A foreign man believed to be Chinese was found dead under suspicious circumstances near a railway-side road in Patttaya, Chonburi, on the morning of 5 March 2026. The body showed signs of physical abuse and possible torture prior to death. Police have launched an investigation to determine the victim’s identity and the cause of death.
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Police were alerted at around 09.30 when the body was discovered beside the railway road, on the section which is closed for road works, just after the Soi Khao Talo junction. Responding officers included investigators from Bang Lamung Police Station, forensic officers from Chonburi’s Police Forensic Division 2, a duty doctor and rescuers from the Sawang Boriboon Pattaya Foundation.
The victim was found in a motorcycle parking shelter used by hotel staff, located beside the railway road. He was described as an Asian male aged approximately 30–40 with East Asian features, believed to be Chinese. His body was discovered hanging from a cream-coloured nylon rope tied to a roof beam.
Investigators noted the victim’s body was in a standing position with both knees slightly bent and his left hand raised near the noose. He was wearing a blue round-neck shirt with the English wording “ARAS” printed on the back, black-and-white elephant-pattern trousers, and white shoes. Two pieces of asphalt had been stacked beneath his feet.
Police at the scene estimated the man had been dead for anywhere between six to twelve hours when discovered. No identification documents were found on the body. However, a lighter, a pen and three handwritten letters in Chinese were discovered in his right trouser pocket.
According to the letters, the man apologised to his family and asked that the embassy be contacted so his parents could be informed and his body returned home. One message reportedly read: “I apologise to my family. Please contact the embassy and my parents and help take me back home.”
Picture courtesy of ThaiRath
Initial forensic examination revealed extensive bruising covering the victim’s body from head to toe. His face was swollen, while both legs showed numerous dark spots resembling injuries caused by electric shocks. Several burn-like wounds were also found on his back, appearing similar to injuries from heated objects.
Forensic officers and medical staff believe these injuries were inflicted two to three days before the man’s death. Investigators are therefore examining whether the death was staged or connected to earlier violence.
The body was first discovered by 41-year-old Ekphoj Nundee, a water truck driver working for a construction contractor repairing the nearby road surface. He said he was spraying water to reduce dust when he turned his vehicle and noticed the body hanging in the shelter, prompting him to alert police immediately.
Police investigators, forensic teams, and detectives have since begun collecting evidence from the scene. Authorities are also reviewing CCTV footage from nearby areas and interviewing witnesses in an effort to identify the victim and establish how he came to be found hanging at the location.
ThaiRath reported the body will be transferred to the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine for a detailed autopsy. Investigators say the results will be crucial in determining the true cause of death and whether criminal charges may follow.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Thairath 5 Mar 2026