Two foreign tourists die in Rawai in two days

RAWAI, PHUKET: Two foreign tourists were found dead in their rooms in Rawai early this week. The first was identified by Chalong Police as American Martin Howard Schechter.

Mr Schechter, 67, was found in the bed of his rented bungalow in Rawai Village 4.

At about 11 am on Monday morning, the staff grew concerned because Mr Schechter, who they described as a friendly and talkative man, had not been seen for five days.

They broke down the locked door of the room to find Mr Schechter’s decomposing body lying face up with both hands over his face.

He was dressed in a white shirt and striped shorts and there were bloodstains on the floor beneath the bed.

Chalong Police arrived a short time later with workers from the Phuket Ruamjai Kupai Foundation and investigators from the Phuket-based Police Forensics Unit 44.

There were no signs of struggle and a bag of medicine was found on a bedside table, police said.

Police are still unsure if Mr Schechter’s death was the result of a medical condition or possible drug overdose.

As of this afternoon there had been no new information about Mr Schechter’s background or what caused him to die, a source at Chalong Police said.

The second death reported was that of a 40-year-old German national, whose name will not be reported until his next of kin are informed.

Chalong Police Duty Officer Surasak Jaidee told the Gazette the man was found dead in his home along Wiset Rd at 7 pm on Tuesday in Village 2. The death was reported to Chalong Police, who arrived at the scene with a Vachira Phuket Hospital physician and Phuket Ruamjai Kupai workers.

His body, found on the floor in front of a computer table, was dressed in a dark gray shirt and black shorts.

From an initial examination, doctors said they suspected heart failure as the cause of death.

The man’s body was sent to Vachira Phuket Hospital for further examination.

As of this afternoon, Chalong Police had still not been able to contact the German Embassy to inform them of the death and the man’s remains are still at the Vachira Hospital morgue, Pol Lt Surasak said.