Wrong-way couple win Valentine’s divorce

PHUKET: One registrar refused to divorce a couple who wanted to split on Valentine’s Day, but another registrar decided that she had to do her duty, so a second couple actually achieved their wish. The Registrar at Muang District Office, Nittaya Chaya-apichart, told the Gazette, “Today is a day of love, so I refused to divorce one couple.” But the Chief Registrar at the Thalang District Office, Sirinee Leelanont, proved more sympathetic. “A couple came with a court order and insisted on getting a divorce,” she said. “I don’t understand why they chose today. However, I had to do my duty.” A total of 179 couples tied the knot on the year’s most romantic day, a 30% drop from last year’s figure of 254. Of the 179, 127 were hitched in Muang District, 20 in Kathu and 32 in Thalang.