Thread: Thai Divorce law re: Extortion

4.5 months of marriage. Three visits to Thailand and two vacation trips. He's on the road most of the time working abroad. And her mates advise her to throw him under the bus, but get his money first. Hardly sounds like Cupid visited.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^Disagree. The US Embassy doesn't care about your situation one way or another. They are just there to answer questions from US citizens. For what you want to ask, you probably don't even need to use your real name.

I guess if you give them no identifiers such as name or passport number or fill out any paperwork, you may be be right. I always thought you had to at least identify yourself as Americn somehow before using their services. I could be wrong, in which case, go for it. One of the things I have learned over time is to give as little information as possible since it always seems to come back and bite me in the ass somehow. Especially when it come to divorce law or a woman.

Originally Posted by drawp

.

Anyways, what are my options here, I'm 25 and want to get this over with as soon as possible so I can continue with the rest of my life, however she is adamant that she will not sign it until she receives the money
.

Why can you not get on with your life just because you have a Thai gold digger wife looking for money?....which you state that you don't have. If you have not accumulated any assets during the marriage, (which you also state) then there is nothing (or very little) to split 50/50. (as per Thai divorce law) She appears to be the one with the problem here.....it must be terribly frustrating trying to milk a farang that has no milk...

She is sure to find another one soon because they arrive by the plane load on a daily basis bragging about how rich they are. Then she will be very anxious to give you a divorce, so she can tap into the next revenue stream. It just takes a bit of patience....and a basic understanding of how greed works.
Play it smart; wait her out, and good luck to you...

^^Agree totally with giving out as little information as possible to authority figures of any ilk. I have, however, called Amcit services on a number of occasions, in different countries, and never been asked for documentation. Perhaps an American accent does it. I have just said that I was Mr. _____, American citizen residing in ________, and needed the following information. That was it.

Is she cute? If so, I am willing to take one for the team and pretend to be a rich farang to entice her into bed (as long as you pay the expenses of course, hidden video camera, etc.). You get the evidence you need to sue her for divorce, and I get my leg over.

I don't know why people complicate these things so much.

^Good point. And a very kind offer.

You're right to be cautious, the last thing you want is to be married to a decent woman later and have this woman from hell show up. I've seen this before; once their Thai girls friends tell them what they can "get" no one can tell them otherwise. Their friends (of course) have no absolutely clue what they are talking about, or are flat out lying, but the idiot type of girls believe each others lies.

I am an American lawyer; suggest you get an official and dependable answer, possibly from someone at the US embassy whether this marriage is recognized in the USA or not. If it's not, (and I doubt if it is) walk away and give her nothing. If it is, you will need a good Thai lawyer, and that usually means one in Bangkok.

Originally Posted by hawaiianbrian

Interesting that not one person asked him if there was any way that the marriage could be saved. I guess they all assumed there was never any love involved it was all a matter of lust/money grabbing/whatever! Happy Valentines Day!!!!

When I was practicing law, I always asked clients if they wanted to explore the possibility of saving the marriage, but there are some things that could never be "put behind" a couple. Extortion is one of them. The last Thai one I heard about, the girl wanted 300,000 baht to leave and said if he tried to put her out she would hurt her own arm and tell the police he did it. He hired 2 off-duty cops at a total cost of 20,000 baht for an hours work, they went to the house when he was at work and physically removed the woman and put enough fear into her that he has not heard from her since, but that was just a live in bar girl, not a marriage.

Dead simple. Just introduce her to some one you dislike immensely. Of course, you have to prime the pump by telling her that he is a wealthy schmuck, preferably from the south of the United Kingdom.

Suggestions, anyone?

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

I was in a very similar position to you with my ex and her friends. Her reason for mistrust, or more to the point her friends, was because as they put it, I'm young looking and handsome and i'll sleep with lots of women. This sent my ex over the edge with all kinds of conspiracies.

Anyway, i would suggest not to divorce her just yet unless you're desperate to remarry, as she will be the one in the not too distant future begging you for a divorce so that she can marry another farang.

thats exactly the advice i was going to give, she will be more desperate than you to remarry.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^^^^I've generally found the Amcit folks to be well-informed and helpful, if you are polite and can clearly articulate your situation and question. They might even be able to comment on Thai legal issues, although they may tell you they aren't allowed to. Good luck.

^^Humbert. I don't think you are correct. My understanding is that a foreign marriage is not recognized by the US unless the marriage is registered with the US Embassy. I was married overseas, twice. In the first one, both the marriage (in Bangladesh) and the divorce (in Thailand), were registered with the Embassy. In the second (in the Philippines), the marriage was also registered with the Embassy. My understanding is that if they hadn't been registered, they would have had no legal standing in the US. In the first marriage, in which both my wife and I were US citizens, the marriage, although legal under US law, was not registered in a State, and it is the States which determine alimony, etc. As such, I simply drew up my own settlement, the wife and I split the stuff, and went on our way. When I married a second time, ten years later, the legality of the divorce held up with no problem. And the legality of the divorce held up as well when I retired so that my first wife couldn't touch my pension.

This is from the Citizens Services page of the US Embassy website:

"A legal marriage in Thailand consists of both parties registering their marriage in person with the local Thai Amphur (Civil Registry Office). The United States does recognize the validity of such a marriage. "

Before you register your marriage you have to pick up a form at the US Embassy which you have translated into Thai. You bring this to the Amphur when you register the marriage. This is part of the process of legally marrying a Thai national.

There is no mention of registering the marriage at the embassy.

^I stand corrected. I would still call the Embassy, and see what impact this will have on a divorce, if any. It may mean that the US will recognize it as a legal marriage for visa purposes, but it may also have little impact on a divorce proceeding.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Is she cute? If so, I am willing to take one for the team and pretend to be a rich farang to entice her into bed (as long as you pay the expenses of course, hidden video camera, etc.). You get the evidence you need to sue her for divorce, and I get my leg over.

I don't know why people complicate these things so much.

I think by Thai law he could then also sue you.

The only easy way to divorce in Thailand is if you both agree.

Then its just a matter of both going to the Amphur and paying a very small amount and then you are done.

Any other way is going to be messy and/or expensive.

So I think you need her to at least believe that she will be getting a decent payout after she signs. Tell her that you'll send her 20,00 baht per month for 2 years to give her a chance to get back on her feet.

If you then fail to keep your promise then there's not much she can do about it..