Bangkok  - Thai police are investigating the possible murder of a German woman whose body was found on Phangan in the aftermath of one of the island's notorious full-moon parties, police said Monday.

The body of Astrid Al-Assaad Schachmer, 45, was discovered Sunday morning floating in shallow water off a beach on Phangan, 430 kilometres south of Bangkok.

"She was found shirtless but wearing jeans, and there was about 600 baht (17 dollars) in her pockets," said Phangan Superintendant Police Colonel Jarun Uchupap in a telephone interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa.

"There was no water found in her lungs so we suspect she was killed before being thrown in the water," said Jarun.

Police have sent Schachmer's body to Bangkok for an autopsy to discover the cause of death and determine whether she was raped.

According to Schachmer's passport, the German national had spent four months in Thailand last year. Jarun said she was believed to be a frequent visitor to Phangan Island, which is notorious for its all- night, drug-crazed full-moon parties that draw thousands of foreign tourists. (dpa)