A western diver was found dead near waters off Thailand's resort city, Pattaya, on 16 December. The victim had his throat slit and was tied to a concrete post about 200 metres off Samae Beach on the tourist island of Koh Larn.
It was reported that the body was discovered by a jet-ski driver who was patrolling the area to prevent the tourists from venturing out into the rocky parts of the water. The dead man was about 170 to 175 centimetres in height and appeared to be aged between 45 and 50. He was wearing a Mares brand wetsuit, flippers and a backpack.
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Pattaya Police Superintendent Apichai Krobphetch said they are not sure about what caused the death, Bangkok Post reported. However, it looked unnatural. It was also reported that the Institute of Forensic Science at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok will be conducting the autopsy. Police have also recovered 1500 baht (about $58) from the dead body.
Moreover, other objects like a snorkel, a cutter, a swimming cap and swimming goggles were recovered from the area where the body was found. Krobphetch said that police are searching for fingerprints on the object so that they can determine if they are linked to the diver, reported the news website.
An urgent meeting was called and the senior officer urged anyone with information to come forward. He requested hotels and lodging houses to check for missing guests and asked the foreign embassies to report if a person is noticed missing. "We have not yet declared this as a murder, but we expect to be doing so," said Krobphetch, according to the news website.
There has not been any missing report filed with the police recently and the officers are currently trying to determine the identity of the person. Officers are questioning tourists while immigration officers in the Pattaya region are checking CCTV footage for any kind of evidence. It was also reported that a diving gear shop owner said that the man looked similar to one of his clients.
