Police were alerted to the incident at 6:08am by a security guard from a nearby hotel.
Officers arrived at the beach with a forensic doctor from Vachira Phuket Hospital, the Karon Municipality rescue unit and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation.
The deceased was found hanging beneath a pandanus tree near the southern end of the beach. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, black trousers and was barefoot.
A plastic chair was overturned behind him, along with a pair of brown flip-flops left on the sand. Also, written in the sand at the scene was the word ‘God’ in Nepali script.
Oddly, while the man’s body was suspended by the rope to the tree, both his feet were squarely planted on the sand.
Officers believe he had been dead for at least three hours before being discovered.
Police identified the deceased only as ‘Mar Lay Kay’ (real name not known at the time of the initial report), a Myanmar national who worked at a local tailor shop. A colleague told investigators that Mr. Marike had been experiencing financial difficulties, which may have led to his death.
Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers transported the body to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted.
Police are continuing their investigation.
* Police later confirmed the man was a Myanmar national, not Nepalese as initially reported.
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