Community Funeral Funds

[TKI]

Dear all,

my girlfriend and her daughter, her old mama, her mentally disordered sister with her son and me live together in a small village between Thong Pha Phum and Sankhlaburi.

I try to take care for the living as good as i can. Soon we are 7 persons (my girlfriend and me expect a baby) and sometimes i get frightened if i have the strength and means to care for all of us.

This is why i try to be careful with expenses. Especially when they are not necessary.

Every now and then someone from the community funeral funds 'bagan' - as the people call it here - comes by, claims that someone has died and collects money.

My girlfriends old mama has started and joined this 'bagan' five years ago - before my time - and pays double - for her and her mentally disordered daughter.

In the hope that if one day she or the daughter dies the 'bagan' will pay for a big funeral.

It must be big - the community members apeased with abundand food and drink and the monks with generous donations - to be blessed with good luck and welcomed well in heaven.

Always when the 'bagan' man had come to the house to collect the contribution for the dead i get left with a sick feeling in the stomach.

In some months it easily sums up to 400 to 600 THB what we pay. The return is said to be around 30-60k in case of death. But no one knows it exactly.

I wonder and keep asking myself do we really need this 'bagan'?

Can we trust this system?

Does anyone have any experience?

[pieeyed]

You are the man.

[thehelmsman]

It's the same where I stay. We pay 20 baht each time. It's always an someone on bycycle, they break out the old notebook, carefully make the entry we paid. Does it work? Don't know.

[kannot]

Ask the woman WHY it must be a big face funeral............... no brain no sense, shes living a fantasy!

I cremated my Dad this year in a shroud no coffin no service no wake etc no guests, we agreed it was all a TOTAL waste of money.

Edited October 26, 2015 by kannot

[NancyL]

If you've lived in the village for any length of time, you should have witnessed some funerals by now to see if this system really works. In general, this is how it's done in the villages in Thailand, although 400 - 600 baht/month sounds very high. I suspect there is some "dual pricing" at play here because they know the household is headed up by a foreigner.

All of our western notions about how big lavish funerals are a waste of money aren't going to be accepted. You aren't going to be able to change anyone's opinions about what they'd like for themselves or their loved ones. The best you can do is make it know what you'd like to have done for yourself, talking about it over and over again and then putting your wishes in writing so that your girlfriend and her family have something in writing to show to everyone else when they're pressured by everyone in the village to put on a big send-off for you rather than spend the money on something more important.

[Nomyai]

So where did you find your gf.............................these situational stories just cant be true! Ive heard guys supporting FAMILY who werent Family. Goes on for years everybodys happy. WIN WIN ,WIN.

Assuming op doesnt have a high paying village job. I wonder how much is his pension?

Edited October 27, 2015 by Nomyai

[TKI]

Many thanks for sharing your opinions and experience.

I think i understand how the system works.

As you report that it is the same in other villages it should be trustable and functioning.

To NancyL:

Thank you. I did some more research. And found out that there is more then only one funds available here.

Just as you report there is also one 20 Baht funds in our village.

And another one which is 50 Baht - the one our family is part of.

This one is said to be 'better'. In which way i couldn't find out yet.

Applicants wait long time until they can join this fund.

I suppose only always when one person dies a place gets vacant and can be filled by a new applicant.

I think they don't charge any dual because i am falang.

The funds has been joined before my time. My girlfriend, her daughter and me are not part of it.

Thank you very much for your kind efforts and good advice.

To kannot:

for me myself i share your opinion and i told my family to burry me in the backyard.

But when it comes to people with strong believe - especially elderlies - there is no way to change their opinion.

The only way to cope is to practice tolerance and understanding.

[TKI]

So where did you find your gf.............................these situational stories just cant be true!

Assuming op doesnt have a high paying village job. I wonder how much is his pension?

We met in my Bakery shop in Chonburi.

No, i don't have a pension - only 38 yrs old - and will never have.

Didn't pay into the government pension funds in Germany.

Always been self employed. Now again.

[Thongkorn]

Most monks will take care of the Funeral for a donation , why pay every month or whatever.

[lovelomsak]

In our village the Phu Yai set the rate at 20 baht if the dead person is from the village and 100 baht if the dead person is from your Moo.in the village. Had a problem with people registered in the village die but have funeral elsewhere but the family took the money.

[thehelmsman]

Most monks will take care of the Funeral for a donation , why pay every month or whatever.

It's not a monthly bill. As people pass on the villagers pay.

[KittenKong]

As you report that it is the same in other villages it should be trustable and functioning.

Just because a scam happens everywhere doesn't make it any less a scam.

[colinneil]

In our village when a person dies every person involved in the scheme pays 50 baht.

I am in the scheme only farang in our village, but i pay the same as a Thai.

Payout is 20.000 baht. My wifes family were paid this when her mother died.

No scam, no monthly payment, only pay when there is a death in the village.

If OP is being asked to pay monthly, he needs someone to ask to see the book, because they write everything/payments etc in it.