PATTAYA: An elderly German man was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri on Saturday morning.
The body of the 75-year-old man, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was found inside a room at a resort in tambon Na Klua, said Bang Lamung police.
Police, forensic officers, a doctor from Bang Lamung Hospital and rescue workers found the man lying dead in a pool of blood in the bathroom of his unit in the two-storey building.
A bullet had been fired into the man's mouth and penetrated his skull. There was a bullet hole in the ceiling. Police found a 9mm automatic pistol near his left hand. A spent bullet casing was also found on the floor.
There was a handwritten note in German left on a desk in the room. In the note, he thanked a Thai woman for taking care of him.
Rungthip Rodmuang, 48, a close friend of the man, told police that he had known the German man for 13 years. The man had lived in Pattaya since he retired from work in Germany.
The elderly man had recently sought treatment at a hospital and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. However, he did not show any signs of worry, said Mr Rungthip.
On Saturday morning, Mr Rungthip said he went to his friend’s room to take him to see a doctor. He knocked on the door several times but there was no response. He then alerted a caretaker of the resort to open the room and found the man dead inside the bathroom.