(Thail) Crocodile suicide 'planned'

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Crocodile suicide 'planned'

August 13, 2002

 

THE family of a Thai woman who committed suicide by jumping into a pool of

hundreds of crocodiles believe she planned her grisly death, a report said.

 

Somjai Sethboonwas, 40, was killed on Sunday when she flung herself into the

pit of crocodiles at a Bangkok farm, in front of dozens of horrified

tourists.

 

When the crocodiles ignored her, she reportedly swam towards them and was

finally attacked and killed by at least two of them.

 

" She told me she would have crocodiles bite her to death, but I never

thought she would really do it, " the woman's husband Samut Sethboon told the

Nation newspaper.

 

Two suicide letters she left behind also indicated she intended to kill

herself before she visited the Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm, the report said.

 

" She had been crying a lot recently, complaining about her husband, "

Somjai's mother Boonmee Kluika was quoted as saying.

 

" She talked about killing herself by jumping in a crocodile pond but I

didn't believe she would really do it. I even joked that one who wanted to

die that way had to keep an ID card in the pocket because the body would be

unrecognisable, " she said.

 

An autopsy showed that skull and brain damage were the causes of Somjai's

death, the report said.

 

Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm executive Charoon Yangprapakorn told the daily

that the park would increase its " already strict " safety measures, but that

if someone was determined to die, there was little that could be done.

 

" Our farm is used as a standard for other local and international crocodile

farms, " Charoon said.

 

" The only other suicide took place more than 10 years ago, after which we

enlarged and reinforced the fences, " he added.

 

The crocodile farm, Thailand's largest, was reportedly swamped yesterday

with thousands of visitors who wanted to see where Somjai had died.

 

Agence France-Presse