A senior legal officer at Sa Kaeo Subdistrict Administrative Organization in Nakhon Si Thammarat ended his own life in his office in front of his sister, who tried to stop him but was too late. Police took the body for autopsy before handing it over to the family for religious ceremonies.
At 11:20 a.m. on 22 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Police Lieutenant Kanit Phromprasat, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) of Tha Sala Police Station in Nakhon Si Thammarat, received a report of a legal officer at Sa Kaeo Subdistrict Administrative Organization who had used a firearm to commit suicide inside the office on the roadside between Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani, Village 5, Sa Kaeo Subdistrict, Tha Sala District, Nakhon Si Thammarat. He reported to his superiors and, together with Police Colonel Monsak Srisuwan, Chief of Police; Police Lieutenant Colonel Winai Rattanajit, Deputy Chief of Investigation; Police Lieutenant Colonel Busarin Kiriphet, Deputy Chief of Operations; Police Lieutenant Colonel Apirak Janwiset, Investigation Officer; the duty doctor from Tha Sala Hospital; forensic police from Nakhon Si Thammarat; and Pracharuamjai Foundation personnel, went to investigate.
At the scene, outside the building beside the office exit of Sa Kaeo Subdistrict Administrative Organization, which also serves as the Volunteer Protection Center and the deceased’s office, they found the body of Mr. Sethapong, 53, from Nakhon Si Thammarat, lying face down wearing black long pants and a white long-sleeve shirt. The body had a gunshot wound from a .38 caliber firearm under the chin with the bullet lodged inside. A .38 caliber pistol was found near the body and was collected as evidence.
Initial investigation revealed that Mr. Sethapong, the deceased, was a senior legal officer at Sa Kaeo Subdistrict Administrative Organization. Before the incident, he had driven his personal sedan from home and parked it beside his office, then went inside. Shortly after, his sister arrived on a motorcycle, aware that he intended self-harm. However, upon reaching the office door, she was unable to intervene in time before he took his own life.
Ms. Sasivimon, the sister, said the family does not dispute the cause of death because Mr. Sethapong was normally kind and dedicated at work. However, recently he had been under stress and had suffered from depression and bipolar disorder for over ten years. The family had been trying to get him treatment and he was regularly taking medication. Today, his medication was nearly finished, and they were planning to take him to a scheduled psychiatric appointment at another hospital.
On the morning before the incident, the brother told her he had not slept all night. She comforted him and suggested he rest for an hour before the doctor’s appointment. When the family was momentarily distracted, they saw him drive to the Sa Kaeo Subdistrict Administrative Organization office. Concerned, she went to check and tried knocking on the office door but was too late. She then reported to the police and relevant authorities to investigate.
After completing the initial autopsy, police took Mr. Sethapong’s body to the forensic department at Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital for a detailed autopsy before handing it over to the family to proceed with traditional funeral rites.