At a temple in Nonthaburi on the outskirts of Bangkok, a 65-year-old Thai woman was found alive in her coffin just before cremation rites were set to start. While preparing the body on Sunday, temple employees at Wat Rat Prakongtham, which livestreams cremations as part of its community activities, saw movements from inside the casket.
The woman was breathing and gently knocking on the wooden interior of the coffin when the personnel opened it. The abbot ordered her to be transported to the hospital and promptly stopped the proceedings. The woman was identified as Chonthirat Sakulkoo. She had been bedridden for about two years, and her health had steadily declined during that time, as told by her brother, Mongkol Sakulkoo.
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"I’ve cared for my sister for three years. Officials told us she had died. All the documents had been issued, so we placed her in a coffin and brought her to the temple for cremation," Mongkol told The Bangkok Post.
Death Certificate Blunder
According to Mr. Mongkol, relatives and village officials thought his sister had passed away when he discovered her unconscious at their Phitsanulok village home last Saturday.
The headman of the village signed the required paperwork for a coffin donation, which is a ritual in the area and permits families to pick up a coffin from charity institutions. These documents, however, are not the same as an official death certificate, which is required by Thai law prior to a hospital accepting a body for organ donation or performing any legal operations.
Mongkol said that he tried to get an official certificate, but the hospital refused to accept the body since no doctor had declared her dead. Further, delaying the process might have led to decomposition of the body. He decided instead to take his sister to Wat Rat Prakongtham, which provides free cremation services.
According to the temple treasurer Pairat Sudthup, staff were explaining to the family that they also needed an official death certificate before cremation could proceed. As they spoke, a knocking sound came from the coffin. “I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled. I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time,” Mongkol told.
The woman was taken to the hospital immediately and responded well to the treatment, and is doing well now.
