Police Investigate Cage Confinement at Kanchanaburi Elderly Home
An elderly woman was allegedly confined in a metal cage at a care centre in Tham Wa, Kanchanaburi, for 11 months, forced to use a detergent bucket for bodily functions and given minimal water and toilet paper. Police and health officials investigated after complaints aired on a TV programme, finding the centre lacked a proper medical licence and was operating beyond its permitted scope. The victim, named Pat, has publicly shown her face to confirm the abuse and describe the inhumane conditions.
The mother, identified as Pat, described being held in a steel cage nicknamed a 'dog cage' for 24 hours a day, only allowed out for baths. In Room 2 of the facility, about twelve beds resembled cages; inmates were tied to the beds and lifted for meals during daylight hours, then covered with steel frames after 4 p.m., or kept covered constantly if staff were few. She said she had to use a detergent bucket for defecation and urination, with no water provided, only a single roll of tissue to last three days, and received just one jug of water each day. She also reported making markings on the nuts inside the room with a pen to leave evidence of her ordeal. When recounting these details, she broke down in tears.
