Police summoned a mentally ill Thai man for questioning after his father, a monk, was found dead yesterday, November 13, under mysterious circumstances in a locked accommodation at the Sa Bua Temple in the Pathum Wan district of Bangkok.
Officers from Pathum Wan Police Station, and rescuers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation, rushed to Sa Bua Temple after receiving a report of the death of the 63 year old monk, Sunan Phumjampa. Another monk, Charoen, who lived in an adjacent room, noticed an unpleasant smell and alerted the police.
Sunan lived on the second floor of a three-storey accommodation within the temple. His room was locked from the outside, prompting officers to force entry. Sunan was reportedly found lying dead on the ground with wounds and bruises across his body.
Suspiciously, Sunan had a plastic drinking straw in his mouth and a yellow towel wrapped around his neck. His body began decomposing, and it was believed he died two days before the discovery.
Charoen informed the police that Sunan had three children, two daughters and one son. One daughter lived abroad, while the other resided in Phuket. The youngest child named Chok was the only one who visited the monk almost daily.
Charoen noted that Chok had a history of drug use, which led to a deterioration of his mental health. Six days before detecting the unpleasant odour, he heard a sound as if Sunan collapsed but did not check on him.
Chok visited his father as usual afterwards without mentioning anything, so Charoen assumed Sunan was fine.
Consequently, police summoned Chok for questioning but he appeared to be under the influence of drugs and could not provide officers with much information.
After further questioning, Chok revealed that his father had died on November 10 after slipping and collapsing. Chok stated that he attempted to help him breathe by placing the straw in his mouth and wrapping the towel around his neck because Sunan had a high body temperature.
Chok added that he had locked the room himself because his father had instructed him to do so and to unlock it when he returned to visit.
Officers concluded that Chok was unaware of his father’s death due to his mental state and he was released from detention.
KomChaluek reported that Sunan suffered from tuberculosis and coughed frequently. His health had been declining, so it was possible that he had collapsed and died from his condition.
Despite these findings, police will await the results of a thorough autopsy before concluding the case.
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