Norwegian passes away in Rawai

RAWAI: A Norwegian expatriate resident of Phuket was found dead in the kitchen of his home Tuesday evening from what appeared to be natural causes.

Chalong Police Duty Officer Lt Col Chana Suthimas identified the deceased as 51-year-old Terje Eilert Myking, who lived in Soi Samakkee 4 in Rawai.

“We didn’t find any evidence at the scene to suggest murder, foul play or use of illegal drugs. We believe that he died of a pre-existing medical condition,” Lt Col Chana said.

The death was reported by an anonymous call to 191, which relayed the information to the Chalong Police, he said.

There was nobody else in the house when police arrived, he added.

Police dismissed a report in a local Thai-language newspaper that said the investigators initially believed the man died of “shock” after taking a drug to enhance sexual performance.

Lt Col Pachai Matthayat of the Chalong Police said the more likely cause of death was some kind of seizure that occurred while Mr Myking was home having dinner.

Workers from the Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation took Mr Myking’s body to Vachira Phuket Hospital for autopsy.

Oyvind Lorenzen, an attaché at the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok, confirmed the embassy had received a police report of Mr Myking’s death, but thus far no death certificate.

Mr Myking had not registered himself with the embassy’s volunteer registration program, so the embassy does not know how long he had been resident in the country, he said.

The Norwegian Embassy currently does not have an honorary consul in Phuket, but hopes to appoint one – a Thai national – before the start of the high season.

The embassy is only awaiting Thai government approval of their preferred candidate, whose name cannot be released at this time, he said.