Former consul dies in Thailand, family prioritises inheritance over money owed

A former Dutch honorary consul, 66 year old Hendrikus, passed away in a Nonthaburi hospital with almost 400,000 baht owed to someone who paid for his medical bills. His ex-wife, sister, and daughter, visited last-minute and left without paying the bills, even though they are reportedly wealthy.

Beer, a friend of the deceased’s sister, learned about Hendrikus’s illness on May 29. He took a taxi to visit her house in the Prachachuen area and shared the news. Hendrikus had symptoms similar to flu, prompting Beer and her sister to take him to the hospital. She initially paid around 100,000 baht for the medical expenses.

Beer decided to pay for Hendrikus’ hospital bill using her credit card with an amount of 60,000 baht. According to her, the deceased assured them that his wealthy relatives in the Netherlands would take care of the costs.

On June 2, Hendrikus’s family visited him in the hospital, and he passed away the next day. When Beer contacted them for reimbursement, they refused to help, claiming it wasn’t their responsibility and that they planned to return to the Netherlands soon.

Beer wondered why the family had not taken custody of Hendrikus’s body to repatriate it to the Netherlands or organize a funeral in Thailand. She and her sister had spent nearly 500,000 baht to help Hendrikus, believing his family would repay it.

Beer found out that Hendrikus’s family members visited him, took photos, and recorded videos as evidence to submit to a court in the Netherlands to claim the inheritance he left behind. However, they left him in the hospital without settling his medical unpaid medical bills.

Beer discovered through the Dutch embassy in Thailand that they had no policy to help her. She was advised to file a complaint with the Thai authorities and let them handle the case under Thai law. She also expressed her hope for assistance from relevant agencies to resolve this issue.