This is all I had at the time when I looked into this (back in 2006):
I am trying to do some research on the story of the Gilead student from Thailand who did not complete her schooling and who committed suicide on her return trip to Thailand by jumping off the ship (this happened in either 1956, 1957, or 1958).
There is no definite information about this woman's identity, and I checked Watchtower sources for women who were named as pioneers in Thailand in the 1950s, who would be possible candidates for investment as Gilead students in the U.S. These sources mention 5 women who were notable pioneers in Thailand in the 1950s, and three of these (Karun Chuthiangtrong, Buakhieo Nantha, and Sonsri Phanthuphrayun Darawan) are accounted for as still active in the JWs after 1958 (and are thus excluded from consideration). One of these however was a Gilead graduate in 1958: Buakhieo Nantha (Boa K. Nantah in the 1959 Yearbook ). According to Bill Cetnar, two women from Thailand were studying at Gilead at the same time and the suicidal student requested but was denied having a companion on her return trip home (a denial that had tragic consequences in the context of the story). This suggests to me that Ms. Nantha could have been the second Thai woman in Cetnar's story and that the unidentified woman was enrolled with her in the 31st class of Gilead (which graduated in the summer of 1958), unless Nantha was enrolled in the 30th class but graduated in the 31st class (if she was sidetracked by her friend's death). According to the 1959 Yearbook , 109/112 students of the 30th class graduated (i.e. 3 dropped out), and 100/103 students of the 31st class graduated (i.e. 3 again dropped out). If the 1958 Yearbook is to be believed, our suicide victim would not have belonged to the 29th class since all 103 enrollees graduated.
Since the only names released are those of the graduates, there is no published record of the name of Nantha's presumed companion. However, the 1991 Yearbook 's history of the Thailand mission mentions two other sisters linked to Ms. Nantha who cannot be accounted for as active after 1958. When Nantha was baptized in 1940, she was baptized with four other people including Kaeomalun Inthaphan (the sister of Chomchai Inthaphan) and Buakhieo Chaiwan (the wife of Kham-ai Chaiwan). Chomchai was an important early Thai JW, being the first primary translator of Watchtower literature into Thai. Kaeomalun was mentioned as playing a role in the spread of the JW message in Chom Thong, a district in Chiang Mai province, in the 1940s. But nothing is mentioned about her thereafter. No details are known about Buakhieo Chaiwan.
There could have easily (or even more likely) have been someone else at Gilead unnamed in the literature, particularly in light of the embarrassing chain of events, yet these two people are still viable candidates since there were so few JWs in Thailand (i.e. around 240) and even fewer pioneers (around 34), and both are linked to Ms. Nantha. Anyway, a lead is better than no lead. Do you know anything about these people or the case in question?
I may also look into Honolulu newspapers from 1957/1958 which might report a death at sea, which may help substantiate the story.
