A man wanted for a murder in Sai Kung nearly four decades ago was arrested by Hong Kong police on Thursday after being deported from Thailand.

Two other people have already been jailed over the killing of a man whose body was found on Lung Ha Wan beach in 1989.

Following a request and intelligence provided by the Hong Kong authorities, the suspect, 62, was first arrested by Thai officers during a raid on his home in Bangkok on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at Hong Kong airport after returning from a visit to Thailand, Police Commissioner Joe Chow said there were no records of the suspect leaving the SAR and this had made it extremely challenging to identify his exact whereabouts.

“Intelligence suggested the suspect was in Thailand. The Thai police carried out meticulous investigation for some time to verify if they had the right person,” he said.

Chow added that a fingerprint analysis was also carried out to confirm the suspect's identity.

He said the man was deported from Thailand being as he had no valid identification documents.

Separately, the police chief said he had held exchange sessions with the Thai police during his visit, on using technology such as drones and CCTV to combat crime.