AN INDIAN man holidaying at Koh Larn off Pattaya coast hanged himself at the top of the small island’s highest hill after having asked his father for money and not getting any, Thai Rath newspaper said today (April 14).
At 11 a.m. Pol. Lt. Anirut Jehero, deputy inspector at Pattaya City police station, was informed that a foreigner had hanged himself on top of this hill behind the footprint of the Lord Buddha at Khao Phra Yai Koh Lan temple and rushed there to investigate together with Sawang Boriboon rescuers.
They had to climb up more than 1.2km to the spot behind the footprint of the Lord Buddha, which is 230 metres above sea level and is called Muang Laplae by the locals because not many people go there.
They found the body of the Indian man, later identified as Mr. Ranajeet Gnanamurthy, 31, hanging from a tree and he had been dead for at least 10 hours.
On him were two mobile phones and some Indian currency.
Rescuers then had to carry his body down the hill and it took them three and half hours to do so.
A novice told them that as he was washing his alms bowl some startled tourists ran up to him and said they had found the body of a foreigner hanging from a tree. He informed the monk who then called the police.
At around 5 p.m. yesterday he saw the foreigner ride up on a motorcycle which he parked at the entrance. As night fell, as he had not come down the hill, they searched for him but failed to find him until tourists found his body this morning.
Ms. Koi (pseudonym), 36, the owner of a motorcycle rental business on this island, said the deceased man had stayed there for around two months and had been renting her motorcycle to ride around the island.
He had told her that he had quarreled with his father who is a police officer in India after calling and asking for money but he refused to give despite having threatened to commit suicide.
Last evening he had also sent a photo to his father of the spot where he hanged himself with a message, “It’s right here.”
However it did not seem anyone bothered about his threat and he then hanged himself.
CAPTION:
The spot atop Koh Larn’s highest hill where the Indian tourist hanged himself, above and Front Page, and rescuers bringing his body down the hill, insert. Photos: Thai Rath
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