Thailand –
Thai Immigration authorities have confirmed that a 70-year-old Dutch television presenter reported missing in Thailand actually departed the kingdom at the end of 2025 and has not returned.
The case drew attention after social media posts circulated about a missing-person appeal from the Netherlands. Family members and relatives based in Phuket said Emil, a well-known Dutch TV host, had disappeared while in Thailand. They pointed to a close friend named Natalia, with whom they believed he had been staying, and offered a €2,500 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
On the 24th of October 2026, Police Major General Choengron Rimphadee, Deputy Commander of the Immigration Bureau and the bureau’s spokesman, said Police Lieutenant General Noppasin Phoonsawat, Commander of the Immigration Bureau, had immediately ordered all immigration divisions nationwide to check records and locate Emil.
Official records show that Emil and his companion Natalia entered Thailand in December 2021 through Suvarnabhumi Airport immigration. Both held valid visas and had registered an address in a province in the lower-central region of the country.
Further checks revealed that Emil left Thailand via the Friendship Bridge into Laos at the end of 2025. Natalia departed on the same day, flying from Suvarnabhumi Airport to a country in the Middle East. Immigration systems contain no record of either person re-entering Thailand.
Police Lieutenant General Noppasin has instructed the Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division to gather any additional information that could assist the family and relevant agencies responsible for the safety of foreign visitors. The Immigration Bureau explained its ongoing efforts to screen foreign nationals, both those at risk of becoming victims of scams and those who may pose security concerns, in line with the policy of Police General Samran Nualma, Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, to maintain public confidence.