A Myanmar patient was shot dead while awaiting surgery at a Khon Kaen hospital in the early hours of Friday.
Police found Kyaw Swar Aong, 29, with a gunshot wound to head. Hospital staff moved him to the emergency ward but he died shortly afterward.
His Thai girlfriend said her boyfriend was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday after a tumour was found in his back. He was awaiting surgery before the shooting.
She learned that he had borrowed 12,000 baht from his fellow worker at the factory where they worked, giving his ATM card as a guarantee for the loan.
A medical team was due to perform surgery to remove his tumour on Friday, said the woman.
According to police, the gunman pretended to be a visitor and asked a nurse about the patient's ward. Upon entering the ward, the gunman fired a shot at the patient and immediately fled.
Police are looking for a Myanmar national working in the same factory who has since disappeared.
