NEARLY 300 Malaysian couples get married in southern Thailand every month, a Malaysian government representative in the neighbouring country has revealed.
Of that number, 60% of the marriages involve polygamy while the others are mostly couples who want to wed but have not gotten consent of their families back home.
Some cases involved Malaysians getting married to someone in Thailand itself without the permission of his or her family members.
The Malaysian consul in Songkhla province, Ahmad Fahmi Ahmad Sarkawi, said that most of couples choose the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani, Songkhla and Satun to perform the wedding ceremonies.
“I would like to advise all couples who get married here to come and submit their documents to the Malaysian consulate office in Songkhla for verification,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.
“Failure to obtain confirmation may result in the couple’s marriage not being registered in Malaysia,” he said during a press conference at a Malay cultural celebration in Yala province. According to him, it is also important to ensure that the marriage documents in Thailand are valid and that they are married appropriately according to shariah custom.
He said, this is because they can be easily duped by syndicates that lure them to get married in Thailand, but without any lawful procedure, while collecting payment.
“For example, a couple is not married and is in Malaysia, and not even planning to come to Thailand.
“But a syndicate takes advantage of them (by enticing them). Our job is to look into such cases and validate (that such marriage took place),” he said.
Fahmi said that only with the confirmation of the consulate, can a couple register their marriage in southern Thailand with documentation.
He added that it is unavoidable that when they return to Malaysia to register, they must be fined and face other legal penalties.
However, if they do not do that, many problems will arise in the future, especially for their children and with regards to ownership of property. – The Vibes, February 25, 2024
