A Malaysian man was stabbed to death in his bed at a Thai hospital where he and his wife were recuperating after being shot and wounded earlier this month, reports said Sunday.

Tek Leng Gi, 42, was stabbed more than 20 times by unidentified assailants who entered the couple's room at the hospital in the southern city of Hat Yai near the Malaysian border, the Bangkok Post said.

His wife Narakorn, who had been shot in the leg in the original attack, also suffered several stab wounds and was in a critical condition, it said.

Police said the couple were suspected of being involved in criminal activities and that they were killed by assassins who wanted to finish the job after failing to kill Tek who was shot twice in the stomach.

Claimed to be relatives

They said the assailants drove off in a Malaysian-made car fitted with Malaysian licence plates.

Narakorn's brother, Songkran Jaisuk, was in the room when the assailants gained access by claiming they were relatives.

"When inside the room, they pulled out knives and repeatedly stabbed my sister and brother-in-law," he said. "I tried to help, but couldn't," he told the Post. - AFP