Cyanide easy to obtain in Thailand, says forensic doctor
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Cups of tea and food which are believed to be involved in the death of six people being shown at a press conference at the Lumpini police station in Bangkok on July 17.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BANGKOK – Easy access to cyanide and trusting the wrong people may be fuelling a disturbing trend of murder by food poisoning in Thailand, an unidentified forensic doctor said on July 18.
Cyanide use surfaced in two cases in Thailand recently. Cyanide was found to have been used by serial killer Sararat “Am” Rangsiwuthaporn, whose case made the headlines in 2023.
She was arrested on April 25, 2023, and charged with murdering up to 14 people using cyanide.
The use of this toxic chemical surfaced again this week when autopsy reports showed that six people found dead in a room at Bangkok’s Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel
In both cases, police said, the chemical had been given to the victims in food or drink.
Though cyanide is categorised as a controlled chemical in Thailand, people can still buy it quite easily for purposes such as repelling snakes and monitor lizards.
However, as per the Hazardous Substances Act, anybody caught producing, importing, exporting or even possessing cyanide can face up to two years in prison and/or a fine of up to 200,000 baht (S$7,500).
Although this chemical is no longer used in the medical industry, the forensic doctor explained that it can be found naturally in vegetables such as cassava, while the synthetic version is used in oil-based polish and car radiator cleaners.
“Synthetic cyanide plays an important role in daily life,” he said, adding that the chemical is so easy to find that it is even included in science kits sold in stationery shops.
He added that traces of cyanide can easily be detected during autopsy, adding that in the most recent case, the victims were possibly given cyanide-spiked tea.
Another crucial factor in murders being successfully carried out through food poisoning is trust, he said.
“We won’t eat food offered by strangers, but will always accept it from people we know. So, trust plays a big part in food poisoning,” he said.
THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
