Ukraine’s Ambassador to Thailand Found Dead

The Ukrainian ambassador to Thailand on Sunday was found dead on at the island of Koh Lipe (south of the country), where he was on vacation with his son, police said.

At the moment the cause of death is unknown, although the first investigations indicate that he died of a heart attack.

A career diplomat, Andrii Beshta , 44, was appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to Thailand in 2016.

The national police said this Sunday that he was found dead around 05:30 ( 22:30 GMT on Saturday) in his room in a hotel in Koh Lipe, an island near the coast and very popular with tourists for its crystal clear waters.

“Preliminary research has not shown signs of attack or violence” , said a statement attributed to Kissana Phathanacharoen, spokesman for the National Police.

The members of the medical team that arrived first wore full protective overalls as a precaution as they examined the body, while the authorities questioned the ambassador’s son, Ostap, who shared a room with him.

She noted that her father went to bed at around 11:00 pm , but woke up around 04:30 am, vomiting before passing out, Kissana Phathanacharoen added, mentioning that other witnesses were also interviewed. The son said that his father felt good before.

Beshta’s body was first taken to a hospital for an autopsy, and then he was taken to a police hospital in Bangkok, the Thai capital, for a further investigation into the cause of his death.

Satun Governor Ekkarat Leesen said the preliminary autopsy at Satun hospital “concluded that he died of a heart attack.”

A coronavirus swab test at the hospital came back negative. ” We 100% rule out that he died of Covid ,” Ekkarat said.

The diplomat, accompanied by his son and four friends, arrived on the island on vacation on Friday. He wanted to say goodbye to a friend , the president of the Satun Tourism Association, as he was about to complete his term and return to Ukraine, according to the governor.

Beshta had spent several years of his career in Thailand , arriving in 2007 as an advisor to the diplomatic mission in Bangkok, according to his embassy website.

He has served as ambassador since 2016. He is survived by his wife, daughter and two children, according to a biography on the embassy’s website.