The body of Bryan Patrick Ranger, 51, was found by his personal interpreter Khon Kaen resident Tananat Siyango, 30, and her husband, who live in the same house. They alerted police at 9.30am.

Ranger had been teaching English at the house since January.

Tananat said she had talked to the Briton at 10pm on Friday night and went to bed but he did not answer a knock on his door in the morning so she and her husband broke open the door and found him dead.

She said Ranger had told her he had a heart problem and needed to take medicine regularly. Police said there were no traces of any struggle in the room and no trace of injury on his body. His body was sent for an autopsy to Panthong hospital.