by qualified teachers, but the cost of installing a swimming pool, maintaining it, keeping it clean and hygienic, keeping it secure out of hours will tax the average school costs.

 

Unlike the west there seem to be very few public swimming pools available and probably even less with qualified staff.

[cornishcarlos]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

Yes your right its irresponsible.. I just think that this was caused by poverty. Maybe she had nobody to take care of her kids while she was selling those lotus flowers (and when she harvested them). 

 

Just like there are Thais who take their kids on motorcycles.. its far from perfect.. and people in the back of pick-ups.. its often all about money. Many would take better care if they had the money to do so. 

 

Yup, agree 100%...

However, sure you can pick lotus flowers whilst still keeping an eye on your most kids ? 3 kids don't drown in a matter of seconds, she could have paid closer attention whilst working.. 

[robblok]

54 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Yup, agree 100%...

However, sure you can pick lotus flowers whilst still keeping an eye on your most kids ? 3 kids don't drown in a matter of seconds, she could have paid closer attention whilst working.. 

 

I have no idea of the circumstances and you are right 3 kids don't drown in seconds. So without knowing more its hard to judge.. but I feel real sorry for the woman and her husband.

[Bob12345]

3 hours ago, robblok said:

Just like there are Thais who take their kids on motorcycles.. its far from perfect.. and people in the back of pick-ups.. its often all about money. Many would take better care if they had the money to do so. 

Don't agree with you there, its not all about money, its often about being "stupid".

 

When i walk my dog i often see thais driving by in their expensive Toyota hybrid car with a 3-4 year old kid standing in front of the front seat.

If they hit something with minimal speed the airbag will go off and the kid will most likely be dead. 

I assume they are not poor based on the price of the car they are driving (>1mln baht).

 

I also know many many people who buy car seats for their kids, but not use the carseat because the kids starts crying when put in the seat.

Would you let your 4-year old play with a sharp knife just because it starts crying when you take it away? 

Again, nothing to do with money but with stupidity.

 

And how many of the people taking their kid on the motorbike or in the back of the pickup do it because they HAVE to take the kid somewhere?

Many of them do it for errands when the kid could also stay home with the other parent, or just to drive around a bit for fun.

Again, nothing to do with money, all to do with stupidity.

[seajae]

strange she didnt hear them, first thing you do when in trouble is yell, I did some time as a pool guard years ago and if any kids got into trouble they started to scream, with 3 of them there, one or 2 would have yelled if they saw one of their siblings in trouble in the water. Its very sad but it is also preventable, just takes common sense not to leave very young kids near water and not watch them or even check every couple of minutes

[uchibenkei]

No theories that she killed them yet?  What's going on?

[madusa]

21 hours ago, colinneil said:

Thais and their dreams.

If the mother had a dream about this tragedy, why did she not take better care of her children?

The man in the dream who was mocking and laughing at her was the grim reaper who didn't bring his scythe in the dream.

I believe in dream because when my brother died of cancer he was only about 40kg from his 80 kg normal weight . I dreamed I saw him and he was just skin and bones.. When I visit him months later at the house he was in the condition as I dreamed about him, just skin and bones. He died couple of months later.

The lady should have taken the dream seriously, especially with the appearance of the Grim Reaper. In Thai culture there is no Grim Reaper nevertheless it was a bad omen to say the least.

Edited May 4, 2017 by madusa
to change letter in word

[madusa]

21 hours ago, darksidedog said:

That's tragic. I don't know the circumstances in which the kids entered the water so I'm not going to pass judgment on the mother, who is undoubtedly as heart broken as was the father.

If swimming were taught as part of the national education system, so many of these tragedies could be avoided.

RIP little ones.

I often see little boys swimming in the canals . How is that they don't know how to swim?

[madusa]

17 hours ago, seajae said:

strange she didnt hear them, first thing you do when in trouble is yell, I did some time as a pool guard years ago and if any kids got into trouble they started to scream, with 3 of them there, one or 2 would have yelled if they saw one of their siblings in trouble in the water. Its very sad but it is also preventable, just takes common sense not to leave very young kids near water and not watch them or even check every couple of minutes

Kids having fun always shouting and yelling. From a distance you cannot know if they are yelling  or shouting in distress or having fun.

[KBsinter]

19 minutes ago, madusa said:

Kids having fun always shouting and yelling. From a distance you cannot know if they are yelling  or shouting in distress or having fun.

So true, and so so sad...........RIP 

[hansnl]

4 hours ago, billd766 said:

 

Can you tell me where they can actually learn where to swim?

 

I live in rural Khampaeng Phet and the nearest swimming pool is 15km away. There is a reservoir about 5km and another 20km away. In KPP there is only 1 school that I know of with a swimming pool.

 

I agree that all children SHOULD learn how to swim but who would be qualified and where can they learn. Ideally they should be taught at the school under supervision by qualified teachers, but the cost of installing a swimming pool, maintaining it, keeping it clean and hygienic, keeping it secure out of hours will tax the average school costs.

 

Unlike the west there seem to be very few public swimming pools available and probably even less with qualified staff.

Well, you said it yourself.

I presume there are more families with children around your region.

All parents together hire a swimming teacher, and on to the nearest pool.

It is all about not panicking and learning how to float.

And for that a western style pool is not needed.

