Dutch tourist, 70, falls to his death from Pattaya hotel

A Dutch tourist fell to his death from a hotel in Pattaya, Thailand.

Leo Jan Jonkers, 70, from the Randstad, was walking along a balcony but plunged over the edge of the wall and landed with a loud crash onto the ground floor awning of the six-storey building on Soi Buakhao on July 17 afternoon.

Police and rescue personnel found the tourist's body curled up on the damaged metal canopy with his blood dripping onto the pavement below.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Tanongsak Inphadung of the Pattaya City Police Station said: 'The scene of the incident was a six-story apartment building. Many people were found panicking at the scene.

'On the awning, the body of Mr. Leo Jan Jonkers, a 70-year-old Dutch national, was found lying motionless in a fetal position.

'Rescue workers had difficulty collecting his body because the steel frame of the awning was bent and could not support their weight.

'They had to coordinate with a cherry picker from Pattaya City to bring the lifeless body down. An inspection found no signs of physical assault.' Hotel staff said Leo had checked into the lodging on July 11, and was scheduled to check out on July 18. He had inquired about extending his stay on July 17, shortly before plummeting to his death.

The unnamed employee said: 'He had not yet decided whether to continue staying or not. He took the elevator upstairs. After that, a loud crash outside jolted us.'

Police have obtained CCTV footage showing the holidaymaker pacing walking along the hotel balcony.

Leo's body will undergo a post-mortem examination at the Institute of Forensic Medicine to determine the cause of his death.

Former fishing village Pattaya became popular with American troops on 'rest and relaxation' breaks in the 1960s when the U.S. military had bases in Thailand for its war against Communism. In the ensuing years, the coastal resort spawned into a notorious sex tourism destination dubbed 'Sin City'.

Embarrassed officials have made progress in gentrifying the region with family tourism projects but a ravenous nightlife industry and corrupt police have hampered their efforts, with undesirables from all nations still attracted to the seedy city.