Prior to October 1, 1935 polygamy could be freely practiced and recognised under civil law in Thailand.[1][2] The old family law divided wives into three categories, all in accordance of the way in which they would become wives. There were three categories for a polygamous marriage, the first called "Mia Glang Muang," who would be the "official wife" that the husband's parents had "acquired for him," the second known as "Mia Glang Norng," the "minor wife" whom the man attained after his first marriage, and the third, "Mia Glang Tasee," the title given to slave wives that were purchased from the mother and father of their prior owners.[3]
While polygamy has since been abolished, it is still very much alive in Thailand, and according to reports, widely accepted.[4] Even still, such unions are not recognised under Thai law as in accordance with the law that states "A man or a woman cannot marry each other while one of them has a spouse."[5]
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