The saga surrounding an elderly care facility in Kanchanaburi Province deepened further after Mae Phat, a 63-year-old cosmetics manufacturer founder, and her son faced each other on the television program Hone Krasae. While the son apologized in tears on air and reconciliations began within the family, public and regulatory scrutiny swiftly shifted to the facility itself and its operational practices.
Facility operator “Pa Maew” escorted media representatives through the premises, defending the use of iron frame bed covers and perimeter razor wire. She asserted that the enclosures were intended to keep vulnerable residents from falling or pulling out medical tubes—providing more freedom of movement than physical limb restraints—and explained that high fencing was necessary to prevent residents with dementia or substance dependencies from leaving unassisted. However, the discovery of sparse outdoor rooms and reinforced barriers prompted widespread debate over whether such conditions met legal standards for elderly and dependent care.
Scrutiny intensified following disclosures from the Department of Business Development, showing that the operating company, registered in September 2024 with a capital of 2 million baht, reported total revenues of 7.43 million baht for the 2025 fiscal year—a 756.05% year-on-year increase. The Tha Muang district facility currently houses 92 residents, with approximately six caged-bed units in operation. On his midday program, host Num Kanchai likened the unfolding developments to a dramatic serial, noting that monthly fees ran around 20,000 baht per person, yielding substantial monthly income across the facility’s long-running operations.
In response, the operator’s son, “Jay”—a health sciences graduate from the University of Auckland in New Zealand—spoke out, openly acknowledging that he personally designed the iron bed frames based on medical principles and references available at the time. He accepted responsibility for organizational shortcomings in patient evaluations and medical record management, noting that several families had already requested to retrieve their relatives.
Jay acknowledged that public perception and emotional wellbeing are as critical as intended safety goals, stating that the center is receptive to guidance from the Department of Health Service Support (HSS) and plans to implement structural and policy overhauls over the coming months.
