Friday, 6 February 2009

How to marry a foreigner: Ministry

The Phnom Penh Post

Thursday, 05 February 2009
May Titthara and Robbie Corey-Boulet

AFTER months of legal confusion, a Ministry of Interior official told the Post Wednesday how foreigners can comply with Sub-Decree No 183, which governs marriages between foreigners and Cambodian citizens. The subdecree was issued in November following the lifting of a seven-month ban on such marriages.

Ten Borany, deputy director of the Anti-Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department at the Ministry of Interior, told the Post that foreigners wishing to marry Cambodians need to go through the following process: First, they need to apply through their own embassies, which will pass forms on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That ministry will then pass the forms to the Ministry of Interior. If both ministries approve the forms, they will then be sent to the appropriate commune officials. The forms will then be taken to the Phnom Penh Municipality for final approval.

New role for APP

Ha Tai Jun, adviser to the Association of People Protection, said the association is designed primarily to help Cambodian women looking to marry Korean men. The association maintains an office in South Korea and an office in Phnom Penh.

He said the association plans to do its best to protect Cambodian women from abusive and exploitive relationships.

“Our association does not allow crazy people, drunks, people who are already married or drug users to marry Khmer women,” he said. “We try to help Khmer women when they get married.”

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