Polygamy in Thailand
Encyclopedia
Prior to October 1, 1935 polygamy
could be freely practiced and recognised under civil law
in Thailand
. The old family law divided wives into three categories, all in accordance of the way in which they would become wives. There were three categories for a polygamous marriage, the first called "Mia Glang Muang," who would be the "official wife" that the husband's parents had "acquired for him," the second known as "Mia Glang Norng," the "minor wife" whom the man attained after his first marriage, and the third, "Mia Glang Tasee," the title given to slave wives that were purchased from the mother and father of their prior owners.
While polygamy has since been abolished, it is still very much alive in Thailand, and according to reports, widely accepted. Even still, such unions are not recognised under Thai law as in accordance with the law that states "A man or a woman cannot marry each other while one of them has a spouse."
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
could be freely practiced and recognised under civil law
Civil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...
in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The old family law divided wives into three categories, all in accordance of the way in which they would become wives. There were three categories for a polygamous marriage, the first called "Mia Glang Muang," who would be the "official wife" that the husband's parents had "acquired for him," the second known as "Mia Glang Norng," the "minor wife" whom the man attained after his first marriage, and the third, "Mia Glang Tasee," the title given to slave wives that were purchased from the mother and father of their prior owners.
While polygamy has since been abolished, it is still very much alive in Thailand, and according to reports, widely accepted. Even still, such unions are not recognised under Thai law as in accordance with the law that states "A man or a woman cannot marry each other while one of them has a spouse."