No foul play was found to implicate the military in the death of an army private found unconscious at his house and later pronounced dead in hospital on Saturday night, the army said.
Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree made the statement after the army reviewed CCTV footage obtained from the Vibhavadi Rangsit Military Camp in Surat Thani, where Pvt Noppadol Worakitpan, 21, was stationed. Witnesses were also questioned there.
The soldier's family found him unconscious in his bedroom and bleeding from the nose and mouth, according to his mother, Malaiporn. He was rushed to Surat Thani Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Ms Malaiporn said her son had returned home with two other conscripts on Saturday night, and had complained he was feeling tired. She said the two other conscripts had told her daughter that Pvt Noppadol had been physically disciplined in the camp.
Col Winthai on Monday said army chief Chalermchai Sitthisad had instructed the 45th Military Circle, which is in charge of the camp, to set up a fact-finding committee to look into the case and work with the police to determine the cause of the private's death.
Based on the accounts of people at the camp and CCTV footage, nothing went on at the army camp that could have contributed to the private's death, Col Winthai said.
According to the spokesman, at 7.20pm on Saturday, soldiers at the camp were ordered to assemble on parade to listen to instructions from their superiors. No physical exercise was conducted, he noted.
The camp was investigating what happened after the assembly, Col Winthai said.
Pol Lt Col Likit Chumchuay, an investigator at Muang Surat Thani police, went to the camp Monday to review the CCTV footage.
The police said Pvt Parinya Ratjin and Pvt Chairuek Akarakul told investigators they had accompanied Pvt Noppadol to his house on Saturday night.
Footage from CCTV showed Pvt Noppadol waiting to be taken to a bike show in Tha Chana district at around 8.45pm. Pol Lt Col Likit said Pvt Noppadol and Pvt Chairuek were seen waiting together in the footage.
They were there for more than 14 minutes and left the area together, the officer said. Pvt Parinya had picked up his two fellow conscripts and they rode a motorcycle to Pvt Noppadol's house, where Pvt Noppadol was supposed to get changed before the three went to the bike show, according to Pol Lt Col Likit.
Pol Col Wichob Kerdkleang, deputy commander of Surat Thani police, said Pvt Parinya and Pvt Chairuek told investigators Pvt Noppadol had spent a long time in his bedroom after arriving at home at 9 pm. They decided to leave without him and return later.
Pvt Noppodol was found unconscious in his room on their return, where the two soldiers and Pvt Noppadol's family tried to perform CPR on him, the officer said. Pvt Noppodol was later taken to hospital.
Cpl Thankon Srisuk, a duty officer at the army camp, said all the conscripts were present during the assembly and no severe punishment had been ordered against any soldier at the time.
The privates were ordered to do press-ups for about 10 minutes, which is part of routine training, he said.
Meanwhile, Pvt Noppodol's body was sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok early Monday morning for an autopsy.
No information was to hand so far as to whether bruising was found on his body.
