With over half a million deaths in Thailand annually, including several thousand foreigners, the Grim Reaper is a daily figure in the Land of Smiles. But for many foreigners and their families, who are dealing with the Thai authorities about falling from this mortal coil, the responsibilities can seem awesome indeed. Terms such as autopsy or forensics or letters of release can be an ordeal anywhere in the world, but especially in Thailand where cultural norms can be starkly different from those at home.
AMAR International was established in Thailand in 2005 and has become a leading funeral directorate here with responsibility for around 40 monthly local cremations and overseas corpse repatriations. The company is owned by Dao Mitchell since 2020, with her husband Jeff as international network manager for the past three years. “The key to our success,” he says, “is real understanding of the needs of the bereaved in what can be most distressing circumstances.”
The company is refreshingly upfront about its competitive charges. A comprehensive fee includes all paperwork, including embassy and autopsy bureaucracies, transport of the body and crematory disposal: examples include a local cremation in Pattaya at 37,450 baht (around 890 pounds) or London or Manchester 107,000 baht (around 2,500 pounds). These are door to door costs, so to speak, but exclude complications such as second autopsies, ground burials or legal disputes between relatives.
Jeff Mitchell knows a thing or two about human tragedies as he worked for the British embassy in Thailand for over 18 years with particular responsibility for prison visiting and, latterly, for international crises as vice-consul. “Attention to detail is the key,” he says whilst noting that every case has its unique features. “Airlines differ in their rules about transporting bodies, embassy procedures vary a lot and temples in Thailand offer different kinds of farewell ceremonies.” But he emphasizes that regular and empathetic contact with the nearest and dearest is the constant theme for a smoothly-run transition.
Cases of murder or suicide are particularly sensitive. There may be delays before the body can be released for hygienic disposal, the police and the courts may be involved and the need for a second autopsy overseas will require embalming procedures. “About 10 percent of our cases involve unnatural deaths, particularly suicides which are growing in number and need extra-sensitivity,” cautions Jeff. Incidentally, AMAR International separately offers an escort service for ill or handicapped foreigners to return to their home country.
AMAR International, whose origins date back to nineteenth-century Australia, works with many countries. Deaths of British nationals in Thailand were around 350 in 2024, according to the Bangkok embassy consular report, mostly due to lifestyle diseases such as cancer and heart issues. The world of coffins, caskets and urns is one most of us prefer to ignore until they are staring at us face to face. But when the inevitable occurs, it’s a comfort to know that real help is available 24/7 from Thailand’s fastest-growing funeral directorate.
