An Iranian man and his Thai wife were found murdered at their Iranian restaurant in Pattaya on Tuesday, and the prime suspect is a missing Myanmar employee.

Pattaya police were called to open the locked Banoo Iranian Restaurant in South Pattaya about noon on Tuesday. The premises had been locked since last week and the owners had not been seen.

They found the bodies of the couple in the second-floor bedroom.

A friend told police that on Thursday last week the couple had a loud argument with their Myanmar employee, who later rode off on their motorcycle and did not return.

A neighbour said the restaurant had been closed since last Thursday. On Tuesday morning, the slain wife's relative had arrived there and found it locked. She called police.

She asked police to open the premises and check it out. Police found the two bodies.

Police identified the suspect as Min, aged 21 years.

Police did not say how the couple were killed, but they did find a hammer in the bedroom.