British man presumed dead after Thai sailing trip attack

A British man sailing with his wife off the coast of southern Thailand was allegedly beaten to death and thrown overboard by men trying to steal their dinghy, Thai police said today.

Police arrested three migrant workers from neighbouring Myanmar whom they accused of attacking Malcolm Robertson and his wife, Linda, on Monday on their yacht anchored off the coast of Satun, a southern province bordering Malaysia.

"They tried to steal the dinghy and beat Mr Robertson with their fists and hammers until he died," Police Colonel Virat Ohn-song, chief of the La-ngoo district police station, told Reuters.

He said police were searching for the body.

The British embassy in Thailand said it was assisting Linda Robertson, who suffered minor injuries.

"We are aware of an attack overnight on a British couple off the coast of Satun in southern Thailand. We are urgently pursuing this case with the Thai police," an embassy spokesman said.

Fishermen had reported the yacht apparently adrift. When police investigated, the three suspects tried to flee in the dinghy and were arrested, Virat said.

Thailand is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, luring some 14 million tourists annually, with Britain the biggest Western market.