Fishermen held after Briton killed off Thai coast

Thai police have arrested three Burmese fishermen suspected of murdering a British yachtsman in a robbery attempt off southern Thailand's Andaman sea coast, officials said Wednesday.

Tourists walk on a beach as the sun sets on the Andaman Sea.

Malcolm Robertson, 64, reportedly had his throat slashed in front of his wife Linda before he was thrown into the sea near Dong island, 70 kilometres (45 miles) off Satun province.

Authorities are still searching for his body following the attack late on Monday.

The raiders forced his wife to sail toward land, then escaped in a rubber dinghy after she tried to seek help from a passing official boat, local police captain Supalak Pongkanjana said.

Police later arrested the three men, who worked on a fishing boat based nearby, he said.

Supalak said the three had given full confessions but had only been charged with robbery and assault so far as police had not found Robertson's body.