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What happens if you die in Thailand?
PCEC Master of Ceremonies
Richard Silverberg presents Harry with a Certificate of Appreciation for his
informative presentation to the Club.
What happens if you die in Thailand? This question was
answered at the Pattaya City Expats Club’s September 7 meeting by Harald
(Harry) Moreth, Manager of International Operations at John Allison
Monkhouse International Funeral Directors, whose mortuary is in Bangkok.
 Harry
Moreth explains what happens if you die in Thailand and the options
available for the handling of your remains, including repatriation to your
home country.
Harry has been an Expat most of his life. He was brought up abroad, is well
versed in Expat life and speaks several languages fluently. He served in the
German Foreign Service for 23 years as a consular officer specialising in
crisis management in places like Jordan, Pakistan and Iraq. He was the
consular officer in charge of death cases at the German Embassy in Bangkok
for five years from 2008 to 2013.
The main location for Allison Monkhouse Funeral Directors is in Melbourne,
Australia. It is a family owned business originally started in the early
19th century in England moving to Melbourne in the 1860s. From their Bangkok
offices, they specialize in the repatriation of deceased foreign nationals
to their home countries as well as local funerals, cremations and
repatriation of ashes. Harry said they work with most international
insurance companies and, locally, with the consular services of most
embassies in Bangkok and the region.
Harry said that when he was a consular officer, one of the problems he
encountered frequently was people passing away and leaving behind friends or
family that did not know what to do with respect to the disposition of the
body and matters related to the estate. He recommended that you write out
what you want done if you pass away here and leave it with someone or better
yet, prepare a will with this information to ensure your wishes are carried
out.
 Club
member Richard Smith describes the upcoming excursions he is organizing.
This month, the trip will be a visit Bangkok’s biggest flower market
followed by a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River. Also, because of
popularity, he is in process of organizing another shopping trip to Bangkok
to the Ikea store and the Mega Mall.
What happens when a foreigner passes away in Thailand? Harry said that
unless the person dies in a hospital, the first thing that occurs is that
the police get involved. They take note of the facts, secure the person’s
belongings, and prepare a police report. (The identification of the body is
done by a policeman together with a medical person.) Harry said that in his
experience, the police have always been very helpful in these cases. Second,
a death report is issued. This is done by the hospital where the person died
or if the body was taken there. Otherwise, the death report is issued by a
mortuary or forensic centre. Third, a death certificate is issued by the
local amphur (District Office) based on the report.
Further, unless the cause of death is very clear - such as a motorcycle
accident - any foreigner who dies in Thailand will have an autopsy performed
at the request of the police. People can choose to have their bodies
cremated. The urn can be handled in different ways. It can be interned in a
wall, which is what many Thais do. It can be taken out to sea and the ashes
scattered. It can be sent to family or friends in the person’s home country
(but it must be sent via a funeral home in that country). Or it can be
handed over to someone locally here in Thailand. If a person chooses to have
his body shipped back to his home country, by law the body must be embalmed.
The body is shipped in a coffin. It is also possible to arrange burial in a
cemetery here in Thailand.
Harry recalled one case where the person did not leave a will; as a result,
there was a two-and-a-half year legal battle over the estate. Harry added
that in order to register a will and have an executor appointed, one must go
to a provincial court. The executor will then get the court’s authority to
dispose of the person’s assets in accord with their will.
He mentioned that their funeral home in Thailand is the only one with a
fully equipped mortuary, including cool storage facility, and the only one
in Thailand who perform embalming by international standards. Harry
introduced Jason Scovell, who is the Mortuary Manager for the Australian
location and is currently in Bangkok providing training to the Bangkok
staff. They also offer pre-paid and pre-arranged funerals. Funeral
arrangements start around 40,000 baht; prepaid plans include obtaining the
death certificates, making arrangements with the Wat (if cremation done here
in Thailand) or funeral directors in the home country if repatriation of
body or ashes is desired.
Harry was asked what happens when one’s religion forbids a full embalming.
He replied that a minimum embalming is possible, but that in such cases, the
repatriation of the body must be done quickly. Their website URL is
www.funeralrepatriation .com/funeral for Bangkok and http://www.monkhouse
.com.au/ for Australia.
After Harry concluded his presentation, Master of Ceremonies Richard
Silverberg brought everyone up to date on upcoming events and called on Roy
Albiston to conduct the always informative Open Forum where questions are
asked and answered about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya.
For more information on the PCEC’s many activities, visit their website at
www.pcecclub.org.
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Saichon Chongnok wins Hilton Pattaya’s inaugural
Bar Cup competition
Matthew Wren, Director of Food &
Beverage, Hilton Pattaya; Peerasak Rungthatree, 1st runner up from the Edge
restaurant; Saichon Chongnok, the winner from Drift bar; Mai Nammaseang, 2nd
runner up from Horizon rooftop bar & restaurant; and Jean-Philippe Dehaes,
Director of Operations, Hilton Pattaya.
As part of the Hilton SEA F&B Masters 2014/2015, Hilton
Pattaya organized their inaugural ‘Bar Cup 2014’, a competition to qualify the
creator of a new drink experience for Hilton’s regional competition. All
bartenders showcased their talents and skills on stage September 11, at the
hotel’s Seaboard ballroom.
The hotel gave junior bartenders a chance to develop their confidence, and to
prove their ability and knowledge. All 9 participants were required to
demonstrate simplicity, authenticity and skills to be amongst the winners. The
judging criteria included product knowledge, preparation technique, cocktail
presentation, creativity, personal presentation and selling technique.
