Two British men have died in mysterious circumstances after a night out at a bar in Cambodia.
Police believe one of them died from a sudden heart attack, while the cause of death for the second victim was being investigated.
Local media printed copies of the dead men’s British passports, giving their full names as Pontypridd-born Matthew David Neville Jones, 38, and James Edward Taff, 33.
The Foreign Office confirmed two British nationals had died in the southern town of Kampot. They were reported to have been drinking at the Tiki guesthouse, before dying in separate locations within an hour of each other.
There were reports of mixed drug and alcohol use at a party and fears were raised about a tainted batch of substances. Other partygoers urged anyone who took substances there to go immediately for hospital checks.
Dudley-born Mr Taff wrote on his Facebook page that he moved to Cambodia for a “change of scenery” and that the “boredom of the UK brought me here”. He told another friend: “The life is very good in Asia bro! Everything is great.” Asked how his ambitions for getting into the music industry were going, he said: “I have kinda left it on the back burner.”
Mr Taff died in hospital and Mr Jones reportedly died at another bar in the city, Nola’s, after returning from the Tiki party
Friends tried to administer CPR after he collapsed with a red face and breathing problems. The Foreign Office said it was providing consular assistance.
According to the photograph of Mr Taff’s visa published by Kampuchea Thmey, he had extended his multiple entry visa on Monday, which was valid for a year. Neither of the victim’s families in the UK could be contacted for comment. A writer on the Khmer440 website said that if the deaths of the Britons were confirmed, it would add to increasing numbers of visitors dying from substances.
It is known among the expatriate community that tuk-tuk drivers often sell cheap heroin to foreigners, telling them it is less harmful cocaine.
The movetocambodia website said: “Both expats and tourists meet untimely ends quite regularly in Cambodia, often under mysterious circumstances that involve drugs.
“Heroin is much cheaper in Cambodia than cocaine, so it is often used to cut cocaine or sold instead.”
