Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

British man presumed dead after Thai sailing trip attack

Reuters
Tuesday 24 March 2009 15:32 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

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.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in