Pattaya Daily News

Suspicion Surrounds Death of Indian National in Pattaya

Suspicion surrounds the death of an Indian national at the All Seasons Hotel in Pattaya on Monday morning. The man, sharing accommodation with a friend, died of unknown causes having taken a local working girl back to his room the night prior to his death.

Pattaya, the 13^th of September 2010 [PDN]: At approximately 8:00am on Monday, Lieutenant Colonel Preecha Samrit (Pattaya Police Investigator) was notified of a foreign mans death at the All Seasons Pattaya Hotel in Banglamung. A team of officers along with the Sawang Boriboon Foundation were dispatched to the incident to investigate.

On arrival at the scene, an eighth floor room at the 18-storey hotel, officer discovered the deceased body of Mr. Ashish Raj Baweja [33], an Indian national. Mr. Baweja was lying face down on the bed wearing only a pair of shorts. Initial investigation revealed no signs of a struggle or assault, although a significant amount of vomit was found in the bathroom.

Inquiries with hotel management revealed that Mr. Baweja had been sharing a room with a fellow Indian national and friend, Mr. Nitish Kumar Pandey [45], who had reportedly been rushed to hospital before police arrived at the scene. Mr. Pandey had been found, by hotel cleaning staff reporting the incident, in a semi-conscious state lying next to his deceased friend.

Hotel records show Mr. Baweja, the deceased, returning to the hotel at approximately midnight on Sunday in the company of a local working girl, Miss Arunsri Wonkhasao [34]. Staff on duty stated to police that Miss Wonkhasao then left the hotel alone at around 1:00am.

Proceeding to the Pattaya Memorial Hospital, officer interrogated the recovering Mr. Pandey, who claimed to have no knowledge of either his friends return to the hotel room with a lady or his subsequent death. Mr. Pandey stated that he had returned to the hotel earlier on Sunday evening feeling sick after having eaten at a seafood restaurant with Mr. Baweja. He stated that he vomited numerous times in the bathroom before passing out on the bed and awaking in the hospital on Monday morning.

At present, no indication has been given as to the nature of Mr. Pandej’s illness by hospital doctors, while police eagerly await the results of post-mortem examinations on Mr. Baweja. Officers investigating the case are now seeking to speak with Miss Wonkhasao over the mans death, which they speculate may have been the result of an overdose on medication.