PHUKET police arrested a man and two 16-year-old youths yesterday who confessed to the drugs-related killing of a 15-year-old whose body was dumped by a roadside.

The three Phuket locals used sharpened steel reinforcement rods to stab to death Tawatchai Melanon on March 19. The body, left near a rubber plantation in Nai Yang, was not located until March 26.

Apirak Sea-eaw, 24, and the 16-year-olds were apprehended yesterday at their homes around Phuket's Tachatchai district, to the far north of the island.

Today at a media presentation at Phuket City Police Headquarters Khun Apirak took Phuket Police Commander Major General Pekad Tantipong through the circumstances leading up to the vicious murder.

Khun Apirak said he had given Khun Tawatchai 5000 baht to buy 20 yah ba methamphetamine tablets but the boy had failed to produce the drugs or refund the money.

Khun Apirak had only had a primary school education and had previously been in detention in his youth on Phuket for an attempted murder.

He admitted to being a yah ba addict and said that although he did not work often, he got by sharing with friends.

On conviction the two 16-year-olds, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are likely to follow Khun Apirak in serving time in Phuket's youth detention centre.