Eloping is real, people.
According to the Malaysian Consul-General in Songkhla, Mohd Afandi Abu Bakar, more than 2,000 Malaysian couples got hitched in South Thailand during the first six months of this year.
Mohd Afandi told Bernama that the actual number could be higher as the 2,000 only included those who registered their marriages at the Consulate so that their marriage could be validated when they return to Malaysia.
“Couples who do not register their marriages with the Consulate will face difficulty validating them in Malaysia,” Mohd Afandi was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Mohd Afandi was commenting on the efforts taken by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Islamic Council to streamline the conditions for Malaysian couples who want to get married in Thailand.
Last year, a total of 4,081 Malaysian couples got married in Thailand, Mohd Afandi added.
In an earlier report, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom told Bernama that couples who marry in Thailand but do not register their marriage in Malaysia could encounter problems registering the birth of their child.
“The problem becomes more serious when there is death or divorce because of problems in verifying the next of kin during property distribution,” he was quoted as saying.
