Heinous – An Asian True Crime Podcast · Mediacorp

The Cannibal Gardener | Si Quey |1958 | 2/2

·18 min·1 clip
A viral online petition with 20,000 signatures forced the Siriraj Museum to remove the word 'cannibal' from Si Kuei's display.
This episode re-examines the 1958 case of Si Kuei Sai Ong, a Chinese migrant worker in Thailand executed for child murder and cannibalism and displayed as a museum specimen for 60 years. Through archival research and modern documentaries, the narrative reveals critical flaws in his trial—including mistranslated confessions and anti-Chinese prejudice—leading to a public campaign that ultimately removed the 'cannibal' label and secured a proper funeral for him in 2020.

As heard by us

A museum legend gives way to a careful question: what if the man in glass was not the monster the story made him into?

This episode follows the Si Quey story from a Bangkok museum display to the fear that grew around it. It moves through the Siriraj Medical Museum and the old Siriraj Hospital grounds, then turns to the details that began to weaken the legend: contradictions in the confessions,…

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a museum legend tested against the record.

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