Thai mother fights for baby taken by ex-husband and his mother
A Thai mother is fighting to regain custody of her daughter after her ex-husband and his mother took the baby from her before physically assaulting her at her home in Bangkok last month.
The victim, identified only as A, sought help from the non-profit organisation Be One, hoping it would offer her a chance to see her daughter again. The organisation shared her story on social media, drawing significant public attention and leading to her being invited onto the news programme Hone Krasae for an interview.
A revealed her story during the interview yesterday, April 3. She explained that she had met her ex-husband on a dating application at the end of 2023. He was a doctor at Hua Chiew Hospital in Bangkok, while she had just completed her Master’s degree at the time.
Following an face-to-face meeting, she initially distanced herself from him, realising he was not her type. She added that she found him to be a womaniser, as he followed many women on social media and frequently left flirtatious comments.
Despite this, they remained in contact and eventually began a romantic relationship. The doctor often stayed at her condominium in the Rama VIII area but never contributed to any of the living expenses.
A later discovered that her partner continued to use the dating app to communicate with other women and had sexual relations with them. This led to repeated arguments.
He then involved his mother in their disputes, who had disliked A from the beginning due to their different social status.
Although the doctor regularly visited A’s family, she never met his family until she became pregnant. They held a large wedding, mostly attended by A’s family and friends. Only his mother and two brothers were present from his side.
A had hoped that her relationship with his mother would improve after the wedding, but this was not the case. The mother barred her from entering their home and restricted her access to the doctor. She also reportedly belittled and insulted A on numerous occasions.
Eventually, the doctor requested to end their relationship. His mother and two brothers then raided A’s condo to collect his belongings.
At the time, A was around four months pregnant and had to take care of herself until she was about to give birth in February. Her ex-husband’s mother allegedly forced her to choose between raising the baby alone without any support or giving the baby to the doctor and never seeing her again.
A refused to decide until after giving birth. Once the baby was born, her ex and his mother pressured her into signing a contract to hand over custody.
She eventually signed the document but pleaded to be allowed to see her daughter from time to time, to which her ex agreed.
However, on the day she was permitted to spend time with her daughter, the ex-husband and his mother came to her home and took the baby. When she asked when she would be able to see her daughter again, they refused to respond.
Terrified of losing her daughter permanently, A tried to stop them from leaving her home, which escalated into a physical altercation.
The ex-husband and his mother left with the baby and blocked all communication with her, prompting A to seek help from Be One.
During the interview, A broke down in tears, prompting both the founder of Be One, Chalida “Ton Or” Palamart, and the Advisor to the Public Health Minister, Thanakrit Jit-areerat, to weep with her in sympathy.
On the programme, A begged her ex-husband and his mother to return her daughter and promised not to pursue legal action against them. However, her ex and his family refused to return the child and declined to speak to either the media or the authorities.
As a result, A filed a formal complaint against her ex-husband and his mother yesterday. It has since been reported that they moved out of their residence to avoid media scrutiny.
According to leading Thai lawyer Monchai “Kaew” Jongkrairattnakul, A has full legal rights over her baby, as she did not sign a marriage certificate with her ex-partner. Furthermore, the ex-partner initially refused to acknowledge the paternity of the child.
The lawyer stated that both A’s ex-partner and his mother could face legal consequences for abducting a minor and committing acts of domestic violence. He emphasised that such offences could lead to imprisonment, potentially ruining the doctor’s professional career.
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