Woman walks from Myanmar to Thailand to claim husband's body after earthquake, discovers mistress

One woman reportedly travelled four days on foot from Myanmar to Thailand to claim her husband's and son's bodies after the March 28 earthquake that hit both countries, only to discover that the husband had a mistress.

Thai TV station Channel 8 interviewed the woman, only known as May, on Tuesday (April 8) as she visited Thailand.

Her husband, named Ji Tan, son Kyaw Tat and unnamed daughter all worked in the Office of the Auditor General of Thailand building in Bangkok that collapsed, and only their daughter survived.

According to translations by Thai media outlet Thaiger, May claimed that she had travelled on foot through mountainous terrain and forests for four days and paid 12,500 baht (S$495) at the border to enter Thailand illegally. 

When she wanted to provide her DNA to match with the bodies of Ji Tan and Kyaw Tat should they be found, the medical staff reportedly told her that another woman claiming to be Ji Tan's wife had already brought the daughter along to do so.

May said that she was left "stunned and speechless" to find out that her husband had a mistress, as he would send money home each month, and claimed that their children had also never mentioned the other woman.

She was worried that compensation for his death would go to the latter instead.

As at April 9, 22 people in the Office of the Auditor General of Thailand building are confirmed to have died while 76 are still missing, reported The Bangkok Post.

Channel 8 also interviewed Ji Tan's second wife, a woman named Whee, but with her face blurred.

She claimed to have been in a long-term relationship with Ji Tan and had been living with him for over 10 years without knowing about his first wife.

She said that she would give up the rights of Ji Tan and Kyaw Tat to May but did not mention the compensation, reported Thaiger.

According to Channel 8, Thai authorities said that the compensation for Ji Tan's death would go to his daughter while Kyaw Tat's would go to May.

drimac@asiaone.com

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