A manhunt is underway after two British tourists were found dead early Monday morning on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. The murders have rocked the quiet tourist destination, which is seen as an alternative to more party-heavy Thai getaways.

A manhunt is underway after two British tourists were found dead early Monday morning on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. The murders have rocked the quiet tourist destination, which is seen as an alternative to more party-heavy Thai getaways.

WITH its spectacular turquoise water, lush jungles and laid-back vibe, the tiny island of Koh Tao seems like paradise.

But behind the beauty lies a darker side.

The Thai island has landed in the spotlight this week after the shocking discovery of a tourist hanged outside his bungalow. And it’s not the first time horror has found its way there: The news comes just days after a Koh Tao murder trial was postponed for two Burmese men accused of murdering two British backpackers last September.

Officially, the death of hanged Frenchman Dimitri Povse, 29, has been ruled a suicide, with police saying there were no signs of a struggle and a suicide note was left in the room, according to local media site Thai PBS.

However a photo claiming to show the man’s hands tied behind his back has emerged, sending social media sites into a flurry of suspicion. How could this possibly have been a suicide?

Another highly suspicious death on the mafia island of Koh Tao http://t.co/utIKLu8TUW — Andrew MacG Marshall (@zenjournalist) January 6, 2015

The police should demonstrate how to commit a suicide while having your hand tied behind your back. But first... http://t.co/zrSyF6kuWl — Arnatt Klinsong (@klinsong) January 8, 2015

BREAKING NEWS: French man found hanged in Koh Tao with his hands tied behind his back – foul play suspected; Thailand Live — John McKillop (@synergyinhealth) January 8, 2015

Truth is a rare commodity where justice is concerned in #Thailand ... now Thailand’s worst kept secret. http://t.co/jvGv4cv9M8 #socialmedia — JB (@3ty3) January 7, 2015

WTF, Thailand? "Suspicions arose over what appeared to be a suicide when on further inspection it was discovered... http://t.co/QThUUs1CAK — Jim Schmidt (@headexplosion) January 5, 2015

An expert has also voiced his doubt about it being a suicide.

Povse reportedly had wounds around his neck and two 5-centimetre lacerations to his arm. One was near his elbow, the other by his wrist.

However, Associate Professor Charnkanit Krittiya Suriyamanee, a criminologist and lecturer at the faculty of social science and humanities of Mahidol University told Thai PBS that if he’d hanged himself, the bruises should have appeared on his neck, but not his wrists. Also, he noted that there were several pieces of rope used which appeared to be different, which was suspicious.

No wonder speculation is rife.

‘They would have hung me!’ The backpacker murders

Koh Tao was plunged into the spotlight last year for all the wrong reasons, when the semi-naked bodies of backpackers 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach. Witheridge was raped before she was murdered.

The trial of two men accused of the murders has faced heavy scrutiny along with a series of setbacks, and has been pushed back to July 8.

There are scores of witnesses but they are simply too terrified to testify.

“Now we have witnesses but the problem is they are scared. We might need more time and we might have to go to Myanmar to meet them,” Nakorn Chompoochart, the head of the accuseds’ legal team, told the Bangkok Post.

“I’m confident because we have enough information to convince the court that the two did not commit the crime.”

And they weren’t the only ones who were afraid.

A friend of the victims fled the island soon after the killings, claiming that he had been threatened by local mafia who were trying to set him up, according to the Asian Correspondent.

Before running away, Scotsman Sean McAnna wrote a desperate message on his Facebook page: “Thai mafia are trying to kill me. Please help me.”

McAnna told the UK’s Telegraph of the ordeal: “They just said to me: ‘It was you who killed them. You’ve got two people’s deaths on your hands. We know it was you. You’re going to hang yourself tonight and we are going to watch you hang. You will die tonight.’

“They would have taken me up into the hills and hung me to make it look like I’d hung myself.”

Claims also emerged last October that the accused were beaten by police and tortured into signing to confessions over the murders, which they later withdrew.

It prompted Amnesty International to call for an investigation into what really happened.

“The Thai authorities must initiate an independent, effective and transparent investigation into mounting allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by police,” Richard Bennett, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Programme director said at the time.

“The pressure to be seen to be solving an appalling crime that has garnered considerable attention should not result in the violation of rights, including to a fair trial.”

The torture and ill-treatment of detainees by Thailand’s military, police and prison officials is a widespread problem, according to the UN Committee against Torture.

Police have denied any misconduct or torture.

Body found in the sea

The parents of British holiday-maker Nick Pearson, 25, whose body was discovered in the sea close to where Witheridge and Willer were murdered, believe he was also slain.

And they claim authorities covered it up to protect tourism.

His mother Tracy told the UK’s Mirror: “It seems like they just want to protect their tourist industry but we need to know what happened ... I just hope that one day someone will get to the bottom of what’s happening on Koh Tao, and what really happened to our wonderful son.”

They were told Pearson had drowned after falling.

When identifying his body, they noticed he had a gash on his head, and believe the local police’s version of events don’t add up.

“Even with our shock and grief, we knew it didn’t add up.

“He would never have gone swimming of his own accord.

“And if he’d fallen from his bungalow, 50ft down (15 metres), his body would have been stopped by the rocks or badly injured.

“He didn’t look like someone who had been in the water for hours – there was still dried blood on his face.

“It was all wrong.

“We knew he liked a Thai girl he’d met and we wondered if that had caused offence, and that someone followed him and did him harm.”

Tracy said her other son Matt was warned there were “powerful people on the island”, and they should leave without causing trouble.

They claimed they were told other tourists had died on the island, and that their bodies were “thrown into the water in the hope they’d be washed away”.

A post-mortem carried out back in the UK found he had no broken bones, and couldn’t rule out the possibility he was assaulted before his death.

The ruling family of Koh Tao

While not strictly a “mafia” in the traditional meaning, the island is controlled by ruling families.

One English woman, who has lived in the area for many years, told the Guardian: “The mafia here aren’t the sort who carry guns in violin cases, or knock on doors extorting people. They’re the families that go back for generations, and who ran the islands before the police even got here.”

But real fear is lurking on the island, which is traditionally meant to be a rather safe area compared to other more dangerous spots of the country.

news.com.au has contacted Tourism Thailand for comment.