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

Join the discussion?

7 August 2026

View full article

It does not make sence. If he has money the Norwegians embassy will help him get it transfered and he can pick it up at the embassy. If he does not have money they can give him an emergency loan so he gets back to Norway. He is there of his own free will.

25 minutes ago, malacay66 said:

It does not make sence. If he has money the Norwegians embassy will help him get it transfered and he can pick it up at the embassy. If he does not have money they can give him an emergency loan so he gets back to Norway. He is there of his own free will.

Agree, and why I chuckled at the OP.

Must be tough in Norway, if he'd rather be a vagrant here

1 hour ago, malacay66 said:

It does not make sence. If he has money the Norwegians embassy will help him get it transfered and he can pick it up at the embassy. If he does not have money they can give him an emergency loan so he gets back to Norway. He is there of his own free will.

The Norwegian embassy provides loans to help people in this situation? Are you sure about that?

Hope Bob is OK.

22 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

The Norwegian embassy provides loans to help people in this situation? Are you sure about that?

Normally embassies do only try to contact relatives in the home countries but do not provide direct financial help.

It for the Norvegian embassy to settle things, trace down the chap and send him back and pay for the expenses. Expenses that can be recovered when the chap is back in Norway. Totally unacceptable how many western nation embassys sometimes do not take any action to assist their own. A very bad image for Norway.

32 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

The Norwegian embassy provides loans to help people in this situation? Are you sure about that?

"An emergency repatriation loan is a loan granted by Norwegian foreign service missions and embassies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Norwegian citizens to cover the cost of returning to Norway when exceptional circumstances prevent the individual from paying the expenses themselves and no one else is able to guarantee or cover the costs."

10 minutes ago, msbkk said:

Normally embassies do only try to contact relatives in the home countries but do not provide direct financial help.

They do if the relatives refuse to transfer. We had a similar situation a few years ago. I think it was "Gunnar" who lived as a beggar in Bangkok. His family had transferred money 3 or 4 times to get him home, but he chose to get drunk instead so they refused to send more. Then the embassy fixed a ticket home fore him, but he managed to cancel the ticket at the airport and got money and got drunk instead. Then the embassy said no when he came the second time. There is a lot more to this story than some guy loosing his passport i am sure.

20 minutes ago, msbkk said:

Normally embassies do only try to contact relatives in the home countries but do not provide direct financial help.

I know, hence my comment.

22 minutes ago, msbkk said:

Normally embassies do only try to contact relatives in the home countries but do not provide direct financial help.

They offer emergency loans that you have to pay back if no relatives are willing to help.

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

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.

Are the monks reporting his stay to the IO? Is he here on a two year overstay?

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

He said he did not know whom to contact for help getting back to Norway.

Perhaps start by contacting the police &…

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

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.

Well there it is folks, he’s a boozer begging for funds to self medicate with free room and board at a Wat.

14 minutes ago, malacay66 said:

"An emergency repatriation loan is a loan granted by Norwegian foreign service missions and embassies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Norwegian citizens to cover the cost of returning to Norway when exceptional circumstances prevent the individual from paying the expenses themselves and no one else is able to guarantee or cover the costs."

They are exceptional and arenot granted as a right to the citizens and they are not guaranteed. The loan has to be repaid on return to Norway so the recipient has to have funds available to do that and the recipient needs to have a regular income to qualify. They are not dished out willy-nilly to anybody who walks in destitute.

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

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.

It doesn't take 2 years to recuperate a lost passport.

Edited August 7Aug 7 by save the frogs

6 minutes ago, novacova said:

Are the monks reporting his stay to the IO? Is he here on a two year overstay?

Monks will never stab you in the back.

2 hours ago, malacay66 said:

It does not make sence. If he has money the Norwegians embassy will help him get it transfered and he can pick it up at the embassy. If he does not have money they can give him an emergency loan so he gets back to Norway. He is there of his own free will.

"If he does not have money they can give him an emergency loan so he gets back to Norway."

Are you sure this is correct or just your assumption?

Why? Many countries are not allowed (by their own laws and regulations) to hand out money but they will often be helpful to contact relations at home and help to get the funds the relatives might provide to the homeless / destitute / broke person.

7 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Monks will never stab you in the back.

So you consider yourself being stabbed in the back every time someone filed a tm30 on you, just how many times have you been stabbed in the back in th?

28 minutes ago, novacova said:

So you consider yourself being stabbed in the back every time someone filed a tm30 on you, just how many times have you been stabbed in the back in th?

The monks will not "rat you out" might be a better expression.

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

The monks will not "rat you out" might be a better expression.

How many times have you been tm30 ratted out? Or are you a vagrant?

