Siriraj Hospital will try to trace relatives of infamous serial killer Si Quey, whose embalmed body has been kept in its museum for 60 years, to discuss funeral arrangements.
“The search will last one month and end on Aug 3,” Prasit Watthanapa, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Mahidol University's Siriraj Hospital, said on Tuesday after discussing the issue with lawyers.
They suggested the hospital follow traditional procedures to deal with the cadaver.
This means Si Quey’s relatives can claim his body if they demonstrate proof of blood ties.
But if nobody comes forward, the hospital will have the right to make a decision on their behalf, Dr Prasit said.
The Siriraj Medical Museum earlier decided to give up the body, following campaigns for its release.
Campaigners suspect Si Quey was a scapegoat. Villagers in Thap Sakae in Prachuap Khiri Khan, where the alleged cannibal once lived, even called on the National Human Rights Commission to look into the issue.
Si Quey was arrested in Rayong in 1958 and executed by firing squad in the same yearafter confessing to several child murders. However, he denied charges of cannibalism.