Family members of a Canberra man who has disappeared in Bangkok will fly out to Thailand on Tuesday afternoon to begin the search for their missing brother and friend.
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Thirty-six-year-old Nathan Hansford, who has worked in Bangkok for 10 years as an international contractor specialising in public finance and capital market development, has not been in contact with family and friends since Christmas.
His family said he regularly travelled internationally for work assignments but had always kept in regular contact with his Australian family and friends throughout his travels.
They said his mobile phone had been disconnected and he had not been using his email or social media accounts.
In a statement, the family said it "hopes that Nathan is oblivious to a search across Thailand for him and that he is ‘lying on a beach taking a holiday’."
"This situation is out of character and the family holds grave concerns for his whereabouts," they said.
Mr Hansford was last seen leaving his home in the gated suburb of Thungkru on January 31 to travel in a taxi to Mo Chit in central Bangkok.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said “consular officials in Thailand are looking into reports that an Australian man may be missing in Bangkok and will provide consular assistance as required.”
Family members plan to fly to Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon to help local authorities search for Mr Hansford.
A social media campaign to locate Mr Hansford has been led by the partner of Mr Hansford's brother Hamish, Tara Cheyne, who tweets at @In_The_Taratory.
Ms Cheyne said the family had been given a few different leads and places to start their search for their missing family member and friend.
"The intention is that we just want to get as much information as possible while they're over there," she said.
"Obviously everyone's very distressed."
Friend and fellow Bangkok-resident Ben Barling said he last spoken with Mr Hansford on January 3, when he had just returned from Libya.
He said despite the current political unrest in Thailand, he didn't believe Bangkok was a dangerous place to be right now.
"The only annoyance to the majority of us here is the additional commuting times as protestors, etc, take to the streets," he said.
Mr Barling, who is also a former Canberran, said the two had first met on a language scholarship to Bangkok in 1999.
Mr Hansford is married to a Thai woman and lived in Canberra before moving to Thailand in 2004. His parents and brother still live in Canberra.
Family members are calling for anyone who has information about Mr Hansford to contact the authorities.
"Thai and Australian authorities have been very helpful," the family said.
