At breaking point, Thailand’s poor are killing themselves

An Isaan mother unable to buy milk for her children. A Bangkok taxi driver upset over government mishandling of aid relief. An English teacher despairing from financial calamity. A father followed by his daughter.

Those are just a few of the dozens of people who have taken their lives in a surge of suicides related to the COVID-19 crisis throughout the kingdom, with health officials saying Wednesday their mental health hotline has been overwhelmed by calls.

Satit Pitudecha of Public Health Department said more than 600 calls were made in March to its crisis hotline, compared to only 20 to 40 in each of the previous two months. So far this month, Satit estimates the calls will exceed 600.

On Tuesday, Irada, a mother of two in Maha Sarakham province hanged herself after she could no longer afford to buy milk for her children – a six-month-old and a six-year-old….