Bangkok: The aunt of a vocational certificate student who was interning in Japan has appealed to the media for assistance after her nephew mysteriously disappeared for a month and was later found dead. She believes he was murdered and is seeking help to coordinate the return of his body to Thailand.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Nantanapat brought photographic evidence and chat messages to file a complaint with the media regarding her nephew, Mr. Kanapat, also known as 'Nong Nut'. He vanished on December 21st after attending a New Year's Eve party with coworkers. Over a month later, he was found dead at the fire exit of a restaurant. Ms. Nantanapat said her nephew was a Loei Technical College graduate interning in Hiroshima, Japan, and was nearing the end of his 3-year term with plans to return on April 22, 2025.
On the night of his disappearance, 'Nong Nut' attended a party organized at the workers' dormitory. Afterward, he and friends went to a Thai restaurant 50 kilometers away. He live-streamed part of the evening for his girlfriend before contact was lost around 2 a.m. Attempts by his friends and girlfriend to reach him the next day were unsuccessful, leading them to believe he might have returned to their accommodations.
After failing to contact him through any channels, his relatives and girlfriend reported him missing on December 23, 2014. Despite efforts from the project that facilitated his internship and the Department of Labor, no leads were found. The Thai restaurant denied any knowledge of his whereabouts until 'Nong Nut' was discovered dead last Sunday.
Efforts to contact the Thai Consulate in Japan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Labor were initially met with silence. However, the relatives are determined to bring his body back to Thailand, suspecting foul play in his death. Japanese authorities are scheduled to perform another autopsy to determine the cause of death, which has given some hope to Ms. Nantanapat.
Mr. Chaiphachon Charoenpong, Governor of Loei Province, announced plans to convene a meeting with relevant agencies to assist the family.