BIZARRE DEATH

Physicians at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Siriraj Hospital confirmed that a headless body and a severed head of a westerner found hanging below Rama VIII bridge on Sunday are from the same person.

The forensic examination also indicated that the victim may attempt to commit suicide.

Officials inspect the headless body of a foreigner aged 40-45 found floating under the Rama VIII bridge yesterday. It is thought the corpse belongs to a Westerner whose head was found hanging from the bridge on Sunday. CHANAT KATANYU

Physicians added that similar cases had taken place in foreign countries before since the head could be detached from the body when the victim jumped off the bridge.

Deputy national police chief Jongrak Chutanont, referring to the forensic examination, said it would be likely that the victim committed suicide because the wounds were jagged, and there were no indications that he was decapitated by a sharp object.

As a result, Pol Gen Jongrak dismissed the possibility that the victim was murdered by a foreign crime syndicates.

He said police preliminarily assumed that the victim could be a 49-year-old Italian named Jaeta Jiovani who travelled to Thailand last Wednesday.

EARLIER REPORT: By WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM

A headless body has been discovered in the Chao Phraya river near the Rama VIII bridge where the head of a male foreigner was found hanging from a rope on Sunday.

Officials inspect the headless body of a foreigner aged 40-45 found floating under the Rama VIII bridge yesterday. It is thought the corpse belongs to a Westerner whose head was found hanging from the bridge on Sunday. CHANAT KATANYUThe body was sent yesterday to Siriraj Hospital for examination to check on a match with the head.Specialists estimated the man had died about 24 hours before the body was found.

Pol Col Pornsak Surasit, commander of the Crime Suppression Police Division 1, said the body had not yet been identified.

He said it was uncertain whether the man was murdered or if he committed suicide.

Pol Col Chawalit Prasopsin, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Division 7, said specialists at Siriraj Hospital would need time to examine the head thoroughly to determine whether it was severed with a sharp object.

The headless body was found in the Chao Phraya river about 2pm yesterday when police were searching in the area of the Rama VIII bridge for clues about the head.

The body was clad in a white long-sleeved shirt, a pair of black trousers with dots and a pair of sneakers. A box of matches was found on the body.

On Sunday afternoon, the head of a foreigner was found hanging about 5 metres below the railing of the bridge.

A Puma-brand white polyester bag was found attached to the rope used to hang the head from the bridge. There were some Italian words printed on one side of the bag.

A police source said checks had found the bag was not made or sold locally.

The source said the rope was of the type used in mountain climbing.

Police found a message written in English saying, "Cath. I want but I cannot", and, "I came to Bangkok to be you".

Police have sent information and a description of the man to embassies in Bangkok.

They have also distributed photographs of the dead man in Khao San road and Soi Nana, areas popular with foreign tourists, to try to find clues to his identity.

Video footage from surveillance cameras installed on the bridge has also been checked, but no clues have been found so far.

Yesterday morning, officials from the Russian embassy arrived at Bowon Mongkhon police station to check the picture of the man.

They found that the man had some features typical of a Russian and believed he could be a Russian national.