Foreign Ministry orders probe into Thai chef's death in Cambodia after alleged hospital refusal

 

Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered an urgent investigation into reports that a Cambodian hospital refused to treat a 24-year-old Thai chef who subsequently died in Poipet, whilst coordinating the repatriation of his body.

 

Nikorndej Balankura, director-general of the Department of Information and spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed on Tuesday that the Consulate-General in Siem Reap was contacted by the victim's sister, Suphawadee Yosaeng, on the evening of 7 October requesting assistance for Methachan Yosaeng in Poipet.

 

The consulate immediately coordinated with the Thai-Cambodia Border Liaison Office at the First Army Area Command's Operations Centre to verify the facts. Border liaison officials subsequently confirmed that Methachan had died.

 

The ministry has ordered the Consulate-General to urgently investigate reports that a Cambodian hospital refused to treat the young man, Nikorndej said.

 

"The Consulate-General is currently coordinating with Cambodian police to process documentation for releasing the body and will issue a death certificate," he said. "We expect to be able to return the body on Wednesday, 8 October, through the Poipet-Ban Khlong Luek permanent border crossing in Sa Kaeo province."

 

The cause of death is pending autopsy results from Cambodian police. The consulate has coordinated with family members to travel to the border crossing to receive the body, whilst the Border Liaison Office has coordinated with relevant agencies on both the Thai and Cambodian sides to facilitate the transfer.
 

 

 

The case came to light after a staffer from the Immanuel Foundation posted about the incident on Facebook, stating that the chef from Phrom Khiri district in Nakhon Si Thammarat had been found lying ill outside a commercial building in Cambodia.

 

Methachan's mother, Nawi, 49, told reporters that her son had graduated from vocational college and worked as a chef on ships, travelling internationally on contracts of approximately nine months with a relatively high salary.

 

"Due to differing time zones, the family rarely communicated, though he occasionally sent photos and chatted via Facebook," she said. "After working on ships for over a year, contact was lost. The family became alarmed when images of him circulated online."

 

 

 

The family suspects that after Methachan's ship contract ended, he may have been persuaded by fellow Thais to work as a chef in Cambodia, where he was allegedly robbed, threatened, and physically assaulted. His documents, including his passport, were reportedly confiscated.

 

According to Thai authorities who made contact with Cambodian officials, Methachan had been discovered suffering from stomach pain whilst lying outside a building. 

 

He was taken to a hospital in Cambodia but was allegedly denied care because he had no documents or money.
 

 

 

 

Officials confirmed that he died from a pre-existing medical condition and respiratory distress, exacerbated by the lack of timely medical treatment.

 

The Burapha Task Force in Sa Kaeo is coordinating the repatriation of the body to Thailand, where it will be handed over to the family in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

 

The case has raised concerns about the vulnerability of Thai workers abroad and the importance of maintaining proper documentation when working overseas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the death.

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises Thai nationals working abroad to register with the nearest Thai embassy or consulate and to maintain valid travel documents at all times.