Online suicide sparks major webcam alert

Bangkok Post :

The live broadcast via an internet chat site of a 24-year-old woman hanging herself has sparked fresh concern over the harm webcam-based sites can have on Thai youths.

Nichakorn Srisawat, of Nakhon Sawan, was found hanging by a bedsheet tied to a ceiling fan in her room at an apartment in Bangkok's Bang Khen district on Sunday.

She committed suicide in front of a webcam broadcasting over the internet site Camfrog to allow others, including her estranged boyfriend, to witness her death.

The woman's messages posted on Camfrog's "ghost radio" chatroom lamenting her failed relationship has led police to believe she decided to end her life after her boyfriend broke up with her.

The tragedy has triggered a fresh round of criticisms over the inappropriate use of the webcam-based programme.

Camfrog made headlines a few years ago when it was found youngsters stripped in front of the webcam or used the site for sex chats with strangers.

A relative of Nichakorn yesterday warned users of online chat services to exercise caution.

"[Online chatting services] have both good and bad sides. One should use them cautiously," said the relative, who declined to be named. She said Nichakorn was a cheerful woman who had shown no signs of stress or depression.

The director of the Mental Health Department's Rajanukul Institute, Dr Panpimol Wiputakorn, urged police dealing with computer crime to make sure no footage of the suicide was disseminated online to prevent "copycat" behaviour.

Dr Panpimol also urged parents to pay more attention to their children, especially those who use webcam chat services regularly.

The "ghost radio" chatroom where Nichakorn broadcast her suicide was shut down yesterday, but some internet users reported they spotted the woman's suicide clip on the internet.

The mental health expert said she did not think Nichakorn had a mental problem. She just wanted to share her agony with her peers in the chatroom.

The suicide rate in Thailand stands at 6.5 per 100,000 people. That is not high compared with other countries such as Japan and members of the European Union where the rate is almost 20:100,000.

Supinya Klangnarong, a member of the internet-user group Thai Netizen Network, said the tragedy should be a wake-up call for society to seriously promote internet literacy to prevent destructive use of the service.

"It is very important to create strong safeguards for internet users through cooperation from all sectors in society to protect internet users from the negative impact of online social networks," she said.

via ScribeFire