31-year old daughter Ms Dido, her mother and the owner of the rustic house where the couple from Laos stayed, have been interviewed by local police as an investigation is underway into what looks like an illegal entry into the kingdom some weeks ago by the pair, the mother and father of a woman living in Thailand.
A 61-year-old man who died suddenly in Udon Thani on Tuesday morning was a visitor from Laos who entered Thailand illegally and may have died from tuberculosis. The man, whose daughter lives in the Nong Han district of the province, did not have the Covid 19 infection and his body has already been handed back for swift cremation at a local temple.
The Governor of Udon Thani province has revealed that laboratory tests on the body of a man from Laos who entered into Thailand across the Mekong at Nong Khai some weeks ago and died suddenly on Tuesday, has revealed no signs of the Covid 19 virus.
On Tuesday morning, after returning from a temple having visited with her mother, the deceased man’s wife, 30-year-old Ms Dido, his daughter who has lived in Udon Thani for the last 10 years with her husband and two children, found her father, 61-year-old Khampoun Phimphadee, dead on a bamboo bed in the front of the house he had been staying in while visiting.
61-year-old man found dead after coughing up blood
The man was found to have coughed up blood which was found near the body.
There are unconfirmed reports from health experts in the area that he may have been suffering from a form of tuberculosis which is also a prevalent health threat on both sides of the Mekong River.
Incident occurred in the Nong Han District of Udon Thani, the couple from Laos lived there for two weeks
The incident happened in the district of Nong Han in the western central area of the province. The visitor from Laos and his wife had arrived there approximately two weeks ago.
The couple had crossed into Thailand at a natural border crossing across the Mekong River in Nong Khai province.
From there, they had rented a vehicle to take them south to Udon Thani province where their daughter lived.
The house in which the couple was staying was in a rice field owned by a relative of Ms Dido’s Thai husband.
Centre of national media attention on Tuesday
On Tuesday, the small village of Ban Nong Lat was the centre of media attention as medical personnel in hazmat suits from nearby Nong Han hospital removed the body and placed it in a sealed white coffin.
Police have begun investigating the incident as Udon Thani Governor Nirat Pongsithithavorn is also kept apprised of developments.
Police interviewed man’s daughter and wife
Police in Nong Han, including the local police chief, have met with Ms Dido, her mother and the owner of the house where the couple stayed.
It is thought that her parents from Laos entered Thailand illegally.
This represents a wake call as to the dangers posed by Thailand’s porous borders although security officials with the Covid 19 Administration centre have long pointed to this risk.
The body of the 61-year-old Mr Khampoun has already been handed back to the family and was expected yesterday to be cremated immediately at a local temple.
18 Chinese illegal migrants crossed over the Mekong on August 2nd from northwestern Laos
It also emerged, this week, that on August 2nd last, 18 Chinese nationals crossed into Thailand illegally across the Mekong River.
The illegal aliens crossed into the kingdom just before 6 pm on August 2nd from the Ton Pheung District in northwestern Laos.
None had valid travel documents
Acting on a tip-off, police from Chiang Saen Police Station intercepted the party and found that none had valid travel documents.
The 18 were all charged with entering Thailand illegally and with an offence under the Communicable Disease Act of 2015.
Immigration Police Chief assured the public that the Chinese group was intercepted quickly
The Immigration Bureau police chief, Lieutenant General Sompong Chingduang, told the Associated Press news agency that all had been subjected to temperature checks and were found to be normal.
He also assured the public that the party had been caught before there was the possibility of exposure to the public.
‘They were detained at the Chiang Saen police station for legal proceedings. Meanwhile, investigators were checking their mobile data and usage of their mobile phones as they might contain useful information regarding the people who may have contributed to this escape or lead to further investigation,’ the police boss said.
Chinese cross the border regularly into Thailand
There was no indication of where, in China, the group had originated from or what their purpose was.
Thailand has long been known as a crossing point for those escaping the clutches of the North Korean regime who are not safe in China and follow a route designed to take them to sanctuary in South Korea.
However, it could also be that the group was part of another new pattern in recent years which involves criminal gangs entering Thailand to use it as a base for nefarious, online activities.
In recent raids on online gambling websites and loan sharking operations using the internet, Thai police have found manned call centres staffed by Chinese nationals employed and directed from China by crime gangs who show no official record of having entered the kingdom.
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Further reading:
Foreigners arriving in Thailand in now increasing numbers targeted by a fake news campaign online
Visa amnesty agreed as emergency decree is linked to the controlled entry of Thais and Foreigners
Homeless people sheltering in closed Pattaya beer bars – Pattaya News report
Mystery Egyptian military flight revealed as exposing Thailand to the Covid 19 virus in Rayong
Agony for stranded western foreigners as ‘Fast-track’ Chinese charter flight jets in from Shanghai
Only 2,000 foreigners have yet registered to be reunited with love ones as tourism to also reopen
Key ministries met on Sunday to discuss access by foreigners to the kingdom and a tourism relaunch
Thai public says No to foreign tourism and also predicts 1 to 2 years for travel to return to normal
Only hope for foreigners locked out of Thailand as easing continues with strict controls on entry
Ministers suggest an easing of the travel ban for some tourists but a continued state of emergency
Thai security chief suggests a full reopening of the kingdom to international flights from July 1st
Australian man’s heartbreak cut off from his Thai wife – begs to be included on repatriation flights
