Police will reject applications by foreigners to marry Lao women if they are found to have any link to criminal activities, according to a senior police officer.
Director General of the Foreigners' Management Department, Lieutenant Colonel Phouvieng Sonesvaeng, said on Tuesday the Ministry of Public Security would not allow Lao women to marry foreigners who had been blacklisted as a result of their connection with human trafficking.
Foreigners who are already married or who have any form of criminal record are also barred from marrying Lao women. These prohibitions are in place to prevent criminals taking a Lao wife so they can claim the right to live in Laos.
Lt. Col. Phouvieng spoke to Vientiane Times to clarify the government's policy on Lao citizens who want to marry foreigners.
The Foreigners' Management Department is responsible for scrutinising the personal history of foreigners who request approval to marry a Lao national. One of the department's main roles is to prevent criminals taking up residence in Laos and to protect Lao citizens from falling prey to human traffickers.
Deputy Minister of Public Security, Police Brigadier General Toula Inthathirath, told National Assembly members on Monday the ministry had prolonged one particular decision to allow a young woman to marry an older foreign man.
Brig. Gen. Toula was responding to an assembly member who wanted him to explain why the ministry had delayed approval of the marriage, saying she had learnt there was no law in Laos barring the union.
He said the ministry had withheld approval because the woman in question was 21 years old while the man was in his sixties.
Police were suspicious about the marriage, believing the man would treat the young woman like a servant because he needed someone to take care of him in his old age.
This meant his wife would end up being sad rather than happy.
The police also had their doubts that the man was single, saying that a document certifying his marital status had been signed by an unknown party.
“It is unbelievable that a man aged over 60 is unmarried,” he said, adding that the ministry had delayed making a decision to protect the woman.
Lt. Col. Phouvieng said the main reason for the ministry's restrictions in approving marriage between Lao women and foreigners was to make sure Lao women marry foreigners of good character.
Many Lao women were led to believe they would have a good life if they married a foreigner, and found out too late this was not the case.
He said there had been cases of women seeking help from Lao embassies after being treated as servants by their husbands.
Lt. Col. Phouvieng said it was not government policy to prevent people of different nationalities from marrying because love knew no boundaries and it was impossible to stop one person from loving another.