Edited August 7Aug 7 by novacova

Probably never went to embassy and used the taxi money etc for drink.

Can’t police take him there in a van directly to the Embassy and make sure he gets in ? There should be some way, or one day there will be hundreds like him all over Thailand.

A sort of deportation scheme. Would only cost a cheap flight.

2 minutes ago, geisha said:

A sort of deportation scheme.

A trip to the local IO is all that’s needed, they’ll take it from there.

On 8/7/2026 at 3:14 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

The Norwegian embassy provides loans to help people in this situation? Are you sure about that?

No, they definitely do not. But they'll help getting you in contact with family or friends.

On 8/7/2026 at 4:15 PM, scorecard said:

"If he does not have money they can give him an emergency loan so he gets back to Norway."

Are you sure this is correct or just your assumption?

Why? Many countries are not allowed (by their own laws and regulations) to hand out money but they will often be helpful to contact relations at home and help to get the funds the relatives might provide to the homeless / destitute / broke person.

Correct. Norwegian authorities or embassy never give out loans to stranded Norwegians. It's their policy not to do that.

On 8/7/2026 at 3:48 PM, malacay66 said:

"An emergency repatriation loan is a loan granted by Norwegian foreign service missions and embassies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Norwegian citizens to cover the cost of returning to Norway when exceptional circumstances prevent the individual from paying the expenses themselves and no one else is able to guarantee or cover the costs."

This is not right. I've been there myself, in this same situation, and the embassy was very clear about not giving out loans to stranded Norwegians, or paying for tickets.

Don't know where you quoted this from, but the embassy itself denies they can do this.

4 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

No, they definitely do not. But they'll help getting you in contact with family or friends.

US embassy policy ( from personal experience)
Embassy will contact family or friends back home , if NOBODY will send you money for ticket,
embassy will book your flight back home ( no discount flight ) ur emergency passport they issue you will be blocked till you pay back the LOAN for the ticket, no future passport issued till loan is repaid.
am sure every other embassy has the same policy, cant believe any embassy will allow a citizen to remain in a foreign country with no money, no passport

its pure bs he hung out for 2 years and didn't know where to go, unless he is mentally incompetent.
he just didn't want go back
zero sympathy from me

Just now, zzzzz said:

US embassy policy ( from personal experience)
Embassy will contact family or friends back home , if NOBODY will send you money for ticket,
embassy will book your flight back home ( no discount flight ) ur emergency passport they issue you will be blocked till you pay back the LOAN for the ticket, no future passport issued till loan is repaid.
am sure every other embassy has the same policy, cant believe any embassy will allow a citizen to remain in a foreign country with no money, no passport

its pure bs he hung out for 2 years and didn't know where to go, unless he is mentally incompetent.
he just didn't want go back
zero sympathy from me

No, most others do not share that policy. I stayed for 2 weeks at IDC in Bangkok years ago, and there were talks about which embassy did what. The US loan came up, so yes, that is correct, but UK citizens, Norwegians, among many others, were denied the same loan.

Been there, done that.

17 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

No, most others do not share that policy. I stayed for 2 weeks at IDC in Bangkok years ago, and there were talks about which embassy did what. The US loan came up, so yes, that is correct, but UK citizens, Norwegians, among many others, were denied the same loan.

Been there, done that.

Australian Embassy the same, no cash handout, no loan but they try many ways to get in contact with relatives in Oz and if they send funds to the embassy they will help to get you a ticket and relies must also send enough funds for taxi to airport, spending money for basic food etc.

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

Australian Embassy the same, no cash handout, no loan but they try many ways to get in contact with relatives in Oz and if they send funds to the embassy they will help to get you a ticket and relies must also send enough funds for taxi to airport, spending money for basic food etc.

...further... Often the person who must leave is taken by the police / the immigration police to the airport, monitored with hand cuffs on until seated on the aircraft, the police wait at the aircraft door until the a/c door is closed and locked then the police move to a designated point to continue monitoring until the a/c has taken off.

Many years ago I boarded a TG flight at Don Muang to return to Australia.

One minute before the departure time an Aussie man, in handcuffs. was escored onto the a/c by 2 Aust. Federal Policemen (from the team permanently assigned to the Oz Embassy Bkk).

Three side seats together in the final row had not been occupied by regular travelers and the cabin crew very quickly hung curtains from fittings in the bottom of the overhead luggage bins. The person in cuffs and the 2 police occupied these seats. The person in cuffs was hand cuffed furthr to the seat fittings.

A couple of passengers asked 'what if there's an accident how can the cuffed person get out. The captain was on the spot and he mentioned 'there's contingency plans for that'.