BANGKOK – A Spaniard has confessed to murdering another foreigner and dismembering his body on the popular Thai tourist island of Koh Pha Ngan, the police said on Saturday.

The police believe body parts, including hips and thighs, that were found at a rubbish dump on Thursday belong to a 44-year-old Colombian plastic surgeon they named as Mr Edwin Arrieta Arteaga.

Mr Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, who arrived in Thailand last Monday as a tourist, has confessed to the murder, the police said.

“He admitted it,” Koh Pha Ngan’s police chief Panya Niratimanon told AFP, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

“The victim and the suspect knew each other before they came to Thailand, and his dubious activities indicated that he might murder the victim,” said Colonel Panya.

The suspect works as a chef and is the son of well-known Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, according to media reports.

Photographs of the suspect appear to match pictures on Mr Daniel Sancho’s Instagram account, which also follows the victim’s account. The Instagram account had been previously tagged in Mr Rodolfo Sancho’s posts.

The Spanish Embassy in Bangkok, Mr Rodolfo Sancho and his agent did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.

Thailand is a relatively safe country where violent crimes are rare.

Koh Pha Ngan is famed for its white sandy beaches and draws thousands of backpackers to its notoriously wild “full moon” parties.

In 2014, another tourist island, Koh Tao, was rocked by the double murder of two young British backpackers.

Two Myanmar nationals are serving life imprisonment for the murders, but rights groups have accused the Thai authorities of using the men as scapegoats. AFP