Pictures courtesy of Daily Record

 

In a shocking twist, a Scottish man missing for months has been located in Pattaya under distressing circumstances. James Murphy, a 64-year-old from Kirkcaldy, Fife, was found in a desperate state after reportedly harming himself in a hotel.

 

Emergency services in Pattaya responded on 23rd August to reports of a man in critical condition on Second Road. Rescue teams from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation discovered Murphy with serious self-inflicted wounds in the Avani Pattaya Hotel dining room. Staff quickly performed first aid before paramedics stabilised him and rushed him to Memorial Hospital.

 

Eyewitnesses recounted that Murphy, having left the hotel earlier, returned for a drink and used broken glass to inflict injuries. Police confirmed the incident as self-harm and are delving into his motives.

 

Murphy, affectionately known as “Jimmy,” moved to Southeast Asia last October but lost contact with his family in April, prompting them to seek help from the British Embassy in Bangkok. However, efforts to trace him had been unsuccessful until this incident. His niece Becky revealed the family’s anguish, stating they had been desperate for information about his whereabouts.

 

“We heard from a local that he might have been seen in June, but he has been elusive since moving to Thailand. We believe he currently lacks a passport,” Becky explained, adding that her uncle had struggled with mental health issues.

 

Thai authorities have reviewed Murphy’s bank records to track his movements, with the latest activity noted in May. The investigation is ongoing, as Police Lieutenant Colonel Saijai Kamjulla indicated that Murphy faces no charges and will remain under hospital observation to ensure his wellbeing.

 

“We haven’t been directly contacted by the family, but we plan to speak with him to understand his situation better,” Kamjulla stated.

 

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is now involved in the case. “We are providing support to a British man hospitalised in Thailand and are in contact with local authorities,” confirmed an FCDO spokesperson. 

 

The Scottish Police declined to comment.

 

This tale of disappearance and distress highlights the ongoing challenges faced by expatriates abroad, as well as the critical importance of mental health support for individuals dealing with complex life changes far from home.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-08-27

 

Give him the oblivion he craves and send the ashes back to the family. 

Hmm staying at the Avani ....not too shabby 

How can the man be lost for months in Thailand when heis checked into a hotel and the hotels must report guests that are in their hotels to immigration?  

4 minutes ago, thesetat said:

How can the man be lost for months in Thailand when heis checked into a hotel and the hotels must report guests that are in their hotels to immigration?  

Some shady hotels don't demand anything as long as they get paid for the room.

Another sad story. I lost count of members of the Pattaya flying club. 

5 hours ago, Jim Blue said:

Hmm staying at the Avani ....not too shabby 

2nd thought...

From the report it is not clear whether he actually lived in the hotel?

Otherwise hard to believe that someone could not be found...

 

2 hours ago, norsurin said:

Some shady hotels don't demand anything as long as they get paid for the room.

But the Avani you think?

5 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

But the Avani you think?

According to news in another site he was a former guest who this time dropped in for a meal.

11 minutes ago, norsurin said:

a former guest who this time dropped in for a meal.

 

Based on how vigilant some hotels are at posting employees at the restaurant entrance to check room numbers it appears there is a substantial number  attempting to "drop in."

12 minutes ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

 

Based on how vigilant some hotels are at posting employees at the restaurant entrance to check room numbers it appears there is a substantial number  attempting to "drop in."

Right.Sometimes some trying to get a free breakfast u know.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Eyewitnesses recounted that Murphy, having left the hotel earlier, returned for a drink and used broken glass to inflict injuries. Police confirmed the incident as self-harm and are delving into his motives.

End of the road ?

4 hours ago, thesetat said:

How can the man be lost for months in Thailand when heis checked into a hotel and the hotels must report guests that are in their hotels to immigration?  

Short Time room places.

4 minutes ago, wombat said:

Short Time room places.

Get a couple of hours sleep at The Love Inn perhaps? 

That will be a first!

Lost for months?  Perhaps a less fuzzy photograph would have helped in the search?

2 hours ago, norsurin said:

According to news in another site he was a former guest who this time dropped in for a meal.

 

Was the provender that bad? I've had some disappointing meals but not at the level of opening up my carotid artery in protest.  

Jimmy, sounds like he's a little cranky to me...

I love this video series. My favorite is the dumbest woman in the world....But it only took 3 seconds to find the most Scottish man in the world.

