Police have set up checkpoints at ferry piers on the island of Koh Tao and called in reinforcements to mount an intensive manhunt after the semi-naked bodies of two foreign tourists were found brutally murdered there on Monday morning.
Police on Koh Tao investigate the scene of the brutal murder of two British tourists. Their half-naked bodies were found bludgeoned to death on Sai Ree beach early Monday. (Photo by Supapong Chaolan)
The British man and woman, both 24, were found stripped near their budget bungalow on Sai Ree Beach on the Surat Thani island popular for its full-moon parties and scuba diving early Monday.
Police said no identification was found on the bodies, but described them as a woman from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and man from Jersey, Channel Islands, The Associated Press said.
Police suspect that the woman, whose skirt was hiked up to her waist and t-shirt pulled up, was also raped.
Four metres away, the male victim was found naked on his back with a wound caused by a blunt blow to the back of his head. A pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a denim skirt were found nearby.
About 50 metres from the victims, police found a blood-covered hoe, believed to be the murder weapon.
The Bangkok Post is not naming the victims until it can be confirmed their families have been officially notified.
Surat Thani provincial police chief Kiattipong Khawsamang said initial investigation found that the two victims had travelled separately to Koh Tao, where they met while staying at the same seaside hotel.
"They went out to a bar and left together after 1am, according to closed circuit TV camera footage,'' he said.
Local police official Jakkrapan Kaewkhao told AFP that the woman had three wounds on her face and the man had four wounds on his back. Found around 6:30am, they had probably been slain between 4am and 5am, local media reported.
Police said they had no immediate suspects and were checking closed circuit TV cameras at nearby restaurants, hotels and shops in search of the attackers. But Pol Maj Gen Kiattipong told AFP that the suspect, or suspects, were "probably still on the island."
"We don't know who the suspect might be yet but we have talked to different witnesses who might lead us to some clues," he said, adding that the woman was travelling with three other friends.
Thai media quoted other Surat Thani officers speculating that migrant workers were responsible, although they provided no evidence to support their assertion.
Investigators were also looking for witnesses who might know if the pair attended a nearby late-night beach party that attracted tourists. They also called in reinforcements from the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan
Local media reported that residents told police there had been a beach party for about 50 people, mostly foreigners, on Sunday night that went into the early morning.
The double-murder has sent shockwaves through the island, popular for its full-moon parties and scuba diving.
"It was the first time this has happened on the island, I have never seen anything like this," said an employee at the seaside resort where they were staying.
In a statement the British Embassy in Bangkok said officials are "urgently seeking information from local authorities."
"Consular staff stand ready to provide assistance to friends and family at this tragic time," it added.
Britain says Thailand is the country where its citizens are second most likely to require consular assistance if they visit, behind the Philippines.
There were 389 deaths of British nationals in Thailand in the year to March 2013 -- about one for every 2,400 British visitors or residents -- although that figure includes natural causes.
But it is rare for tourists to be murdered in Thailand, although visitors frequently perish in accidents.
The bodies of two British tourists, a 24-year-old man and 23-year-old woman, were discovered on Koh Tao in Surat Thani province. (Reuters video)