THE BODY of a Western man was found on Phuket's Nai Harn beach at 6.30am today.
Chalong police, called to the scene, estimated the man had died about seven days earlier.
Locals found the tattooed mystery man, dressed only in red underwear or swimming trunks.
The left shoulder bore a tattoo of a dragon and on the right, a dolphin. The back of the man's left hand carried a tattoo of a tiger.
The body is to be autopsied at Vachira Hospital in Phuket City.
If the man has a police record in Thailand or through the Interpol database, then the information about the tattoos should reveal his identity quickly.
There were no obvious marks on the body, but it had been in the water for several days.
Police told Phuketwan that all possible options as to the cause of death remained open at this stage.
''It could be a murder,'' one officer said. ''But only when the autopsy is complete will we know more.''
Police Lieutenant Colonel Boonlert On-Som is in charge of investigations.
Nai Harn, one of the island's most southerly beaches, is popular with local dog-owners because the pets are allowed to run along the sand between 6am and 8am each day.
Swimming at Nai Harn is considered dangerous in some conditions, especially outside of high season.
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Chalong police, called to the scene, estimated the man had died about seven days earlier.
Locals found the tattooed mystery man, dressed only in red underwear or swimming trunks.
The left shoulder bore a tattoo of a dragon and on the right, a dolphin. The back of the man's left hand carried a tattoo of a tiger.
The body is to be autopsied at Vachira Hospital in Phuket City.
If the man has a police record in Thailand or through the Interpol database, then the information about the tattoos should reveal his identity quickly.
There were no obvious marks on the body, but it had been in the water for several days.
Police told Phuketwan that all possible options as to the cause of death remained open at this stage.
''It could be a murder,'' one officer said. ''But only when the autopsy is complete will we know more.''
Police Lieutenant Colonel Boonlert On-Som is in charge of investigations.
Nai Harn, one of the island's most southerly beaches, is popular with local dog-owners because the pets are allowed to run along the sand between 6am and 8am each day.
Swimming at Nai Harn is considered dangerous in some conditions, especially outside of high season.
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