Norwegian homeless man seeks help to return home

A 44-year-old Norwegian man has been found living rough in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, saying his passport and documents were stolen and that he wants help returning to Norway.

Mr Odd Stian Hesseberg told reporters he had spent more than two years sleeping at temples and searching through rubbish for food after losing contact with a female friend he had travelled to Thailand to meet.

The case drew attention after the Facebook page "Khaosan-Khon Pak Kret" posted a photograph of a foreign man sleeping by the Pak Kret pier. The post urged nearby officials to wake him because it feared he could fall into the water.

The image prompted widespread discussion about the number of homeless people around the Pak Kret waterfront, despite the area's "Pak Kret, a liveable city" slogan.

Found searching bins at Pak Kret shopping centre

Reporters searched for the man on 6 August, following the river embankment from Pak Kret pier to Wat Sanam Nuea before going to Wat Klang Kret. Temple staff said he was likely out looking for food.

At 8pm, Naruthep Mongkolramruay, 45, a Wat Klang Kret official, reported seeing the foreigner near Major Pak Kret shopping centre.

Reporters found Mr Hesseberg wearing a short-sleeved shirt, torn jeans and flip-flops. He was described as dirty, with an unkempt beard, and was sitting by the roadside eating food scraps he had found in bins.

Mr Hesseberg said he arrived in Thailand alone two years and six months ago to meet a female friend in Nakhon Sawan. After being unable to contact her, he travelled around the country before reaching Nonthaburi.

He said thieves later took a bag containing his passport and other documents, leaving him unable to travel and forcing him to sleep at temples for more than two years. He said he did not know whom to contact for help getting back to Norway.

Temple official questions previous embassy trip

Mr Naruthep said he had seen Mr Hesseberg living around Wat Klang Kret for about a year. Three months ago, he said, the abbot paid for a taxi to take the Norwegian man to the Norwegian embassy to seek help returning home.

However, the temple official said he did not know why Mr Hesseberg later returned to sleep in the temple pavilion.

Mr Naruthep alleged that the man wore torn clothing while asking local people for money to buy 40-degree white liquor, and sometimes asked event hosts at temple fairs for 2,000 baht, saying he needed it to return home. When not believed, he was allegedly given 100 to 200 baht instead.

He said Mr Hesseberg does not speak Thai, although he appears to understand questions. He added that previously officials trying to find him had struggled because the man ran away.

Pictures courtesy of Amarin

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7 August 2026