THE FUNERAL took place in Bangkok yesterday of a former Arbroath man who died in a diving accident last week.

Commercial diver Fred Evans (50) died at a depth of 45 metres while diving on a Japanese second world war wreck in the Gulf of Thailand last Tuesday.

Scots from throughout south-east Asia attended a tartan procession led by a Scottish Bhuddist monk in Mr Evans’s honour in the Thai capital.

An investigation has yet to determine how Mr Evans, a qualified saturation diver with over 30 years’ experience, died.

A fellow diver, Australian Craig Challon, who was with Mr Evans at the time of the accident, believes faulty equipment may be to blame.

He said, “It looks as if it was a problem with the equipment. The oxygen may have become toxic. Fred was using a rebreather which should have allowed him to survive under water for eight hours. The equipment has been sent to Australia for testing.”

Mr Evans was found close to death above the wreck by another diver, Paul Wilson from England.

Mr Wilson tried to save Mr Evans but suffered the bends himself in the process and required treatment in a decompression chamber.

Mr Evans worked as a diver in the North Sea, originally for Comex, before moving to Asia to work for Unocal, which is part of the Chevron group.

He was a popular figure in Bangkok and a member of both the St Andrew’s Society and Bangkok Football League.

He is survived by his wife Elsie and four sons—Peter (20), Michael (18), Richard (16) and Andrew (14).

Yesterday at Wat Tad Ton temple in Bangkok, a cremation procession was led by Bhuddist monk Neil Hunter Blair, originally from Lower Largo, but who has been a monk in Thailand for 35 years.

A piper played Amazing Grace and Flower of Scotland as some 200 guests from Scotland, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia paid their respects.