16-7-2023 (BANGKOK) Thai women who are hired to marry Chinese men are at risk of breaking the law both in China and Thailand, according to warnings issued by the police on Saturday. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) issued the warning after a Thai woman in Udon Thani endured three years of assault in China, but was not considered a victim of human trafficking due to the fact that she married a Chinese man of her own accord. The woman had signed a contract with a go-between, obliging her to marry a Chinese man to produce a child. She and three other women were tricked into marrying Chinese men for a 100,000-baht dowry with the condition that they get pregnant in the first six months.
The victims were persuaded by a matchmaker to tie the knot, but were ultimately kept in China as servants or even second wives to their fathers-in-law after delivering their babies. The ATPD deputy commander, Pol Col Surapong Chatsut, stated that to be considered a human trafficking offence, the victim must suffer a forcible act. The victim, in this case, contractually consented to marry in exchange for a dowry, which is outside of the act’s coverage.
The ATPD is investigating similar marriage scams in Udon Thani and is concerned that some local women may have signed the marriage contract without fully understanding the fine print contained in the agreement. Pol Col Surapong is worried that this issue could make some Thai women apprehensive about getting into a relationship with foreign nationals. More Chinese men are looking outside their country for women to have children with since China lifted its one-child policy in 2016.
Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau (IB), is launching strict measures to deter Chinese criminals from using Thailand as a base to conduct illegal activities. The measures are also needed to keep out Chinese fugitives planning to enter the kingdom to escape legal charges. Panthana said that being hired to get married and going to live in China entails many legal and personal dangers to the women, who also risk breaking the law both in Thailand and China.
Apart from physical abuse, other possible legal violations concern the terms and conditions of the marriage contracts. The men who come over from China to spend time in Thailand as part of the marriage arrangement must also comply with the Immigration Act, which stipulates they must notify the IB within 24 hours of their arrival. Panthana attended a conference on combating trans-border crimes between Thailand and China in Kunming, capital of China’s Yunnan province, from July 8-12. Participants exchanged information that enabled authorities in both countries to prepare suppression and prevention measures. Chinese authorities also agreed to share with the IB their database of criminal suspects facing arrest warrants in China, who might be fleeing to Thailand.
