Norwegian Embassy preventing Thai cremation - advice sought for widow please.

[The Fugitive]

Friend of the Mrs recently lost her Norwegian husband. Widow and family are at their wits end because he has been in their house for 15 days. Widow says Norwegian Embassy will not allow his cremation.  She asked my Mrs for advice as the wife of a falang? All I know is that he was previously married in Norway. I saw a wreath from two children with different Thai surnames referring to him as 'Dad'. Mrs tells me he has no children with his widow. I understand he died inside his house. AFAIK police are not involved, neither has there been a post mortem. Anyone able to shed any light and/or suggest a way forward to help his widow and family?

[Crossy]

I suppose the first stop should be the embassy themselves, they must have a reason to put a block on the cremation.

 

They should also be able to advise what to do to remove said block.

 

We ran into a similar issue some years back when a mate died suddenly. He thought he was divorced from his Malaysian wife but it seems she never registered the divorce and the British Embassy allowed her to remove the body for a Muslim burial in Malaysia.

 

We always said he'd be late for his own funeral, turns out he went one better and actually missed it!

 

The story is on here somewhere.

[The Fugitive]

8 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I suppose the first stop should be the embassy themselves, they must have a reason to put a block on the cremation.

 

They should also be able to advise what to do to remove said block.

 

We ran into a similar issue some years back when a mate died suddenly. He thought he was divorced from his Malaysian wife but it seems she never registered the divorce and the British Embassy allowed her to remove the body for a Muslim burial in Malaysia.

 

We always said he'd be late for his own funeral, turns out he went one better and actually missed it!

 

The story is on here somewhere.

Many thanks! You've confirmed the lines I was thinking along. Either his ex-wife in Norway actually isn't (at least on paper) or she or someone else in Norway is 'putting the boot in' because of sour grapes. I hope it doesn't cost his widow and family too much. However, if it turns out same as your case, she'll save the temple cremation costs!

[mudcat]

The U.S. embassy stated that for them to direct the hospital to release the body after a post mortem they require to see an indication from the deceased they wish to burned here. 

 

We added that to our Thai last wills and include it with other identifying documents including our U.S. wills in a to-go envelope at home, with a niece, and in our car's glovebox 

 

Remember to make sure that a dual national spouse is well identified otherwise getting the Consular Report of Death will be more difficult as the authorities in the U.S. expect to see that before dealing with the estate.

[The Fugitive]

16 minutes ago, mudcat said:

The U.S. embassy stated that for them to direct the hospital to release the body after a post mortem they require to see an indication from the deceased they wish to burned here. 

 

We added that to our Thai last wills and include it with other identifying documents including our U.S. wills in a to-go envelope at home, with a niece, and in our car's glovebox 

 

Remember to make sure that a dual national spouse is well identified otherwise getting the Consular Report of Death will be more difficult as the authorities in the U.S. expect to see that before dealing with the estate.

Many thanks. All good advice that avoids potential problems. My Mrs doesn't believe me when I tell her that all she needs to do (if I die at home) is register my death at our local District Office in the same way as a Thai person. 

[Crossy]

My mate's story is here https://aseannow.com/topic/91098-andyfletch-rip/?do=findComment&comment=972452

 

 

 

EDIT Even after all this time re-reading that thread has me tearing up, and I thought big boys don't cry ???? 

 

 

 

 

[norfolkandchance]

15 days. How is the deceased stored ?

[ezzra]

The irony in this story is that even when you die, your troubles in this crazy world are still continuing...

[The Fugitive]

3 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

15 days. How is the deceased stored ?

Usual style Thai refrigeration unit at his home. I avoided getting close to it. 

[nahkit]

I realise that each country probably has its own rules but when a Dutch friend died we all gathered at his partners house for the funeral only to be told that it wouldn't be going ahead because his partner (as in they weren't legally married) had to get permission from a member of his family in the Netherlands (via the embassy) for the funeral to take place. The local authorities also said that an autopsy was mandatory in the case of a foreigner. Only took them a day or three to sort that out but even then things didn't go as planned. We assembled for a second go, this time at the temple, rather than the house, and we were three quarters of the way through the ceremony when the funeral was halted again as they needed permission from the local amphur before they could cremate him.

 

I well remember the rather surreal scene when, about an hour later, his step-daughter stood next to his coffin at the top of the steps leading to the oven, and announced that the funeral was going ahead whilst waving a piece of paper in the air.

[The Fugitive]

22 minutes ago, Crossy said:

My mate's story is here https://aseannow.com/topic/91098-andyfletch-rip/?do=findComment&comment=972452

Thanks for locating it for me. Motive for ex-wife's actions? Mischief and proving herself to be next-of-kin and claiming ex-husbands estate?

[Crossy]

Just now, The Fugitive said:

Thanks for locating it for me. Motive for ex-wife's actions? Mischief and proving herself to be next-of-kin and claiming ex-husbands estate?

 

Definitely an attempt to cash in on his assets.

 

Luckily, being Andy, he didn't actually have much. His UK ex had taken him to the cleaners when they divorced.

 

[mudcat]

A helpful resource for U.S. citizens is here along with a Thai translation:

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

[thaibeachlovers]

Other than sending a bill to the embassy my only advice is to do it old Thai style. Put body in a sealed box with drain hole for the fluid ( and to release the gases ), and leave it there till whoever is denying the cremation makes a move to resolve the situation. Depending on the importance of the deceased, they left the body in the house for up to a year before cremation.

I read that somewhere, but don't remember name of book.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:50 PM, The Fugitive said:

Widow says Norwegian Embassy will not allow his cremation. 

Good reason for moving quickly. My embassy didn't even know I was in LOS, unless immigration told them.