Police were notified of the discovery at 7:30pm. The body was spotted in the surf by a tourist strolling along the sand, near the Naga statue, about halfway along the beach.
“The victim had dark skin, was about 165-170cm tall and about 35-40 years of age. He was dressed only in ‘Adder’ brand black underwear,” said Capt Weerayuth Sirisukhaworakul of the Karon Police.
“There is a tattoo in Thai on the right wrist saying, 'อะไรก็ยอม อาจจะเป็นเธอ' (Arai ko yom Aj phen thur - would do anything, maybe it is you). He had another tattoo on his right shoulder.
“Judging from a nylon rope tied at his waist, we think he was a fisherman,” Capt Weerayuth added.
“There were no signs of assault or injury on the body. We estimate that he died for two to three days before his body was discovered. The body was taken to Vachira Hospital for doctors to confirm the time and cause of death,” he said.
Police have questioned local community leaders in Karon, but so far there have been no reports of anyone missing, Capt Weerayuth explained.
“Maybe the man entered the surf at another area and the waves brought it here,” he said.
“We are contacting all police stations across the island to check their databases for missing persons who might match the description of the body,” Capt Weerayuth added.