The man, 20-year-old Chayaphon Atdin, from Songkhla Province, presented himself at the police station at 11:30am today (Apr 11), said Lt Col Chatchai Chunu, Chief of the Wichit Police Investigation Division,
“According to officers at the police station, this has never happened before,” Lt Col Chatchai said.
MrChayaphon told police that he wanted to go to jail.
“At least in prison I will get three meals a day,” he said.
Mr Chayaphon explained that he had no job because of the current COVID-19 situation, and he had no money.
In addition, due to the current travel restrictions in place to prevent the spread of the virus, he was not even allowed to return to his mother’s home in Phatthalung, he added.
Police officers contacted MrChayaphon’s mother to confirm his situation.
“She explained that her son was under considerable stress due to not having any work,’’ Lt Col Chatchai said.
“With no relatives or family members to take care of him, we felt we had to charge him for illegal possession of narcotic so we could take him into custody,” he added.
“We feared that turning him away may have caused him even more stress and increased the possibility of him harming himself, so the officers felt they had no choice but to place Mr Chayaphon under arrest,” Lt Col Chatchai explained.