Compiled by C. ARUNO and PAVITHRA RAMAN
MALAYSIAN couples are flocking to Songkhla to get married after Thailand eased entry requirements in July.
Kosmo! reported that within a month, as many as a thousand couples, including those seeking polygamous marriages, tied the knot at five different locations in the province.
Wan Yop, who makes a living transporting Malaysian couples to Songkhla for weddings, said the Covid-19 pandemic had deterred many Malaysians from secretly marrying in Thailand.
But as soon as Thailand reopened its borders and loosened its entry requirements, he said, requests from Malaysian couples increased dramatically.
“Currently, no less than 200 couples get married at the Songkhla Islamic Religious Council in a month.
“That does not include the other four wedding venues; therefore, it is not inconceivable the figure surpasses 1,000 couples every month.”
Wan further stated that the number of couples getting married in Songkhla soared to 50 per day, compared to the average of 10 per day during the school holidays.
He added that the sudden surge in demand had placed marriage agents and freelancers, who are compensated for bringing couples to Thailand, like himself in a challenging and hectic situation.
Wan said he had to compete with other agents to obtain a queue number for his clients to get married quickly and for their marriage to be registered at the Malaysian Consulate Office in Songkhla.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
