Boonlua Chatree
Police are seeking a Norwegian man for allegedly killing
the owner of the Hotel Selection Pattaya in a bar fight.
Jarle Nyegaard, 43, suffered a fractured skull in the 5
a.m. conflict at the Kare Party Bar on Second Road Sept. 20. He died later
that day at Pattaya Memorial Hospital.
Police are searching for a Norwegian, identified only as
“Pupu,” who was witnessed fleeing from the bar after a loud argument that
saw Nyegaard fall and strike his head on the edge of the bar.
Like “Pupu”, Nyegaard was from the Norwegian city of
Bergen. He emigrated to Thailand in 2007 and owned and operated the former
Pattaya Princess Hotel on Beach Road at Soi 6. Norwegian media reported he’d
been in a protracted conflict with his Thai partner, but a court in late
August awarded full control of the property to him. Pattaya police told a
Norwegian newspaper they didn’t suspect his death was related to the court
ruling.
Trond Solberg, 59, told police he, Nyegaard and “Pupu”
were drinking in the Tim Beer Bar until around 2 a.m. before moving to the
Norwegian-owned beer bar, where they stayed until drunk. Around 5 a.m., he
heard his two companions arguing, then a loud thud. He turned to see
Nyegaard bleeding on the floor and “Pupu” running from the scene.
