A Taiwanese tourist was found dead with his hands and legs bound in a hotel in Bangkok on Thursday.

Chu Chiang-shen, 48, had flown into Thailand and checked in alone at the Niran Grand Hotel in the Bang Na district on November 14.

He was visited by two men on Wednesday evening who entered then left his room hours before he was found dead the following morning.

Shocked housekeepers who came for routine cleaning discovered the Taiwanese guest lying face-down on the blood-soaked rug, with his hands and legs bound with belts and ropes. He had also been gagged with transparent plastic sheets and clear tape.

Police Captain Surapong Sukyaem, the superintendent of Bang Na Police Station, said the room had been ransacked and there were signs of a fight.

Officers said the dead man was believed to have been tortured, and suffered a blow from a blunt object to his right eyebrow. His belongings, including his laptop and phone, were missing.

Police have collected evidence, including two blood-spattered safes, a bloody pail, a suitcase, a file case, and three clothing irons, from the scene.

Police Major General Teeradej Thumsutee, the commander of the Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said investigators were waiting for the results of the post-mortem examination to determine the cause of Chu's death.

He added: 'The Taiwanese tourist had a background that was involved with criminality. We believe that is connected to the suspected murder.'

Officers found that the tourist reportedly had a past conviction of human trafficking and fraud in Taiwan. He had served his sentence, and was on his fourth trip to Thailand when he was killed.

Police Major General Teeradej said: 'We are investigating if the man's fraud and human trafficking case had something to do with his death. We are trying to find out the reason for his visit to Thailand.

'My team is also checking CCTV cameras in the hotel and in the streets outside to identify all of the suspects.'

Authorities said on Friday that three men believed to be foreign nationals have been identified as suspects. Two of them have been detained at the Bang Na Police Station for questioning.

The investigation is ongoing.