mallet36 Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear all, I'm not sure if I'm on the right forum here, but I'll post it anyway to see if anyone can give any advice. Afriend and co teacher of mine passed away on Saturday night, as far as we at the school are aware he had no family in the UK ( he was 67 years old ) and not married to a Thai. We contacted the British Embassy yesterday to inform them about the death of a British citizen and also explained that because he has no family anywhere we have arranged for a Thai funeral at a local temple. The Embassy have told us that we can't do this as we are not family and they would need to check if he has any living relatives in the UK. The problem is his money is in his Thai bank account and he died before he could give our boss his pin number, we think he knew his time was coming up. The problem is his bill is now over 70,000 Baht and we have collected most of it from teachers and parents. The Embassy have told us to take his body to a hospital and wait for them to contact us? When I'm not sure mabe a week maybe a month. His cremation is supposed to be this Thursday.What should we do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisb Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) Sad story. Find a member called Mario2008. (fozzy bear avatar). He would more than likely know. Very cluey with lots of family, law etc related topics. Yes, right forum..good luck, all the best. Edited November 13, 2012 by krisb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aitch52 Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) I'm British and a fellow teacher, can't give any advice I am afraid, very sad. Yes from what I have seen Mario is one of the most clued up people on here. Edited November 13, 2012 by aitch52 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wordchild Posted November 13, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2012 do what the embassy tell you to do or leave well alone! certainly dont try to withdraw cash from his account to pay for the funeral that could cause even more problems. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallet36 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordchild Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married good to hear! BTW why would his girlfriend (longterm or not) have any right to his assets? This kind of situation is full of risk and best left to the embassy to sort out,very likely he will turn out to have had relatives in the UK just never talked about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffer Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 the British embassy deals with this type of problem regularly...they should be giving you clear advice.. you could always go to the Embassy to get a better understanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallet36 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married good to hear! BTW why would his girlfriend (longterm or not) have any right to his assets? This kind of situation is full of risk and best left to the embassy to sort out,very likely he will turn out to have had relatives in the UK just never talked about them. He was an only child and true he could have family in the UK but he left England in 1974 and has only gone back to renew his passport and left straight away, he told us many times he doesn't have any family left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The Pundit Posted November 13, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married Why should his girlfriend be allowed to take a dead man's money,incredible!How can you make such an outrageous statement? You also want to cremate him without allowing the British Embassy to see if he has next of kin,to repatriate his remains to? This story stinks,there is something very wrong going on here! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post endure Posted November 13, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2012 Can we have less of the canned outrage please. If you have no useful information for the OP then best to keep quiet. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post krisb Posted November 13, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married Why should his girlfriend be allowed to take a dead man's money,incredible!How can you make such an outrageous statement? You also want to cremate him without allowing the British Embassy to see if he has next of kin,to repatriate his remains to? This story stinks,there is something very wrong going on here! He asked for your advice.Not your opinion. Not very nice to chastise this person when they are grieving. Have a heart. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evadgib Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) The Embassy will need to establish/contact the legal next of kin & take their instructions before issuing the appropriate documentation. Applicable link(s): http://ukinthailand....if-someone-dies HTH Edited November 13, 2012 by evadgib Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taninthai Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 What do you mean his bill is now 70k what's the bill for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rancid Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married Why should his girlfriend be allowed to take a dead man's money,incredible!How can you make such an outrageous statement? You also want to cremate him without allowing the British Embassy to see if he has next of kin,to repatriate his remains to? This story stinks,there is something very wrong going on here! I somewhat doubt a cunning plan to grab a dead mans assets would be floated here for comments or improvement from our local Baldricks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJohnnyBKK Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Sorry nothing helpful to add here, but FYI no such thing as de-facto marriage here, the TG's flat out of luck unless he specifically took care of her in a will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post advancebooking Posted November 13, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2012 The British embassy is your only port of call for advice. Be careful taking such advice from folk on this forum. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post harrry Posted November 13, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married Why should his girlfriend be allowed to take a dead man's money,incredible!How can you make such an outrageous statement? You also want to cremate him without allowing the British Embassy to see if he has next of kin,to repatriate his remains to? This story stinks,there is something very wrong going on here! In the UK if she was in a long term relationship she wquld be considered a Common Law wife and fully entitled. As we are talking about the British Embassy they should respect their own laws and consider her so to. I have made a will and if the Australian Embassy do not accept mine as my executor I will haunt them. