The Royal Thai Consulate General in Kunming is warning Thai women who want to marry Chinese men through matchmakers to study their future grooms' background thoroughly before saying "yes", as well as urging them to get the right type of visa and register their marriage with Thai authorities.
The suggestion was made during a discussion between journalists and the Thai consul general in Kunming, Bhavivarn Noraphallop, at a workshop titled "China in the New Era: What the Thai Media Should Know", hosted by the Embassy of China to Thailand with the cooperation of the Thai Journalist Association in Kunming during July 24-27.
According to Ms Bhavivarn, border security and Thai expats' welfare are among the issues prioritised by the consulate-general.
Since Yunnan is located next to Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam and not far from Thailand's border, the consulate has had to deal with many border-related issues such as illegal immigration, overstays, and crime, Ms Bhavivarn said.
However, Ms Bhavivarn said the consulate office is particularly concerned about the increasing number of failed marriages between Thai women and Chinese men from the area, which she blamed on the lack of research and lofty expectations on the part of the Thai women.
"Many Thai women have some misconceptions about living in China. Many seem to think they will have a better life after getting married to a Chinese man, but in reality living in China may not be all they expect," she said.
According to Ms Bhavivarn, many Chinese men end up marrying foreign brides because Beijing's One Child policy, combined with the traditional preference of having a male heir to continue the family name, skewed the gender ratio so much that there are now more Chinese men than women.
These factors led to the boom in matchmaking businesses which specifically target Chinese men looking for Thai women, she said, before adding Thai women are popular among Chinese grooms-to-be due to their reputation as excellent homemakers.
The majority of Thai women who seek out the services of these matchmakers are mostly from the Northeast, she said, noting that many end up moving to southern China without conducting any research on the fiancé's family and background.
Many of these brides don't even speak Chinese or know anything about Chinese culture -- and as a result, many end up dissatisfied with their new life in China and seek the help of the consulate to return to Thailand.
Others, meanwhile, are abused by their new families and/or forced to work long hours on their families' farms.
Returning to Thailand isn't as simple as they think, Ms Bhavivarn said, adding they need their spouses' consent to leave the country, especially when children are involved. "Before saying yes, we urge Thais to better prepare for the move and lower their expectation, as living in China with their new spouses could be worse than living in Thailand," said Ms Bhavivarn.
The consul-general also reminded Thais who are getting married to a foreigner not to surrender their travel documents to their spouses and get the right visa to ensure their rights are protected under Chinese laws. In addition, Thais should register their marriage with the nearest Royal Thai Embassy in case of emergency, said Ms Bhavivarn.