A 14 year old Thai boy died of starvation at his family home in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok after he and his parents reportedly lived without food for nearly a month.
The Por Tek Tung Rescue Foundation was called to a house in the Pak Kret district of Nonthaburi at around 7am yesterday, June 18, to transport the lifeless body of the boy named Ith to a hospital for an autopsy. His uncle, 45 year old Thotsaponporn, was the one who reported his death.
Rescue workers told Matichon that the property was a two-storey concrete house set on land measuring approximately 400 square metres, with its walls and fences overgrown with weeds and grass.
Inside the house, rescuers found Ith lying motionless on the ground. He was emaciated but bore no visible wounds or bruises.
Ith’s parents, 44 year old Yongsakorn and 45 year old Ananya, were nearby. Yongsakorn was sitting exhausted on a chair, and Ananya was lying on the floor. Both were severely weakened and unable to communicate. They were rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Thotsaponporn told Matichon that his younger brother Yongsakorn phoned him that morning to inform him of Ith’s death. He then travelled to the house, saying he had not seen them in a long time, as they lived far apart.
He explained that Yongsakorn faced financial difficulties after he and Ananya stopped working over ten years ago, having once made money from selling land inherited from their parents.
According to Thotsaponporn, his brother occasionally reached out to request financial help, such as paying utility bills, which he supported. However, they rarely saw or spoke to each other.
He only learned on the day of the boy’s death that the family had reportedly not eaten for nearly a month due to extreme poverty. They had been surviving solely on tap water.
A neighbour told the media that the family were known to be reclusive and rarely interacted with others in the community. He had previously seen food delivery riders frequently visiting the home, but noticed a sudden stop in deliveries recently.
The neighbour added that he never saw the couple leave the house. He occasionally saw the boy sitting outside alone, but he never spoke to anyone.
Rescue workers expressed concern as to why the family did not reach out for help from neighbours or any support organisations before the situation became fatal.
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