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post CharlieH Posted November 13, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) I dealt with the death of a fellow Brit last year, cant for the life of me see where you get anywhere near a 70k bill ??? for what ?? Inform the Embassy, inform the local Police a death has occurred. Keep the body in an appropriate place until further WRITTEN instructions from the British Embassy or consulate official. DO NOT make any attempt to dispose of the remains until directed to do so or you will be in serious trouble. Edited November 13, 2012 by CharlieH 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJohnnyBKK Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 In the UK if she was in a long term relationship she wquld be considered a Common Law wife and fully entitled. As we are talking about the British Embassy they should respect their own laws and consider her so to. I have made a will and if the Australian Embassy do not accept mine as my executor I will haunt them. They won't have much say (IMO as in "none") over Thai bank accounts etc. Unless there's a written will, Thai law will decide who gets what wrt any assets within the kingdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordchild Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married Why should his girlfriend be allowed to take a dead man's money,incredible!How can you make such an outrageous statement? You also want to cremate him without allowing the British Embassy to see if he has next of kin,to repatriate his remains to? This story stinks,there is something very wrong going on here! In the UK if she was in a long term relationship she wquld be considered a Common Law wife and fully entitled. As we are talking about the British Embassy they should respect their own laws and consider her so to. I have made a will and if the Australian Embassy do not accept mine as my executor I will haunt them. uk law would not be directly relevant to his Thai assets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKvampire Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I dealt with the death of a fellow Brit last year, cant for the life of me see where you get anywhere near a 70k bill ??? for what ?? Inform the Embassy, inform the local Police a death has occurred. Keep the body in an appropriate place until further WRITTEN instructions from the British Embassy or consulate official. DO NOT make any attempt to dispose of the remains until directed to do so or you will be in serious trouble. Maybe Medical Bill? We dont know all the facts, the OP should ignore anything from TVers other than getting legal advice from Uk Embassy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordchild Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) I dealt with the death of a fellow Brit last year, cant for the life of me see where you get anywhere near a 70k bill ??? for what ?? Inform the Embassy, inform the local Police a death has occurred. Keep the body in an appropriate place until further WRITTEN instructions from the British Embassy or consulate official. DO NOT make any attempt to dispose of the remains until directed to do so or you will be in serious trouble. Maybe Medical Bill? We dont know all the facts, the OP should ignore anything from TVers other than getting legal advice from Uk Embassy well that is exactly what all the TVers seem to be saying, do what the British Embassy suggests not anything else. It is the OP who seems to be looking to do something else! Edited November 13, 2012 by wordchild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endure Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married Why should his girlfriend be allowed to take a dead man's money,incredible!How can you make such an outrageous statement? You also want to cremate him without allowing the British Embassy to see if he has next of kin,to repatriate his remains to? This story stinks,there is something very wrong going on here! In the UK if she was in a long term relationship she wquld be considered a Common Law wife and fully entitled. UK law does not recognise 'common law' marriages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morakot Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) In the UK if she was in a long term relationship she wquld be considered a Common Law wife and fully entitled. UK law does not recognise 'common law' marriages. Technically not entirely true! It's recognized if it can be proven that they have been cohabiting with habit and repute in Scotland ever since the days prior to the enactment of the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006. Edited November 13, 2012 by Morakot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallet36 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dear wordchild we are not going to try to take money from his account but as said the money we have collected is fast running out so who will pay the Britsh Embassy, I really don,t think so.His long term girlfriend will need to go to court to get his assets as thet weren't legally married Why should his girlfriend be allowed to take a dead man's money,incredible!How can you make such an outrageous statement? You also want to cremate him without allowing the British Embassy to see if he has next of kin,to repatriate his remains to? This story stinks,there is something very wrong going on here! Not wrong like I said he has told us he has no family he has been with his girlfriend for over 8 years. He has no one else who should get his money?? The UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallet36 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 What do you mean his bill is now 70k what's the bill for Hospital and funeral, the schools insurance took care of most of it, but he wanted a private room for his last days 5000 baht per day so I understand. Please don,t send your opinions I need only good advice as what to do as we are going to cremate him on Thursday afternoon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrry Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 You cannot cremate him without a certificate from the amphur which will not be given without a letter from the embassy, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJohnnyBKK Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 My understanding is that if you are living together for over two years and can show you were acting as a spouse and especially if you were financially dependent, it is possible to claim under probate within six months. Likely to be successful, especially if there aren't other family members. But of course in this case irrelevant wrt Thai property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endure Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 In the UK if she was in a long term relationship she wquld be considered a Common Law wife and fully entitled. UK law does not recognise 'common law' marriages. Technically not entirely true! It's recognized if it can be proven that they have been cohabiting with habit and repute in Scotland ever since the days prior to the enactment of the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006. OK - UK law excluding Scotland does not recognise 'common law' marriages. It only recognises 'proper' marriages and civil partnerships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallet36 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 I dealt with the death of a fellow Brit last year, cant for the life of me see where you get anywhere near a 70k bill ??? for what ?? Inform the Embassy, inform the local Police a death has occurred. Keep the body in an appropriate place until further WRITTEN instructions from the British Embassy or consulate official. DO NOT make any attempt to dispose of the remains until directed to do so or you will be in serious trouble. We have done that but our friend has been with us for over 8 years and always told us he doesn't have any living relatives the bill has come from over 6 weeks in a very expensive hospital and the temple and coffin and funeral costs. Don't shoot the messenger I get my info from my boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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