A German woman holidaying in Thailand was found dead on a beach in a southern resort island over the weekend and may have been murdered, police said on Monday.
The 46-year-old woman was discovered on Sunday morning on Pha Ngan island, famous among tourists for its raucous full moon parties, said Lieutenant Colonel Somsak Nhurod of the local police station.
"There were some bruises on her left cheek and right hands, but those marks are not likely the cause of death. There was also no sign of rape," Somsak said.
"We suspect she might have been murdered somewhere else because her top half was naked but there were no signs of fighting at the spot her body was found or of her clothes," he added.
The woman's body was being sent to Bangkok for forensic tests, he said. Her identity was not immediately confirmed.
The woman had come to Pha Ngan last month to take a course in tattoo art, Somsak said, adding that she was last seen at a party on Saturday night.
The German embassy in Bangkok was not available to comment.
Despite its reputation as a holiday paradise, Thailand has seen a series of tourist murders in recent years, including the shooting deaths of two Russian women whose bodies were found slumped on deck chairs in Pattaya in 2007.
{{/usCountry}}Despite its reputation as a holiday paradise, Thailand has seen a series of tourist murders in recent years, including the shooting deaths of two Russian women whose bodies were found slumped on deck chairs in Pattaya in 2007.
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