Tha Chatchai Police reported they were informed at 1pm that a man had climbed the rail along the side of the bridge and was standing on the outside ledge, threatening to jump into the fast-moving water below.
Maj Somkiat Wan-Te of the Tha Chatchai Police and fellow officers responded to the call and soon arrived at the scene.
Also joining the ranks of those present to help the man were traffic police, local officials and volunteers from the Kusoldham Foundation, Thai Chatchai Police reported.
The man, later reported as “Mr Sakanan” (family name withheld), was eventually convinced to climb safely back onto the bridge, where he was taken into care.
Mr Sakanan was taken to Tha Chatchai Police Station, where at last report he was awaiting family members to come and collect him.
Police gave no indication what had motivated Mr Sakanan to threaten to jump from the bridge, which has become an icon for people finding themselves in tragic circumstances.
A 37-year-old woman from Wichit was rescued from the Chong Pak Phra canal separating Phuket from the mainland after she jumped from the Thao Thepkrasattri Bridge leading onto the island in an apparent suicide bid on Feb 23.
“Now, she is in a better state of mind as she has since been in contact with her parents,” police said after her rescue.
The woman’s jump from that bridge came just two days after the 49th anniversary of Somsak Wanawornsukrak and Kanjana Sae- Ngho together ending their lives by jumping off the Sarasin Bridge after their families had forbidden them from seeing each other.
The tale of the star-crossed lovers has become modern Thai folklore, with the Sarasin Bridge today a popular site for Thai tourists to visit during trips to Phuket.
Phuket authorities have set up a 24-hour hotline to help people who have been impacted and are struggling due to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hotline â Tel: 1300 â provides advice and coordinated assistance from a range of government departments and support agencies to those that have been affected in various ways by the pandemic, be it emotionally, mentally, financially or otherwise.
If you or anyone you know is in need of emotional support and counselling, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their 24-hour hotline 02-113-6789 (English & Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).
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