Again, I Don't Make These Things Up! I Really Don't

The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS:

for photos see: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000009244

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NUDE NORWEGIAN THREATENS TO COMMIT HARI KARI IN JOMTIEN

“What is it about Pattaya,” one may ask “that it seems to attract the most bizarre examples of humanity imaginable?” This time it was severely intoxicated, nude Norwegian who appeared on a Jomtien hotel balcony on 15 May 2009, at 12.00 pm threatening to leap off, whilst simultaneously praying to God.

Yesterday, 15 May, Pol.Lt.Col. Sawai Ong-art, Pattaya Police Investigator [Dong Tan Branch] was notified that a foreigner had apparently gone crazy and having taken off his clothes, was standing on the second-floor balcony of Thai Sweet Inn, Somprasong Plaza, Jomtien Beach Road, apparently intending to jump off the building. Police rushed to the scene with the Sawang Boriboon Rescue team.

At the incident location, police found a Norwegian man by the name of Daniel, [32] somewhat intoxicated from having ingested drugs. He was standing stark naked on the balcony, with his palms together, prayer-like, chanting an indecipherable mantra, apparently to God.

Police tried to persuade him to adopt a more reasonable stance and to return inside his room, but he just ignored them. When police went to investigate his room, they found the water tap had been running continuously since midnight [according to witnesses]. The police tried to get hold of him, but the man fought back and steadfastly refused to put his clothes back on. He then fled downstairs, hotly pursued by the police team; the local bystanders being alternately shocked and intrigued to see the seemingly mad antics of the naked farang.

Eventually, however, the police managed to restrain him and took him off to the police station to calm him down before questioning him. The police decided the best policy was to keep him at the station under restraint in case he went even more crazy and started to harm others.