Cops probe deaths of two foreigners

An autopsy was being performed yesterday on a Frenchman found dead at a house in Phuket early this week while the case of a Norwegian who apparently fell to his death at a Chon Buri condominium was also being investigated, police said.

In Phuket, a French national identified by police as Philipe Kernen, 63, was found dead in bed in a housing estate in tambon Rawai of Muang district on Monday morning.

Kernen was found lying facedown in bed. There were no wounds on his body or signs of a struggle. No valuables or personal belongings were missing, according to local police who attended the scene.

The body was sent for an autopsy to determine the cause of death at Vachira Phuket Hospital.

In Chon Buri, police were investigating the death of a Norwegian man who fell to his death at a condominium in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district on Tuesday evening.

Roy Edgar Sweby, 64, probably fell from the fifth floor of the condo and landed on the awning on the second floor. He was found wearing shorts and no shirt.

According to local police, Sweby was living on the fifth floor. A search of his room showed no sign of a struggle or foul play.

Kwanchai Charlee, a security guard at the condo, said he was conducting a routine check of the premises when he heard what sounded like a bang.

Residents rushed out and told him a man had fallen from an upper floor. He saw the man hanging from the awning.

Pol Col Kulchart Kulchai, chief of Pattaya police, said investigators were reviewing CCTV cameras in the area. No cause of death has been formally established.