PATTAYA, THAILAND – A foreign man believed to be of Chinese nationality was found dead near a railway line in Pattaya on 5 March 2026, with police treating the case as a suspicious death and examining whether a violent crime had occurred.
Body found at closed construction access road
Police were alerted at around 9:30 a.m. after the body was discovered in a covered motorcycle parking area used by hotel staff directly beside the embankment. The location was near the Soi Khao Talo intersection and had been closed to public traffic due to ongoing construction work.
Officers from Bang Lamung Police Station, forensic specialists from Police Forensic Division 2 in Chonburi, an on‑call doctor and rescuers from the Sawang Boriboon Pattaya Foundation responded to the scene. The area around the discovery site was cordoned off while investigators documented evidence.
No ID documents, but handwritten Chinese letters
According to officers at the scene, the deceased was described as an Asian man with East Asian features, estimated to be between 30 and 40 years old. No identification documents were found that could have enabled a rapid confirmation of his identity, leaving investigators reliant on items recovered at the site.
In the right trouser pocket, responders found a lighter, a pen and three handwritten letters in Chinese. Police regarded these letters as a central element for the ongoing investigation.
Messages addressed to family and embassy
Police reported that the letters contained apologies to the man’s family and a request to contact the Chinese embassy so that his parents could be informed and his body returned to his home country. One of the notes was said to convey in essence that the writer apologized to his family and asked that, via the embassy, his parents be reached and he be brought back home.
The letters were being examined by police interpreters for a more detailed assessment of their content. Officials indicated that the written messages could prove crucial for understanding the circumstances leading up to the man’s death.
Forensic team notes injuries
During the initial medical examination at the scene, forensic specialists reported injury findings suggesting possible third‑party involvement prior to death. The precise cause of death and sequence of events were to be determined by a full autopsy.
Police at the scene estimated that the man had been dead for approximately six to twelve hours when he was found. This time frame was considered important for reconstructing his final hours and tracing his movements before his death.
Investigators probe potential foul play
Investigators were examining whether the conditions at the discovery site matched the documented injuries or whether a different cause of death had to be considered. A conclusive assessment was only expected after the results of the post‑mortem examination became available.
Police classified the incident as a suspicious death. Any decision on filing criminal charges would depend on the autopsy findings and subsequent investigative results.
Witness found body during construction work
The deceased was discovered by Ekphoj Nundee (41), a driver of a water vehicle used by a nearby construction contractor to suppress dust. He noticed the man while turning his vehicle and immediately informed the police.
According to officers, traces were secured and witnesses were questioned on the same day. The perimeter around the parking structure and adjacent railway embankment remained restricted during the evidence‑gathering process.
CCTV footage and autopsy expected to provide answers
Authorities said they were reviewing CCTV footage from the surrounding area to clarify the man’s identity and his last movements. Additional witnesses from the vicinity of the discovery site were also being interviewed.
According to ThaiRath, the body was to be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital for autopsy. The results were expected to determine whether, and what kind of, criminal proceedings would follow.