At 1.30pm today (February 14) Patong police were alerted that a fisherman had discovered the body of an Asian man in the water, about 50 metres from the rocky coastline, 3-4 kilometres from Patong at a spot known mostly only by local fisherman, near Soi Phrabaramee 9 in Kalim.
From the surface of the water, investigators could see clearly the body underwater, both of its hands were “stuck firmly to rocks, with its feet pointing towards the sky”.
The body was retrieved and transported to Patong Hospital. Initial examinations found no sign of foul play. The body was thought to have been dead for 6-8 hours.
On the rocks, nearby, neatly folded clothes – grey shirt, trowsers and yellow shoes – were found and presumed to belong to the victim, who was identified by a document that was slipped inside a clothes pocket.
The document contained the name of a tour company in Phuket Town, and the name Mr Hiroshi Yoshiki, 34, a Japanese national whose occupation as a tour guide was also listed in the document, police said.
Police speculated that the man had most likely committed suicide due to a “Valentine’s Day heartbreak” or “some other personal problem”, though at this point it is not clear what evidence led them to such a swift conclusion, other than today being Valentine’s Day.