THE BODY of a Japanese man was found inside the burnt-out remains of a car in Chalong this morning, sparking a major police homicide investigation.

The car, police told Phuketwan, belonged to the man's Thai wife, who was being interviewed at Chalong police station this afternoon.

A man who lives in Soi Klumyang, where the car was apparently set ablaze, told police there were two people in the car when he first saw it at 4.20am.

Police named the dead man as Yukiho Yamada, aged 75. His wife is Tuptim Saehup.

The case was considered to be so important that a senior police general was coming to investigate from regional headquarters in Surat Thani.

Chaiwichit Mapan, 32, who lives in the soi, told police he saw the car pass his house early this morning, then the car doubled back because there was no road through.

He heard people talking to each other in the car. The car became bogged in the muddy road, and he went out to help push it. He could not see inside the car.

He excused himself to return to his house briefly to go to the toilet. When he emerged, the car was alight. He called the police, who sent two water trucks to extinguish the blaze.

When the blaze had been put out, workers found the body in the car. Not much remained, beyond the skeleton, which was lying on the reclining front passenger seat.

Workers said that judging by the smell, they thought the car must have been doused in fuel before it was set alight.

The red-plate Honda Civic, originally white in color, was identified by the engine number as belonging to Khun Tuptim.

The body was identified after a check of dental records at a Chalong dentist.

Police also found a bloodstained t-shirt about 200 metres from the vehicle.