The abbot of Wat Mai Pattana temple in Muang district of Surat Thani province was found dead in the temple's living quarters on Sunday morning, police said.
Pol Lt Udomsak Masmalai, the duty officer at Muang district police station, said Pol Col Wisut Phuphansri, the Muang district police chief, led a team of forensic police, rescue workers from a charity foundation and a doctor from Surat Thani Hospital to the temple on Sunday morning after being informed of the monk's death.
The body of Phra Sripariyatraporn, who was also the Muang district monastic chief, was found with a yellow robe wrapped around his neck. No wounds were found on his body. There were no traces of a fight.
The temple's monks told police that the abbot had been stressed and was having sleeping difficulties for about two months.
After an everning prayer on Saturday, the abbot went to sleep in his quarters at 10pm. He was found dead Sunday morning.
Pol Col Sonthichai Awattanakul, deputy chief of Surat Thani police, ordered forensic police to thoroughly examine the quarters for evidence and conduct DNA tests of the abbot's close associates because his relatives did not believe it was a suicide.
The monk's body has been sent to Surat Thani Hospital for an autopsy, he said.