AFTER months of legal confusion, a Ministry of Interior official

told the Post Wednesday how foreigners can comply with Sub-Decree No

183, which governs marriages between foreigners and Cambodian citizens.

The subdecree was issued in November following the lifting of a

seven-month ban on such marriages.

Ten Borany, deputy director

of the Anti-Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department at the

Ministry of Interior, told the Post that foreigners wishing to marry

Cambodians need to go through the following process: First, they need

to apply through their own embassies, which will pass forms on to the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That ministry will then pass the forms to

the Ministry of Interior. If both ministries approve the forms, they

will then be sent to the appropriate commune officials. The forms will

then be taken to the Phnom Penh Municipality for final approval.

New role for APP

Ha

Tai Jun, adviser to the Association of People Protection, said the

association is designed primarily to help Cambodian women looking to

marry Korean men. The association maintains an office in South Korea

and an office in Phnom Penh.

He said the association plans to do its best to protect Cambodian women from abusive and exploitive relationships.

"Our

association does not allow crazy people, drunks, people who are already

married or drug users to marry Khmer women," he said. "We try to help

Khmer women when they get married."