UDON THANI-- A French man was found dead with a severe laceration to his throat at a dormitory room in Udon Thani on Thursday.
The 53-year-old, whose name is being withheld, was found dead at Siriwattana dormitory in tambon Samphrao, said Pol Col Som Wayo, a police investigation officer at Muang district station who learned of the death at around 10.30am.
Police, forensic officers and a doctor were called to a room on the first floor of the dormitory which was chained from the inside. They cut the chain and found the naked body of the man lying face down in the bathroom.
Six empty bottles of beer were found in the room and another empty bottle of beer was inside the bathroom. Pieces of broken glass were also found there. There were no traces of a struggle, police said.
The man had sustained a severe wound to the right side of his throat which was about 10cm long, There were also wounds to the fingers of both hands, forensic officers said. The officers believed he had died at least eight hours before his death was reported.
The dormitory owner told police that she knocked on the man's door to collect rent money, but there had been no response. She then used a spare key to open the door, but it was chained from the inside. Blood stains were seen in the room, prompting her to contact the man’s Thai girlfriend.
Mrs Aprinya Breen, 52, told police that she had known the French man for about one month and they planned to get married. He told her that his mother and his elder sister, whom he talked about often, had died some time ago and he had travelled to Thailand for a holiday.
Pol Maj Gen Peerapong Wongsaman, the Udon Thani police chief, said the investigation was continuing to find the official cause of death. The investigation is deciding whether he took his own life or was murdered.