Fatal road accidents, burglaries gone wrong and balcony death plunges occur almost daily to Western men living in Thailand. Usually they warrant only a couple of lines in the newspaper. Recently, however, I learned about one of these cases in more detail.
Earlier this year my Thai girlfriend went back to Buriram to renew her ID card. Ahead of her in the queue was the widow of a recently deceased westerner who was weeping and being comforted by her brother. She was seeking the authority to claim her dead husband's estate.
When asked for the death certificate, she tearfully explained that her husband had died only the previous day and the hospital had not issued it yet. The desk officer said that he could not process her claim without it.
Suddenly, her tears dried. Over several hours, she argued with officials in a voice loud enough for the growing crowd to hear. It turned out that she had been married for just six months to her farang husband. He had finished building their house only two days previously. On the day of his death, they were celebrating its completion with a small party.
She explained that as they were returning home by motorbike, they were hit by a pick-up truck. Her husband was killed instantly. Sadly, such accidents are not rare in rural Thailand. On the face of it, this was just tragic bad luck but as the discussion continued some facts emerged that cast doubt on this version of events.
After the accident, the driver of the pick-up ferried her husband's body to the hospital morgue. Drivers typically flee the scene of an accident in Thailand because they have nothing to gain from hanging around. Perhaps he was just trying to do the right thing. Perhaps he did not consider that his actions would deny police the opportunity to examine the crash scene. The wife was lucky. She was the pillion passenger but survived the fatal accident with no visible injury.
As time wore on and patience wore thin, her "brother" pitched in. Dressed in army fatigues, he looked like a tough guy. The couple's body language began to give onlookers the impression that they enjoyed a rather more intimate relationship. He was pestering her about how much money he would get.
Leaving this story aside for a moment, let's consider a hypothetical situation. If you were an aging bar girl with a Thai boyfriend and were tired of selling your body, you might be tempted to marry a rich farang. He could build you a house and support your dependants. Obviously your boyfriend and family would be in on it from the start.
Six months down the line, the farang has finished his spending spree and just wants a quiet life. The house may be in your name, but the remaining cash is still his. If you threw him out now, you would be back to square one. Your boyfriend has been swallowing his pride for six months. He may not be squeamish about doing the necessary. It could be made to look like an accident.
Coming back to the real-life story, the onlookers amused themselves by indulging in whispered speculation. Even if there was no foul play involved, you have to feel distaste at the family's haste to cash in. The police did launch an investigation but I don't know the outcome. Maybe a reader can shed some light on it.
Relationship breakdown is always costly but some hapless western men may end up paying the ultimate price.
http://www.mangosauce.com/farang_life/thai_wife_murder_you_for_cash.php
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