Here’s a place where you can Thai the knot. More than 500 couples from Malaysia have married in southern Thailand since the country’s borders were opened in early May until now, Awani reported.
Narathiwat Islamic Religious Council Committee member Abd Rahman Yusuf said the arrival of couples from Malaysia showed an increasing trend, especially involving dignitaries with the title of ‘Datuk’.
Think of the ‘Datuk’ title as the equivalent of OBE in the United Kingdom. It is a federal title that is conferred by Malacca, Penang, Sarawak, and Sabah, which have governors.
Abd Rahman, who is also the Head of the Association of Imams, Khatibs and Bilal Sungai Golok, also revealed that he had solemnized marriages of politicians and senior government officials.
He added that most of the marriage arrangements in this part of Thailand involved men taking a second wife or marrying a widow.
In Malaysian culture, it is not uncommon for men or couples to marry in Southern Thailand but they do so for various reasons. Sometimes it’s because the family does not agree to the relationship and sometimes it’s a secret marriage done without the first wife’s knowledge.
“Many people come here to solve their problems. Most of them are dignitaries with the rank of Datuk.
“The difficulty of getting married again (in Malaysia), makes them look for a solution to register the marriage here. Here it is easier and it is legal.
“After that, the couple can continue to register their marriage in Malaysia easily,” Abd Rahman said.
According to Abd Rahman, only solemnizations that take place in Masjid Kedai Baru, Narathiwat are accepted when applying for a marriage certificate in Thailand that is acknowledged by the Malaysian Consulate in Songkhla.
“Only marriage certificates issued by us (Narathiwat) are recognized at the Malaysian Consulate,” he explained.
Asked about the required documents, Abd Rahman said that for couples who want to register a marriage, they need to provide RM900 in cash along with travel documents such as passports or border passes.
Apart from that, they have to present their identity cards and the original copy of the divorce certificate or husband’s death certificate for widows.
The media previously reported that the Malaysian Consul General in Songkhla, Muhammad Ridzuan Abu Yazid, advised Malaysians who got married in Southern Thailand not to delay marriage registration when returning to their homeland.
He said registration needs to be done to avoid problems in the future.
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