Repatriating A Body To Thailand

[phuketrex]

I guess none of you have been in this situation but a good friend of mine is in a horrible position.

He's a lad of only 23 but had been coming to Thailand for years and met a Thai woman a few years ago...10 years older than him. They married 2 years ago and she moved to Guernsey, GB. Last few months she has been very lethargic and was getting on everyones' nerves and giving her husband grief. My mate who is with me in Tokyo now was around at the time until about 2 months ago and was giving her a hard time for being lazy and not looking after her husband. She was taken to hospital a few times but doctors just signed her off work and told her to bed rest and didn't find anything wrong with her hence people just thought she was being a lazy cow.

Friday morning my friend rushed her into hospital. Friday afternoon she was flown to a hospital in London with my friend being told by doctors if she didn't have a liver transplant within 24 hours she would be dead.

Saturday evening she died of septisemia.

My mate here obviously is upset about the way he treated her knowing now that she was probably ill for some time but not diagnosed by the doctors and we are told that it was treatable if it had been caught early.

Just to make the lads' situation even more dire, his father died a few years ago...his mother is in a mental home...and his only siblings are a younger brother and sister 10 and 12 years old being looked after by an aunt. For the last few years my mate has been like a father to him...he's a good friend of mine too and he's been to Patong several times and I also new his wife very well.

So there is this young distraught lad in London who's wife has just died very suddenly and he is having to now arrange to transport his 33 year old wifes' body to Khon Kaen for a Buddhist funeral and we are sitting here on the other side of the world wanting to be able to help him and feeling pretty useless.

Just wondering if anyone has ever been in this situation and can pass on any advice? We guess he'll get some help from the hospital. We are wondering what the cost will be...I'm guessing several thousand pounds? We're thinking it would be better to have her cremated then to take the ashes back to her family but we are hearing that her family want her body back. We've not heard yet who is going to pay.

[mahtin]

Sorry to hear this.

Suggest you contact Embassy.

[Tywais]

As mentioned, the Thai embassy would be a good start. Also if they were insured it may cover the cost.

[sbk]

Why not cremate her in the UK, bring her remains back to Thailand and hold a ceremony at the Wat to inter her ashes there? Thai people are very practical, so it might be something he could consider discussing with her family.