A woman, identified only as “Panumat”, has hanged herself in the bathroom of a house in Bangkok’s Ram Inthra area, where she claimed ownership through adverse possession (squatter’s rights).

The husband of the deceased reportedly told Kanna Yao police today that he returned to the house this morning, after doing some shopping, to find his unresponsive wife in the bathroom with a towel tied around her neck.

He claims that he unsuccessfully administered CPR, before contacting a hospital.

After learning of the tragedy, the house owner’s lawyer said in his Facebook post that the owner is shocked and offers his condolences to the decedent’s relatives.

Police say they will investigate the death once they receive the autopsy report.

Panumat was among five people charged with trespass, theft and causing damage to property after they claimed ownership of a neighbour’s house through adverse possession, more commonly known as “squatter’s rights”.  The public prosecutor in charge of the case is scheduled to decide whether to indict the surviving suspects on March 6th.

A relative of the house owner discovered that the house, which had officially been unoccupied for quite some time, hadbeen actually occupied by neighbour Panumat. She was asked her to leave, but she refused, claiming squatter’s rights.

The ownership dispute went viral, generating many comments against the intruder.