GETTING HITCHED IN YALA NOT POPULAR WITH MALAYSIAN COUPLES

YALA, June 14 (Bernama) -- In a month, only about five Muslim couples from Malaysia tie the knot in Yala Province in Thailand, compared to Narathiwat and Songkhla, said Yala Islamic Religious Council deputy chairman Nik Muhamad Amin Nik Soh.

He said the low number is mainly due to the location, which is quite far from the border, adding that most Malaysian couples drive to Narathiwat or fly directly to Songkhla.

“Usually, those who come to Yala live near the Malaysia-Thailand border and must complete two marhalah or journey measures of over 90 kilometres.

“Couples who travel by air will head to Songkhla because there they can get married and then get confirmation from the Malaysian Consulate (to enable the wedded couple to later register their marriage back in their respective states in Malaysia) and obtain a marriage certificate,” said Nik Muhamad Amin, who is also the grand imam of the Yala mosque.

Nik Muhamad Amin said that the marriage process in Thailand imposes conditions similar to those in Malaysia, and couples will be questioned regarding the factors involved in registering a marriage in Thailand.

“We set strict conditions because we do not want the couple to face problems in the future, especially when they have children if they are not registered in Malaysia.

“Couples who tied the knot in Thailand seeking to get a divorce must be present to resolve it in this country, while getting a divorce in Thailand is not allowed for couples who got married in Malaysia… because it will cause many problems for the couple, especially for the woman who will be left ‘hanging without a rope’ (stuck in limbo as she can’t remarry without getting a divorce),” he said.

According to him, there are 30 marriage registrars who are also members of the Yala Islamic Religious Council committee, and they must obtain endorsement from Islamic Religious Councils from all states in Malaysia to perform marriage solemnisation. 

“This requirement has succeeded in reducing the number of marriages involving uncertified solemnisers and causing problems for couples in the future,” said Nik Muhamad Amin, who will meet with the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK) officials in August.

-- BERNAMA