PATTAYA, THAILAND – A wheelchair-using lottery vendor entered the sea at Pattaya Beach to help a man in apparent distress, but the victim was already dead when he was brought ashore.
Emergency call and discovery on the beach
At about 7:06 p.m. on 4 December, the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Rescue Centre in Pattaya received a report that a person in the water was in difficulty near the city’s beach promenade in Chonburi province. Rescue teams headed immediately to the scene, where a large crowd of locals and tourists had gathered along the shore. They found the body of an adult man lying on the sand, covered with a cloth, dressed in a black T‑shirt and long trousers, with his nationality still unclear.
Children raise alarm as disabled vendor intervenes
Witnesses stated that children playing in shallow water saw a person floating face-down in the sea and quickly alerted nearby adults. Just a few metres away was 44-year-old lottery seller Chaowalit KlinKesorn, who uses a wheelchair because both of his legs are disabled. Relying on his strong arms and swimming ability, he left his wheelchair and waded into the water to help.
“When I reached him, the body was already stiff,”
said Chaowalit KlinKesorn, lottery vendor.
“I realized that the person had already died, so I called the authorities.”
said Chaowalit KlinKesorn, lottery vendor.
No immediate signs of violence
According to responders, there were initially no visible signs of violence on the man’s body. Only drag marks in the sand were observed, which were believed to have been caused by attempts to pull the body from the sea onto the beach at low tide. Investigators continued to secure the area around the location where the man was found.
Police investigation and autopsy
Police Lieutenant Bowonsak BoonMan, deputy investigator at Pattaya City Police Station, coordinated the recovery of the body and further evidence collection. The remains were transferred to the Forensic Institute of the Police General Hospital in Bangkok. A comprehensive autopsy was expected to determine the exact cause of death and assist in identifying the man, as there were initially no indications of third-party involvement.
Authorities praise courage of disabled rescuer
Officials publicly praised the physically impaired lottery seller for his decision to enter the water immediately despite his disability. It later emerged that Chaowalit is a nephew of the late Police Lieutenant General Rewat KlinKesorn, a nationally known commander in operations against major drug traffickers and southern insurgents, who was known by the nicknames “Khun Dong Slayer” and “Siam Mal Slayer.” The victim’s identity remained unknown, while police and forensic specialists continued to examine the cause of death and possible circumstances surrounding the incident.