KOH SAMUI – A French businesswoman, Madame Catherine, 59, who lived in a luxurious villa on Koh Samui in Thailand’s Surat Thani province, committed suicide by shooting herself. She left her 100 million baht, or about 2.7 million USD, fortune and three cats to her Thai housekeeper, known as “Pa Tim,” in her will.
Pa Tim (Aunty Tim), from Wanorn Niwas district in Sakon Nakhon province, tearfully said on Thursday she was shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Madame Catherine.
The Thai housekeeper said she had known Madame Catherine for over 17 years. She was introduced to Madame Catherine by a friend and started working as a housekeeper at Madame Catherine’s rental property. Mrs. Catherine then expanded her business from a rental property to a resort and villas, and Pa Tim continued to work for her throughout her career. She receives a salary of 22,000 baht per month.
Before the incident occurred, on April 28, Pa Tim went to clean the house as usual. During the afternoon, she informed Madame Catherine that she was going to take leave to go to the temple, as it was her birthday. Madame Catherine allowed her and then said “Happy Birthday to you”.
The next day, the pool cleaner called Pa Tim and told her that Madame Catherine was lying on the ground next to the pool, covered in blood. Pa Tim said she was so shocked and rushed to the house. When she got there, she found that her boss had died with a gunshot wound to her temple.
After checking her LINE messages, Pa Tim found a message from Madame Catherine indicating that there was a farewell letter in the safebox. She and Madame Catherine’s friend then opened the safe and read the letter together.
It starts with the word “Au revoir” or “Goodbye,” and says, “My journey ends here. I very sincerely believe that you are a person of integrity. That’s why I leave you my safe. The second copy is for Tim. I wish to be cremated and my ashes scattered, if possible, in Saparot.”
The letter stated that Madame Catherine was bequeathing her villa, along with the surrounding land, two additional acres of vacant land, luxury cars, jewelry, rings, diamonds stored in the safe, and all cash in the bank to Pa Tim. She was also giving two other villas to Mr. Vincent, Madame Catherine’s ex-husband. Additionally, the Frenchwoman requested that Pa Tim take care of her three beloved cats.
“I want her to stay with me. I didn’t want that to happen. I received so much from her, but I lost her. I’m heartbroken and miss her so much. I don’t want her to leave me. She was like a mother to me, taking care of me all these years. I promise I’ll do my best,” said Pa Tim.
The Thai housekeeper, who has four children, also revealed that Madame Catherine had transferred her salary, internet fees, water and electricity bills in full before her death. She had also transferred 500,000 baht to Pa Tim to cover her funeral expenses. Pa Tim promised to hold a proper funeral and never forget Madame Catherine’s kindness.
She still does not know what she will do with the villa in the future, but she is sure that she will not sell it. This also applies to the luxury cars that Madame Catherine left her, even though she can not drive.
Pa Tim believes that Madame Catherine’s decision to commit suicide may have been due to stress from her illness. She had hemorrhoids that eventually turned into cancer. She may have wanted to pass away peacefully.
_____
