What constitutes a marriage in Thailand?
There are different levels of marriage. To be officially recognised a marriage must be registered at the local government office. This is just a form filling exercise, as is divorce, and is recognised throughout the world. There is a local custom ceromony administered by the families and is seen as the wedding. In the eyes of a traditional Thai lady, intimate contact implies marriage. There is no ‘boyfriend/girlfriend’ status, despite many westerners’ beliefs, their relationships usually having been formed from an initial ‘sex for sale’ contact. If you ask the ‘girlfriend’, she will say she is a wife. It’s not that long ago that if a Thai man so much as touched a lady, he married her!
