My friend thinks her husband may have passed away in Thailand – Advice Please

[Ken Kenobi]

 

First I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the correct category. 

 

So a good British friend has contacted me as she knows that I live here in Thailand . Her British husband some years ago decided to leave his wife ( my friend ) and one young child and permanently move to Thailand . That parting was done amicably. The husband promised to pay child support which he did.

 

Over the proceeding years the husband continued to live in Thailand and was in regular contact with his wife back home via telephone calls and email .For the last four months the wife has not heard any thing from her husband and now she is getting very concerned that some thing may have happened to him.  Her husband resided in Pattaya .

 

Due to her husbands advance age ( 87 ) my friend is now concerned about her husbands well being and health, and the lack of contact from him. She has telephoned the husbands mobile number , but all she gets back is a message saying that telephone number is out of service. She has sent numerous emails to her husbands email address but never had a reply and she has written to the husbands last known address in Thailand but had no reply. 

 

 

 

Taking into consideration her husbands advance age my friend asked me what happens should a British national pass away in Thailand . And is there any way for her to find out if her husband could of passed away in Thailand . 

My friend lives with the daughter in Spain and they were never divorced.

I’m not really sure how to advise my friend , so any suggestion or advice would be very welcome. 

[from the home of CC]

should be contacting the embassy imo..

[Kwasaki]

Go to the Thai Embassy in Spain. 

[scubascuba3]

you could email the British embassy in Bangkok, it seems a UK call centre answer emails anyway

[lungbing]

The death of a British citizen would have been reported to the Embassy in Bangkok.  Whether they will tell you in another matter, although they should tell his wife (widow).

[Orton Rd]

Must have been here a long time if he was paying child support when he came

[bluesofa]

6 hours ago, Ken Kenobi said:

and she has written to the husbands last known address in Thailand but had no reply

Is it possible to visit this address to see what's happening there?

[Crossy]

I would suggest:-

 

Contact the British Embassy in Bangkok.

Someone visit the last known address. @Ken Kenobi are you close enough to do this for your friend?

 

[4MyEgo]

19 hours ago, Ken Kenobi said:

My friend lives with the daughter in Spain and they were never divorced.

I would suggest as others have, contact the embassy, as they have never divorced, she can still claim to be his wife and would therefore be entitled to any information forthcoming from the embassy.

 

She can say they have been apart for a few years as he went to Thailand to find himself, she can say he was troubled and she agreed with him to go, but still maintained contact up until 4 months ago.

 

Can't see why they wouldn't provide her with any information if they had any, as I said before, they are still legally married.

[crazykopite]

If a U.K. registered national passes away in Thailand the British Embassy must be notified before the body can be released for cremation that’s  as I understand it however if he married a Thai I am not so sure of the rules I would assume that the British Embassy would be informed therefore they should hold information an other option would be the Immigration department who should hold all records of British nationals visiting or living in Thailand.

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I would suggest as others have, contact the embassy, as they have never divorced, she can still claim to be his wife and would therefore be entitled to any information forthcoming from the embassy.

 

She can say they have been apart for a few years as he went to Thailand to find himself, she can say he was troubled and she agreed with him to go, but still maintained contact up until 4 months ago.

 

Can't see why they wouldn't provide her with any information if they had any, as I said before, they are still legally married.

 

Well put, but keep in mind at some embassies you can put on record who you want to be informed on your demise and that also means who you don't want to be informed. Given the details already shared that doesn't seem to be relevant but who knows.

 

Good luck in finding him or some specific details of where he is.

[transam]

23 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

If a U.K. registered national passes away in Thailand the British Embassy must be notified before the body can be released for cremation that’s  as I understand it however if he married a Thai I am not so sure of the rules I would assume that the British Embassy would be informed therefore they should hold information an other option would be the Immigration department who should hold all records of British nationals visiting or living in Thailand.

The guy is not divorced, so he could not get affirmation to marry a Thai....

Just phone the British Embassy in Bangkok, they speak English.

Would have thought if he has popped off, the next of kin would have been informed.. 

[RichardColeman]

87 and paying child support for one YOUNG child, that would make him fathering children in his 80's. Way to go !

 

Personally, I would contact the UK police , express your worry, and ask them if they would contact the bank he uses to transfer money for child support or where it is collected from. they should be able to tell you if he is still drawing money and -hopefully - still alive

[Vacuum]

27 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

if he married a Thai

How could he do that?  He never divorced his UK wife?

[natway09]

Getting married,,, a bit of string & 2 Bht gold. Job done

[Ken Kenobi]

 

 Thanks every one for your suggestions and help  . I have passed on to my friend in Spain the contact details of the British Embassy in Bangkok and she is now going to contact them right away .  I and my Thai wife have just returned last night from a trip to my friends last know address in Pattaya.

