Myanmar crewman found floating at Sattahip naval pier

The body of a 50-year-old Myanmar fishing crewman has been recovered at Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri, four days after he fell from a fishing boat while nets were being deployed.

Lay Oo was found floating face-down near the bow of the naval vessel Similan, No. 871, which was moored at Chuk Samet Pier at Sattahip Port, within the Sattahip Naval Base, at 10am on 9 August 2026.

Police Sub-Lieutenant Anuphan Hongkiatkhajorn, an investigating officer at Sattahip Police Station, was notified of the discovery. He attended the scene with Acting Captain Kongkrit Homtalop, head of Chuk Samet Pier; Police Lieutenant Colonel Kriangkrai Misaeng, deputy superintendent of investigations at Sattahip Police Station; investigators, naval base intelligence personnel and the Sattahip rescue unit.

The rescue team used a boat to retrieve the body before bringing it ashore at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club of Thailand launching point in Dongtan Bay, Sattahip.

Crewman fell overboard during netting

Police identified the deceased as Lay Oo, a Myanmar national and crewman on the fishing boat Saeng Charoen Kan Pramong 5.

He was not wearing a shirt and was dressed in blue shorts. Officers said there were no visible signs that he had been assaulted.

The man went overboard at about 7.10pm on 5 August while the boat was setting its nets at latitude 12 degrees 34 minutes north and longitude 100 degrees 44 minutes east.

The location was around 11 nautical miles from the Laem Pu Chao lighthouse at Sattahip Naval Base. Lay Oo reportedly slipped from the starboard side of the vessel, in front of the wheelhouse towards the bow, and disappeared into the sea.

Waves were more than one metre high at the time. Crew members searched for him, joined by the fishing vessels Saeng Charoen Kan Pramong 8 and 9, but were unable to locate him.

Post-mortem and identity checks underway

Lay Oo's body later drifted to the moored Similan, where it was spotted by personnel on 9 August.

Police Sub-Lieutenant Anuphan said the body had been sent to Sattahip Hospital at Km 10 for a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death. Officials will also formally verify that the deceased is Lay Oo, as initially reported.

Once procedures are complete, police will contact his relatives so that they can take the body.

Pictures courtesy of SiamRath

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10 August 2026