Polish national throws himself off TV tower after meditati

After meditating for three days at an international retreat, a Polish national suddenly became upset and threw himself off a telecoms tower in Surat Thani.

A 49-year-old Polish national died in Thailand’s Surat Thani province when he jumped off a 62-metre telecommunications tower of a mobile phone operator after meditating for three days at the Suan Mokh International Retreat, the Khaosod daily reported.

At 10 am, locals reported to the Chaya district police station that an inadequate foreigner had climbed the telecoms tower of mobile phone operator DTAC.

Police and rescue workers, who were alerted, rushed to the scene, where a man with a mental disorder had indeed climbed the telecom tower,’ said Captain Danai Chanklan, deputy chief of the Chaya Police Investigation Department.

At the site, police officers found the shirtless man sitting cross-legged on top of the mobile phone tower. Police, rescuers and locals persuaded the man to climb down, fearing the man would jump. The rescuers prepared air cushions on the ground.

However, the man showed no desire to come down, and onlookers watched in horror. Monks from the Suan Mokh International Retreat in Chaya, as well as foreign language teachers, arrived on the scene and tried to persuade the man to return to the ground safely.

The man continued to sit on the tower meditatively, taking off his shirt and not answering any questions. After two hours of entreaties failed, the man jumped and, landing 20 metres from the tower, died instantly.

According to the police investigation, the deceased turned out to be a 49-year-old Polish national named Robert, who had been meditating at an international retreat for three days until the man was disturbed. The Polish man then picked up a wooden club and walked around the neighbourhood, destroying the fence of a local man’s house before climbing a nearby telecommunications tower.

Authorities sent the deceased to Surat Thani Hospital for an autopsy. Police are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of the fatal incident. Police have also contacted the Polish embassy to notify relatives.