It can be ANYTHING! & they will make it a parody.
 

 

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Police Lieutenant Colonel Saijai Kamjulla indicated that Murphy faces no charges and will remain under hospital observation to ensure his wellbeing.

 

Surprising kindness. I had assumed that if you pull something like this, you'd be on the next plane to farangland ... and maybe much worse. They understand mental-health struggles in LOS now? I'm surprised. 

At risk of sounding pedantic, he is not a "Scottish man." He is a "Scotsman." 

Why is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)  Involved?  Why waste time on this self-serving undeserved loser who is by no means suffering from poverty.

 

FCDO mandate  is to end extreme poverty within developing countries. FCDO works to solve today's most difficult global challenges such as poverty and disease, mass migration, insecurity and conflict. ndin

Probably a lot more like this individual hiding in Thailand 

Ssurprised no Gofundme to get him back to the UK 

10 hours ago, Jim Blue said:

Hmm staying at the Avani ....not too shabby 

If you read the stoty carefully it said that he left the hotel earlier but that doesn't necessarly mean that he was booked in there as he might have been in the restuarant and then came back.

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

But the Avani you think?

No value post.

1 hour ago, Ebumbu said:

 

Surprising kindness. I had assumed that if you pull something like this, you'd be on the next plane to farangland ... and maybe much worse. They understand mental-health struggles in LOS now? I'm surprised. 

 

And no doubt the hospital is not free; they will adding daily to the total to be paid.

 

Pid by who / who knows.    

6 hours ago, AlexRich said:

Another sad story. I lost count of members of the Pattaya flying club. 

Give it a rest.  There's a suicide every 11 minutes in the US.  Suicides happen everywhere.  This is only a 'news' story--with no death--because it has a Pattaya angle.  

1 hour ago, Ebumbu said:

 

Surprising kindness. I had assumed that if you pull something like this, you'd be on the next plane to farangland ... and maybe much worse. They understand mental-health struggles in LOS now? I'm surprised. 

He's a Scotsman. I have tried haggis more than once. Quite filling. He used it to repair his walls.

I had a Scottsman friend & was just jooooookking. as a Scotsman would pronounce it.

I was in Pattaya, about a haggis. He Bye-God brought me a fricking haggis. God Bless Harry. Such a nice guy! 

I could have cared less about a Haggis....it was a JOKE! He hauled that thing 10,000 miles to me.

Florida guys love Scotsmen....and even Limeys as well. I love everybody. Especially little brown women..........Been married 20 years.

I still have a case of the Yellow Fever when I see any Asian girl....Not the fat ones. Me NO Like Filipinas! That's a story for a different thread.

Nowadays, I'm the fat one. 58 & a beer belly. I weigh exactly the same as I did 41 years ago....165 lbs. - please - some Limey tell me how many stone that is????

Joking guys! A Stone is 14 lbs is it not? 165 divided by 14 is 11.78 stone....????

Just having fun with me Limey brothers!

My last name is Stone. I did not make that up. Ken Stone is my name. A Colonial that did a few things here & there.

Now, this new forum seems to be full of intellegent people. I would enthuesiastically enjoy ripe depate about us Dummies in the USA. Just light-hearted  jabs at each other. Not angry or nothing. I'm far too old to get punched in the nose & my teeth are falling out already.

Scotsmen, Irishmen & Aussies. Love you all. I dearly love arguing with you all as well.

45 countries here & I have met Lascars.

I've read all Hagard's books half of Sir Conan Arthur Doyle's books and a few thousand others.

We need a book club on this forum for old geezers like us!

Cheers!

Stone

3 hours ago, Ebumbu said:

 

Surprising kindness. I had assumed that if you pull something like this, you'd be on the next plane to farangland ... and maybe much worse. They understand mental-health struggles in LOS now? I'm surprised. 

No charges implies he does have a current Passport and permission to stay. The authorities should get that information back to his family who believe he lacks a passport. One less worry for them if they anticipate his repatriation.

4 hours ago, Ebumbu said:

Surprising kindness. I had assumed that if you pull something like this, you'd be on the next plane to farangland ... and maybe much worse. They understand mental-health struggles in LOS now? I'm surprised. 

 

Really? You think self-harming is a deportation offence?

14 hours ago, Bobthegimp said:

Give him the oblivion he craves and send the ashes back to the family. 

How refreshing,from an obvious expert on mental health.