To answer public doubts about what led to a well-known actress drowning in the Chao Phraya River, five of the people with her the night that she died will be subjected to a polygraph test, Nonthaburi police said.
Years of public interest in the life of Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong has made her death a national fixation, with every platform devoting continuous coverage – and amplifying questions about the circumstances. The 37-year-old actress died after she fell from a speedboat out on a night cruise of the river last week. Her body was found Saturday.
Tangmo’s mother, Panida Siriyutyothin, believes it was foul play. “[Tangmo] was abused physically and mentally, but I cannot go into details at the moment,” she told reporters on Sunday.
Search resumes for actress who fell from boat into Chao Phraya River
The five others on the boat were all acquainted: Tangmo’s longtime manager Itsarin “Kratik” Jutasuksawat, Wisapat “Sand” Manomairat, Danupat “Por” Lerttaweewit, as well as Paiboon “Robert” Trikanjananun, and Nitat “Job” Keeratisutthisathorn.
It was a major media event last night when several of them sat for televised interviews, during which they repeated their version of events, that Tangmo fell while urinating from the back of the boat near the Rama VII Bridge in Nonthaburi province. Itsarin recounted that Tangmo was trying to pull herself up using Itsarin’s feet when she lost her grip.
It took rescue workers and divers nearly a day to find her body.
Their story about how Tangmo died has been met with wide skepticism, especially after evidence emerged over the weekend that raised questions. The five of them stayed out of contact afterward, with Tangmo’s mother and brother saying they could not reach any of them for hours. Rescue workers told media that when they were alerted to the scene, the group did not immediately return to the dock, but continued riding the boat around for an hour. They were not forthcoming about the details of what had happened either, according to rescue personnel.
In interviews with the media, their stories have been inconsistent and contradictory – feeding suspicions they are hiding something.
Update: Tangmo boat companion to tell truth about her death: reports
The police have yet to air any conclusions about the case or file any charges as they are still awaiting Tangmo’s forensic and toxicology results.
Tangmo, who changed her name from Pattaratida to Nida, has been cast as a bereft figure whose past tragedies mounted to a fatal conclusion. She was previously placed under the media microscope seven years ago, when a suicide attempt that played out over social media was tied to her breakup with celeb boyfriend Phakin “Tono” Kumwilaisuk.
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