Police in Thailand are investigating a Chinese couple for having sex in a car park at a popular sightseeing spot in the country.

Social media erupted in outrage after photos circulated showing the tourists almost naked and being interrupted by police in Chiang Mai, on of Thailand’s most popular destinations for international travellers.

The woman undressed her partner in the car park of Chiang Mai University, a popular site among Chinese tourists to the city, after ordering food from a nearby vendor at around 5pm on 4 July, eyewitnesses told The Thaiger, prompting shocked bystanders to alert police.

Senior police lieutenant colonel Awirut Sookyam said the couple admitted to having cannabis and alcohol before the incident, Khaosod English News reported. They were covered with sheets and umbrellas, given clothes to wear and taken to a local hospital, it said.

Although the university declined to take legal action, police now are pursuing the couple for violating public decency laws.

A homeless Thai couple were arrested for a similar offence in Khon Kaen earlier this year.

In April another foreign couple were charged with engaging in sexual activity in the sea at Patong Beach in Phuket, The Thaiger reported.

No legal action was taken against them or other foreign couples who have been involved in similar incidents in Phuket, it added.