A Yala-based woman is seeking legal help after her husband – a soldier – reportedly began “unfair” divorce proceedings against her.
“Ja” (not her real name) fell in love with a soldier two years ago while he was working with a village-protection unit in Yala province, and was two months pregnant when his stint in her hometown came to an end.
“He left without showing any concern,” Ja lamented, saying he only visited her after the baby was delivered. During that visit, her relatives successfully talked him into getting married to her.
“But after that, he simply disappeared,” the young mother said, adding that as she was struggling to raise the baby, she called on his Army unit to give her a part of his salary. The unit began giving her Bt2,000 from her husband’s salary.
“As soon as the deductions began, he suddenly called and demanded I return the money,” Ja said, adding that divorce papers arrived at her home earlier this month.
She spoke to the press on Sunday after contacting a legal clinic at Yala Rajabhat University for help.
Bussayamas Isaduk, who chairs a non-governmental organisation in Yala, said Ja is not the first woman to fall for a soldier and then suffer.
“While soldiers come to our province to provide safety, many create problems for local women. There are many cases in which a soldier has impregnated a local woman and disappeared,” she said. Also in many cases, she said, some soldiers are already married, but pretend to be single when approaching local women.
