Autopsy seeks to unravel mysterious death of Chinese man

The lifeless body of a Chinese man remains under autopsy after he died mysteriously at his home in the northern province of Chiang Rai on Saturday.

Thai national Jiraphap Saewang discovered the body of his Chinese neighbour, 54 year old Fong, at around 11pm on Saturday, October 19. Fong was found lying on a wooden sofa, hugging a pillow, in his three-storey home near Mae Sai District Bus Terminal.

Jiraphap told Channel 8 that although he was not particularly close to Fong, they spoke on several occasions. On the day of the incident, he returned home at around 11pm and noticed that the front door of Fong’s house was left open, even though it was usually closed before 8pm.

Jiraphap called out Fong’s name but received no response. He then decided to enter the house, turned on the light, and found Fong’s body on the wooden sofa. Cigarettes and a kettle were found nearby. Jiraphap then contacted Fong’s girlfriend, a Burmese woman, and called Mae Sai Police Station officers to the scene.

Channel 8 reported that Fong was a businessman operating in Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand with his partners. He recently returned from a holiday in Pattaya and spoke to Jiraphap about a motorcycle garage, which turned out to be their last conversation.

Jiraphap also told the media that Fong’s Burmese girlfriend did not live with him, although she would occasionally visit.

According to the police report, there were no signs of robbery or a struggle at the scene. Officers transferred Fong’s body to a hospital for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. His congenital health conditions were not mentioned in the report.

In a related incident, another Chinese man mysteriously died on the side of Kanchanaphisek Road in Samut Prakan Province, near Bangkok, in July. His body was found on July 9, and no signs of physical assault were evident. He was reported to have a heart condition.