Thai Man Intentionally Lands Himself In Jail Because He Was Too Poor For Freedom

60-Year-Old Thailand Man Intentionally Lands Himself In Jail Because He Can’t Afford Freedom

A man from Thailand intentionally committed a crime and landed in jail because he was too poor for freedom.

The 60-year-old man, identified as only Phichit, committed the crime on July 29 at a local pharmacy in Chonburi province, a town south of Bangkok. According to local police, Phichit stole three bars of soap worth THB17( $.047) and was caught by employees.

Although the pharmacy has an enforced shoplifting policy which includes paying fines and serving time in jail, employees let the man off the hook, and another customer offered to pay for his fine.

 

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However, Phichit declined the offer and insisted that the staff contact the police.

He said he wanted to be arrested for the crime, leading the staff to call the police. During his police interview, Phicit explained that he would rather spend time in jail since he could receive three meals a day and interact with others rather than live on the streets.

As reported by Oddity Central, it is unclear how police handled the situation, but the outlet said it reflects how inflation affects citizens throughout the country. It is the highest level of inflation since 2008.

“The pickup in Thailand’s consumer price gains in June will probably stoke inflation expectations, even though it was partly due to a less favorable basis of comparison. This should increase pressure on the Bank of Thailand to tighten ‘monetary policy”, said Asian economist Tamara Henderson to Bloomberg.