A Thai chef has died after allegedly being turned away from a hospital in Cambodia.

Methachan Yosaeng, 24, from Nakhon Si Thammarat, had reportedly been homeless before he was found unconscious outside a commercial building in Cambodia's Poipet City in Banteay Meanchey.

The chef, who had been travelling abroad as a ferry cook, was rushed to a hospital where staff reportedly refused to admit him because he had no documents or money.

The Center for Coordination and Assistance to Thais Abroad on Tuesday confirmed Methachan had passed away.

A centre spokesman said: 'He has passed away. I have been fighting for him since this morning, trying to contact his relatives and family, and doing everything possible to bring him back to Thailand, no matter how difficult.

‘However, I could not bring him back alive.

‘Tomorrow, I will coordinate with the commander of the Burapha Task Force in Sa Kaeo to bring him back to Thailand, and then I will arrange the handover to his relatives.'

Photos showed an unkempt Methachan lying in front of a building next to empty water bottles, plastic cups, and bags of rubbish.

His mother Nawi Yosaeng, 49, said her son had trained at a vocational college before finding work as a chef, leaving home on nine-month contracts that paid well. She said he spoke rarely to the family due to different time zones, until he lost all contact.

She said: 'I was shocked when I saw his photos online. It's how I found out something had happened to him.'

Relatives believe his employment may have ended and he arrived in Cambodia to find work. They suspect he was robbed, leaving him stranded without money or documents.

Officials said he died from 'a pre-existing medical condition and respiratory distress', worsened by delayed treatment.

Cambodia's Health Ministry has denied the reports, which it said 'undermines the honour and integrity of Cambodian health professionals'.

The ministry said in a statement: 'Following a thorough investigation by the competent authorities and an official autopsy, it has been confirmed that the Thai national died of a heart attack. There is no evidence that he sought medical treatment or was refused admission at any local hospital prior to his death.

'The Ministry of Health therefore categorically rejects the dissemination of this false information regarding the unfortunate death of a 24-year-old Thai man from Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, which occurred in Kbal Spean 1 Village, O Chrov Commune, Poipet City, Banteay Meanchey Province.'

It added that medical staff worked ethically and provide medical care 'without discrimination based on race, religion, or political affiliation'.

The Burapha Task Force in Sa Kaeo province was coordinating efforts to bring Methachan's body home to Thailand.

Thailand and Cambodia have been fighting for more than a century over several undemarcated sections of their 817-kilometre (508-mile) border, which was originally mapped by France in 1907 while Cambodia was still its protectorate.

But tensions flared in the long-disputed frontier as both accused each other of instigating violence on July 24, which killed at least 48 and temporarily displaced some 300,000 on both sides of the border.

Cambodia claimed responsibility for the alleged war crime of firing rockets into Thailand that struck a gas station, killing a number of children.

The two nations have reached a shaky truce following talks facilitated by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).