I learned to swim in a canal, from my father.

[oldlakey]

3 hours ago, uchibenkei said:

No theories that she killed them yet?  What's going on?

Not clever just Immature and nasty to post that 

Edited May 4, 2017 by oldlakey

[248900_1469958220]

This is so F**king sad. I meet so many students at ALL levels of my teaching, Prathom to businessman that CANNOT swim! I have taken great care to make sure my son learns to be at least confident enough in water to get out of trouble. He doesnt need to be an olympic swimmer but I have nightmares of him drowning.....seriously, its the paranoia that comes with being a dad and it hurts. Swimming to a reasonable level should be part of ANY primary level education! I dont give a rats a*s about submarines and hubs. If you cant provide such basic education to your population regardless of cost......I dont know what to say.

[NCFC]

Don't agree with you there, its not all about money, its often about being "stupid".
 
When i walk my dog i often see thais driving by in their expensive Toyota hybrid car with a 3-4 year old kid standing in front of the front seat.
If they hit something with minimal speed the airbag will go off and the kid will most likely be dead. 
I assume they are not poor based on the price of the car they are driving (>1mln baht).
 
I also know many many people who buy car seats for their kids, but not use the carseat because the kids starts crying when put in the seat.
Would you let your 4-year old play with a sharp knife just because it starts crying when you take it away? 
Again, nothing to do with money but with stupidity.
 
And how many of the people taking their kid on the motorbike or in the back of the pickup do it because they HAVE to take the kid somewhere?
Many of them do it for errands when the kid could also stay home with the other parent, or just to drive around a bit for fun.
Again, nothing to do with money, all to do with stupidity.

So true.

Someone posted a video to my fb of a young thai kid dancing in the lap of her mom as dad drove the family pickup. The kid was unrestrained. Mom no seatbelt. About 100 likes and loads of comments all saying 'narak'

Not one person pointed out the irresponsibility. I showed it to my wife as she studied for her driving theory test. Her comment? 'Narak'.

[Wilsonandson]

Sounds like the scene of the father finding his drowned children in the Shutter Island Movie.

[jschorr]

According to the Thai Ministry of Health, drowning is the leading cause of death for children in Thailand, between 1,000 and 1,500 children drown every year.  Most poor and middle-class Thai children do not know even basic survival swimming, and just as bad, they do not know what to do when they see a friend or family member in trouble in the water.  There are many multiple drownings  because family or friends are desparate to help and end up in trouble themselves. 

Here in Chiang Mai, the CM International Rotary Club and Kru Payu Swim program have instituted a basic swimming and water safety program for every public school fourth-grader, every year.  All instruction is done by highly trained, experienced, Thai instructors.  Last year we taught 400 children in Chiang Mai and this year we will continue in CM and expand to a larger city (probably Nonthaburi) and a smaller city (probably Mae Sot).  Our program offers 10 hours of in-pool instruction and 5 hours of pool-side instruction and costs about 500 Baht/child. We  hope our programs which are based on the Australian model, will become a prototype for swim and water safety instruction programs in public school curricula nationwide.  If you have ideas or want to help by donating time or money to this cause, please contact me at [email protected].

Let's reduce this tragic loss of life!

 

[djayz]

15 hours ago, robblok said:

Yes your right its irresponsible.. I just think that this was caused by poverty. Maybe she had nobody to take care of her kids while she was selling those lotus flowers (and when she harvested them). 

 

Just like there are Thais who take their kids on motorcycles.. its far from perfect.. and people in the back of pick-ups.. its often all about money. Many would take better care if they had the money to do so. 

You took the words right out of my mouth. We don't know why she wasn't watching over her kids like a hawk. Poverty? Couldn't care less? Too busy? We'll never know. I, for one, like to give people the benefit of the doubt. 

[djayz]

11 hours ago, uchibenkei said:

No theories that she killed them yet?  What's going on?

That also crossed my mind after reading the original story. "Knock off" half the kids and save a few Baht... How desperate must a parent be to do that?  But honestly, we'll probably never know. 

 

Nothing's ever black or white. 

[Bill Miller]

I had thought to offer my services as a former Red Cross Safety Instructor, then learned retirees may not even volunteer. Thailand might want to rethink that in critical areas such as this. I was a "water baby", able to play in the water before I could walk, according to my mother.
Horrible that so many kids are vulnerable.

Sent from my SM-J200GU using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Beats56]

Please please if you have children give them swimming lessons. Drown proofing etc. This is a pet peeve I have.

Every school in Japan has swimming pools. It is a life skill every one needs to know.

 

[billd766]

19 hours ago, hansnl said:

Well, you said it yourself.

I presume there are more families with children around your region.

All parents together hire a swimming teacher, and on to the nearest pool.

It is all about not panicking and learning how to float.

And for that a western style pool is not needed.

I learned to swim in a canal, from my father.

 

I live in rural Khampaeng Phet in a farming community.

 

There are no canals or swimming pools out here.

 

The nearest klong is across the road from me and is about 3 inches deep as it is rain fed. A lot of people try to swim in the national parks but they are rain fed too so not much water there either until later this month, probably after the kids go back to school.

Edited May 5, 2017 by billd766
Added extra text

[Colabamumbai]

Something not right about this lady, not watching her children near water, dreaming about death and doing nothing about it, trying to save face after the fact.