 

The accommodation a small room in a block of rented rooms located in a soi near Buakhao market . The room appeared empty and after my wife managed to track down and talk to the building manager it seems that my friends husband up and left the accommodation at short notice several weeks ago accompanied by a Thai woman.

The building manager did say the Thai woman mentioned that they were moving to another province ( I won’t name it here )  where the Thai woman had a shop. The building manager did comment on the fact that the man ( my friends husband ) looked frail and in poor health and unsteady on his feet and the only way he could walk was by steadying him self by clinging to the Thai woman's arm

 

 

The building manager also told my wife that the  ‘’ farang ‘’ seemed to be not sure what was going on around him and that Thai woman looked like she was in full charge . The Thai woman did mention to the Thai building manager where her shop was situated and handed him a piece of paper with the shops address on it along with her mobile phone number and her email address and the Thai woman gave the building manager 1,000 Baht Baht to forward any postal mail that may arrive at the farangs room in the future . ( We have a copy of the Thai woman's note ) . My wife after listening to what the building manager had told her then went for a coffee at a small Thai corner shop next to the block of rented rooms . While in that shop my wife got talking to a young girl working there and asked if she had seen an old frang wondering about with a Thai woman . The girl told my wife that an old frang and Thai woman did come into the shop on a few occasions to buy beer and the farang looked unhappy . 

 

I have told my friend in Spain what we found as outlined above, but my wife has an uneasy feeling and thinks that some thing is not right or some bad thing is going to happen .

 

I’m not sure what my friend in Spain will think about all this.  May be she will ask me to travel to the Thai woman's province and track down her husband. But I have to personally admit some thing seems to '' smell '' a bit fishy about it all.

 

[Sheryl]

18 hours ago, lungbing said:

The death of a British citizen would have been reported to the Embassy in Bangkok.  Whether they will tell you in another matter, although they should tell his wife (widow).

As above. She should contact 5he British Embassy in Bangkok or alternately the UK Foreign Office who will in turn contact the Embassy.

 

Deaths of foreigners in Thailand are reported to the relevant Embassy.

[SiSePuede419]

On 2/26/2020 at 3:11 PM, Ken Kenobi said:

Her husband resided in Pattaya...

have told my friend in Spain what we found as outlined above, but my wife has an uneasy feeling and thinks that some thing is not right or some bad thing is going to happen .

Sorry to break the news to you, but  your wife is 100% correct.

 

Something ain't right.

 

And some bad thing happened.

 

 

The day he set foot in Pattaya. ????

Edited February 27, 2020 by SiSePuede419

[scubascuba3]

54 minutes ago, Ken Kenobi said:

 

 Thanks every one for your suggestions and help  . I have passed on to my friend in Spain the contact details of the British Embassy in Bangkok and she is now going to contact them right away .  I and my Thai wife have just returned last night from a trip to my friends last know address in Pattaya.

 

The accommodation a small room in a block of rented rooms located in a soi near Buakhao market . The room appeared empty and after my wife managed to track down and talk to the building manager it seems that my friends husband up and left the accommodation at short notice several weeks ago accompanied by a Thai woman.

The building manager did say the Thai woman mentioned that they were moving to another province ( I won’t name it here )  where the Thai woman had a shop. The building manager did comment on the fact that the man ( my friends husband ) looked frail and in poor health and unsteady on his feet and the only way he could walk was by steadying him self by clinging to the Thai woman's arm

 

 

The building manager also told my wife that the  ‘’ farang ‘’ seemed to be not sure what was going on around him and that Thai woman looked like she was in full charge . The Thai woman did mention to the Thai building manager where her shop was situated and handed him a piece of paper with the shops address on it along with her mobile phone number and her email address and the Thai woman gave the building manager 1,000 Baht Baht to forward any postal mail that may arrive at the farangs room in the future . ( We have a copy of the Thai woman's note ) . My wife after listening to what the building manager had told her then went for a coffee at a small Thai corner shop next to the block of rented rooms . While in that shop my wife got talking to a young girl working there and asked if she had seen an old frang wondering about with a Thai woman . The girl told my wife that an old frang and Thai woman did come into the shop on a few occasions to buy beer and the farang looked unhappy . 

 

I have told my friend in Spain what we found as outlined above, but my wife has an uneasy feeling and thinks that some thing is not right or some bad thing is going to happen .

 

I’m not sure what my friend in Spain will think about all this.  May be she will ask me to travel to the Thai woman's province and track down her husband. But I have to personally admit some thing seems to '' smell '' a bit fishy about it all.

