Metal cages installed around beds at elderly care centre in Thailand

Thai police are investigating an elderly and dependent-patient care centre in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, after finding metal cages fitted around several beds, some of which were reportedly locked from the outside.

The inspection on Monday (5 Oct) followed allegations from a former resident who claimed she had been taken to the facility against her will and kept there for more than two years.

Woman claimed she was confined at care centre

The woman appeared on Thai television programme Hone Krasae, where she alleged that her son and daughter-in-law had sent her to the facility without her consent.

She also claimed that her son had taken control of a family business worth billions of baht.

According to the woman, she remained at the centre for more than two-and-a-half years, during which she was allegedly assaulted, threatened, and also forced to take medication.

She eventually managed to contact her sister secretly and sought help to leave the facility.

Police found metal cages fitted around beds

Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) consequently investigated the facility.

Officials discovered patients sleeping inside locked iron-cage structures built over hospital beds.

In a statement, the team revealed that the exterior living quarters were reinforced with heavy iron frames and also encircled by concertina wire along multiple boundaries.

Inside the residence, many elderly patients were documented lying on mattresses equipped with fixed metal cage frames mounted directly above the beds.

The interior living quarters were also divided into sub-rooms enclosed by iron bars and locked from the outside with heavy padlocks.

Owner said cages are meant to protect psychiatric patients

The facility’s owner, a former Royal Thai Air Force nurse, defended the use of the metal enclosures.

She said they were used for patients with severe psychiatric conditions who could fall from their beds, damage property, hurt others, or wander away from the facility.

She also denied allegations of physical abuse and maintained that the structures were installed for safety rather than punishment.

Business regularly inspected by health authorities

The owner said the centre had operated there since 2006, becoming an elderly and dependent-patient care facility in 2021.

She said the business had obtained the necessary licence and was regularly inspected by health authorities.

Thai health authorities found the centre was licensed for elderly care but not psychiatric or dependent-patient treatment.

Further investigations are ongoing, with police also gathering CCTV footage, documents, and witness statements.

Shanghai Woman Kidnapped In Philippines & Kept In Dog Cage, Escapes After 20 Days