Thailand’s ‘Michael Jackson’ jailed over fatal drunk-driving crash
A high-profile pop singer known as ‘Thailand’s Michael Jackson’ has been jailed for two years for killing two people while driving intoxicated.
Manasawin Nantasen, known as Tik Shiro, rose to fame in the late 1980s and 1990s for his fedora hat and moonwalk-inspired dance moves, earning comparisons to Michael Jackson.
The 64-year-old singer was driving his vehicle across a bridge in Bangkok in October 2024 when he hit a stationary motorbike. He killed a 28-year-old woman and knocked her brother, 21, off the bridge. The latter died in hospital from his injuries.
A video of the singer kneeling in grief at the scene went viral across social media Thailand.
"The defendant surrendered and provided testimony beneficial to the case," the court statement said, adding that he had shown remorse by attending the victims' funeral and paying compensation to their families.
According to the World Health Organization, Thailand has one of the worst traffic safety records in the world. It ranks ninth out of 175 WHO member countries for road traffic deaths. In 2021, WHO estimates indicated 18,218 road traffic deaths, an average of 50 per day.