Saichon Chongnok from the hotel’s Drift bar was announced as the winner of the
Bar Cup 2014, with her amazing cocktail ‘The Character’. She will go on to
represent Hilton Pattaya at the Country level where she will compete with other
Hilton hotel bartenders in Thailand.
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Pattaya Marriott
celebrates 36 years
Directors, management and staff celebrate the
Pattaya Marriot Resort & Spa’s 36th anniversary with religious ceremonies and
merit-making.
Jetsada Homklin
The Pattaya Marriot Resort & Spa celebrated its 36th anniversary with
religious ceremonies and merit-making.
Employees at the Second Road resort gathered at the hotel’s New Thao Mahaprom
monument where nine local monks chanted. They were then invited for lunch.
Supadit Maneeratjarusri, managing director for Royal Garden Plaza, which adjoins
the hotel, recalled the history of the popular hotel that began its life as the
Royal Garden Resort.
The property in 1978 was just a collection of 30 bungalows, but grew into
298-room resort after being taken over by Minor International and operated under
the Marriott brand by Minor CEO William E. Heinecke.
The Marriot Resort & Spa became popular for its luxury stays near the beach and
a downtown location that still offers a cozy, natural environment. It also
houses three popular restaurants with a variety of international food.
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InterContinental Hotels Group take
on CSR & ALS challenge
The benevolent beach crew poses
for a commemorative photo before heading out to the beach.
Paul Strachan
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has, over the last few years,
become something that many companies have adopted, and this was the case at 7
a.m. on the 29th of August when members of the InterContinental Hotels Group &
Holiday Inn Pattaya took to the beach with protective gloves and black bags to
assist in cleaning things up.
Over 40 staff picked up discarded litter items that had been washed up on the
beach. They found that the stretch of sand from North to Central Pattaya wasn’t
as bad as one would imagine.
Phil Broad, Vice President of Food
& Beverage, Asia, Middle East and Africa of the Intercontinental Hotels Group,
held the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on the rooftop of the new Executive Building
of the Holiday Inn Pattaya, where he soaked himself with a bucket of ice cool
water.
The deck chair vendors ensure that the area that they cover
is clean and tidy with freshly raked sand, so the CSR team took care of the
areas in between.
The group was headed up by Phil Broad, Vice President Food & Beverage Asia,
Middle East & Africa for the InterContinental Hotels Group. 20 of his team
members were staying at the Holiday Inn in Pattaya for a conference and joined
with the hotel team for the beach clean up.
After just 45 minutes their job was done and they retired to the roof deck of
the 25th floor of the new executive tower at the Holiday Inn as Phil Broad had
been issued a challenge by his son to do the ice bucket challenge.
His team took great delight in pouring buckets of ice laden water over him.
Moments after he nominated them, this challenge went out to all his colleagues
across Asia, Middle East & Africa to raise awareness and funds for ALS.
So with CSR done and ALS awareness done the team went onto their meeting with
the time being just 8:30 a.m., a great start to the day by a dedicated and fun
group of people.
Members of the InterContinental
Hotels Group & Holiday Inn Pattaya took to the beach with protective gloves and
black bags to assist in cleaning things up.
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Braida Wine Dinner delights guests at Bruno’s
Luca Ardiri, the export area
manager for Braida, stands by his wines.
Paul Strachan
Bruno’s Restaurant & Bar was the venue for the “Braida” Italian wine
dinner held on Friday the 5th of September.
Bruno’s has for many years been synonymous with fine dining in the city and this
wine dinner was no exception.
The event was organized in conjunction with Siam Winery Co., Ltd. and was, as
you may expect, sold out.
Upon arrival, guests were treated to a welcome glass of sparkling brut
chardonnay accompanied with assorted hot & cold canapés.
Luca Ardiri and Fredi Schaub give
a brief outline of the meal and matching wines that were to follow.
Luca Ardiri, the export area manager for Braida, gave a short
speech, followed by Fredi Schaub from Bruno’s who welcomed the guests and gave a
brief outline of the meal that was to follow.
The five course menu commenced with in-house cured salmon gravlax over baby
greens, strawberries and macadamia nuts in maple cider vinaigrette, which was
served with the Collio Pinot Grigio Russiz Superiore 2012. This innovative
starter kicked off course after course of highly creative and challenging
dishes.
This was followed by a 63 degree slow poached egg, with braised mushrooms,
spinach, goose liver, parmesan foam and crispy bacon, a delightful dish paired
perfectly with the 2012 Braida Montebruna.
The main dish was the spectacular
and perfectly cooked red wine braised beef brisket and lamb rack, with potato,
asparagus and cherry tomatoes accompanied with the 2012 Braida Il Baciale
Monferrato Rosso.
The main dish was the spectacular and perfectly cooked red
wine braised beef brisket and lamb rack, with potato, asparagus and cherry
tomatoes accompanied with the 2012 Braida Il Baciale Monferrato Rosso.
Interestingly, the most expensive wine the 2011Braida Bricco Dell’Uccellone was
held back until the cheese course - a somewhat brave move that paid off as the
cheese surprisingly offered the perfect coupling with this hearty, full-bodied
red.
The meal was rounded off with the 2013 Banrock Station Moscato served with pear
frangipana tart and tea & coffee.
Wine dinners are a common occurrence in Pattaya but the real magic is conjured
up when a dedicated team works together to create something memorable and this
was certainly the case with the Braida wine dinner.
The five course menu commenced
with in-house cured salmon gravlax over baby greens, strawberries and macadamia
nuts in maple cider vinaigrette.
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