last will, cremation, autopsy & stuff

[poanoi]

i feel like i want to avoid hangin out in a refrigerator & subject of autopsy for all to stare,

even if i'm dead.

 

So: is it possible to have a will executed that i will be cremated in a couple of days after death ?

and how do i go about to do it ?

[steven100]

you can state in your will that your wish is to be cremated immediately or very soon after death provided all is in line with local statutories.

“After seven days of chanting the cremation can take place. Some families will do this straight away while others might wait a year or more. Quite often a young family member, usually the grandson, will ordain as a novice monk in order to make merit for the deceased. They do this for only a day or two. Even though it is only for a short time, they still have to do the full ordination which includes the shaving of hair and eyebrows. It also should be noted that cremations cannot take place on Fridays as the name for that day sounds like the Thai word for “happiness”. [Source: Richard Barrow, thaibuddhist.com August 5, 2011]

“On the morning of the cremation there is more chanting and food is then offered to the monks. Once everyone has eaten, it is time to move the coffin to the crematorium. The coffin is carried outside and placed onto an ornate cart. A procession then takes place to the crematorium. Leading the way are family members carrying a portrait of the deceased. Behind them are a couple of monks holding onto a white thread that is attached to the coffin. The mourners walk behind the coffin. If you have ever done a procession around a chapel at a Thai temple on a Buddhist holiday you know that you have to walk around it three times in a clockwise direction. However, for funerals, you must walk anti-clockwise. [Ibid]

“The coffin is then taken up the steps and placed on a high table in front of the crematorium doors. The portrait of the deceased is also placed here. The crematorium itself is decorated during the afternoon with black and white cloth and beautiful flowers which were the favourites of the deceased. The cremation ceremony is often in the late afternoon. If you didn’t go to the Bathing Rite or any of the nightly chanting then the cremation ceremony is the one that you should really attend. [Ibid]

“At cremations you don’t get to see much of the ceremony. Most people are seated far away. During the ceremony, honoured guests will come forward with monk robes and place them on a pedestal in front of the coffin. As you can see here, the same ribbon is being used to connect the pedestal to the coffin. A monk then comes to receive the robe as if it was offered by the deceased. The monk here is saying a prayer before receiving the robe. During the ceremony someone will also give an eulogy about the life of the deceased. There is often also some kind of traditional dance performance. [Ibid]

“Cremation ceremonies are often over very quickly. Anything from 30 minutes to an hour. When you arrive you are given a flower made from wood shavings. You will need this for the last part of the ceremony. The monks at the cremation will go up the steps first with their “flowers”. These are placed under the coffin as if you were lighting the funeral fire. Once all of the monks have done this then it is the turn of the guests. What most people do is tap the coffin a couple of times with the flower then place it in a tray under the coffin and then give a quick “wai”. You are also supposed to say a short prayer telling the deceased person that you forgive them for any wrong doings in the past. On your way down, you will be given a kind of souvenir of the funeral to take home. Sometimes this a book about the life of the deceased person. [Ibid]

[Rimmer]

Not specific to Pattaya so will move to General Forum

[Sheryl]

Autopsy would not be usual unless circumstances of death were suspicious

 

However permission for cremation (or any other disposal of body) needs green light from the relevant Embassy in case of a foreigner and you will indeed be cooling in a morgue if this takes much time. If you have a Thai wife Embassy OK is easily  arranged, if not there may be delays as the Embassy will need to track down next of kin. Leaving all that information with a reliable person will help minimize delays.

[poanoi]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Autopsy would not be usual unless circumstances of death were suspicious

 

However permission for cremation (or any other disposal of body) needs green light from the relevant Embassy in case of a foreigner and you will indeed be cooling in a morgue if this takes much time. If you have a Thai wife Embassy OK is easily  arranged, if not there may be delays as the Embassy will need to track down next of kin. Leaving all that information with a reliable person will help minimize delays.

can i empower a friend to see to it with power of attorney or whatever its called ?

[Basil B]

I was wondering as not everybody is Buddhist are their Christian and/or none faith crematoriums where things can be done without the hype?

 

Certainly make a will stating your wishes for cremation etc. also note the contact details for your next of kin, that may speed things up a bit and make sure you leave funds or have insurance to cover the cost of "dispatch".

