A British man has been stabbed to death on the Malaysian holiday island of Langkawi after rowing with his wife who has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

John William Jones, 62, was found on the floor of his house with a stab wound to the chest at 2.30am this morning, local police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim told AFP.

His wife Samantha, 62, has been detained and is suspected of having murdered him following a row, he said.

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Mr Jones' wife, Samantha, has her hands held behind her back by a Malaysian law officer

Mr Jones and wife Samantha, both 62, pictured above in happier times

The pair had lived on Langkawi, a jungle-clad, tropical island in northwest Malaysia that attracts millions of tourists annually to its palm-fringed beaches, for the past 11 years.

His wife was arrested in the early hours of the morning the Star Online reports, and she has been remanded in custody.

'The couple were believed to have engaged in an argument. The wife then took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her husband in the chest,' Mohamad Iqbal said.

A 12 inch knife was found on the floor of the couple's bedroom covered in blood stains, he said.

Police and forensic teams are seen searching the property where Mr Jones was found dead

The couple had been granted residency on Malaysia's 'My Second Home' program which allows people to stay beyond normal visa periods.

Local media reported the victim's body was discovered early Thursday after neighbours alerted police.

Under current laws, the wife will be sentenced to death by hanging if she is found guilty of murdering her husband.

Murder carries a mandatory death sentence in Malaysia.

The government recently pledged to abolish the death penalty for all crimes but lawmakers still have to approve the changes.

A view over the lush paradise of Langkawi island where millions of visitors travel each year

In 1989, English drug runner Derrick Gregory was hanged in Malaysia after being caught with a pound of heroin at Penang airport.

During his trial jurors heard he had 14 packets of the opioid stashed in his boots and underwear.

Gregory was bound for Los Angeles via Singapore and claimed he was forced to smuggle the drugs by organised crime bosses.

He was convicted despite his defence lawyer arguing Gregory was brain damaged and had spent his childhood at special schools.

Then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, appealed for mercy on the British national but Malaysian authorities proceeded with the execution.

The MailOnline has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.