PARLIAMENT | The man who reportedly took an 11-year-old Thai girl as his wife has yet to make an application for the union in the Syariah Court, according to Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh.
"A check with the Gua Musang Lower Syariah Court found that there is no confirmation of the marriage application from any party, as of today," she told the Dewan Negara during the winding up debate on the royal decree.
Yeoh added that a Welfare Department check found that the girl has been placed in a functional family in her home country.
She also confirmed that police have submitted their investigation paper, along with the girl's medical report, to attorney-general Tommy Thomas for further action.
Malaysians were outraged over reports in June that 41-year-old Che Abdul Karim Che Hamid had taken an 11-year-old as his third wife.
The union was solemnised at a mosque in Narathiwat, just across the Golok River from Kelantan.
It was later revealed that the marriage had not received approval from Thai religious authorities.
Che Abdul Karim was later fined RM1,800 by the Gua Musang Lower Syariah Court for marrying without obtaining approval and for entering into a polygamous marriage without consent.
The girl was returned to Thailand and placed under the care of the Thai government.
Following the controversy, de facto Religious Affairs Minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa had said the government would tighten provisions for child marriage in the Syariah Court before drafting a new law to ban the practice altogether.
Under syariah law, girls under 16 and boys under 18 are allowed to marry. State enactments stipulate that Syariah Court judges must personally interview younger applicants to gauge their preparedness for marriage.
The Pakatan Harapan manifesto had promised to raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 for both men and women. - Mkini
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