 

As for the Autopsy, I agree with Sherly, I was thinking certainly in 1st world countries we should be moving towards none evasive "Body Scans" for all as these can be kept after a body is cremated  if there is ever cause to doubt cause of death there after, only when there are reason to believe foul play or further investigation in to the cause of death that is not conclusive from the scan should a body be dissected. 

 

[Sheryl]

It is perfectly possible to have a cremation without ceremony and indeed would have to pay more to get a ceremony done.

 

Can also be buried withput a ceremony but costs more than simple cremation.

 

The crematoriums are pretty much all in wats but it is not the wats that require a funeral. These are requested by the family and are considered very important in Thai culture.

 

It is also believed that failure to have one may lead to the deceased's ghost haunting the living, in fact many parts of Thai funeral customs are expressly designed to prevent this. For which reason any Thai significant others in your life -- and neighbors uf you live in a village -- may not agree to skip it. Less if a problem if you live in a large city.

 

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[Sheryl]

can i empower a friend to see to it with power of attorney or whatever its called ?

Powers of attorney cease to be valid on death.

I have known case where an Embassy allowed the Executor of a will in place of next of kin but it may vary with the Embassy so ask yours.

Basically this (death of one of their nationals in Thailand) is a hassle for them that they want to tie up as easily as possible, but they also want to avoid being called on the carpet later for not having notified next of kin back home.

Note that if you have any assets in your home country or if there is any benefit (pensiom or death benefit etc) that someone stands to recive it will need paperwork from your Embassy to certify that you died abroaf (they will issue this based on Thai death certificate)

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[Jip99]

12 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

It is perfectly possible to have a cremation without ceremony and indeed would have to pay more to get a ceremony done.

 

Can also be buried withput a ceremony but costs more than simple cremation.

 

The crematoriums are pretty much all in wats but it is not the wats that require a funeral. These are requested by the family and are considered very important in Thai culture.

 

It is also believed that failure to have one may lead to the deceased's ghost haunting the living, in fact many parts of Thai funeral customs are expressly designed to prevent this. For which reason any Thai significant others in your life -- and neighbors uf you live in a village -- may not agree to skip it. Less if a problem if you live in a large city.

 

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The last  comments are most important; in many cases it doesn’t matter what YOUR wishes are, the actual process with be determined by your Thai widow and/or their families etc.

 

 

The further that your wishes diverge from Buddhist practices, the less likely it is that those wishes will be adhered to.

 

Death planning is not something that comes naturally to Thais....

[Sheryl]

Actually, there is almost nothing Buddhist about Thai funeral ceremonies other than the content of the chanting. Nothing in Buddhist teaching requires a funeral nor attributes any power to them. In fact Buddha quite explicitly said otherwise.

It is a cultural thing.


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[thaibeachlovers]

18 hours ago, Sheryl said:

It is perfectly possible to have a cremation without ceremony and indeed would have to pay more to get a ceremony done.

 

Can also be buried withput a ceremony but costs more than simple cremation.

 

The crematoriums are pretty much all in wats but it is not the wats that require a funeral. These are requested by the family and are considered very important in Thai culture.

 

It is also believed that failure to have one may lead to the deceased's ghost haunting the living, in fact many parts of Thai funeral customs are expressly designed to prevent this. For which reason any Thai significant others in your life -- and neighbors uf you live in a village -- may not agree to skip it. Less if a problem if you live in a large city.

 

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

For which reason any Thai significant others in your life -- and neighbors uf you live in a village -- may not agree to skip it.

 

Agreed, but as the OP will be dead it's really up to the family if they want to spend the money.

All farangs should make a will if they have a Thai partner, and it should be possible to specify if they do or do not want their bequest to be spent on a funeral. Of course once dead there isn't anything they can do about it if the family decide otherwise. The danger would be if the deceased wanted their money to be spent to benefit the partner/ children and the family forced the partner to pay for the funeral against their will.

 

I guess the farang could appoint an executor to carry out a cremation without a ceremony if they cared enough.

 

Of course, the farang could just buy a property for the partner, to benefit them, and spend most of the money before they pass.

[phuketrichard]

US embassy info on death of an American;

 

I made up a will and to legalize it all i needed was to have 3 people witness it. I also have an executor of the will. Also dont forget a Living will in case ur in a coma and allows someone to follow ur wishes ( mine is pull the plug)

Plenty of templates out there to use and make fit for you.

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/death-of-a-u-s-citizen/

 

7 days is WAY OVERBOARD,  3 is better , i am only down for one

[steven100]

This topic makes me really sad.  I get a tear in my eye.