SURAT THANI: A 49-year-old Polish man died after jumping from a cellular tower in Chaiya district of this southern province on Friday morning.
Police and rescue workers rushed to a site on Highway 41, about 100 metres from the Chaiya intersection in tambon Wiang, after hearing that a man who appeared mentally disturbed had climbed the tower, said Pol Capt Danai Chanklan, deputy investigation chief at the Chaiya police station, who was alerted about 10am.
The shirtless man was found sitting cross-legged near the top of the tower. Police, rescue workers and local residents tried to persuade him to climb down as they were concerned he might jump. Air cushions were prepared on the ground.
The man showed no sign of wanting to climb down, as onlookers watched in horror. Monks from the Suan Mokkh International Hermitage in Chaiya arrived at the scene, along with language teachers, in an attempt to persuade the man to return to the ground safely.
However, two hours of pleading were unsuccessful and the man finally jumped about 20 metres to the ground.
The man’s name has been withheld pending notification of relatives.
According to a police investigation, the Polish man had gone to practise meditation at the hermitage for about three days before he became disturbed. Walking with a wooden baton, the man jumped across the wall of a local house and then climbed up the nearby tower.
His body was sent to Surat Thani Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Police were investigating the motive for his death.
A police officer, rescue workers and local bystanders watch the man atop the cellular tower. (Photo: Supapong Chaolan)