SRI RACHA, THAILAND – A 30-year-old cook from Myanmar was found dead on a beach near a well-known seafood restaurant in central Sri Racha, in a case police treated as a suspected swimming accident.
Body discovered near worker housing
The body was found on Wednesday morning, 26 November 2025, floating face down in shallow water about 100 meters from the man’s workplace. The stretch of beach lay in front of an official residential compound of the Highway Department on the Sri Racha coast in Chonburi province.
An emergency call reached the Sawang Prateep Sri Racha Rescue Foundation at around 9:30 a.m., prompting rescuers, investigators from Sri Racha Police Station led by Police Major Kittithorn Chanjang, and officers from the Provincial Forensic Police Chonburi to go to the scene. A housekeeper at the compound, 54‑year‑old Ms. Sriphrai Suwannajai, who had been cleaning the beach, initially mistook the body for a doll.
Victim identified as missing Myanmar cook
The deceased was identified as Mr. Song Jor Phyu, a Myanmar national employed as a cook. He wore a black T‑shirt, dark grey jeans and flip‑flops, and had a headlamp around his neck of the type used for frog hunting, along with distinctive tattoos on both arms.
Restaurant manager Mr. Sittipong Inphan arrived shortly after the discovery and confirmed that the man was one of his kitchen staff, who had been missing since Monday evening, 24 November.
“He loved fishing, especially at night,”
said Mr. Sittipong, restaurant manager.
“He often went out alone after his shift. When his relatives reported on Tuesday that they could not find him, we filed a missing person report at Sri Racha Police Station.”
said Mr. Sittipong, restaurant manager.
Fishing gear found at usual spot
“When we heard that a body had been found not far from the restaurant, we feared the worst,”
said Mr. Sittipong, restaurant manager. Officers later located both the man’s fishing rod and his mobile phone among the rocks at his usual fishing spot near where the body was found.
According to police, these findings supported the theory that he might have slipped and fallen unconscious into the water or been pulled out to sea by a wave. Investigators therefore regarded the incident as a likely accident linked to night fishing rather than foul play.
No signs of foul play, police say
Forensic specialists estimated that the man had been dead for one to two days before being discovered. They found no indications of violence or third‑party involvement on the body.
Minor abrasions on his face were attributed by investigators to contact with rocks and shells after he entered the water. Rescue personnel transferred the body to Laem Chabang Hospital for a detailed autopsy.
Case classified as suspected accidental drowning
Police initially classified the case as an accidental drowning, pending the final results of the forensic examination. Authorities stated that the official cause of death would only be confirmed after the autopsy report was completed.