Thailand presses Georgia for explanation after two-week delay in notifying embassy of Thai YouTuber’s death in Tbilisi

Thai officials have demanded answers from Georgian authorities after a lengthy delay in notifying the Royal Thai Embassy, which covers Georgia from Ankara, about the death of a Thai national found in a Tbilisi hotel room earlier this month. The embassy said in a statement released on Friday that it did not receive any notification from the Georgian police on 14 July 2026, the date Georgian authorities say the deceased was discovered.

The deceased has been identified as Bowornthat Pengsuk, a Thai YouTuber known online as Hlun Solo. Georgian Interior Ministry sources confirmed to local media that Pengsuk was found dead in his hotel room on 14 July, a day after his family reported having lost contact with him. Despite this, his family was still publicly searching for him by 28 July, and Georgian officials did not publicly confirm his death until 29 July — apparently only after local media questioned the Interior Ministry about the case.

The embassy said its representatives arrived in Tbilisi on the evening of 29 July, one day after the deceased’s brother issued a public appeal on social media for help finding him. It was at that point, the embassy said, that it became aware of the situation and sought clarification from Georgian authorities. According to the embassy’s account, a Georgian police officer told embassy staff that police had sent an email to the Georgian Foreign Ministry on 14 July requesting that it notify the Thai authorities. The embassy, however, said it first received official notification from the Georgian Foreign Ministry only on 29 July.

On 30 July at 11:00, embassy staff met with Georgian Foreign Ministry officials, who provided a letter notifying the embassy of Mr. Bowornthat’s death. The embassy statement said the letter was dated 29 July in Georgian and included an unofficial English translation. Embassy documents published in both languages were partially redacted but appeared to reference a police investigation under criminal article 115, which concerns incitement to suicide — a standard provision applied when the cause of death has not yet been determined.

The embassy has formally requested that the Georgian side investigate why the Foreign Ministry issued its first official note to the Thai mission only on 29 July, more than two weeks after police say the body was discovered. OC Media contacted the Georgian Foreign Ministry both on 29 July and after the embassy’s statement was published but received no response.

The Georgian police confirmed to local media that an investigation has been opened under the charge of incitement to suicide. Pengsuk’s family, however, rejects that account and has raised questions about the timeline surrounding the discovery of his body. Thai media outlet The Nation reported that the family asked why Georgian police had been unable to trace them earlier, given that Pengsuk would likely have used his passport when checking into the hotel.

The delays and apparent confusion over notification have prompted scrutiny from relatives and the public, and have now drawn formal diplomatic inquiry. The case highlights broader concerns about the obligations of state authorities to provide timely information to foreign missions and to the families of deceased foreign nationals. It also raises questions about transparency in early-stage death investigations, particularly when the initial legal classification leaves the cause of death unclear.

As of the embassy’s statement, Thai officials were pressing Georgian authorities for a full explanation of the communication breakdown. The investigation by Georgian authorities remains ongoing, and both the official cause of death and any further developments in the inquiry have not been publicly confirmed. OC Media’s requests for comment from the Georgian Foreign Ministry went unanswered.