 

Guys go back to the village all the time, maybe she was taking him back to take care but most likely money is a motive. The thai lady giving contact details, email, phone etc is a good sign she may have good intentions. Most men look grumpy leaving Pattaya

Edited February 27, 2020 by scubascuba3

[Nanaplaza666]

Seems to me she's looking for the golden goose that was paying her childsupport , but i think the golden goose has found another way to spend his pension and doesn't want to be found .

[Deerculler]

Not sure if I read it correctly 

Does he have a name?

[kidneyw]

On the back page of a British passport, it has details of who and how to contact, in case of an emergency etc., Does the wife know if she was listed here? If so, she should have been contacted by the authorities if something untoward had happened.

[Deerculler]

1 hour ago, Nanaplaza666 said:

Seems to me she's looking for the golden goose that was paying her childsupport , but i think the golden goose has found another way to spend his pension and doesn't want to be found .

Do you have proof of that?

[CH1961]

On 2/26/2020 at 3:11 PM, Ken Kenobi said:

my friend is now concerned about her husbands well being and health

.. to be correct ... your friend is concerned about the missing payments ????

[evadgib]

18 hours ago, Nanaplaza666 said:

Seems to me she's looking for the golden goose that was paying her childsupport , but i think the golden goose has found another way to spend his pension and doesn't want to be found .

An Embassies default position is that missing persons are missing on purpose until something or someone proves otherwise...

[Number 6]

Contact Pattaya Mail. I'm sure they're on top of farang deaths

 

[Dante99]

On 2/27/2020 at 2:24 PM, Vacuum said:

How could he do that?  He never divorced his UK wife?

Lots of people, Thai and not-Thai, high and low, married without government papers/registration.

[Andrew Dwyer]

On 2/27/2020 at 2:52 PM, Ken Kenobi said:

 

 Thanks every one for your suggestions and help  . I have passed on to my friend in Spain the contact details of the British Embassy in Bangkok and she is now going to contact them right away .  I and my Thai wife have just returned last night from a trip to my friends last know address in Pattaya.

 

The accommodation a small room in a block of rented rooms located in a soi near Buakhao market . The room appeared empty and after my wife managed to track down and talk to the building manager it seems that my friends husband up and left the accommodation at short notice several weeks ago accompanied by a Thai woman.

The building manager did say the Thai woman mentioned that they were moving to another province ( I won’t name it here )  where the Thai woman had a shop. The building manager did comment on the fact that the man ( my friends husband ) looked frail and in poor health and unsteady on his feet and the only way he could walk was by steadying him self by clinging to the Thai woman's arm

 

 

The building manager also told my wife that the  ‘’ farang ‘’ seemed to be not sure what was going on around him and that Thai woman looked like she was in full charge . The Thai woman did mention to the Thai building manager where her shop was situated and handed him a piece of paper with the shops address on it along with her mobile phone number and her email address and the Thai woman gave the building manager 1,000 Baht Baht to forward any postal mail that may arrive at the farangs room in the future . ( We have a copy of the Thai woman's note ) . My wife after listening to what the building manager had told her then went for a coffee at a small Thai corner shop next to the block of rented rooms . While in that shop my wife got talking to a young girl working there and asked if she had seen an old frang wondering about with a Thai woman . The girl told my wife that an old frang and Thai woman did come into the shop on a few occasions to buy beer and the farang looked unhappy . 

 

I have told my friend in Spain what we found as outlined above, but my wife has an uneasy feeling and thinks that some thing is not right or some bad thing is going to happen .

 

I’m not sure what my friend in Spain will think about all this.  May be she will ask me to travel to the Thai woman's province and track down her husband. But I have to personally admit some thing seems to '' smell '' a bit fishy about it all.

 

Maybe if you post at least the province name here any interested posters on TVF can contact you by pm to try and help, you would need to provide them with the city name, type of shop the woman owns and the old fellas name of course but is worth a try ?

 

[stephenterry]

1 hour ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Maybe if you post at least the province name here any interested posters on TVF can contact you by pm to try and help, you would need to provide them with the city name, type of shop the woman owns and the old fellas name of course but is worth a try ?

 

Absolutely agree. Does the OP want to find out if he's alive or not? It could always be carried out discreetly without opening up a hornet's nest. Most likely province, IMO, is Issan.

[Old Croc]

13 minutes ago, stephenterry said:

Absolutely agree. Does the OP want to find out if he's alive or not? It could always be carried out discreetly without opening up a hornet's nest. Most likely province, IMO, is Issan.

Issan is a very large region consisting of 20 Provinces and about 22,000,000 people.